2. Political Parties [Key Points] Flashcards
What are the functions of a political party
FUNCTIONS OF POLITICAL PARTIES : overview
- representation
- encourage participation
- formulate policy via manifesto
- recruiting office holders
- providing gov. With a winning party
Functions of political parties : examples
Representation [e.g 45 MPs define themselves as part of the LGBTQ - representing within parliament]
Participation [e.g Labour lowering its membership to £3 during 2015-2017 (Corbyn’s premiership) to attract more supporters]
Formulating Policy [e.g 2015 gen elec, NHS was a key battleground, so you had cons promising to give access o their GPs for 7 days a week and LAB promising that within 48hrs they’d be given an appointment]
Recruiting office holders [e.g before 2015 CONS activists in Thirsk and Malton didn’t allow their sitting MPs to gain as candidates]
Proving the government [e.g creating a winning party w generally its leader as PM and they remain in office so long they have the confidence of their party / 1990 Thatcher lost confidence in her party so they made her resin by going against her and replaced her w Major]
How has the funding of political party caused problems (undemocratic) ?
- Generally the most well funded party was CONS
- post New LAB, LAB has been traditionally funded by the Trade Unions (major in shaping their policies)
- Lib Dem’s have (generally been the least well funded party) often criticised their opponents of being bankrolled by the wealthy
Example.. BLAIR AND ECCLESTONE
- Blair faced criticism within months of becoming PM in 1997 following the revelation that Bernie ECCLESTONE, motor racing boss, had donated 1mil to LAB
- he was then forced to justify himself on TV, to which the money was subsequently returned
How has the funding of political party improved (democratic) ?
- passing of the 2000 POLITICAL PARTIES, ELECTIONS AND REFERENDUMS ACT implemented by Blair trying to fix or over come the Ecclestone perception
It consisted of :
- the party spending amount was capped to £30,000
- donos from individuals not on the electoral roll were banned
- created of an independent electoral commission to supervise spending on election campaigns
- donos £5,000+ had to be declared and spoken about in detail
Potential State funding REFORMS
Arguments FOR : State funding of parties
- parties play a significant role in making a representative democracy, so deserve public funding
- public funding would remove the great disparity in resources available to different sized parties [i.e it could help smaller parties]
- if state matched donos by party members, it could encourage participation by the public and recruitment to parties
- it would curb the possibility of private backers on party policy
Arguments AGAINST : State funding of parties
- increased state funding, could lead to increased state regulation and less party independence
- public funding could isolate parties from the wishes of the electorate
- tax payers would resent compulsory contributions to parties of which thy disapprove
- hard to decide how much support is needed to qualify for funding
Funding of the Conservative Party
- mostly funded by large corporations and individuals, small amount is raised through membership fees
- e.g 6 days in the lead up of 2017 election they received £3 million in donos
Controversies
- in 2018, it was revealed that in 2014 that the mayor of London, Boris Johnson, played tennis with a former Russian minister in return of £160,000 donation
- hence why indivuals were suspicious when Russian millionaires (with dual citizenship) donated
Funding of the Labour Party
- this party is predominantly funded by the trade unions (who consider themselves as different from corporate funding) / there corporate and individual funding is much lower than the CONS
- the amount that comes from membership fees has increased by a lot in the most recent years / due to the 2015 decrease in membership fees £3 by Milliband
Controversies
- there was also controversy when Blair was associated with the ‘cash for honours’ scandal
- e.g BLAIR AND ECCLESTONE
Ecclestone f1 racing donated £1mil to LAB, so that when smoking ads were banned in motor racing f1 was exempt. They both deny the relation. But it raises concerns as to whether party funding can cause corruption
Short Money
This funding is given to the HofC to balance work which is funded out for public spending for the governing party
Proposed by Edward Short, as he first proposed the payments
Cranbourne Money
This is annual payment given to opposition parties to carry out their roles (i.e scrutiny and active check and balance for government)
Named after Lord Cranbourne, who was leader of HofL when it was introduced
What are some cases against state ?
- people would rather prioritise other spending (i.e schools, hospitals and libraries)
- the state would have to also fund extremist parties
- state funding would entrench the advantage of the big parties
- some also argue that state funding would also separate parties form those who seek to represent
Conservative Party : Traditional
- traces its origins back to the Tory Party, a group of aristocrats with historical privileges of the Crown (17th century)
- Sir Robert Peel (1830s) evolved the party dedicated to defence of property and protection against ideological revolution / stresses the need to allow for an organic and gradual reform to prevent revolution
- the party was remarkably successful in 19th and 20th century, appealing the middle classes
Conservative Party : One Nation
- Advocated for by Benjamin Disraeli, who believed that the ‘natural leaders’ had an obligation to act benevolently towards the disadvantaged, in return for the acceptance of the right to rule.
