What are the main disagreements that exist between the Conservative, Labour & Liberal Democrat Parties?
The three main parties in UK politics, Labour, Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, are all based on greatly differing ideologies which can often lead to them having varying viewpoints on key issues. These differences can often lead to conflicts or disagreements between the parties over which policy will be most beneficial to the country.
A particularly controversial and fiercely contested issue is the role of the United Kingdom in the future of the European Union. The Labour party are often considered to be pro-Europe although their policies do tend to keep Britain’s interests at heart. Their priorities for Europe include the expansion of the EU by increasing the number of member states, the forging of better relations with non-members such as Russia, the Ukraine and other former Soviet Union states and whilst, remaining pro-single currency, Labour insist that five economic conditions must be met before the UK enters into membership of the Euro.
In contrast, the Conservative party are traditionally anti-Europe and their policies reflect this. They are strongly opposed to further European integration as proposed by Labour and are fearful of Europe becoming a single super state. In 1998, Conservative party members voted on whether to adopt a policy which was in favour of joining the single currency. The fact that 60% were opposed to it shows how strongly the party feel that the idea of EU integration is an outdated idea. The Liberal Democrats are the most pro-Europe of all of the major parties, however, they do have priorities which focus on they modernisation of Europe to make it relevant for the twenty first century. They want a referendum to be held to allow the public to say whether or not they want the Euro. Like Labour, Liberals argue that the EU must be enlarged to guarantee its future survival although, unlike Labour, they do feel that EU institutions must be made more efficient.
