2 Political Parties Flashcards
Right-wing principles
stronger policies on law and order
support of free market ideals
protection of individual rights
Left-wing principles
greater state intervention
protection of collective rights
greater industry regulation
Key left-wing policies
supporting higher minimum wage
support for trade unions
supporting higher tax for wealthier people and bigger role for government in wealth redistribution
belief that welfare support is too low
greater support for nationalisation of industries
Key right-wing policies
support capitalism and limited government intervention in business
support tighter immigration controls
believe in greater private sector involvement including the NHS
believe that welfare support is too high
believe in less government involvement in redistribution of wealth
Functions of political parties
to fight elections
to form government
to recruit and select leaders
to represent the electorate
to educate
to form policies
Parties help democracy
help to ensure those who take office have sufficient experience
encourage the electorate to participate through party membership
a way in which government is organised and able to function coherently
adversary politics means parties scrutinise each other’s policies
ensure representation of the public
Parties hinder democracy
adversary politics means scrutiny can be for poor reasons, e.g. to humiliate a competitor
too much agreement between the 2 main parties in the centre limiting voter choice
falling party membership suggests they don’t help engagement
factions make it difficult to create manifestos the whole party agrees on
parties may educate the public selectively to win support for their view
Party membership fees
Conservative Party increased its fees by 56% in 2022 to £39 per year following a slump in people joining
2020 Labour reported an income of £34.5 million from membership fees
Donations
parties must report donations of over £7,500 to the Electoral Commission but there are no limits
July to September 2022 the Conservative Party reported £3 million in donations, down from £5.4 million in the previous quarter
Public funding
the main source of public funding is ‘short money’ introduced in 1975 - it is given to opposition parties to support them in carrying out their parliamentary duties but not electioneering
Cranborne money introduced in 1996 to support the main and second largest opposition parties in the House of Lords
policy development grants from the Electoral Commission were introduced in 2000 given to parties to develop the policies in their manifestos
increase state funding for political parties
give smaller parties a greater chance to be competitive in elections, reducing 2 party dominance and increasing voter choice
reduce excessive influence of an elite few wealthy donors
allow parties to focus on governing rather than fundraising
Don’t increase state funding for political parties
if it was based off electoral success it would reinforce the 2 party system
fundraising ensures that they have to listen to their supporters
spending public money is not popular, even capping level of donations a party should receive is controversial
Conservative Party general beliefs
slow evolutionary change (to conserve) rather than radical change
individual rights which results in preference for lower tax
the right to own private property
general support for free markets and capitalism with limited state intervention
safeguard traditional institutions in the UK
greater stress on security including law and order, rule of law and crime and punishment
One Nation conservatives
focus on the idea of paternalism
believe in the need for a welfare state to ensure a level of social equality based on a belief in noblesse oblige - the rich have an obligation to the poor
belief the state has a key role in ensuring economic growth
New Right conservatives
greater focus on the individual, reducing individual tax
believe in a free market economy and private property with limited government intervention resulting in privatisation and deregulation
stronger stance on law and order including immigration
2019 Manifesto (Conservative)
- leave the EU
- no income tax, VAT or national insurance rises
- pensions will rise by 2.5% per year
- commitment to net zero carbon emissions by 2050
- commitment to spending £6.3bn upgrading the energy efficiency of 2 million homes
- introduction of points based immigration system
- freeze student finances at £9,250
- create 250,000 childcare places for primary age children in school holidays
- commitment to ‘levelling up’ to reduce economic imbalances
Examples of conservative policies
- Energy Bills Support Scheme saw every household given £400
- Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 restricted the right to protest
- Strikes Bill aimed to restrict the right to strike
- plan to curb illegal immigration was to fly asylum seekers to Rwanda
- 4 new government departments under Sunak, including Energy Security and Net Zero
Labour Party general beliefs
belief in socialism and social democracy, ensuring equality within society
greater role for government intervention to ensure equality, through regulation of the economy
belief in protecting collective rights, including the rights of workers and minority groups
support for the welfare state and measures to tackle poverty through the provision of universal services
