Chapter 12-Political parties Flashcards
What are the roles of political parties?
Providing representation Encouraging political engagement and facilitating political participation Engaging in political recruitment Formulating policy Providing stable government
How does political party perform representation role?
Traditionally said to represent the views of their members However partisan and class realignment accompanied by the rise of centrist ‘catch all’ parties can be said to have undermined this primary role
How does political parties perform their engagement and participation?
Parties perform an education function that by its very nature encourages political engagement
How do political parties perform their political recruitment role?
Parties assess the qualities of those seeking election to public office casting aside those who are for whatever reason considered unsirabke
How do political parties perform their policy formulation role?
Parties discussed and develop policy proposals before presenting them to voters in a single coherent programme (their manifesto)
How do political parties perform their stable government role?
Without parties argued the House of Commins would simply be a gathering of individuals
What types of political parties are there?
Mainstream parties
Minority or niche parties - nationalist parties or single issue parties
What types of political parties are there?
Mainstream parties
Minority or niche parties - nationalist parties or single issue parties
What is the dominant party system?
Where a number of parties exist but only one holds government power
What is a multiparty system
Where many parties compete for power and the government consists of a series of coalitions formed by different combinations of parties
What is a single party system
Where one party dominates, band other parties and exercise total control over candidacy at elections
What is a two party system?
Where two fairly equally matched parties compete for power at elections and other have little realistic chance of breaking their duopoly
What is a political spectrum?
A device by which different political stand points can be mapped across one axis or more as a way of demonstrating their ideological position in relation to one another
What is conservatism?
A loose ideology favouring a pragmatic approach to dealing with problems, while seeking to preserve the status quo
What are the proponents of this form of conservatism?
- slow gradual change- ‘evolution’ not ‘revolution’
- a Keynesian mixed economy
- support for a universal welfare state
- internationalism and increasing European integration
What policies did Thatcherism offer in its radical agenda?
- deregulation in the field of business
- privatisation of publicly owned industries
- statutory limits on the power of trade unions
- a smaller state and more limited state intervention
- greater emphasis on national sovereignty
- more limited state welfare provision
What three processes are considered when assessing how internally democratic a party is?
- The way in which leaders is chosen
- the ways in which candidates for parliamentary election are selected
- the way party policy is formulated
How is the leader of the conservative party chosen?
Conservative MPs vote in a series of ballots designed to narrow the field of leadership to two
-party members vote on a one member one vote basis to decide which of these two members becomes party leader
How is the leader of the labour party chosen?
- candidates must secure the nomination of 15% of the parliamentary labour party to qualify for the ballot
- party members and registered support vote on a one member one vote basis under alternative vote system
How is the leader of the liberal democrats chosen?
- candidates must secure the nomination of 20 local parties or 200 party members to qualify for a ballot
- party members vote on a one member one vote under the alternative vote system
What is the three-stage process all three parties have normally employed to select parliamentary candidates?
- first hopefuls must get their names on to a centrally vetted, approved list of candidates
- the local party draws up a shortlist from those approved candidates
- constituency party members vote for their preferred candidates
what did the political parties, elections and referendum act 2000 do?
imposed an overall limit on party spending in general election campaigns (£30,000 per constituency)
required parties to declare all donations over £5,000 to the electoral commission
What did the Political parties and election act do 2009?
Imposed tighter regulations on spending by candidates in the run-up to an election
allowing the electoral commission to investigate cases and impose fines, restricting donations from non-uk residents
