2010 General Election and Beyond

Question 1

What is Sartori’s definition of a party? What year is this definition from?

Answer 1

“any political group identified by an official label that presents itself at elections and is capable of placing, through election, candidates for public office” (1976)

Question 2

According to Key, what roles do parties play? What year?

Answer 2

1) Electorate: simplifying electoral choice, educating citizens, generating loyalties and mobilising participation
2) Organisations: recruiting people for office, training elites, articulating interests and checking government
3) Government: creating majorities in legislature and implementing policy aims
(1964)

Question 3

What is a coalition?

Answer 3

A government made up of two or more political parties, usually formed for the purpose of creating a workable parliamentary majority

Question 4

How does McAnulla describe Conservative-Lib Dem convergence on economics?

Answer 4

“Clegg and Cameron seem in strong agreement regarding the need for limited state intervention”

Question 5

What is a minimum connected coalition?

Answer 5

Coalition comprised of parties who are adjacent on the political spectrum?

Question 6

What is the median legislator?

Answer 6

The MP who is in the median of the spectrum in parliament and the coalition. The median legislator in parliament holds the balance in key votes; the median legislator in coalition controls the direction of the agreement

Question 7

What is the best kind of coalition, according to Riker?

Answer 7

A minimum winning coalition, because this leads to minimal concessions and easier negotiations

Question 8

Riker’s theory is criticised for policy blindness; what does this mean?

Answer 8

It ignores how close the two parties are ideologically. If they are very similar, less concessions will need to be made than in a coalition of two opposed parties.

Question 9

What arguments are there for the Lib Dems winning in the coalition?

Answer 9

1. Over-represented in Cabinet
2. 75-80% of their manifesto achieved, according to Laws
3. Coalition agreement closer to Lib Dems manifesto than the Tory manifesto

Question 10

What arguments are there for the Conservatives winning in the coalition?

Answer 10

1. Gave up nothing big
2. Gave away no major cabinet posts
3. Retained popularity, whereas Lib Dems have plummeted