THIRD FORCE IN BRITISH POLITICS

Abstract

The future of the third force in British politics rests in the role of the Liberal Democrats to make an electoral breakthrough. If that role is important, then realignment in British politics is clearly possible. Through a historicist approach along with an analysis of many data from the British Election Study surveys and qualitative data from newspapers, this dissertation examines the role of the Liberal Democrats in British politics and the challenges facing them. The purpose of this dissertation is to assess the Liberal Democrats’ record from the twentieth to the first decade of the twenty-first century, notably in terms of electoral performance and suggests the possibility of a long-term role for the Liberal Democrats as a realigning or at least persistently dealigning force. This dissertation provides a succinct account of the history of the party. It also focuses on the Alliance between the SDP and the Liberals in the 1980s and the process of merger. It determines also the Liberal Democrats’ position in the political spectrum through defining their ideology which is clearly rooted in social liberalism and considering their ability to achieve electoral performance in terms of votes and seats as well. It considers the party’s relations with the Conservative and Labour parties. It explores the party’s policy and strategy through an analysis of the party’s manifestoes and policy documents and examines the outcome of the 2010 General Election which resulted in a hung Parliament. Finally it considers the Liberal Democrat- Conservative Coalition government which is still seeking to implement its ambitious programme despite shortcomings.