Exam Questions May 2022: Structure and Function of the Primary Three Parties Flashcards
Give three functions of political parties.
1) Recruitment - individuals may choose to join if they have an allegiance with a certain party - e.g. Con has 200,000 members - ability to elect the new leader - e.g. 2019 - BJ received 92,000 votes.
2) Levy funds - e.g. Conservative part received £3.7 million in Q3 2021 - compared to Labour’s £1.8 million - means the party is able to produce more effective campaigns - making their election more likely as they are able to target more voters.
3) Policy making - e.g. Con party - drafting of the manifesto is typically done by the leaders - e.g. Major provided a major contribution to the 1992 manifesto - though Cameron use Rachael Wolf to draft much of the 2015 manifesto.
Give the process of electing leaders to the three main parties in the UK.
1) Conservative party - MPs vote in a series of ballots to end with 2 - e.g. 2019 BJ and Jeremy Hunt - BJ won with 66.4% of the member’s vote.
2) Lib Dems - must gain support from at least 10% of all MPs and 200 members across 20 local councils - vote in a OMOV (one member, one vote) system using AV - e.g. ED Davey won 63.5% in the first round - no need for a second round.
3) Labour - party members vote using a OMOV system of AV - each member must be a ‘registered supporter’ - £25 membership fee - ensures the leadership election is not hijacked by people not fully committed - e.g. Kier Starmer secured over 50% in 2020 therefore there was no need for a second round.
Give three ways the membership play a role in the functioning of the Conservative party.
1) leadership - vote in leadership elections - enlist the members to vote in the final round - e.g. BJ received 92,000 votes (66.4%) - significant as these few individuals are able to directly elect the PM - undemocratic.
2) Raising funds - e.g. Conservative party received £3.7 million in Q3 2021 - significant as they are able to produce more effective campaigns - increasing the chances of electoral success - increasing membership theoretically.
3) Rallying - used to campaign and spread the message of the party - e.g. verbally or written (party signs) - also party conferences - e.g. Labour and Conservative conferences each attract roughly 12,000 annually.
Give the three policy making bodies of the three main parties in the UK.
1) Conservative party - Conservative Party Forum - produce briefing paper for the government - e.g. briefing paper on the consultation on recovery after lockdown 2022 - only advisory - the party leader will largely draft the manifesto - e.g. Major in 1992.
2) Lib Dems - motions are presented and voted on at the party conference - they will become official national party policy - e.g. Pupil Premium scheme - extra £2 billion to aid disadvantaged children.
3) Labour Party - produced by the National Policy Forum - body of over 200 reps for the party - placed into 8 committees e.g. Health and Social Care - considers policy submissions - ensures that policy is made by specialists - ensures it is the most effective policy.
Give three factions of the modern Conservative Party
1) Cornerstone group - traditional conservative - espouses traditional values - exemplified by its motto, ‘Faith, Flag and Family’ - caters for the more traditional, often older, members of the party
2) Blue Collar Conservatism - identify as working class conservatives - relaunched by Esther McVey in 2019 aims to ‘champion working people and develop a conservative agenda to benefit those most neglected’ - possibly responsible for breaking ‘red wall’ in 2019.
3) One Nation Conservatives - formed in March 2019 with 40-50 members - unite around candidates opposed to a no-deal Brexit - met with BJ to ensure manifesto wouldn’t support a no-deal - aided the churn of more right-wing Labour voters to the Conservatives.
Give three factions of the modern Labour Party.
1) Third way/New Labour - e.g. Yvette Cooper - her flagship policy was to raise investment into science and research to 3% - came third to Corbyn in 2015 - voters may be more likely to swing to Conservatives if the party becomes too left wing - e.g. under Corbyn in 2019.
2) Socialist Campaign Group - hard left commitments such as nationalism - e.g. Corbyn’s renationalisation of BT in 2017 - Corbyn was expelled from the party though SCGs such as Diane Abbot remain.
3) Blue Labour - technically a pressure group - members such as Jon Cruddas are associated with the group - aim to promote culturally conservative values though more left-wing economics - only 19 members.
Give three factions of the modern Liberal Democrat Party.
1) Liberal left UK - set up in 2012 - opposed the coalition with the Con party - according to their head, Lind Jack, it was created as an internal pressure group - challenging the leadership’s position on economic and fiscal policy - maybe the cause of their ill-fate at elections.
2) Beveridge group - centre-left - created in 2001 to promote debate into the provision of public services - pushing against the free markets of Clegg and Vince Cable - e.g. questioning the 2003 policy paper titled ‘Setting Business Free’.
3) Liberal reform - created in 2012 - broadly centrist - promoted ‘four cornered liberalism’ (economic, social, personal and political liberalism) opposing secret courts and ‘progressive alliance’ which the LD removed from in 2018.
Do Labour give a lot of power to MPs when electing leaders? If not, what is the result of this?
No. Labour members have more power - as a result, leaders lack as much MP backing as Conservative leaders - e.g. Jeremy Corbyn was only backed by 15.5%
