2. Political Parties Flashcards
what do left wing parties tend to promote?
favours nationalisation of public services, large state intervention in social and economic policy and greater equality
what do central parties promote?
favours less state intervention but some regulation from the government on key policies
what do right wing parties promote?
favours privatisation of some public services, lessened state intervention in social and economic policy and greater personal autonomy
how are political parties funded?
- collecting membership subscriptions from members
- holding fundraising events
- receiving donations from supporters
- raising loans from wealthy individuals or banks
- the self financing of candidates for pffice
- up to £2 million per party available in grants from the Electoral Commission
why is the current system of party funding controversial?
- funding by large donors represent a hidden and unaccountable form of political influence-donors may expect some kind of political return for their invest
- aspects of some funding may verge on being corrupt
who is regarded as the founder of the Western conservative tradition?
Edmund Burke
why did Burke support the American Revolution yet condemn the French version?
he condemned the rapid revolutionary change he saw in the French revolution as it went against the established norms of society
where does the phrase ‘one-nation tory’ originate?
with Benjamin Disraeli
when did Disraeli become PM?
February 1868
how do traditional conservatives view human nature?
say that man is imperfect and cannot be made perfect. Mankind is driven by self indulgence and greed and by the desire of physical prosperity, for property and for power
how do traditional conservatives view order?
It is mankind’s most basic need. The only way to secure freedom and rights is to assure an absolute ruler to govern and protect us from each other. They oppose revolutions as they sacrifice order
how do traditional conservatives view the preservation of tradition
institutions which carry ‘the accumulated wisdom of the past’ should be respected. Where institutions and values have proved to be helpful in promoting order and stability in the past, they should be preserved
who attacked the idea of the organic society produced by the traditional conservatives?
Margert Thatcher
what are traditional conservatives view on pragmatism?
conservatives are pragmatic, as they think that politics should be discussed not argued over. Political change should never happen as a result of conflict over issues
what are traditional conservatives views on individualism?
state can enhance and facilitate choices, not limit or restrict opportunity. Individuals and households should be presented with the most choices and opportunities as possible
what is the New Right?
a hybrid philosophy, a combination of neo-conservatism and neo-liberalism. Liberal attitudes to the freemarket and capitalist economy and conservative attitude to society
who were the new right reacting against?
traditional conservatism, welfare capitalism, trade unions, inefficiency of industry, government over spending, perceived idleness
what were the new rights view on deregulation?
they suggested the source of the problem was too much intervention from the state. modern context of this belief meant that private companies should be allowed to compete with the state provisions of government service
what were the new rights views on disengagement?
the new right declared that the state would no longer intervene to save declining industries or firms
subsidies were made available for foreign companies who were considering investment in UK industries
what were the new rights views on low taxation?
insisted that high levels of such direct taxation were a disincentive to enterprise and to hard work
reducing taxes on incomes and on business would be an incentive to more entrepreneurial activity, research and development and general investment in economic growth
reduced income tax from 83% to 60%
what were the new rights views on the dependency culture?
they believed the state was not justified in helping people who lacked a work ethic or sense of enterprise
depleted state benefits as an incentive for people to work
what is Old Labour’s view on equality?
- equality is a central principle to socialism
- belief we are all born with equal rights
- all socialists reject the idea that society has any kind of natural order
- equality of opportunity is a key principle
- the most radical of socialist believe in absolute economic equality
what are old Labour’s views on social justice
- accept that full-scale equality is neither practical nor desirable
- The socialist idea of social justice argues that there are some who are deprived through no fault of their own and that some have become wealthy through windfalls rather than their own efforts. Where these situations occur there is a strong case for redistributing wealth
Social justice also means that all are entitled to the same equality of opportunity
what are Old Labour’s views on collectivism?
Refers to two main ideas:
first- people usually prefer to achieve goals collectively rather than independently
second- action taken by people in organised groups is likely to be more effective than merely the sum of individual actions
Clause IV of the 1918 Manifesto
Common ownership can give rise to a number of good outcomes including the possibility of economic equality, creates natural state of society, serve the interest of the whole community, not just the owners of the property
what did the reforms of Clement Atlee’s post war government give rise to?
a particular brand of socialism called Social Democracy
what figures as most associated with New Labour?
Tony Blair, Gordan Brown, Alastair Cambell, John Prescott
where did New Labour come from?
it came from the lack of Labour dominance since the 1980s
under Corbyn, which direction did the Labour party shift to?
significantly to the left-pledging huge increases in public spending. Most radically left since the 1983 election, pledging to increase tax by £78 billion
