are they ACTUALLY completely separate parties or do they have their own allegiances to the main 2?
like over here we have liberal and labor - the main two. Then there's all the other parties like the greens, love party, etc.
But if I was to go and vote for the greens, they would chose to align with labor and I'd essentially still be voting for one of two options. is it the same over there or what?
they are actually separate.
running independently just means you were of one of these parties, but you werent a pick from that party to represent them in this election. and you are running on your own money and support.
but all these parties listed are actually real separate ones.
i dunno if you are UK or not, i forget. also not sure how they work.
but in the US, the different parties dont work together lol. its pretty bitter with the separation. its also not good for a political career to change parties like ever.