- Continued Burke’s ‘nobles oblige’
- One nationisms thrived post Second World War when poverty struck individuals
Conservative Party : Thatcherism
- Thatcher gave her name to a more ideological form of conservatism - with its radical policy rejecting hr einstict of one nation conservatives to seek compromise
- She sought to reduce state intervention in the economy, she was a euro sceptic so wanted to reduce connection to the EU, wanted to restore order in society
- New right combined ….
Neo - conservatives like Robert Nozick, wanted the state to take a more authoritarian approach to morality and law and order / prioritise security over freedom ////
Neo-liberal like Ayn Rand, endorsed the free market and the rolling back of the state in peoples lives and businesses
Thatcherism : Policies and Promises
- control of public spending + cut taxes to provide to provide incentives for business leaders and to stimulate economic growth
- Privatisation of industries and services
- Legal limits of the power of trade unions
- Tough approach to law and order
- Desire to protect the nation against the EU
Conservative : Economic policy
- Since 20th century CONS has tended to be the party for laisezz-faire (minimal state intervention)
This slightly changed post war consensus when the party accepted a greater role for the state in the economy - Austerity implemented by Osbourne and Cameron due to the economic financial crisis 2008 / some regard ‘the big society’ for a smokescreen for cutting taxes
- In 2020 their response was more Keynesian economics, as they were forced to borrow lots of money for COVID 19 / pragmatic response to the pandemic
Conservative : Law and Order Policy
- During Thatcher, it represented itself as “prison works” adding an emphasis on tougher sentences and had a zero tolerance to crime
- However, this changed under Cameron as he seemed to take ea more liberal attitude to law and order, understanding young offenders in his speech, dubbed by the media “HUG A HOODIE”
- He understood that he must be tough on the sentencing (esp after the 2011 London riots) but also make sure they didn’t reoffend via ‘rehabilitation revolution’
- They also attempted to maintain a good relationship with law and order but post austerity, i.e the gov. Cut 20,000 officers after care on came into power
Conservatives : Foreign Policy
- Due to the fact that they favour a strong defence policy - thatcher had strong ties to Reagan, favouring to spend on military and arms, and development and maintainence of nuclear weapons
- The controversial aspect of foreign affairs would be the Uk’d relationships with the EU :
1970-80s -most members were supportive of the EEC
1990s - under thatcher became more eurosceptic and became much more divided under Major
2010s - Cameron tried to dismiss the issue as it was a turn off for the voters. But the rise in UKIP brought it to the forefront
2020s - after wining the election, Johnson made the CONS seem much more united
Conservative Party : Welfare
Initially, original CONS emphasised the importance of ‘nobles oblige’ [the social elite and an obligation to support the disadvataged in society]
[i.e CONS campaigned .against slavery .in favour for more generous law provision / whereas LIB DEMS said individuals would help themselves and legislate of maters like labour or slavery]
New right, emphasises a Neo liberal approach, non interventionists - as they argued perverse incentives (creates a dependency culture)
2019 - Conservatives put NHS at the heart of their campaign, spoke about greater investment, which attracted traditional labour voters
2020 - response to Covid / ‘universal credit’ implemented 2013 intended to simplify the welfare system and encourage low-income people to take up employment
Labour Party : Old Labour
Founded in 1900, by socialist societies and trade unions, purpose was to get more working class MPs. 1918 saw them adding clause IV committing to ‘common ownership’. Aims to nationalise key interests
Established the welfare state and the ties to the NHS post secondary world war
Old Labour : Policy
Emphasises the importance of redistributing wealth and creating a fairer society, but did not try and abolish capitalism
It aimed to manage capitalism (Keynesian economics) so that it didn’t exploit the workforce and so that there was full employment and equality for opportunity
E.g creation of comprehensive schools to intent to promote greater equality of opportunity
Old labour V New Labour : economic policy
Old labour
- committed to public ownership or nationalisation [i.e creation of Clause IV]
- however, 1945 - 51 government adopted a Keynesian approach, they did nationalise many things but post war there was a consensus that the state had a active role in the economy
- claiming there should be a mix of both publicly and privately owned enterprise
New Labour
- pre new labour 1970s, increasingly divided over the best approach to deal with the economic crisis and recession
- New Labour produced a middle ground (third way), moving more centrist he removed Clause IV and did reverse Thatcher’s privatisations
- then 2010 came where Labour argued against austerity and for investment to stimulate growth (Keynesian economics)
- post 2017 and Corbyn all labour leaders have attempted to re-nationalise and move to a softer left
Old Labour V New Labour : law and order
Old Labour
SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EQUALITY
They placed a strong emphasis that poverty and lack of opportunity where the root causes of criminal behaviour
REHABILITATION OVER PUNISHMENT
They believed in providing opportunities for offenders to reintegrate into society rather than solely being punitive
COMMUNITY POLICY
