Political Parties

Question 1

The function of political parties is not just SLEEC PR

Answer 1

Scrutiny
Leadership elections
Educate the public
Elections - standing + campaigninG
Candidate selection

Policy formulation
Represent

Question 2

Who holds power when parties select candidates? What happened with Tim Ye0 in 2015?

Answer 2

Central party ultimately decides but local parties almost always have the power to deselect candidates at general elections, as they did with Tim Yeo in 2015 for pro-EU views

Question 3

Why is selecting a party leader so important?

Answer 3

Sets direction for the party and is a key part of their valence
Can often be the next PM
Shows divisions in the party i.e. Truss and Corbyn showed division between MPs and membership

Question 4

How have parties helped educate some people politically?

Answer 4

The constant campaigning and presence of the Green Party has led to an awareness of environmental issues and the same with UKIP/ Brexit

Question 5

What is policy aggregation, which parties are more likely to use it?

Answer 5

Collecting policy from a range of groups and sources at local up to national levels, in order to create a single manifesto. More likely to be done by parties not in power as those in government have the civil service, thinktanks and commitees.

Question 6

Why is campaigning an important function of parties?

Answer 6

Encourages participation and education. Happening more and more with social media and engages people on all issues from national to local.

Question 7

How do parties aid representation? Is this more than just general elections?

Answer 7

Provide a platform for people’s opinions to be converted into policy and action. There is a wide range of parties, and votes in devolved assemblies and the London Assembly are now PR-based

Question 8

How could the surge in UKIP show parties aid representation?

Answer 8

A single-issue party with other vague populism shows how people feel left behind, provides representation of those angry at traditional parties

Question 9

Who pays an MP’s salary

Answer 9

The taxpayer

Question 10

What is the threshold for (Ted) “Short” money?

Answer 10

2 seats nationally or one seat + 150,000 votes. Money for admin costs and effective scrutiny.

Question 11

What is the up to £ 2 million grant from the electoral commission notused for?

Answer 11

Campaigning/ elections - it is for policy only.

Question 12

“Once you pay your £3m, you get your peerage.” - Who said this and why

Answer 12

Former Conservative party chairman. Every former treasurer bar one has been given a peerage after donating £3m.

Question 13

Sum of donations to Tory vs Labour in 2019

Answer 13

£20m vs just over £5m. SNP were donated £25,000

Question 14

In how many constituencies were spending limits exceeded by the Tories in 2015?

Answer 14

20, there is a limit of £30,000

Question 15

How much funding did Labour receive from trade unions last year, why is this scary?

Answer 15

Roughly 60%, main opposition is contingent on one organisation (which threatened to remove funding in 2022)

Question 16

What did George Osborne do in relation to Short Money in 2016?

Answer 16

Cut funding to all parties.

Question 17

Who is Lubov Chernukhin?

Answer 17

Biggest female political donor in UK history, she has donated £2m to the Conservatives and met with 3 Prime Minsters. Husband has links with Putin

Question 18

What did the Kelly Proposals of 2011 propose

Answer 18

Parties be allocated £3/ vote, and yearly donations be capped at £10,000

Question 19

When and who was the first independent Labour MP

Answer 19

Keir Hardie - 1892

Question 20

First proper Labour majority

Answer 20

1945 - Clement Atlee

Question 21

3 Clement Atlee promises and policies?

Answer 21

NHS
Nationalisation of key industries
Benefits + the gov. finds a job

Question 22

Who wrote the “longest suicide note in history” - some examples?

Answer 22

Michael Foot’s manifesto in 1983 - disarmament, command economy etc.

Question 23

How many versions of Michael Foot’s ……. policy were presented on the same day?

Answer 23

Defence,,, 3

Question 24

Which change in leader ship marked the end of Old Labour

Answer 24

Michael Foot to Neil Kinnock

Question 25

What happened to Labour the Sunday before the 1992 election, where they were heavy favourites?

Answer 25

They arrived victoriously on helicopters to the Sheffield rally, one big reason that cost them the election

Question 26

Who and when properly usher New Labour in?

Answer 26

Blair takes power in 1995 after an agreement with Gordon Brown that they’d switch power.

Question 27

Under Blair, how much of GDP went on the NHS

Answer 27

10%, up from 3.1%

Question 28

What did the Third Way influence mean for old economic beliefs of Labour?

Answer 28

They were gone, aim for wealth creation and social justice within a prosperous free-market society.

Question 28

Some examples of privatisation under Blair

Answer 28

Bank of England, the Royal Mint, some of the NHS – introduced public-private partnerships

Question 29

How did Blair stay committed to social justice and reform of old institutions

Answer 29

Incorporated the ECHR, introduced a minimum wage in 1997 and removed most hereditary peers

Question 30

When Brown became leader in …. 200?, what happened to the political direction of the UK

Answer 30

Nothing much as he and Blair were v. close, until the GFC and he nationalised some banks, promised greater spending etc.

Question 31

Why may Ed Milliband have gone with Older Labour policies when he became leader in 20..

Answer 31

Blair and Brown were tainted by Iraq and economic instability

Question 32

Two policies showing Ed Miliband’s disaprity

Answer 32

“Cuts were necessary” regarding austerity, but was non-aggressive and committed to higher income tax.

Question 33

What was surprising about the 2017 election for Labour

Answer 33

Corbyn, despite having the most left-wing manifesto since 1983, wone 262 seats. Much better than anticipated.

Question 34

How many seats did Labour win in 2019

Answer 34

203, worst result since 1935

Question 35

3 Keir Starmer pledges

Answer 35

Nationalisation of key industries, abolish the House of Lords and raise top income tax

Question 36

Why did one-nationism arise?

