Introduction: Political Parties and the British Party System

Abstract

British political parties exist because there is conflict within the political system. The party system has a long-established tradition in Britain; it has reflected political conflicts in British politics over the last three centuries. But if parties arise out of conflict, they do not necessarily cause it. Indeed, the theme of this book is that parties are beneficial and also inevitable. They are beneficial because they provide a mechanism for the peaceful resolution of political tensions. They are inevitable because they have developed historically as a fundamental element of the system of representative government.