They supported policing models that built positive relationships between law enforcement and local communities
New Labour
Blair was conscious of the both tough law and order but understanding, creating a diff approach
[“toughh on crime, tough on the causes of crime”]
[e.g post 9/11 and London Bombings the 2005 Terrorism Act was introduced by Blair + HRA 1998]
2015 there was a shit away the authoritarian aspects of New Labour law
[e.g civil rights campaigner Chakrabati was prominent front bencher under Corbyn]
Old Labour V New Labour : welfare policy
Old Labour
Old labour views on welfare policy derived from their strong stance on social equality and economic equality
INVESTMENT IN PUBLIC SERVICES
(Believed that well funded public services was key in promoting social mobility and improving QoL)
FULL EMPLOYMENT
(A cornerstone of Old Labour promoted full employment- believing that everyone should have the opportunity to work)
UNIVERRSAL WELFARE
(They believe help should be provided or funded by state / as a fundamental right)(
INCOME REDISTRIBUTION
(Advocated for progressive taxation and income redistribution to reduce economic inequality)
OPPOSITION TO MEANS-TESTING
(They were generally opposed to strict means testing of welfare benefits as they believed it could stigmatise and deter people for getting support)
New Labour
- Advocated for a welfare reform including more means testing , private funding and private providers [opposing original values] // but they returned to more universal principles under Corbyn
- Labour Party argued that the NHS was its greatest achievement
Old Labour V New Labour : foreign policy
Old Labour approach to foreign policy…
ANTI-IMPERIALISM AND ANTI-COLONIALISM
[Old Labour leaders like Attlee played significant role in decolonisation, such as India independence 1947]
INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY AN COOPERATION
Emphasised the importance of international cooperation, diplomacy, shared values
NUCLEAR DISARMENT AND PEACE ADVOCACY
Old Labour known about its stance on nuclear disarmament and opposition to nuclear weapons
SOCIAL JUSTICE
Supported development aid, fair trade practices
AGAINST MILITARY INTERVENTIONISM
Against military usage and favoured diplomatic multilaterism
New Labour
Post new labour the stance against trident changed as Blair moved centre left
2015, Corbyn focuses campaigns for nuclear disarment despite his party wanting otherwise
[e.g his foreign secretary took opposing positions in the Dec 2015 commons vote on ‘Islamic state terrorism’
Evaluate the view that the Labour Party has maintained a consistent approach to welfare policy
It has …
It has not …
Liberal Democrats : Origins
- a split in the Labour Party led to members who had opposed the parties drift to the left
- the SDP formed an alliance with the liberal party, for the 1983 - the two parties then merged
- Iraq War, caused the Lib Dem leader to get support, getting their highest vote share in 2005. 2010 they got even higher 23%
- they lost a lot of support post coalition as they claimed they would scrap tuition fees but this went against the CONS who they were in a coalition with
Liberal Democrats : Policies
They tend to pursue policies that support state welfare and advocate for civil liberties. Usually being modern liberals over classical liberalism
However, under nick clegg there was a move to classical liberalism
They favour CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM [e.g wanting an elected HofL, PR and codified constitution]
Despite actually being the ones who held the AV Ref 2011 it was not even successful
They are Pro -EU, campaigning for a second vote
SNP [Scottish National Party] : Origins
The principal of SNP has been for Scotland to become independent country with EU
Between 1976 and 1979 the party supported a Labour minority government in exchange for a devolution referendum. Scotland did get devolution from a labour gov. In 1997 SNP became the official opposition to Labour in Scottish parliament.
The SNP takes a left of centre position. The SNP is passionately pro- European to argue that and continues to argue that Scotland should remain in the EU (not happy with Westminister’s decision)
UKIP [ ] : Origins
- 1997 the conservatives took a eurosceptic position, which meant UKIP struggled to grow
- But they began to gain some traction after some members were popular in the media [Nigel Farage]
- Cameron called the EU referendum because UKIP was about to win
Is the UK a multiparty or two party system ?
Multiparty
- several parties have a realists chance of an executive role
- tend to find coalitions with power sharing
-elections are sometimes more frequent as power sharing governments are more likely to be unstable - smaller parties can be more influence than the larger ones and often get to implement some policies themselves
Two party
- dominated by two established parties
- adversarial system between the government and official opposition
- regular competition for popular consent by elections and legitimacy
- other parties insignificant role, leads to ‘wasted votes’
Examples : Multiparty or two party system
Multiparty system
- coalition and confidence and supply arrangements since 2010
- signicant influence of “minor” parties in the devolved institutions
- the input of serval parties to televised pre-election “leaders” “debates”
Slow party system
- only CONS and LAB have a realistically real chance of winning the solo
Factors affecting party success
- leadership [e.g Callaghan was more personable and relatable in comparison to Thatcher, despite thatcher still winning]
- image
- influence of the media
- funding [parties need to be financially stable, being able to employ
-organisation [appealing image is effective /i.e effective campaigns / and deliver the votes on polling day]
