Parties

Question 1

What are the six functions of political parties?

Answer 1

1. Governing and electioning - running the country in their image
2. Policy development - build a coherent pparty image and ideology
3. Raising money - as a means of acheiving their other functions
4. Representation - Create an organisation that the electorate can join which represent their own political ideologies
5. Recruitment - select the best candedates for elections at all levels of government
6. Participation - get people involved with politics

Question 2

What are the 5 main ways a political party can raise funds

Answer 2

• collecting fees from membership subcription
• Holding fundraising events
• Recieving donations from indivudals, trade unions or corporations
• Grants up to £2 from the electoral commission.
• Money grante to the opposition (short money in the HOC and Cranborne money in the HOL)

Question 3

How has party membership declined for the tories and labour?

Answer 3

Tories : 1950s - 2.8m. 2022 - 170,000
Labour: 1950s - 1m (exluuding trade union affiliation). 2022- 430,000

Question 4

What act regulated the funding of political parties?

Answer 4

The Political parties, elections and referendums act (2000)

Question 5

What regulations did the The Political parties, elections and referendums act (2000) put in place?

Answer 5

• people not on the UK electoral pay roll could not make donations (reducing foreign influence)
• Donations over 500 had to be declared
• dontions over 7500 had to be put on the electoral register

Question 6

What act imposed further registrations on funding?

Answer 6

Political parties and elections act 2009

Question 7

What are 3 arguments that the current funding system is not fit for purpose and requires reform?

Answer 7

• Donors and wealthy organisations, through their funding, can have a hidden and unaccountable influence on political parties and the government, making democracy more elitist and reducing the incentive of political parties to represent the broader electorate - eg rich people donating to lower taxes?
• Unfair on smaller parties - donors are less likely to give to a party who hold little chance of holding office - those who do re acting from a stance of idealism rather than influence. But the unequal access to funds creates a structurally unfair system that helps to solidify the two party system and their political dominance.
• Hard to clearly see levels of influence - amount the money influences politicians and decision making cannot be quantified, further more loopholes can be made

Question 8

What are 4 arguments that the funding system should not be changed?

Answer 8

• Donations act as a means of prticipation, and allow members of the electorate to support a cause they feel strongly for and engage in the democratic process
• transparency does exist, and abuses in the system still are held to account
• Running a capaign is expensive, to properly fufil their functions as a party they need money - this would be an expensive burden on the tax payer
• It makes sense that larger parties gain more money as they have more seats and gain more votes, so represent more people

Question 9

Of the 197 largest donors in 2015, how many donated to the tory party?

Answer 9

151

Question 10

What is an example of the tories recieving lrge amounts of money from wealthy individuals and companies?

Answer 10

Between 20015-17, the tories recieved 11.3 million from prominnent individuals and firms in the financial sector

Question 11

What is an example of a trade union financing the labour party?

Answer 11

Unite the union, through affilation fees and donations, donated nearly 25 million between 2010-2015

Question 12

What is an example of a wealthy individual reently giving huge amounts to the new government?

Answer 12

Lord David Sainsbury, gave Labour £2.5m in the run up to the election

Question 13

What is an example of Labour (big party) earning vastly more than the smaller parties?

Answer 13

Labour accepted £26m in donations in the second quater of 2024, compared to 5.2M for the Lib Dems and less than a quater of a million for the Greens

Question 14

Example of donations leading to political status

Answer 14

Cash for honours 2006 - donations leading to life peerages under Tony Blair, though this is impossible to prove

Question 15

What is an example of a political party being held to account for financial misconduct?

Answer 15

Th conservatives were fined $70k in 2017 for breaches in its expensises reporting in the 2015 election.

Question 16

What are the origins of the conservative party?

Answer 16

• Royalists in the 17th century were known as Tories
• As the middle class grew during industrilisation, their rise challenged the traditional gentry, who now supported to Tories and wanted to ‘conserve’ the traditional societal structure
• Robert peel was the first conservative PM, from 1834

Question 17

What are the two broad traditions of conservatism?

