Political parties Flashcards
Definition of a political party
Group of like-minded individuals who seek to realise their shared goals by fielding candidates at elections and thereby securing election to public office
Definition of a manifesto
Pre election policy document in which a party sets out a series of policy pledges + legislative proposals that it plans to enact if elected
Definition of mandate
The right of the governing party to pursue the policies it sets out in its general election manifesto
What is the Salisbury Doctrine?
Convention that means the House of Lords can’t block or delay legislation that was promised in the manifesto of the governing party
Reasons why the the concept on an electoral mandate make sense
FPTP usually results in a single-party government so it follows that the victors should have the right to implement their stated policies + each party’s manifesto is readily available for voters ahead of polling day
Reasons why the concept of an electoral mandate doesn’t make sense
Low turnout means the winning party can’t claim to have a convincing mandate + coalition governments mean the 2 or more parties must agree to compromise so no single party actually has a mandate
What are the 5 key functions of political parties?
Provide representation, encourage political engagement + facilitate participation, engage in political recruitment, formulate policies and provide a stable government
What is meant by political recruitment?
Assessing the qualities of those seeking election to public office and casting aside those who are considered unsuitable
What are the main differences between political parties vs pressure groups?
PPs = broad range of polices, inclusive (open membership structures), take part in elections to win office, highly organised with formalised rules and procedures PGs = pursue a narrower cause, exclusive with membership, filed candidates in elections to raise their profile (not to win) and they are usually small cliques with low levels of internal democracy
What are the 3 mainstream parties?
Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrats
What are the 2 subcategories of minority/niche parties?
Nationalist or single-issue parties
Give examples of nationalist parties
SNP and Mebyon Kernow
Give examples of single-issue parties
UKIP, Green and Brexit Party
Why might UKIP have been considered a pressure group as oppose to a political party?
They had a narrower interest (independence) and pressured David Cameron to hold the Brexit referendum
Why hasn’t Boris Johnson been able to achieve the policies of his manifesto?
Coronavirus complications and Brexit negotiations
What response of the Tory government in the Coronavirus outbreak may be considered as un-Conservative?
Distribution of furlough
What are the 4 types of party systems?
Single-party system, dominant-party system, two-party system and multiparty system
Give examples of a single-party state
Russia and North Korea
Give examples of a two-party system
US and UK
What factor causes a two-party system?
FPTP
Reasons why the UK is multiparty system
Rise of nationalist parties EG SNP which won 56/59 available seats in 2015, partisan dealignment has brought voters to minority parties and 13.5% of voters backed other parties other than Tory and Labour in 2015
Reasons why the UK isn’t a multiparty system
Labour and Conservative are the only parties that have a realistic chance of getting into power, FPTP doesn’t allow for a multiparty system (EG UKIP getting 12.6% of vote but only one seat in 2015) and only 20 days a year are opposition days in Parliament
Conservatism
Loose ideology favouring a pragmatic approach to dealing with problems while seeking to preserve the status quo
Neo-liberalism
Stresses the importance of a free market, individual rights and limited government intervention, closely associated with Thatcherism in the UK
Paternalist conservatism
Where power & authority are held centrally but the state acts benevolently and cares for the neediest. Paternalism is said to be a key characteristic of traditional one-nation conservatism.
Post-war consensus
Broad agreement between Labour and Conservative over domestic and foreign policy that emerged after WW2, parties cooperated over the creation of the welfare state and adoption of Keynesian economic policy
When did the post-war consensus come to an end?
1970’s
Give an overview of beliefs of one-nation conservatives
1.Centralised authority but care for those less affluent,
2. slow gradual changes,
3. Keynesian economy (state intervention if needed),
4. universal welfare,
5. internationalism
6. increase European integration.
What is the Latin term for the obligation of nobles to help those less fortunate?
‘Noblesse oblige’
Give an overview of beliefs of Thatcherites
- Individual needs over society as a whole,
- Free-market economy
- privatization,
- limiting the power of trade unions,
- limited state intervention with economy,
- national sovereignty
- limited state welfare provision
What is the US equivalent to Thatcherites?
‘Reaganomics’
Give an overview of the Conservatives under David Cameron
Hoped to ‘detoxify’ the Tory brand, “subtle continuation of Thatcherism, “shameless opportunism”, “capitulation to New Labour”, coalition with Lib Dems made it hard to achieve anything set out in the manifesto (2010) and achieved EU referendum then Cameron resigned
What were the 2 main differences between May’s polices versus Cameron’s?
Cameron wanted to focus more on the environment but May abolished Dept of Energy and Climate Change + Cameron sought to focus less on Europe but May created the Dept for International Trade and Dept for Exiting the EU
What is socialism?
The belief in greater equality and redistribution of wealth
Which faction of Labour is socialist?
Old Labour
What is social democracy?
Promoting capitalism but advocating some redistribution of wealth
Which faction of Labour supports social democracy?
