2.1 How Political Parties Work Flashcards
What is a political party?
A political party is a group of similarly minded people who aim to achieve their objectives by fielding candidates for election to political office.
A political party puts the policies it aims to pass into law in its manifesto, which is a document listing policy pledges.
The party that wins power as a result of electoral victory earns a mandate, which is when a political party or decision-maker has the authority to make decisions or put policies in place.
Roles of Political Parties
. Provide the role of Government (Legislation makers) and Her Majesties Opposition (Scrutinises legislation)
. Allow political participation
. Give people with beliefs representation, e.g Socialists with the Labour party and Conservatives with….. The Conservatives
How do Political Parties gain funding?
. Membership fees
. Hedge Funds
. Donations
. Short money - a sort of grant given to opposition parties with more than two seats or 1 seat and 150,000 plus votes
Conservative party funding
The Conservatives receive the majority of their funding from wealthy donors such as Ehud Sheleg and Lord Bamford.
In 2017 it was revealed that large amounts of party funding for the general election came from hedge funds and bankers.
Labour party funding (Under Jezza)
Under Jeremy Corbyn, there has been a move towards a large amount of party funding coming from smaller donations made by ordinary members of the party with over £18 million received in 2017.
There has also been a rise in income from trade unions under Corbyn, with the trade union Unite donating £4.5 million in the 2017 general election.
Labour party funding (New Labour)
Historically the Labour Party was mainly funded by trade unions.
There were efforts made by previous Labour leaders such as Tony Blair to decrease trade union influence within the party.
Under New Labour, the Party was increasingly funded by large donations from a small number of wealthy individuals such as Lord Sainsbury and Bernie Ecclestone.
