Core ideology has been abandoned by the major political parties in the United Kingdom mainly in an attempt to attract the elusive middle England' voters. In our first-past-the-post system, the outcome of a general election is often determined by a few marginal seats. Consequently, how middle England' inhabitants cast their vote can play a decisive role in determining which party ends up forming a government.

Nowhere is the abandonment of core ideology clearer than in the case of Labour, or New' Labour, as it so deemed. The abandonment of Clause IV, which had outlined Labour's commitment to redistribution of wealth and nationalisation, in 1995 signalled to many people that Labour was no longer a socialist party. It is not really surprising that Labour underwent such a change, since it had been regarded as an unelectable party for so long that it seemed that something drastic needed to be done. Labour in the 1980s had been characterised by in-fighting, and divisions over which way the party should go. The party had been dragged further and further to the left, which seemed to alienate most moderate British voters. Labour were now presented with an opportunity to win an election, by moving to the centre.

Tony Blair had managed to court the media with his affable charm and media savvy. He and New Labour' were even endorsed by Rupert Murdoch's The Sun' newspaper, which had formerly supported the Conservatives. There seemed to be a sea-change in Britain where it was now regarded as acceptable to vote Labour: they no longer seemed such a threatening force. When Labour won a landslide victory at the 1997 election they were keen to demonstrate that they could manage the economy something which Labour in the past had struggled with and that they could get the balance right between public and private sector involvement. The Conservatives were still riven by the issue of Europe and a succession of leaders did not help to unify the party. In the following elections of 2001 and 2005 the party seemed to move further to the right, and so Labour was able to triumph both times.

Alas, the Conservatives now have David Cameron as their saviour. He is very much of the Tony Blair school of thought, where style is just as important, if not more so, than substance, and where the centre ground is the place to be. Although Tory stalwarts may not be keen on the eschewing of previously accepted Tory doctrine, it is accepted that to be elected requires compromise. Once elected it may be a different story. For now, though, the Tories are riding high in the polls which seems to make the move to the centre easier to bear.

Cameron and his crew are playing the cards close to their chest, not wanting to give the game away about what their actual policies in government would be, though the few announcements that have been made seem to have been swiped by the Labour government, so it's probably a good idea! Ideology is not the driving force in politics any more. Being in power is! However, what is the point of being in power just for the sake of it? What is the raison d'etre of these political parties? What exactly are they fighting for? The composition of the Houses of Parliament seems to represent an adult version of a school playground with various cliques all vying for recognition. In the end it seems to boil down to vanity. The Liberal Democrats seem to be the only ones trying to cling on to an ideology; the ideology of liberalism, though liberalism can be interpreted in so many ways there is plenty of room for manoeuvre! There is only so much room at the centre, though. How long before something gives?

Learn more about this author, Ollie Jonson.
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