Parties Flashcards
What are mandates and manifestoes for?
An election is political consent for a party to carry out whatever feels necessary in the belief of national interest
⤷ the winning party has a mandate to carry out the policy in its manifesto
Mandate - allows others to hold the gov to account/ check their actions
Manifesto - pledges the party makes which they have a duty to uphold
What are the functions of a party?
- Making policy
- Representation
⤷ represent a section of society while considering national interest - Selecting candidates
⤷ MPs - Identify leaders
⤷ party leadership gives experience for when they can become PM - Encourage participation
⤷ membership - Organising elections
⤷ help organise volunteers and run polling stations - Political education
⤷ inform the public on policy - Reinforcing functions of government
What were the main parties in the 19th C?
Conservatives and Liberals
What were the main parties in the 20th C?
1920s+ Conservatives and Labour
How much of the 20th C were Conservatives in office?
57 years
Churchill - 1940-45, 1951-55
Thatcher - 1979-90
Major - 1990-97
When was the Conservative Party founded? What is the context of this period?
1834
- protect crown and appealed to the gentry
What is conservatism?
” a social and political philosophy which seeks to retain social institutions”
- pragmatic approach
- maintain the status quo
- favours well established conditions
What are the main three wings of conservatism?
One Nation
Thatcherism/ New Right
Compassionate Conservatism
Who does One Nation originate from?
Disraeli
- Cons party should seek to speak for the whole nation
- Greatest threat to the nation was not integrating the poorer classes into mainstream society
What are One Nation views?
- Pragmatism
⤷ political change should be in the interest of the people and nation not ideology - Paternalistic
⤷ gov should act as a father to its citizens - Against new ideologies
⤷ imposing ideology is a way to dictatorship - Right to property is a desirable goal for all
- Organic society
⤷ rich have a duty to care for the interests of the poor - Supports tradition
⤷ provides a link to the past and creates stability - Pessimistic on HN
⤷ naturally selfish and inclined to fall into disorder
⤷ we choose security over freedom
⤷ we are competitive
When and why did the NR emerge?
Late1970s
- high unemployment w/ no economic growth
- high public sector debt
- industrial unrest
- Labour was radical and brought uncertainty
- NR ideas rising in the US with Reagan
What are New Right values?
- Free market economics
⤷ laissez faire - Encouraged competition
- Austerity
⤷ no more nanny state - Individualism
- HN is self-interested
- “Get on your bike” and work
- “Stand on your own two feet”
- Euro-sceptic
⤷ focus on Britain first
What are the two elements of NR?
Neo conservatism
Neo liberalism
What are neo liberalism ideas?
Deregulation
- less state intervention = privatisation
⤷ e.g. Thatcher - coal and steel
⤷ e.g. Major - railway 1996
Disengagement
- gov should not help failing businesses
⤷ if they were important they would thrive
- against raising public spending to promote growth
Trade union reform
- reduce union power to make them legally acountable for damage to businesses
Low taxation
- reduce tax on high earners and businesses
⤷ high tax reduces entrepreneurship and incentive to work hard
Dependency culture
What are neo conservative ideas?
- Emphasis on patriotism and nationalism
- Anti-EU
⤷ sceptical of economic benefits and protect domestic trade - Authoritarian on crime
- Moral decline due to family not being the centre of society
- British values are under threat
⤷ multi-culturalism and immigration
What are the values of Compassionate Conservatism?
- Stresses the use of traditionally conservative methods to improve the general welfare of society
- Social problems can be tackled through charities
⤷ state responsibilities onto external agencies - Emphasis on social justice
⤷ giving individuals the tools to turn their lives around, no ‘benefit culture’ - Traditional families
- Individual responsibility
- Active policing
- Standards-based schools
⤷ e.g. league tables
add info from book - including factions
up to party funding
How are MPs funded?
Government (taxes)
- £91,400 salary
- Expenses paid for
How are parties funded?
- Membership fees
- Fundraising
- ‘Short money’
⤷ Electoral Commission donates £2m per party - Donations
- Loans
⤷ from businesses/individuals
Why is private funding controversial?
