There are many similarities and differences between the two prominent far-right parties in France and the United Kingdom. Immigration reform, Euroscepticism, long-term leadership, and dramatic recent European Parliamentary election success are the most significant ties between the two, and foreign relations, success in local elections, election structure, and historical background being the most significant differences. Who their supporters are and what the parties are pushing link the two as well, however that remains so in most parties that consider themselves far-right. All of these factors that compare the similarities and differences in the two parties are the reasons why they have been successful, each in their own way but in recent
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(Shields p.319) A key contributor to this is that research shows PR electoral systems tend to help out smaller parties, and neither country had adopted this system until the founding of their parties, which led to their early on failures in elections such as run-offs and first-past-the-post races thereby systematically keeping each of these parties out of political relevancy for years. The major difference in the two are the regional/general/local councils that make up France and the House of Lords/Commons that make up the UK. In regional council elections, the FN has had success for years because the regional councils have always been PR closed list systems, until recently in 2004 when they changed it to 75% of the vote being PR and the other going to the list with the most votes, helping the two major parties take power back from the FN and other radical parties.(CITATION ON FRENCH GOVERNMENT NEEDED) In the UK, however, there are not as many offices to hold that are proportionally elected, and therefore the party has seen little success in gaining parliamentary seats. (parliament.uk) This is truly a huge difference in the parties, and maybe the most significant in the results of elections. However, and fortunately for both parties, the EP elections are decided by the PR system; which has led to their huge success in 2014, a similarity that isn’t too shocking considering how PR systems help smaller parties. What was shocking to the major parties in both countries was that they all lost to these two far-right parties in 2014 in the
(Shields p.319) A key contributor to this is that research shows PR electoral systems tend to help out smaller parties, and neither country had adopted this system until the founding of their parties, which led to their early on failures in elections such as run-offs and first-past-the-post races thereby systematically keeping each of these parties out of political relevancy for years. The major difference in the two are the regional/general/local councils that make up France and the House of Lords/Commons that make up the UK. In regional council elections, the FN has had success for years because the regional councils have always been PR closed list systems, until recently in 2004 when they changed it to 75% of the vote being PR and the other going to the list with the most votes, helping the two major parties take power back from the FN and other radical parties.(CITATION ON FRENCH GOVERNMENT NEEDED) In the UK, however, there are not as many offices to hold that are proportionally elected, and therefore the party has seen little success in gaining parliamentary seats. (parliament.uk) This is truly a huge difference in the parties, and maybe the most significant in the results of elections. However, and fortunately for both parties, the EP elections are decided by the PR system; which has led to their huge success in 2014, a similarity that isn’t too shocking considering how PR systems help smaller parties. What was shocking to the major parties in both countries was that they all lost to these two far-right parties in 2014 in the