The General Election 2015
and The Major Political Parties In The UK
K. Shiuka
Wednesday 6 May 2015

The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the British Parliament is the supreme legislative body in the UK, made up of the House of Commons, House of Lords and the Queen.The Parliament was formed in 1707,(1801 + I ) and Its seat is the Palace of Westminster in Westminster, London.
The UK parliament have set the patterns for many democracies throughout the world, and it has been called "the mother of parliaments". The British Parliament consists of the House of Commons and The House of Lords. The House of Lords once was an assembly of hereditary aristocrats and landowners who used to have as much equal power as the house of Commons, but in the last century the House of Lords has lost power, which is part of democratic process.
The House of Commons is a democratically elected chamber with elections held at least every five years. The women and men who from the House of commons
are called Members of Parliament. UK's Parliament has 659 elected MPs, each one MP represents a geographical area, called a constituency. When In the UK is a general election, people vote for a person to be the MP for their constituency. The person who has the most votes wins. However political party needs 326 elected MPs to win a majority and making a party leader as a UK's PM. The system called 'First past the post". If no single political party gains a majority and no party wins the election then there will be the 'hung' Parliament or negotiations for the new coalition government, just like in 2010.

Parliament and Crown

the Crown is an integral part of the institution of Parliament.
The Queen plays a constitutional role in opening and dissolving Parliament and approving Bills before they become law. The day after a general election the Queen invites the leader of the party that won the most seats in the House of Commons to become Prime Minister and to form a government.
The Crown opens Parliament through the State Opening and The Crown dissolves Parliament before a general election.

(The Queen's Speech at the State Opening of Parliament, Her Majesty unveils the Government's legislative agenda for the new Parliament.)

( The Possible Crisis)
If the Prime Minister loses the support of the House of Commons, Parliament will dissolve and a new election will be held. Parliaments can also be dissolved if two thirds of the House of Commons votes for an early election.

The Manifesto(s)

Before the General Election the major parties and not only publish their own manifestos. In Manifesto political party releases list of pre-election promises. So, Manifesto is defined as a declaration of party’s beliefs, opinions, motives, and intentions. A document that declares what is important to them. That's what makes a manifesto valuable for UK's society.

The Ballot Box & The Paper/Vote.
In general election day the ballot box is being delivered directly to the polling station, where the voters will vote their fave candidates. In the election day people can vote for what they believe in. So people really want to think carefully before they cast their vote for the parties' key policies. Based vote people can make the change happen. So general election and vote is very important for country's future.
So, be smart, think before you act!:)
UK's The Major Parties

1) The Conservative Party
2) The Labour Party
3) The UKIP
4) The SNP
5) The Green Party
6) The Liberal Democrats

The Major Parties - Key voting demographic

* Tory; Hard working families and individuals.

* Labour; Working people and trade unionists.

* UKIP - Voters wanting the UK to withdraw from EU Membership.

* The Green party - Leftists and socialists and environmentally conscious voters.

* SNP - Scotish people (Most the 'separatists')

* Lib dems - Centre voters.

The Main Pledges

1) The Conservative Party - Key priorities

* Strong leadership , A clear economic plan and brighter , more secure future.
* Basic state pension will rise to £7,000 a year by 2020
* NHS reform and extra £8bn above inflation for the NHS by 2020
* Housing; Extend Right to Buy to housing association tenants in England
* Legislate to keep people working 30 hours on minimum wage out of tax and 30 hours of free childcare pw for working parents
* Referendum on Britain’s EU membership

2) The Labour Party - Main pledges

* Cut tuition fees from £9,000 to £6,000
* Abolish bedroom tax
* Extra £2.5bn for NHS, largely paid for by a mansion tax on properties valued at over £2m.
* Cut the immigration down.
* Raise minimum wage to more than £8ph by 2019
* Access to childcare from 8am-6pm for parents of primary school children.

3) The UKIP ( Key policies) ( Pretty close with Isolationism K. S)

* Protect UK's sovereignty and Borders.
* UK out of the EU to get country back and control immigration.
* Referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU
* No tax on the minimum wage.

4) The SNP - Main pledges

* Increase in minimum wage to £8.70 by 2020
* Annual UK target of 100,000 affordable homes
* Restore the 50p top income tax rate for those earning more than £150,000; introduce a mansion tax and a bankers' bonus tax

5) The Green party - Main pledges

* End austerity and cuts, creating jobs that pay at least a living wage
* End privatisation and keep National Health Service & Return the railways to public.
* £85bn programme of home insulation, renewable electricity generation & flood defences
* Provide 500,000 social homes for rent by 2020
* PD400 Weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons and biological weapons must be dismantled and banned by international agreement..

6) The Liberal Democrats - Key priorities

* Equal care for mental & physical health
* Increase tax-free allowance to £12,500
* Invest £8bn in the NHS.
* New laws to protect nature and fight climate change.

The Top Issues