- Possible plutocracy
- Larger/older parties are more recognisable
- Open to manipulation
⤷ regulatory favours
What are examples of party funding being controversial?
1997 Bernie Eccleston
- £1m to Blair
- Blair excluded F1 from the tobacco advertising ban
⤷ ev: money was returned, public apology
2006
- Cash for Peerages scandal
⤷ Labour party had been receiving loans, not donations
⤷ did not have to declare gifts
⤷ Peers were giving gifts and were put through the HOL appointments committee
⤷ EV - no evidence by police that the donations were made to bribe (no prosecutions)
2024
- Reform UK talks of funding from Musk
⤷ suggested $100m
- ev: plans by labour to cap foreign investment in elections ⤷would fit in their manifesto to “protect democracy”
⤷ petition signed by 140,000 people to remove loopholes
Why should there be no concern over private investment?
Political Parties, Elections, and Referendums Act 2000
- Donations over £11,000 must be reported to the Electoral commission
- Parties must have a registered treasurer
- All donations over £500 must be from a ‘permissible source’
⤷ £50 for overseas voters
- Parties can spend up to £35m within the year before an election
Where does labour source their funds?
- Mostly trade unions
⤷ 2014/15 - £11m (60% of total income) - Declining support from TU
⤷ links to less left wing manifestos
How has party funding changed between elections?
2019
- Cons accounted for 2/3 of all donations
⤷ £19m tory, £5m labour, £1.4 LD
- Decrease since 2017
⤷ tory 35% less, labour 47% less, LD 64% less
- Increases since 2017
⤷ green 65% more
2024
- Labour got more donations than the other parties combined
⤷ labour £9.5m, tory £1.8m, £1.6m LD, £1.6m reform, £160,000 green
⤷ lord sainsbury - £2.5m, Unite - £1.5m
⤷ lowest TU funding
How is party spending monitored?
Political Parties, Elections, and Referendums Act 2000
- Electoral commission set up
- $30,000 cap per constituency
- Donations declared
⤷ if over £5000 (nationally), £1000 (constituency)
- No non-UK donations
How can party funding be reformed?
- Restrictions on donation amounts
⤷ 2015 Labour/lib dems supported a limit on ondividual donations
⤷ Cons countered with wanting to limit trade union funding - Tight restrictions on amount of spending
⤷ help make large scale funding pointless - Restrict donating to individuals
⤷ stop bribes from PG/businesses - Replace state money from taxation
Should party funding become state ran?
Yes
- improves democracy
- increases participation
- supports multi-party system
- stops hidden influence
- stops corruption
No
- alienate voters
- how do parties qualify? etc
- more regulation/state funding is controversial
- tax resentment
- could still prioritise large parties as they are already popular
- causes taxpayers to fund parties they do not like
When was the labour party founded, and what was its stance?
1900
Democratic socialist
⤷ left wing but moved centre
When did Labour become popular?
- Overtook Liberal Party in 1920s
⤷ formed minority govs under MacDonald - Majority gov with Atlee and Wilson
- Became more popular with New Labour
What was the traditional grounds of the party?
Clause Four 1918
- Nationalisation of key industries
- Gov intervention in the economy
- Redistribution of wealth
- Workers rights
- Welfare state
- State education and healthcare
⤷ NHS 1948, EMAs etc
- Tax increase to fund public services
- Close relationship with trade unions
How did New Labour change the roots of the party?
- No longer dominated by TU interests
- Change of electorate
⤷ w/c proportion was smaller and more fragmented (women and EM)
⤷ can no longer just appeal to the white, male w/c - Emphasis on community and fairness
- Amending of Clause 4 in 1995
What are the values of old labour?
- Redistribution and equality
- Collectivism
- Common ownership
- Trade unionism
- Statism
- Welfarism
What are the core values of NL?
- Equality
- Community
- Break away from NL taxes
- Keynesian economics over public ownership
- Mutual respect and freedom
- Enabling state
- Individualism
- Communitarianism
- Reform
What did old labour accomplish?
