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UK Politics > Chapter 2 - 1/6 - Principles of political parties > Flashcards

Chapter 2 - 1/6 - Principles of political parties Flashcards

1
Q

What is the working definition of a political party?

A

An organisation of people with similar political values and views that develops goals and aims for government power.

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2
Q

What are the three features of political parties?

A
  • The members of parties share political views.
  • Parties put up candidates in elections and seek power.
  • They have some sort of method for developing policy, recruiting candidates, and identifying leaders.
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3
Q

What are policies?

A

A set of intentions developed by parties or government.

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4
Q

When a party is in power, what is its policy-making function the same as?

A

The policy-making function of government.

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5
Q

When do the general membership of a party have the most influence on policy generation?

A

When the party is in opposition.

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6
Q

What is the policy-making function of parties sometimes known as?

A

Aggregation

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7
Q

What does aggregation involve?

A

Converting policies, demands, and ideas into practical government programmes.

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8
Q

What is the representative function of political parties?

A

They claim ensure that all groups in society have their interests and demands considered by government.

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9
Q

Who do populist parties claim to represent?

A

People who do not feel they are represented at all.

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10
Q

What is populism?

A

An appeal to people’s emotions.

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11
Q

In what area do local constituency parties have the greatest part to play within political parties?

A

Selecting candidates for office at all levels.

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12
Q

What are the 5 different levels that local constituency parties select candidates for?

A
  • Local councillors.
  • Elected mayors.
  • Devolved assemblies.
  • Scottish Parliament.
  • UK Parliament.
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13
Q

What are the 7 functions of political parties?

A
  • Making policy
  • Representation
  • Selecting candidates
  • Identifying leaders
  • Organising elections
  • Political elections
  • Reinforcing consent
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14
Q

What was the problem of party leadership in the Labour Party in 2015?

A

After the Party’s election defeat and Miliband’s resignation, Corbyn was elected by the Party membership. Labour MPs, however, saw him as too far left and did not accept him as their leader.

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15
Q

When was Jeremy Corbyn elected leader of the Labour Party/

A

September 2015

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16
Q

What role do parties play at election times apart from selecting candidates?

A
  • Publicising elections issues.
  • Persuading people to vote.
  • Encouraging participation through campaigning.
  • Representatives of parties are present at vote counts to ensure it is fair.
17
Q

What is the ‘hidden’ function of the main political parties?

A

By operating in and supporting the political system of the UK, parties ensure the general population consents to the system. Political parties that challenge the basis of the political system are seen as extremist.

18
Q

What is central to the relationship between the electorate, parties, and government?

A

The doctrine of the mandate.

19
Q

What is a mandate?

A

The consent granted to a political party at election time by the electorate, giving legitimacy to all the winning party’s manifesto commitments.

20
Q

What are the 5 significant elements of the mandate doctrine?

A
  • The electorate knows what they are consenting to.
  • The winning party gains legitimacy for its policies.
  • Government can be held to account.
  • Electors can judge the performance of the government.
  • MPs of the governing party are bound by the manifesto when voting in Parliament.
21
Q

What are the 3 problems with the mandate doctrine?

A
  • It depends on a single party winning outright.
  • Electors may not agree with everything in a manifesto.
  • Circumstances may change after a party takes power.
22
Q

What are the 6 ways parties are funded?

A
  • Membership subscriptions
  • Fundraising events (conferences and dinners)
  • Donations
  • Loans
  • Self-financing of candidates
  • £2 million grant per party from the Electoral Commission
23
Q

How much did the Labour Party receive in donations from trade unions in 2014-15?

A

£11 million - 60% of its total income.

24
Q

What Act placed regulations of the funding of political parties?

A

Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act

25
Q

When was the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act passed?

A

2000

26
Q

What 4 regulations did the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act place on party funding?

A
  • People not registered to vote in the UK could not make donations.
  • Limits on spending for political parties at election times.
  • Donations over £500 have to be declared.
  • Donations over £7500 placed on an electoral register.
27
Q

What did the regulations on party funding under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 stress?

A

It stressed transparency rather than any serious limit on the amounts being donated.

28
Q

What are the 2 issues around the current state of party funding?

A
  • It greatly advantages the two main parties and so promotes political inequality.
  • Large donations represent a hidden form of influence as donors will expect some kind of political return for their investment.
29
Q

What is ‘cash for honours’?

A

The suspicion that some donations are made in the hope that they will be given a peerage or knighthood.

30
Q

Who monitors the income of political parties?

A

The Electoral Commission

31
Q

What are the 4 types of proposed reforms to party funding?

A
  • Limits on the size of individual donations.
  • Impose spending restrictions on parties, making large-scale fundraising futile.
  • Restrict donations to individuals, meaning businesses and unions cannot contribute.
  • Replace all funding with state grants.
32
Q

What is the £2 million available to parties from the Electoral Commission meant to be used for?

A

It is called Policy Development Grants, and is meant to be used to hire advisers on policy.

33
Q

Who is Short Money named after?

A

Ted Short, the Labour MP who introduced it in 1975.

34
Q

What is Short Money given to and for what reason?

A

It is available to all opposition parties and is meant to fund their parliamentary work.

35
Q

Why does Short Money favour large parties?

A

Because the amount each party gets depends on the number of seats and votes they get - the more seats and votes, the more Short Money they get.

36
Q

Why did UKIP refuse over half a million pounds of Short Money after they won one seat in 2015?

A

They claimed it was corrupt and favoured established parties.

37
Q

What is the state funding available to parties in the House of Lords known as?

A

Cranbourne money

38
Q

What are the 4 arguments in favour of replacing party funding with state funding entirely?

A
  • End the corrupt use of donations.
  • End any hidden forms of influence.
  • Reduce the huge financial advantages the two large parties enjoy.
  • Improve democracy by allowing groups with no source of funds to participate.
39
Q

What are the 3 arguments against implementing state funding parties entirely?

A
  • Parties are private organisations and should not receive public funds.
  • Parties will lose their independence.
  • Lead to excessive state regulation of parties.

UK Politics (39 decks)

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