New Labour
What three things does New labour stand for?
Targeting all voters (not just working class), social inclusion and targeted welfare
What three things does Old Labour stand for?
Targeting the working classes, state intervention and universal welfare
What did Clause IV state in 1918?
Committed to public ownership ok key industries and redistribution of wealth
What did Clause IV state in 1995?
It was committed to a “thriving private sector”
Why was the 1995 update of Clause IV controversial?
it had been updated to a more Thatcherist approach
What is the ‘third way’?
An ideology between socialism and capitalism aka ‘the middle way’
What is triangulation?
The process of melding together Labour principles and knowledge from the Thatcher government, closely associated with New Labour and the third way
What is social justice?
The goal of greater equality of outcome as opposed to equality of opportunity alone EG through progressive taxation and other forms of wealth redistribution, closely associated with left-wing parties like Labour (Gordon Brown especially) and Green
Why did Ed Miliband lose the 2015 general election?
He struggled to establish a coalition of voters large enough to carry the party back into office
What did the two factions of Labour think about Milibands loss?
Those on the left said this was caused by New Labour principles so they should return to socialism and those on the right said this was cause because Miliband had abandoned the principles of Blair which were popular
Why did Blair change Clause IV?
To appeal to more voters under social democracy rather than socialism
What did Corbyn do as leader?
Returned to Old Labour policies EG a national education service open to all and action to secure an equal society
What are the three main characteristics of classical liberalism?
Favours minimal state intervention, emphasis on freedom, toleration and equality + self-reliance has a bigger role on improving peoples lives than the state
What are the three characteristics of progressive liberalism?
Some regulation of the market as well as basic welfare, supports a mixed economy, emphasis on reform and individual rights
What style of liberalism do orange book liberals support?
Classical liberalism EG Nick Clegg
What style of liberalism do social liberals support?
Progressive liberalism EG Tim Farron
Who is the current Lib Dem leader?
Ed Davey (classical liberalism)
What were the Tory policies in 2017?
Cut corporation tax, raise personal allowance, remove triple lock on pensions, raise investment in the NHS by £8billion by 2022/23, maintain student tuition fees, increase school budgets in England by £4billion, new grammar schools + replace free school dinners with free school breakfasts
What were the Labour policies in 2017?
Increase corporation tax, increase top rate of tax to 50p in the pound for people earning over £80,000, reinstate housing benefit for under-21s, raise investment in the NHS by £30billion by 2022/23, increase amount of free childcare per week to 30 hours, abolish tuition fees, oppose new grammar schools
What were the Lib Dem policies in 2017?
- Raise income tax for everyone by 1p in a pound
- to fund £100billion investment in infrastructure
- remove winter fuel payments for wealthy pensioners
- introduce an extra 1p on all income tax bands for the NHS
- maintain school tuition fees
- increase school budgets in England by £7billion
Arguments that recent years have witnessed the end of ideology
Tories giving out furlough during Covid-19, more emphasis on appearance of parties rather than substance and the coalitions between Tories +Lib Dems in 2010 + 2017 coalition between Tories + DUP
Arguments against recent years witnessing the end of ideology
Corbyn was an extreme socialist, increase in single-issue parties and pressure groups with new ideologies and difference between Tory and Labour on a circuit breaker lockdown due to Covid-19
How does the Conservative party choose leaders?
Tory MPs vote in a series of ballots to narrow leadership candidates down to 2 then party members vote on one member each to finalise the decision
How does the Labour Party choose leaders?
Candidates must secure a nomination of 10% from MPs to qualify for the ballot and then party members vote on one member each to finalise the decision
How do the Lib Dems choose leaders?
Candidates must secure a nomination of 20 local parties or 200 party members to qualify for the ballot and then party members vote on one member each to finalise the decision
Local and national structure of the Labour Party
Join a local branch, this is overseen by the CLP and the NEC enforces the smooth running of the party but its role has diminished since the 1990s
Local and national structure of the Conservatives
The local level is similar to Labour which operates under the CA and is nationally organised by the CCHQ
Local and national structure of the Lib Dems
Federal structure among the devolved nations EG England has 11 regional representatives which is governed nationally by the Federal Executive
How do all parties elect candidates for Parliament?
Names are vetted from a protectives list, local party draws up a shortlist for all those who made it through the previous stage and constituency members finally vote for their preferred candidate
In which ways have the Conservatives experimented with expanding the pool from which candidates are chosen?
Using public hustings, open primaries and priority lists
What is a public husting?
A meeting in which an election candidate can address local voters as well as paid-up party members
What are open primaries?
A popular ballot in which all registered voters have a hand in selecting the candidate who will run in the election after
What is a priority list?
A list of candidates intended as a means of boosting the number of women and ethnic minority Tory MPs
How many MPs in the Labour Party are women currently?
104 out of all 202 Labour MPs
What is the main reason for all-women shortlists?
