2 Political Parties Flashcards by Megan Forbes

Right-wing principles

stronger policies on law and order

support of free market ideals

protection of individual rights

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Left-wing principles

greater state intervention

protection of collective rights

greater industry regulation

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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

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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

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Functions of political parties

to fight elections

to form government

to recruit and select leaders

to represent the electorate

to educate

to form policies

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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