Multiparty

For British voters, a new kind of election unfolds

The United Kingdom will hold a national election May 7, and this time it will be a little different.

The Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition that has governed for nearly five years has dissolved and is unlikely to form the next government, although one never knows. The United Kingdom used to have basically a two-party system, different from but not unlike that in the United States. For decades, it was either the Conservatives or Labor in power, and many people voted traditionally, depending on their social class, family or regional orientation.

Now, with urbanization and a rearrangement of what remains of the social classes, a broader range of parties has emerged.

At least six major parties are in the fray at the moment. These include Prime Minister David Cameron’s Conservatives, the Labor Party, the remnants of the Liberal Democrats, the Scottish National Party, the U.K. Independence Party headed by the idiosyncratic Nigel Farage and the Green Party. Mr. Cameron might have been the early favorite and may well have seen himself that way when he called the elections, but his prospects are now looking a bit dodgy. For example, he declared to the media that he was willing to govern for another term, his second, but not for a third — which caused some to see him as both entitled and arrogant, the classic charges against the Conservatives.

The real issues are, as usual, the state of the economy and the infrastructure. For some voters, the United Kingdom’s future relationship with the European Union is of concern. For some on the right, particularly U.K. Independence Party adherents, immigration policy is a major issue, discussion of which can spill over into bigotry against the country’s minorities.

Since Great Britain is the chief ally of the United States, it will be interesting for Americans to see what happens. Let’s hope the issues are debated openly and fairly.