for any incarnation of the Tories/Conservatives since the 1760s and the end of the Whig Supremacy under Kings George I and George II - lasting 13 years, including the whole of the 2000s. Throughout this period, their representation in the Commons remained consistently below 200 MPs. Meanwhile, Paddy Ashdown's continued leadership of the Liberal Democrats was assured, and they were felt to be in a position to build positively as a strong third party into the new millennium, culminating in their sharing power in the 2010 coalition with the Conservatives. Internet coverage With the huge rise in internet use since the previous general election, BBC News created a special website - BBC Politics 97 - covering the election. This site was an experiment for the efficiency of an online news service which was due for launch later in the year. See also List of MPs elected in the 1997 United Kingdom general election 1997 United Kingdom general election in England 1997 United Kingdom general election in Scotland 1997 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland 1997 United Kingdom general election in Wales 1997 United Kingdom local elections Footnotes References Further reading Butler, David and Dennis Kavanagh. The British General Election of 1997 (1997), the standard scholarly study Manifestos Labour (New Labour, New Life For Britain) Conservative (You can only be sure with the Conservatives) Liberal Democrats (Make the Difference) National Democrats (A Manifesto for Britain) British National Party (British Nationalism- An Idea whose time has come) Liberal Party (Radical ideas – not the dead centre) UK Independence Party Third Way The ProLife Alliance Sinn Féin (A New Opportunity for Peace) Democratic Unionist Party Alliance of Liberty (Agenda for Change) Progressive Unionist Party Ulster Unionist Party Plaid Cymru (The Best for Wales) Scottish National Party (Yes We Can Win the Best for Scotland) Scottish Green Party Socialist Equality Party (A strategy for a workers' government!) Communist Party of Great Britain External links BBC Election Website 1997 election manifestos – Link to 1997 election manifestos of various parties. Catalogue of 1997 general election ephemera at the Archives Division of the London School of Economics. 1997 elections in the United Kingdom 1997 May 1997 events in the United Kingdom John Major Tony Blair