Anarchy in the UK: A guide to the next week's crazy British elections for American readers
For over a hundred years, British politics has largely functioned as a three-party system consisting of the Conservative Party (or Tories), the Labour Party, and the Liberal Democrats (who were known as just the Liberals before a 1988 merger with the Social Democrats). But that system looks set to at least partially collapse, pushing Britain toward a fractious multi-party system more commonly seen in continental Europe. How did the United Kingdom get here? What does it mean for the country's politics and elections? And most importantly, who is going to be prime minister after the May 7 elections?