Factors affecting party success Flashcards
List five reasons why small parties fail
- They lack funding
- The electoral system could discriminate against them
- They lack media exposure
- They lack community organisation
- People consider voting for them to be a wasted vote
How can small parties overcome their lack of funding?
They can find wealthy benefactors to support them, as occured with UKIP after 2010
How can smaller parties overcome the fact that the electoral system may discriminate against them?
- PR helps smaller parties in devolved assemblies
- If a party develops concentrated geographical support, it can breakout in a region, as happened with the SNP
How can smaller parties overcome the fact that they often lack media exposure?
A strong, charismatic leader can help gain public support, as occured with Caroline Lucas for the Greens and Nigel Farage for UKIP and the Brexit party
How can smaller parties overcome the fact that they often lack organisation in communities?
- They can gain widespead support with populist ideas, like UKIP did
- They can build up good community teams and successfully compete in local government elections, which will then help in subsequent general elections
How can smaller parties overcome the fact that many consider a vote for them to be a wasted vote?
They could advocate for a PR system, in which fewer votes will be wasted
Why is leadership crucial for party success?
Voters respond to the quality of a party leader, as, atleast in the case of the main two parties, they are a potential PM
Outline six key attributes that voters look for in a party leader
- Experience
- Decisiveness
- Ability to lead
- Media image
- Intelligence
- Apparent honesty
Give some examples of recent leaders who have damaged the prospects of their party
Gordon Brown, Ed Miliband, Nick Clegg
Give some examples of leaders who have enhanced their party’s fortunes
Blair and Thatcher
Which two minor party leaders made a strong media impression in the lead up to the 2015 general election?
Sturgeon and Farage
Which popular, strong leader took the Lib Dems to their most successful result in 2005?
Charles Kennedy
How did Farage help UKIP?
He was a master of media, ensuring that they were constantly in the news
How did Sturgeon help the SNP?
She enjoyed very positive public approval ratings in the opinion polls
What type of party do political commentators often say has no chance of being elected?
A disunited one
How was unity crucial in the 80s?
The conservatives was united behind Thatcher but labour was split between its left and right wings. This resulted in two huge victories for the conservatives in 83 and 87, after the labour party did actually split in 1981
How was unity crucial during the new 1997 election?
The labour party was totally united around Blair and the idea of new labour. Major’s conservatives had been wracked by internal division, mainly over the issue of Europe. The result was a crushing victory for labour
How was unity important during the 2019 general election?
Moderate conservatives were removed from the party and candidates were made sign a pledge committed to getting Brexit done. This meant the conservatives were able to unify around the central issue of Brexit, while the labour party struggled with divisions over Brexit, antisemitism and the radical nature of its manifesto
What does research suggest about the impact of newspapers?
That they only reinforce political affiliations and do not change minds
What can the media influence politically?
The portrayal of different parties
What happened in the 2017 general election that discredits the idea that the media have a substantial influence on voting patterns?
The conservatives lost their commons majority, even after being backed by most newspapers
How can TV debates influence the political dynamic, even if they have to be impartial?
They still give exposure to party leaders
Give a recent example of a party leader’s performance in TV debates having an influence
Nick Clegg’s performances were widely praised in 2010
How did TV debates effect the outcome of the 2017 general election?
Theresa May’s refusal to participate and Corbyn’s surprisingly good performance helped shift the media perceptions of the two leaders
Why has their been a growth in the role of social media as a factor for party success?
It provides a key way for parties to promote themselves and for critics to attack politicians they oppose. It allows politicians and political actors to speak to the public directly. It also allows parties to bypass many of the rules about media coverage
What are the downsides to social media becoming a part of politics?
- It is difficult to control
- Its effects and importance are difficult to quantify
- It can be used to target voters in intrusive and forceful ways
How influential is the media, unity and leadership in determining electoral outcomes?
They are not decisive, but, put together, they are influential. However, it is still the performance of government and the policies of the opposition parties that determine electoral outcomes
List the arguements the support the media is influential during elections?
- The media is the prism through which public perceptions of parties are created
- The winning party usually has the support of most print newspapers
- Since 2010, leadership debates have become key moments of electoral campaigns
- Parties are dedicating increased resources to social media to collect data and target voters in increasingly sophisticated ways
- Leaders spend time cultivating positive media images
List some arguements that support the case that the media is not influential
- Influential media tends to reflect, rather than lead, attitudes to parties
- Corbyn performed well in the 2017 general election despite nearly all parties opposing him
- There is little evidence to suggest that leadership debates have affected public perception or change minds
- Social media tends to act as an echo chamber and rarely changes our attitudes towards parties
- Other factors, like leadership and policies, often prove more influential
