Why the 2015 UK election spells the bitter end for the biggest ‘law’ in political science

The United Kingdom general election takes place on the 7 May 2015, with current polling predicting no clear majority in the House of Commons for any party. One of the most well-known concepts in political science is Duverger’s Law, which states that two parties will dominate under ‘first past the post’ systems, such as that used in the UK. This concept held for British elections until the recent rise of smaller parties and the decline of the traditionally largest parties, Labour and the Conservatives.

Patrick Dunleavy argues that the decline of two-party politics in the UK sounds the death knell for Duverger’s Law, with Britain now having a multi-party system akin to that which exists in other western European countries.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: United Kingdom general election, 2015 http://www.europeansources.info/record/united-kingdom-general-election-2015/

Wikipedia: Duverger's law http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duverger%27s_law

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