Political Parties Flashcards
Do Political parties help UK democracy ?
(over all help)
HELP
Impossible to form a funcioning government ( differnt priorities and consenis if difficult so nothing would get done) **
1. almost no democracies don’t have parties
1. government could take divisive and hard necessary action e.g. Cameron government and austerity
* however, in recent years we have seen more devision of Government
2. Boris Governement collape in 2022, 57 minesterial resignations, including Sadjid Javid (health sec) and Rishi Sunak (chancellor)
2. Thereysa mays Cabinet was extreemly devided around Brexit (her foreign sec Borris Jonson and Brexit sec David Davis being leavers (hard Brexitires) meanwhile her Chanceller, Philip Hammond and Work and pensions sec Ambre Rud were remainers. = Borris and Davis resigning after a 6 hour meeting, on the 6th of July at Chequres, = more importantly her failer to get Brexit done after 2 years
** The Opposition can hold the Government directly accountable (acting as a check on their power)
1. Weekly PMQS’s where MP’s have a chance to ask the PM questions and the leader and opposition leader have a chance to go head to head, forcing the PM to justify their dessisions on record. For exmple on the 14th of decembre 2022 Kia Starmer forced PM Rishi Sunank to justify his decision to allow for the nurses strikes on the 15th, (not negotiating)
2. arguably one could somewhat attribute criticism of the opposition to Liz Trusses U-turn of her Emergency Budget in July of this year
2. However, PMQ’s rarly amount to any real change and people have limited speaking time and cant respond one PM gives their answer so the PM can quite easilly dodge questions
Voting would be much more difficult ( people would have to research each candidates views on a number of policies ad without a manifesto or ideological link, these things would be mad eunclear). = uninformed decision-making likely
1. this has been demonstrated in the fact that since 1950 only 13 smallpart/inderpendent MP’s have been elected to parliament
* people largely do this anyway when having to research a candidates local policies
list the fuctions of Political parties and one example of them forfilliing them well vs badly
- selecting Candidates
2. in 2019 both the conservative and Labour party Put up/ supported a lareg numbre of female candidates ( Conservative 40% women Labour 50%)
1. in 2015 Tim Yeo, the defending Conservatiev Mp for Southstoke was denied to runfor relection from his local party, for his pro Europen Union views - providing the personal for a stable governement
1. Cameron’s governemnt, nessisary hosterity, even with Libdem coallison. ( HE WAS A PM THAT LEAD NOT MANAGED, GIVING MINISTERS MORE FREEDOM SO WHEN HE NEEDED THEM HE COULD COUNT ON THEM.)
2. Borris cabinet reshuffle, when he came into power with a 80 seat majority in 2019. Rishi asked for his ow advisers or he would resign and borris let this happen. this allowed him to enact the covid ferlo scheme, lockdown and brexit
4. many of the time governt wont be stabel and reach amajority ( thereysa may DUP alliance and ythe Collison government 2010)
may
many etablished governemnts are unable to reach agreements and can collape
2. Thatchers cabient membours not supporting her during her vote of no confidence resulting in her ebing ousted from office, and the devison of the wets and the dries
2. devison in minor parties like lib dems too
3. Collapse of Boris government with 57 ministers resigning
4. May’s cabint losing 43 ministers and fialing to get brexit done - Electeing a leader
1. Borris Johonson was votes as PM when May resigend, the people were despirete for a tong leader who could egt Brexit done and he provided that leadership
2. Liz Truss voted in with a small minority of only 172.000 consevative mebours vs Uks 65 million person population. Started acting against manifesto and public wihes with her emergancy budjet, with no democratic mandate. - policy formation
1. Blair 1998 manifesto
2. Micheale Foot, “The Longest Suiside not in history”, 1983 - Campeigning (fund candidates Campeigns and over all so better cahnce of winning )
1. blair 1997, Pleadge cards, New labour, the labour rose
2. Labour leader John Smith New labour cameign without policy changes - represenation
1. in 2017 82% said they felt represented by their party
2. two party system
How are parties funded
- policy development granst of 2mill to the major parties to employ political advisers
- Short money = allocated to the oposition parties depending on their numbre of seats to run the party (The leader of the op also gets a lareg sum to run their office) (800,000) (labour 6mill, SNP 600,000)
