political parties Flashcards
what was traditional conservatism within the party?
Tory party 17th century defended crown and Church of England, evolved to defend property and traditional authority
what was one-nation conservatism within the party?
Disraeli sought to bridge gap between classes through paternalistic social policy. peaked after WWII when they accepted changes introduced by labour e.g mixed economy, NHS
what was Thatcherism and New Right within the party?
sought to reduce state intervention in the economy, ‘roll back the state’ and cut taxes, strong nationalistic character and intolerant of alternative lifestyles
Cameron’s Conservative party
2005-2016, identified as a ‘liberal conservative’, tolerant e.g. supported gay marriage, showed interest in environment and socially disadvantaged young people.
2010 coalition defined by spending cuts after recession, he then held and lost EU referendum 2016 leading to resignation
how was Cameron’s ideas close to Thatcher?
- economic policy: spending cuts, Whitehall budgets cut by up to 25%
- welfare policy: cut costs and encouraged those on benefits to be more self reliant
- law and order: more liberal, ‘hug a hoodie’ speech, tough sentencing along with ‘rehabilitation revolution’
- foreign policy: strong links to USA, supported air strikes against islamic terror groups in Syria and Iraq
May’s Conservative party
2016-2019, called snap election in 2017 to gain mandate but lost majority and formed minority government with DUP. aimed to created industrial strategy and set energy price cap but wanted to reintroduce grammar schools and repeal fox-hunting legislation
ultimately failed to get Brexit plan through and resigned
Old Labour within the party
founded to get more WC MPs in parliament to push for improved working and living conditions for WC.
post war labour government was social democratic, emphasised importance of welfare policy in redistributing wealth and creating fairer society, e.g. comprehensive schools, NHS
Old Labour within the party
founded to get more WC MPs in parliament to push for improved working and living conditions for WC.
post war labour government was social democratic, emphasised importance of welfare policy in redistributing wealth and creating fairer society, e.g. comprehensive schools, NHS
why did the party transition to New Labour?
as people became more affluent policies that appealed solely to the working class were not enough, it aimed to find a third way between old style socialism and free-market capitalism
New Labour within the party?
Blair won a landslide victory in 1997, labour became more promarket and moved right, e.g. dropped clause IV dedicated to public ownership of services.
controversial, some saw it as a betrayal of their heritage, others said it was necessary adaptation to a changing society
what were key features of New Labour in power?
- emphasis on wealth created rather than redistribution, e.g. introduced minimum wage but £3.60 (lower)
- people need to be aware of responsibilities aswell as rights, ‘tough on crime, tough on causes of crime’
- responsibility in handling national finances, conserve resources before investing in public services, e.g. increase in national insurance led to largest rise in NHS spending
- influence of liberal ideology, devolution and HRA, but extended time suspects could be detained without charge and proposed introduction of identity cards
SNP beliefs
centre-left, main purpose to secure Scottish independence from UK and believe Scotland should remain in EU due to majority of Scotland voting remain
SNP leadership and successes
2007 Alex Salmond formed a minority SNP government which pressured government to extend their powers e.g. taxing and borrowing and holding a referendum in 2014
referendum results were 55% remain and 45% stay leading to Salmonds resignation, replaced by Nicola Sturgeon who led the party during their successful 2015 election where they won 56 of 59 seats
the Green Party general beliefs
centre left party concerned with environmental issues and reducing social inequality, pro EU as they see it as a safeguard for environmental protection
what are Green Party environmental beliefs?
phase out fossil fuel based energy and nuclear power and implement renewable solutions
fracking is environmentally disastrous and should be stopped
what are the green parties beliefs about reducing social inequality?
creeping privatisation of NHS has to end
abolish university tuition fees
wealth tax to fund creation of new jobs
what is a party system?
the way in which the parties in a political system are grouped and structured
what is a one party dominant system?
a number of parties but only one has a realistic prospect of holding power
what is a two party system?
two parties compete for power at elections, other parties have no real chance of winning e.g. USA
what is a two and a half party system?
two large parties are the main players but challenged by the growth of a smaller third party
what is a multi-party system?
a number of parties content to form a government, coalitions become the norm
what factors affect party success?
leadership
party unity
media
policies
how does leadership affect party success?
a charismatic and competent leader attracts votes unlike weak leaders
e.g. 2015 Ed Miliband was unlikeable and was mocked in the press, Thatcher won 1979 election not because she was popular because she seemed strong and offered a tough response to strikers
how does party unity affect party success?
divided parties don’t perform well at elections and have difficulty organising and governing
e.g. Major’s party was highly divided over EU and lost in a landslide to a united Labour Party led by Blair who looked strong and fresh
how does media affect party success?
media is main way public receive political info, demonstrating its importance for electoral success. newspapers, TV and more recently social media play an important role
e.g. 1992 ‘its the sun wot won it’
how do policies affect party success?
parties attract voters by using policies in their manifesto they think the public will support, generally a few major policies will become battleground issues e.g. Brexit in 2017 and 2019 elections