Answer 17

One nation conservatism and the newe right

Question 18

What are the key principles of one nation conservatism?

Answer 18

• Change to conserve - society should organically change over time to prevent rapid social upheval
• The preservation of tradition
• Noblesse oblige - Those of a higher societal standing have a obligation to be paternalistic to those less fortunate than them.
• strong societal connections to maintain stability
• pragmatism

Question 19

What are some examples of one nation conservatives?

Answer 19

David Cameron - ‘hug a hoodie’
Jeremy Hunt - reduction in economic disparities

Question 20

What is new right conservatism?

Answer 20

A mixture of neo liberal and neo conservatism, originting from the days of Thatcher:
* Neo liberals stress the need for economic freedom from government intervention
* Neo conservatives fear widespread changes in societal values so want a strong state to maintain law and order

Question 21

What was on the conservative manifesto for the 2024 election?

Answer 21

Cut another 2p off National Insurance
Raise the minimum amount a pensioner receives - the pension triple lock of inflation, wages or 2.5% - whichever is highest
Introduce mandatory National Service for 18-year-olds - either taking on a role serving the community or securing a military placement
Raise defence spending to 2.5% of national income by 2030
Send asylum seekers to Rwanda and introduce an annual cap on the number of migrant visas
Increase NHS spending above inflation

Question 22

What were the origins of the Labour party?

Answer 22

• The origins of the labour party originated from the growth of trade unions towards the end of the 19th century
• Originlly, two socialist parties were created to represent the working class. The independent labour party (founded in 1893, and was a full on socialist party) and the main labour party in 1900 (a more moderate left wing party)
• The labour party grew in significance an by the 1970s the ILP no longer existed.
• Unions and labour use to be closely intertwined, but drifted apart following the creation of new labour.

Question 23

What are the two mjour splits in the labour party?

Answer 23

Old and new labour
* Old labour - traditional social democratic values, such as nationalisation of key industries, widespread wealth distribution
* new labour - a ‘third way’ between tradtional social democratic values and free market capitalism.

Question 24

what were the values of old labour?

Answer 24

• Equality - Redistribution of income
• There is class conflict in society - government can not address interests of both classes so must favour the disadvantaged working class
• Collectivism - society can acheive goals more effectively when working together rather than apart
• Nationalisation of services
• Power to trade unions
• government intervention in controlling the free market

Question 25

What were some new labour values?

Answer 25

* rejection of class conflict * Rather than accepting capitalism, they actively encouraged it as the best form of making wealth, therefore on the whole encouraged the free market * Individualism is a key aspect of human nature * Equality of opportuinty was stressed, nd this could be acheived through the adequte funding of public services

Question 26

What was on the labour manifesto/recently inacted policies?

Answer 26

Increase in National Insurance contributions Lifting the ban on offshore wind farms 200,000 homes to be built every year Create a Border Security Command with counter-terror style powers Set up Great British Energy, a publicly owned clean energy firm Tackle antisocial behaviour with more neighbourhood police Free breakfast clubs in every Primary school in England

Question 27

What were the origins of the Liberal Democrats?

Answer 27

The merging of two parties in 1988 - the Liberals and the social democratic party

Question 28

What the core values of the labour party?

Answer 28

The persuit opf indivudial freedom and liberty enviromental and social justice

Question 29

What was on the lib dem manifesto?

Answer 29

Give everyone the right to see their GP within seven days Invest in renewable power and home insulation to cut bills and drive a strong economic recovery Ban sewage discharges into rivers and seas Repair the UK’s relationship with Europe Introduce a proportional voting system to elect MPs

Question 30

What are the ideas ad policies of the green party

Answer 30

reach net zero by 2040 introduce a wealth tax on assets over 10 million widespread wealth distribution nationalisation of utilities

Question 31

what are the ideas and policies of the reform party?