- Cranborne money, funds the scruteny work of teh house of lords
- Donations ( must be declaied)
- party membourship subscriptions
How has the influnce of party funding been limited
The political parties, elections and refurendosm act 2000
* the amount a party can spend in a consituency is 30,000
* Parties can not accept donations from non UK- citizens
* donations over 5000 must be declared
To what extent does the modern Conservative party resemble the Conservative part of the past interms of foreign policy
(one nation vs Thatcherite/New rigth)
- foreign policy
- Nationalism
1. Thatcher and the falkllands war to maintain britans great imperial legacy
2. meanwhile thatchers policy was hosile to wards migrants of former collonial countries and has been labeled as her opposition to “colour mimigration”
2. Borris governmet and the attemt to deport refugees to third party countries
3. brexit
What has the Conservative parties not so flattering nick name in the past been
The nasty party
To what extent has the modern Labour party diverged from the traditional Labour party in terms of foreign policy
Foreign policy
* traditinally the was more natinalist foccusing on UK policy as apposed to internayinal aid and was
1. No more illegal wars. Introduce a Prevention of Military Intervention Act
2. however, Kier wants Full voting rights for EU nationals. Defend free movement as we leave the EU
3. blairs legacy is related to Iraq afganiatan and lybia and he also has a legacy of establishign the multicultural citys we see todya in society through his soft imigration policys
how influncial have the Lib dems been in recent years
(5)
- 62 seats in 2005 genral election and 57 in 2010
- Coallsiongoverment 2010 and the AV Ref
- came to no avail
- currently they ahve 14 mebours of parliament
- Joe swinson, the ex leader of the party lost her seat in Brighton in 2019
How did the lib-dems form
- begun as the Social democrats when michel foots labour went far left 1978.
- mixed with the liberal party
- it was half right wing centralsit labour and half of the prexisting labout party
- based on the princiapals of modernliberalism
How much has the Lib-dems polies diverged from the traditional party ( 1 point with 5 examples)
more left wing
1. increase in all income tac by 1p and 20% coparation tax increse in 2017 manifest
2. hard remain on brexit (socially left wing), 2019 proposed to hold a new ref
3. elected house of lords
4. electoral reform to more proportional system, to do away with the elitist winners bonus that’s been helping the torries dominate for years
5. 2010 manifesto included a pledge to not increase tuition fees but they did when they where in Collison with Tories they did just that
what are the different groups in the Liberal democrats
(2)
“Orange Booker”= more strongly to economic and personal liberal principles
“Beveridge Group”= strongly identify with centre-left beliefs
How influncial are the SNP in the deveolved asseblie?
(9)
- more so becuse of devolution
1. since 2007 theyy have been in government in some form
2. in 2015 The SNP secured first Majority governemnt
3. the AV system has also allowed for a coallion with the greens for the current government giving the minority party of the greens thier first real taste of power
How influncial are UKIP
- The succes for UKIP arguably is the secondry cause of Brexit
1. IN the 2014 Euopean parliament elections UKIp won 27% of the vote and 24 seats beating both the conservatives and Labour.
2. arguably this is what triggered cameron to put the Brexit refurendom in the conservatiev manifesto inorder for him to attact UKIP voters and secure a majority
How has the green party been influncial
They are currently in a coallision governemt with the SNP
How have the DUP been influncial in recent years ?
- The Power sharing aregreement of 2017 when Theraysa may failed to secure a majority. DUP agred to support them in Brexit deal votes if :
2.partiamentry veto of govs brexit negotiations
3.1 billion in funding to NI
Evidence two party dominace hasn’t been erroded in westminster?
(2)
- In 2019 Conservative and Labour combined won their biggest share of the vote of 75% beating their previous record from 2017 and 89% of the seats
- lib dems have gone from 62 membours of parliament in 2005 to just 14 today
in 2010 what % and seats of the vote did the Liberal decocrats win vs labour?
23% of the vote vs 57 seats vs Labour whom won 259 seas with only 6% more of the vote at 29%
What % of people belive the party they voted for represents their views?
82%