- NHS
- TU powers
- Nationalisation of coal, steel, and shipbuilding
⤷ 1956, 1967, 1977 (Callaghan) - Higher taxing of rich
- 1960s comprehensive schools
- Equal pay for women
What did NL accomplish?
- Refused power to TU
- Failed to nationalise
⤷ water, rail etc - Public borrowing > tax rises
- ASBOs + harsh on crime and causes of crime
- More NHS spending
- Large early years investment
- Reduce corporation tax
- HRA, FOI
- Devolution + Good Friday Agreement
What did Brown accomplish?
- Pumped money into banks to boost economy
- Part-nationalised banks
- Increased income tax
⤷ went back on his word
⤷ new 50% band on over £150,000 - Maintained public spending
Overall against NL but it was unusual circumstances
What were Miliband’s policy?
- Called to return the 50% tax after tories lowered it to 45%
- Focus on helping businesses while helping w/c
⤷ calls for crackdowns on tax avoidance and increase in NHS spending - Called for income tax to decrease to 10%
- Promised to end borrowing
- Rejected private sector and supported tax and spend policies
- Reduction of tuition fees from £9000 to £6000
Overall slightly more left wing
What were Corbyn’s policies?
- Economic policy
⤷ large scale funding of industry/infrastructure
⤷ called for re-nationalisation of rail (NL was against this) - Welfare policy
⤷ opposed benefits cuts
⤷ wanted a 100% state funded NHS
⤷ national education service
⤷ no tuition fees - Law and order
⤷ harsher terrorism laws
⤷ no more police cuts - Foreign policy
⤷ against the use of force
⤷ withdraw from NATO
⤷ abolition of Trident
Left wing, anti-establishment, controversial/split the party
What policies has Starmer introduced?
Manifesto
- Get Britain Building Again
- Increase police presence on streets
- Get NHS back on street
Policy
- Minimum wage increase
- £1.4b to rebuild 500 schools
- Means tested winter fuel payments
- Restored NHS funding to highest levels since 2010
- Nationalisation of steel?
- removed VAT exemptions for private schools
- Party whip to vote against removal of 2 child benefit cap
What are the factions within Labour?
Momentum
- Corbin/left
- marxism inspired
- focused on nationalisation
Blairism
- Social dems/centrists
- fought against Corbyn
Blue Labour
- Socially conservative but interests lie with w/c
How did the Lib Dems originate?
- Formed from labour mps and liberals
- Increasingly more popular from the 1980s on
⤷ 1997 - 46 seats
⤷ 2005 - 62 seats
⤷ 2010 - coalition
What ideology does the lib dems associate with?
Liberalism, but arguably more left wing
How did Nick Clegg run the party?
- Economic policy drifted right
⤷ promoted targeted increases of gov spending but having an overall cut in expenditure - Pragmatist (actions based on evidence)
Which policies were passed during the coalition?
Successes
- Fixed-term Parliament Act 2011
- ID cards scrapped
- Income tax benchmark raised
- EU Referndum postponed
- Welsh devolution referendum
Failures
- Benefit cuts
- Cut corporation tax
- Tax for over £150,000 decreased to 45%
- AV referendum failed
- Uni fees raised
- HOL reform failed
What are the 8 core values?
- Liberty
⤷ protection of individual rights - Social justice
⤷ removal of inequality of opportunity - Welfare
⤷ necessary to set people free from poverty, illness and unemployment - Constitutionalism
⤷ suspiscious of gov power - Social reform
⤷ support disadvantaged groups’ rights - Liberal democracy
⤷ HR and democracy concerns - Multiculturalism
⤷ toleration of other lifestyles - Environment
⤷ human life is enriched by a healthy planet
What is the policy under Ed Davey?