Answer 31

freeze non essential immigration cut nhs waiting lists Raise the minimum amount someone earns before paying income tax from £12,570 to £20,000 a year end all net zero policies cut all ties with Europe

Question 32

What is a one party system?

Answer 32

Where only one party is allowed to operate - eg autocratic regimes

Question 33

What is a dominant party system?

Answer 33

Where there are many parties, but only one has a realstic chance of getting elected

Question 34

What is a two party system

Answer 34

When only two parties have a realstic chance of forming a government

Question 35

What is a two and a half party system

Answer 35

There are two parties that routinely contest elections with a sizeable third party, that is a balance between the other two

Question 36

What is a multi party system?

Answer 36

Where there several parties all competing for votes and all contesting for elections. coalitions are common in this.

Question 37

Evidence that Smaller parties are getting more of the vote?

Answer 37

Labour + Tories in 2024 = 57.4% of the vote, the lowest since 1945. -Smaller parties are increasing in their ability to formally represent constituents in westminster

Question 38

Evidence that despite this increase in votes they still won't be important?

Answer 38

Labour + Tories = 81.2% of seats. -Due to the simple plurality system of FPTP, large parties are disproportionately favoured compared to small parties whose suppport is diffused. Cant impact legislation or hold government to account with such a large majority (elected dictatorship)

Question 39

Evidence that small parties indirectly create policy and set an agenda?

Answer 39

UKIP 2013 - david cameron promised a brexit referendum if the conservatives won. -Due to the contestable nature of UK elections, the threat of small parties stealing votes and attracting the traditional voter base of the major parties puts pressure on them to acheive these aims. Therefore, they indirectly create a legislative agenda and political debate. (Also seen with the green party and net zero policy)

Question 40

What argument could be given that this indirect ability to set the agenda is overstated?

Answer 40

The only serious way to gurentee an agenda is set is through forming a government - only happened in the 2010 coalition. However, even when this happened lib dems eere bullied by tories and dropped many policies. The effectiveness of their ability to set an agenda therefore is dependent on the volatility of the electorate (partisan dealignment) and the willingness of the major parties to listen.

Question 41

Evidence that funding is unfair on smaller parties, deabilitating their ability to be important?

Answer 41

Labour accepted £26m in donations in the second quater of 2024, compared to 5.2M for the Lib Dems and less than a quater of a million for the Greens -creates a vicious cycle - they are funded more so can campaign more effectively and win more seats, so are more likely to hold power which then increases the incentive to donate to them

Question 42

How could it be said that the gap in funding dosnt diminish their importance?

Answer 42

Rise of social media - can influence younger voters with no cost (more likely to use social media but also the most volatile). role of charismatic leader and grass roots campaigning - Nigel farage has more than half a million followers (this could be said to be an echp chamber as they are already supporters)

Question 43

Opinion poll 16-17th of feb significance?

Answer 43

Reform on 27% of the vote, Labour on 25%, the Conservatives on 21%

Question 44

What are 5 reasons that influence party success?

Answer 44

* funding * Electoral system * Leadership * unitiy * influence of the media

Question 45

Evidence of leadship being important?

Answer 45

Competence of leadership huge facotr as we vote for the party we want in government. Ed Miliband subject to negative publicity (sandwich eating), while tony blair was seen as young and decisive

Question 46

Evidence of media being important?

Answer 46

Three companies – DMG Media, News UK and Reach – control 90% of the UK's national newspaper market. These will back conservative due to wealthy owners wish to stay wealthy. For the vast majority of the electorate, the media is the prism in which oublic perceptions of partues and leaders is formed.

Question 47

Evidence pf media not being important for party success?

Answer 47

echo chamber - reinforces opinion instead of changing them. 2017 - vast majority of newspapers backed the conservative party, but lost their majority.

Question 49

Evidence that unity is important?

Answer 49

Kier starmer - had a strong united party Rishi Sunak - internally divided by direction party should head, some backing the new right some backing one nation