Party Systems Flashcards
Who developed the idea of a party system?
Giovanni Sartori
What are the two types of party that Sartori defined?
Effective parties and actual parties
What is an actual party?
A party that exists and stands in some elections, but does not have a realistic chance of coming to power.
What is an effective party?
A party that has a realistic chance of forming the executive.
What is a Two Party System?
A party system in which there are only two effective parties - between whom the power regularly shifts.
What country is a prime example of a One Party System?
The USA
What are the names of the two effective parties in the USA?
The Republicans and the Democrats.
What are two ways in which a Two Party System is desirable?
1) It encourages consensus politics as the two parties need to appeal to as many people as possible if they want to win.
2) It is in the interests of the parties to reach out to “floating voters.”
What are two disadvantages of a Two Party System?
1) Two Party Systems can create polarising politics as the two parties become more left or right to separate themselves from each other.
2) There are often random and expensive policy reversals between governments.
In America, what policy has Donald Trump pledged to reverse if he becomes president?
Obama Care
What is the “post-Thatcherite consensus”?
The idea that both Labour and the Conservatives agreed that Privatisation isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
What is a Multi Party System?
A system in which there are more than two effective parties.
What type of government is popular in Multi Party Systems? Why?
Coalition governments as it is extremely unlikely that one party will gain enough votes to form a single party government due to the number of options available to the electorate.
What country is a prime example of a Multi Party System?
Sweden - in which there are around 8 or 9 effective parties.
What are two benefits of a Multi Party System?
1) National government is more representative of the people.
2) Extremist governments are much less likely as a general consensus between parties has to be met on most issues.
What are two ways in which a Multi Party System is not as good as a Two Party System?
1) The increase in the number of coalition governments blurs the lines of accountability.
2) Instability from coalition breakdowns can cause a change to the government which the people do not want.
What is a one party system?
A system in which there is only one effective party in the country, although it may sometimes have to go into coalition with an actual party.
What country is a prime example of a one-party system?
China
What is a Three Party System?
A system in which there are three effective parties.
What country is a prime example of a Three Party System?
Canada
What is a Two-And-A-Half Party System?
A system in which there are two main effective parties, however they may require on a third party to help them gain power.
What country is an example of a Two-And-A-Half Party System?
Australia
In what way is the UK a two party system?
Since 1945, 18 of our 19 governments have been either Labour or Conservative.
In what ways is the UK becoming less of a Two Party System?
1) Support for the two “effective parties” has gone down from 90% to 65%
2) After the 2010 election, some political experts argued that a Two-And-A-Half Party System had been instated, although the Lib Dems all but disappeared in 2015.
3) At a local level there is much more political diversity such as the rise of the SNP in Scotland and Plaîd Cymru in Wales.