- Welfare
⤷ fair benefits that encourage people to work
⤷ increased funding of NHS - Law and order
⤷ civil liberties need balancing with national security - Foreign policy
⤷ leave Trident
⤷ pro EU
⤷ pro NATO
Manifesto
- Economy
⤷ increase spending bby £27bn every year by 2029
⤷ cut down on tax avoidance and raise levies on banks
⤷ rejoin single market (EU)
- Welfare
⤷ scrap 2-child benefit cap
- Rights
⤷ recognise non-binary identities
⤷ ban conversion therapy
⤷ 16yo vote
What is adversarial politics?
When a debate splits poltics
⤷ e.g. EU split parties and MPs within each party
⤷ from 1979-90 with Thatcher
What is consensus politics?
Broad agreement in politics
⤷ e.g. NHS after WWII, conservatives understood that the reforms were popular so they built off of it
⤷ collapsed with Thatcher
⤷ re-emerged from 1997-2015
How was there consensus from 1997-15?
Blair was very popular with welfare and reform
⤷ NHS funding and education standards
Cons and lib dems adopted similar positions to not lose 2010 election
⤷ evident with compassionate conservatism
What are the types of party systems?
Dominant party
Two-party
Two and half party
Multi-party
When has it been a dominant party system?
(Only one party has a chance)
1979-1997 - conservatives dominated
1997-2010 - labour dominated
Sincee 2007 - SNP dominates Scottish Parliament
When has it been a two-party system?
1945-1974 - was conservative and labour almost every other election
When has it been a two and a half party system?
(when a third party challenges the dominant 2 parties)
2010 - coalition lib dems
2024 - arguably reform split conservative vote, and caused labour to try appeal to the right
When has it been a multi-party system?
2010 onwards
⤷ coalition
⤷ rise of minority parties with recent elections
⤷ devolved bodies have PR so more smaller parties
What system do devolved bodies have?
Scotland
- Dominant party system
⤷ SNP in power since 2007
- Multi party
⤷ 2007-11 and 2016+ SNP is minority gov
⤷ AMS allows for more representation of smaller parties
Wales
- Multi party
⤷ AMS supports smaller parties
⤷ Govs: labour, labour-lib coalition, lab-plaid Cymru coalition
Northern Ireland
- Multi party
⤷ STV to promote coalition Govs
⤷ purposefully multi party
How is Parliament two party?
- 1945-74 - labour and cons got 91% of vote and 98% of seats on average
- FPTP favours 2-party system
⤷ 2024 - reform, 5 seats with 14% (PR = 93)
⤷ 2024 - green, 4 seats with 6.7% (PR = 43) - Smaller parties have periodic success
⤷ SNP seats dropped, UKIP gone, lib dems failure after coalition - Decreasing third party seats popularity
⤷ 2017 - dropped to 10.8% of the vote
How is Parliament moving away from being 2-party?
Dominate party
- 1979-present, switched from tory to labour
Two and a half party
- 2010-15 coalition gov
- 2017 - tory minority gov so agreement with DUP to have the backing of their whip
- 2024 - reform splitting cons votes
Multi-party
- third-party seats have increased in recent years
⤷ 14% of votes in 2010 were for minority parties
⤷ 2019 - 24.3%
⤷ 2024 - 42.6%
How is Britain multi-party?
- Devolved bodies with more localised parties
⤷ SNP, DUP, Sinn Fein, Alliance, Plaid Cymru - PR systems
⤷ more coalitions and power sharing - More nationalist parties
⤷ SNP, Reform, UKIP - Increasing support of smaller parties
⤷ reform, lib dem, green in 2024
⤷ got 42.6% of vote - More coalitions
⤷ 2010-15 tory-libdem
⤷ 2017 - DUP-tory
How is Britain not multi-party?
- Illusion of choice
⤷ Welsh labour/cons/lib dem
⤷ only SNP for Scotland - FPTP is used in GE which is the primary legislature
⤷ favours 2 party system - Success of small parties is arguably short-term
⤷ UKIP - focused on one issue which was adapted by cons - 2024, only 3 candidates had over 300 votes
⤷ Brexit renaming and rebranding to Reform
⤷ lib dem failures after coalition
⤷ SNP decline (2019, 48 - 2024, 9) - Broadchurch ideology blocks smaller parties gaining popularity
