Chapter 2.1 Political parties

Question 1

What is a political party?

Answer 1

A group of people drawn together by a similar set of beliefs

Question 2

What are the aspirations of most political parties?

Answer 2

To form a government and adopt an agreed programme of policy commitments

Question 3

What are some parties defined by?

Answer 3

A single issue

E.g. UKIP’s overriding cause has been withdrawal from the EU

Question 4

How are parties different from pressure groups?

Answer 4

Whilst pressure groups may try to influence parties to adopt their ideas, they usually do not have the desire to form a government

Question 5

Which functions within a democratic system do political parties perform?

Answer 5

Representation- represent views of the people with a certain ideology

Participation- In order to win power or influence, parties encourage people to participate in politics

Formulating policy- parties generate policies that embody the ideas for which they stand for

Providing government- the winning party at a general election has the opportunity to form a government

Question 6

How are MPs paid?

Answer 6

From general taxation, their basic annual salary in 2017 was £76.000. They can also claim expenses.

Question 7

How must parties meet most of their election costs?

Answer 7

From the voluntary subscriptions of their membership

From fundraising events in MPs’ constituencies

Question 8

What is Short Money?

Answer 8

State provision to support the activities of the opposition in parliament

Question 9

Why is party funding controversial?

Answer 9

Due to the suspicion that powerful interests offer financial support in return for political influence

Question 10

Who funds the Conservative party?

Answer 10

Big businesses and wealthy individuals like Lord Ashcroft

Question 11

Who funds the Labour Party?

Answer 11

Traditionally funded by trade unions, which played a major in shaping its policies

Question 12

Which period is the “New Labour” years?

Answer 12

1994-2010

Question 13

How did the “New Labour” years impact Labour funding?

Answer 13

Labour received donations from successful individuals as Labour became friendlier towards the Business community

Question 14

What do the Liberal Democrats criticise their opponents for?

Answer 14

Being bankrolled by the government

Question 15

What have political parties been accused of doing?

Answer 15

Offering political honours such as places in the House of Lords to their most generous benefactors

Question 16

[Case Study] Why was Tony Blair under fire in in 1997?

Answer 16

It was revealed in 1997, after the election of Tony Blair, that Bernie Ecclestone, a motor-racing boss donated 1 million to Labour.

Question 17

[Case Study] What was significance of Ecclestone’s donation to labour?

Answer 17

It was alleged that there was a connection between this and delay in implementing a ban on tobacco advertising in Formula One racing.

Question 18

[Case Study] How did Blair react to the backlash?

Answer 18

The money was subsequently returned

Question 19

What was the 2000 Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act?

Answer 19

It was an Act passed by the Blair government to overcome the perception that party funding had become an undemocratic feature of the political system

Question 20

What were the results of the 2000 Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act?

Answer 20

Donations from individuals not on the UK electoral roll were banned

The amount that a party could spend was capped at £30,000 in a constituency

Parties had to publish details of donations regularly

Question 21

What was the ‘cash for peerages’ scandal in 2006?

Answer 21

A political scandal in the UK in 2006 and 2007 concerning the connection between political donations and the award of life peerages.

Question 22

How was the ‘cash for peerages’ scandal relevant to Labour?

Answer 22

It had been revealed that several wealthy individuals who had loaned money to the Labour Party had been nominated for honours

Question 23

What did Sir Hayden Phillips propose to address the problem of private donations?

Answer 23

A system whereby parties are funded from taxpayers’ money

Question 24

Which party-spending suggestion was supported by Labour and the Liberal Democrats at the 2015 elections?

Answer 24

To impose limits on individual donations to parties

However, the Conservatives who stood to lose the most from such a move wanting to place restriction on Labour’s trade unions backers.

Question 25

What are the arguments for state funding of parties?

Answer 25

Parties play an important role in representative democracy, so deserve funding

Public funding would remove the disparity in resources available to large and small parties

It could eliminate the threat of corrupt influence of private backers on party policy

Question 26

What are the arguments against state funding for parties?

Answer 26

Hard to decide how much support a party should have to qualify for funding

Public funding could isolate parties from the wishes of voters

Taxpayers may resent contributing to parties which they disapprove of