2010 GENERAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN

A Report on 2010 General Election Campaign in United Kingdom

Contents

Executive Summary3

General Election Campaign 20104

Major Political Parties4

Background5

Strengths of the Conservative Party6

Conservative Party and its Roots6

Handling the Opposition6

Modernisation of the Conservative Party6

Conservative Party and the 2010 Election Results9

Successful Management of the Conservative Party9

Political Hegemony- Conservative Party9

Conservative Party's Improvisations due to Global Financial Crises10

Functioning under a Coalition Government10

Weaknesses of the Conservative Party11

Suggested Improvements12

Bibliography14

Executive Summary

In this report, we would conduct an analysis on the General Election Campaign (2010) in United Kingdom. The purpose of the report is to highlight the respective strengths and weaknesses of the Conservative party in the 2010 general elections. The voter turnout was quite high in the 2010 General Elections as compared to previous elections held in the country. In order to identify the strengths and weakness of the Conservative party; a thorough analysis of their stance and policies would be conducted. In the light of the analyses, improvements would also be suggested for the parties to aid them in the next general elections.

A Report on 2010 General Election Campaign in United Kingdom

General Election Campaign 2010

The general elections in United Kingdom were held on 6th May 2010; for the election of members to the House of Commons. A total of 650 constituencies in the country were involved in the elections following the first past the post system. The results were quite stratified; and none of the major political party was able to win the required 326 seats for majority (Sanders et. al, 2011, pp. 15). The political parties had organized their election campaigns in advance. Every manoeuvre was applied by the major parties to win the most seats and form their government.

In the results, the Conservative Party which was led by David Cameron got the highest number of votes. The party was not able to win the required twenty seats for simple majority, but got the highest number of votes as compared to the other major political parties. The outcome of the elections resulted in a hung parliament as none of the parties had a definite majority in the House of Commons (Petrocik, 2011, pp. 825).

Major Political Parties

The major political parties that contested and campaigned in the General Elections (2010) in United Kingdom were:

The Conservative Party

The Labour Party

The Conservative Liberals.

Background

Historically, the general elections of 2010 were the second general elections after World War II which resulted in a hung parliament. The first hung parliament was formed in 1974 elections. The chances for a hung parliament were quite evident throughout the election campaigns as the voters were showing a mixed response. The leaders and candidates of the three major political parties i.e. Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrats had started planning if a hung parliament was to be formed. In the political arena, speculation grew and even the election campaigns were designed in a manner to aid the party's cause in the case of a hung parliament. As a result, a coalition government came into existence and became the first collation government the ...