belief in common ownership, nationalisation of key industries
Old Labour
clear focus on social equality to be achieved through the redistribution of wealth by the government
regulation of capitalism and nationalisation of some key economic industries, resulting in a ‘mixed’ economy of public and private ownership
strong welfare state with universal services provided for all, including a strong NHS and comprehensive education
New Labour (third way)
focus on equality of opportunity over social equality, reducing the importance of the redistribution of wealth
an acceptance of economic regulation by the market itself rather than the government
support of the welfare state but targeted to those most in need rather than universally available
2019 Manifesto (Labour)
- increase NHS budget by 4.3%, while scrapping prescription charges, dentistry charges and car parking charges for hospitals
- hold a second Brexit referendum
- raise the real living wage to £10 per hour
- keep the pension age at 66
- substantial cuts to carbon emissions by 2030
- nationalise key industries such as energy firms, Royal Mail and BT broadband
- scrap Universal Credit
- abolish private schools’ charitable status
- free bus travel for under 25s
- build 100,000 new council houses
Starmer’s pledges 2020
- increase tax on top 5% of earners
- a Clean Air Act to tackle local pollution
- introduce a Prevention of Military Intervention Act to ensure military action is lawful
- end privatisation of the NHS
Liberal Democrat general beliefs
liberty: focus on individual rights and freedoms
equality: ensure equality is necessary for liberty which may require state intervention
democracy: limited government created by checks and balances
community: the decentralisation of power to regions and nations within the UK
human rights: focus on ensuring human rights are upheld, rejecting discrimination and prejudice
internationalism: work collaboratively with other countries, including re-joining the EU
environmentalism: promote sustainability
Classic (Orange Book) liberals
focus on personal, individual freedoms
belief in limited government, including limited intervention in the economy and government spending
Modern liberals
individual freedom can be achieved through government intervention to ensure equality of opportunity
Liberal Democrats 2019 election promises
- stop Brexit
- 1p increase in income tax to fund the NHS
- 35 hours of free childcare for children aged 2-4
- legalise cannabis
- build 300,000 new homes annually
SNP general beliefs
belief in Scottish independence
desire for a close relationship with the EU, reverse Brexit
belief in greater state intervention including protecting the rights of workers, increasing benefits and protecting the healthcare system
opposition to nuclear weapons such as Trident
2019 Manifesto (SNP)
- stop Brexit
- hold a second independence referendum for Scotland
- increase healthcare spending and introduce NHS Protection Act to ensure the NHS remains publicly owned
- scrap Trident nuclear-armed submarines
- tackle the climate emergency, all new cars to be electric by 2032
- increase paternity leave to 12 weeks
Minor parties
independent candidates gained 0.6% of the vote in the 2019 election
Plaid Cymru, Sinn Fein, DUP, Green Party, Brexit Party
can influence larger parties, e.g. in 2015 the rise of UKIP led to the Conservative Party including a referendum on the EU in its election manifesto
One-party system
one party experiences long periods in office over multiple elections and dominates the legislative system
e.g. 1997 to 2010 the Labour Party was in power
Two-party system
two parties have a realistic chance of forming a government in an election and dominate the legislative system
usually formed by majoritarian electoral systems like FPTP and SV
e.g. in the 20th century Labour or the Conservatives have controlled the government
Two-and-a-half-party system
two main parties compete for power but a third party is strong enough to be considered as a coalition partner
e.g. 2010 to 2015 the Conservative Party was in coalition with the Liberal Democrats
Multi-party system
many parties have a realistic chance of forming a government or having influence over the legislative process
usually formed by proportional voting systems like AMS and STV
e.g. Scottish Parliament 2007, the SNP gained 47 seats, Labour 46, Conservatives 17, Lib Dem 16, Green Party 2
Why do minor parties struggle?
less well financed, getting recognition can be difficult
plurality and majoritarian systems make it difficult
major parties have a long tradition and cover a wide range of policies
Minor party influence
popular policies can be co-opted by larger parties who fear losing votes
divert votes away from major parties - SNP diverted votes from all major parties
split the vote - parties of a similar ideology run against each other, splitting this vote and allowing the opposing ideological party to win
raise questions about legitimacy of election results - 2015 UKIP won 15% of the vote but only 1 seat
Factors that effect party success
the leader - credibility, personality and media image
record of the government - how well they delivered in the past
funding and organisation - more money means more campaigning
party policy - manifestos may sway voters
role of the press - newspapers and other media outlets support or oppose a specific party