It prevents discrimination towards women
What is the main reason against all-women shortlists?
It discriminates against men who might be better suited for the job
How does the Labour Party formulate policy?
Policy is developed through the National Policy Forum (NPF). This is a body of around 200 representatives from all the major groups of the Labour Party, from constituency parties and regions to affiliated trade unions, socialist societies, MPs and councillors. Its role is to shape the Party’s policy agenda, drawing up policy documents for agreement
How do the Conservatives formulate policy?
They established a Policy Forum in 1998 but this was short-lived so it is usually a top-down process coming from the leader and senior advisors
How do the Lib Dems formulate policy?
Sometimes considered the most democratic party regarding this but party leaders have influence over the Federal Policy Committee so this can allow them to steer policy to a degree
How are the Conservatives generally funded?
By wealthy business people
How is the Labour Party generally funded?
Backed by trade unions
Give an example of someone who paid a donation to Labour
Bernie Ecclestone in 1997 gave 1 million to Labour which may have delayed the ban on smoking ads in Formula1
What were the regulations of PPERA in 2000?
£30,000 spending limit per constituency in general election campaigns, more limits on devolved body elections and all parties had to declare donations over £5000 to the EC
What were the regulations of PPEA in 2009?
Tighter rules on spending by candidates on the run-up to an election, restricting donations from non-UK residents and reduced thresholds for declaration of donations
What did the 2007 Phillips Report conclude?
One way forward might be greater state funding for parties through a type of formula EG pence-per-member
What are the three types of public funds to parties?
Policy Development Grants, Cranborne Money and Short Money
What are PDGs + examples?
They are funding totalling £2million across all parties with 2 or more sitting MPs EG 2015-16 Labour received £359,000
What is Cranborne Money + examples?
Funds paid to the opposition parties in the HoL EG 2014-15 Labour received £572,000
What is short money + example?
Funds for opposition parties EG 2014-15 labour received £6.6million with £777,000 to support the Leader of the Opposition
2 reasons why political parties should be state-funded
Allows politicians to focus on representing constituents rather than wasting time keeping track of potential donors and it would mean that the Lib Dems would get a proportional amount of money decided by their electoral performance
2 reasons why political parties should not be state-funded
People shouldn’t have to fund parties that they aren’t going to vote for and parties will always have unequal resources, even if more state-funding is introduced
Has the reformed system worked?
No, the ‘loans for peerages’ scandal during Labours office 1997-2010 and backing from Lord Ashcroft of the Tories who didn’t pay tax on his overseas earnings + in the first quarter of 2016, Labour got 150 donations (£5.4million) and the Tories got 269 donations (£6.7million)
What is Labours view on tougher restrictions on individual donations?
What is Labours view on tougher restrictions on individual donations?
Principal elements it the Conservative party structure?
- Voluntary wing = comprising the local parties in the constituencies
- professional wing = Central office
- parliamentary party =
Which newspaper supports the conservatives?
- The Sunday times
- The Times
- The Daily Telegraph
Which newspaper supports Labour?
The Guardian
Name a centrist newspaper.
The independent
Three Factions in the Modern Conservative Party (9 marks)
Tory Reform Group - ONE NATION CONSERVATIVES gradual improvements, paternalism, centralised authority but care for neediest and KEYNESIAN mixed economy, increasing European integration e.g Kenneth Clarke
Conservative Voice - THATCHERITE late 1970s and early 1980s, death of post-war consensus and rise of adversarial politics, deregulation, privatisation, limits on trade unions, national sovereignty, limited welfare state e.g Iain Duncan Smith
Bright Blue - LIBERAL CONSERVATISM centre right, classic liberal view of limited gov. economic intervention e.g Boris Johnson
Three Factions in the Modern Labour Party (9 marks)
Labour First - protecting tradition of ‘Old Labour Right’, focusing on re-election, strong opposition to Corbyn as ‘moderate party members’
Momentum - grassroots, left of the party, party members should have more power, support Corbyn but are often criticised/undermined as hard left
Consensus - trying to unite Labour’s most compelling policies from the left and right, centre of the party and supported by Jon Cruddas (Ed Miliband’s former policy chief)
Three Arguments in Favour of State Funding for Parties
Vested Interests - if taxpayers pay, the parties will not be funded by the wealthy and interest groups who contribute to elitism e.g Cash for Honours
Improve Party Focus - no longer focused on appealing to potential donors so will focus on their constituents more
Smaller Parties - would increase pluralism as parties like LibDems will be on equal financial footing (based on membership or electoral performance) and would decrease domination of the two-party system
Example of an mp voting on behalf of the constituents
Owen Thompson, MP for Midlothian in the 2015-17 parliament voted many times on behalf of Midlothian. He voted for the reinstatment of fox hunting.
Even though this was a devolved matter. He was contacted by many of his constituents who opposed the reinstatment due to animal cruelty.
