Comparative Politics - Political parties Flashcards
Comparing political parties - the US party system
- Mostly consists of a two party system in which parties are divided on a ideological divide, and each party falls into either the Liberal / progressive party and the conservative party and so they are ideologically distinct
Conservatives and Republicans generally share ideology as do Democrats and Labour - There are internal differences within the parties, with many in the US operating on a spectrum of ideals rather than a consistency in policy line - some Republicans for example are more conservative than others, and so the party system despite being made of two parties actually consists of a range of ideologies from both main party ideas
- The electoral system heavily supports this party system, and so they support it as it allows maintenance of their dominance of politics, and so the electoral system maintains the 2 party system and the 2 party system maintains the electoral system
- The main Republican divides are arguably foreign policy and trade, and how far to expand/reduce the reach of federal government, and therefore the budget deficit
Republicans are less socially progressive on issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage - No Republican would favour a ‘socialised healthcare system’
- The democrat party and more moderate and centrist → republicans it to the right of the conservatives and democrats remain more to the right than labour
US parties are only recently ideologically based and distinct - Party unity in the legislature is lower in the USA but parties in Congress are becoming increasingly unified, with no House Republicans and only 2 House Democrats breaking party ranks in the Trump impeachment vote
- Due to the size and diversity of the USA, the dominance of the central or national party is weak; primaries also contribute to weakened central control over local state parties
Comparing political parties - The UK Party System
- Could be described as an international coalition, covering a range of views.
- Differences are usually ideologically (Conservative v Labour)
- Parties are accurately labelled as Conservative v Labour due to the distinction of separate ideologies - The issues that create divides and tensions within the parties on either side of the Atlantic differ considerably
- Parties exhibit internal party rebellions
- Operates a multi-party system which consists of two main parties and then other parties which still have influence within Commons
US Party factions
US Party factions:
- Democrats
- Republicans
- Independents
- Reform
- Libertarian
- Socialist
- Natural Law
- Constitution Party
- Green Party
Factions of the Democrat party:
- Progressive / Liberal Democrats
- Moderate Democrats
- Conservative Democrats
- Blue Dog Democrats
Factions of the Republican party:
- Moderate Republicans
- Fiscal conservatism
- Social Conservatives
- Tea Party
UK Political party factions - UK parties and Conservative factions
UK political parties:
- Conservative
- Labour
- Liberal Democrats
- Green
- DUP
- Plaid Cymru
- Sinn Fein
- SNP
Conservative factions:
- Traditionalists
- Thatcherites
- Buskalites
- One Nation
- Cambridge Mafia
- Liberal Conservatives
- Cowboy Conservatives
UK Political party factions - Labour Factions
Brownism
- Less enthusiastic about market driven reforms such as tuition fees and dounatin roles
- More keen on the role of the state
- Less critical of Labour’s links to the unions
Blairism
- Investment into public services
- Support for stronger law enforcement powers
- Education as mean to encourage social mobility
Labour First
- Right wing labour group
New Labour
- Developed to regain trust from the electorate
- Portray departure from their traditional socialist policies
Labour for the Common Good
- Parliamentary group set up during the 2015 leadership election
- Moderate group which aims to bring together Blairites and Brownites to counteract the Corbynite wing
Consensus
- Launched to combat factionalism in the party
- Aims to bring all wings of the party together to build a consensus on key policy issues
Progress
- Independent group
- Founded as a Blairite pressure group
- Committed to the New Labour agenda
- Aimed to promote radical and progressive policies recognising that the centre of the party has shifted
Socialist Workers Party
- Revolutionary Trotskyite socialist party committed to transforming Parliament and the country
- Urged Corbyn to pursue a far-left agenda