Over the past three decades the notion that western party-systems remain frozen
has been challenged by the apparent onset of post-industrial trends which threaten
the support base of old political parties. In particular, scholars rejecting the
freezing proposition have identified a rise in aggregate electoral volatility, a decline
in group voting loyalties and the emergence of a New Politics. This study argues
that the party systems of Australia, Britain and the United States remain
characterised by aggregate electoral stability, despite a weakening in the extent to
which electoral choice is structured by long-term political predispositions. In
addition long-term electoral stability has occurred despite considerable social and
attitudinal changes with the potential to alter significantly the underlying balance
of party support. Through the use of national election studies collected between
the mid 1960s and early 1990s in each country, it is argued that the adaptive
strategies of political parties represent an intervening variable in the extent to
which societal change is translated into electoral change. The study concludes that
the so-called dealigning trends, such as the decline of group voting loyalties and the
emergence of a New Politics, are an outcome, in part, of the strategic decisionmaking
of old party leaders seeking to preserve their party's long-term persistence.
The extent to which parties succeed or fail is not a system determined factor, but
rather an outcome of the ability of a party organisation to adapt to societal changes
which threaten its traditional support base
