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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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political parties
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The *two-party system which has prevailed in British politics goes back to the early *Tories and Whigs, who evolved in the 19C into the *Conservatives and the *Liberals. In the early 20C the *Labour party displaced the Liberals as the main rival to the Conservatives. The *Alliance of two centre parties, the Liberals and the SDP, demonstrated the size of the centre vote in the elections of 1983 and 1987 but did not win a corresponding number of seats; these parties later merged to become the *Liberal Democrats.
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The *Unionist issue in Northern Ireland provides the main political plank of the Ulster Unionists and the Ulster Democratic Unionists; the opposite stance, aiming for a united Ireland, is that of the *SDLP and of the more radical *Sinn Fein. The nationalist parties campaigning for independence in Scotland and Wales are the *SNP and *Plaid Cymru.
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