Answer 36

Benjamin Disraeli’s response to the growing working-class voter base, who wouldn’t for traditional conservative ideals.

Question 37

Two recent Tory PMs who have used one-nation ideals?

Answer 37

Johnson is a “one-nation” Tory and Cameron emphasised his “Big Society”.

Question 38

When did the post-war, one nation consensus break down?

Answer 38

James Callaghan’s Winter of Discontent of 78-79 summed it up

Question 39

What did Thatcher have to say in response to One-Nation conservatism

Answer 39

“There is no society”.

Question 40

What was Thacher’s New RIght a blend of?

Answer 40

Neo-liberalism and neo-conservatism. Minimum taxation, discouraging a welfare state and limiting trade unions whilst maintaining tradition family values and strong law and order.

Question 41

After John Major, what happened to Conservative ideology

Answer 41

Major, Duncan Smith, and William Hague all remained quite Thatcherite, showing some compromise but not willing to alienate their core voters

Question 42

Who described himself as the “heir to Blair”

Answer 42

David Cameron

Question 43

What did Cameron’s policy platform look like?

Answer 43

He focused on uncontroversial ideas rather than divisive policies. He prioritised civil liberties and the environment

Question 44

What did Cameron want to do with the Tory Brand

Answer 44

“Decontaminate it” from being the “nast party”

Question 45

What did Cameron do ideologically from 2007 to 2010? Examples

Answer 45

Began shifting slowly to the right, appeasing core voters. “control British border”, bringing down inheritance tax

Question 46

What did May want the UK to be in her opening speech

Answer 46

A country that “works for everyone” under her, a “modern PM”

Question 47

Examples of Johnson’s Thatcherism?

Answer 47

Quitting May’s Cabinet over a soft Brexit, “20,000” police officers

Question 48

Example of Johnson’s One-nationism

Answer 48

“increase NHS spending”, “level up”

Question 49

What did Sunak say in the leadership campaign about his economic approach?

Answer 49

“return to traditional Conservative economic values”,, no more “fairytales”

Question 50

Examples of Tory factions who have had influence

Answer 50

European Research Group spearheaded May’s removal
Northern Research Group held significant power over Borish Johnson

Question 51

How many seats does the SNP hold in the House of Commons

Answer 51

45 seats

Question 52

Two ways in which the SNP have exerted political influence?

Answer 52

2014 independence referendum and Scotland Act of 2016, represent the Scottish people more

Question 53

Two SNP policies that show their stance

Answer 53

Abolished tuition fees and gave 16 y/os the vote, supports further democratic reform

Question 54

How did the UKIP exert political influence by winning ….% of the vote in 2015

Answer 54

12.6%, was a big reason for Cameron holding Brexit referendum

Question 55

Green party policies and influence

Answer 55

Caroline Lucas’ parliament seat gives them a voice and they are responsible for a lot of environmental lobbying.
Wants to legalise marijuana and have a large bank and wealth tax. V. left wing

Question 56

What is a two party system? What is a multiparty system?

Answer 56

Two party system - a system where only two parties have a chance of forming government and wielding power
Multiparty system - a system where more than 2 parties have a chance of forming governments and wielding power

Question 57

The UK has a 2-party system:
The big 2 won ??% of the seats and have never won less than ??% of the popular vote
FPTP ensures this, safe seats and the threat of third parties ?????? mean they haven’t had less than ??% of seats in the last ?? years. Voteshare for Lib dems has shrunk ?? in a row

Even when they have had to enter coalitions/ confidence and supply agreements, the big 2 have held all the power. The ????, despite having ? Cabinet Minsters were weak. Their promised ?? referendum was a failure, and there was no ?????????

In devolved assemblies: Labour is dominant in Wales (??/60 Senned seats in 2021). Across local councils they hold ?? more councils than all other parties put together … but it doesn’t matter because parliament is sovereign and these have less and less power

Answer 57

The UK has a 2-party system:
The big 2 won 89% of the seats and have never won less than 65% of the popular vote. FPTP ensures this, safe seats and the threat of third parties splitting the ideological vote mean they haven’t had less than 85% of seats in the last 30 years. Voteshare for Lib dems has shrunk 3x in a row

Even when they have had to enter coalitions/ confidence and supply agreements, the big 2 have held all the power. The Lib Dems, despite having 5 Cabinet Minsters were weak. Their promised AV referendum was a failure, and there was no scrapping uni fees

In devolved assemblies: Labour is dominant in Wales (30/60 Senned seats in 2021). Across local councils they hold 3x more councils than all other parties put together

Question 58

The UK does not have a two party system:
Voteshare before 2017 was consistently ????. UKIP took ??% of thee vote which influenced policy. This has consistently happened and meant big parties have to adapt and don’t hold all the power
Continued threat of ??? ever since they took ??% of the vote in 20?? means Labour may be stuck and are an effective bloc in Parliament

Between 200? and 201?, neither party was able to form a large majority. Led to coalition and ?? in 2017. Even more tangible impact of other parties on policy. Been the case since ????? in the 1980s

In devolved assemblies: Not 2 party as they don’t have the only realistic chance of forming power. Dominant for ??? in Wales, neither stand in ????? and in Scotland neither have realistic chance (SNP won ??? of regional seats in 2021)… more impactful cos of increasing devolved powers.

Answer 58

The UK does not have a two party system:
Voteshare before 2017 was consistently decreasing. UKIP took 12.6% of the vote which influenced policy. This has consistently happened and meant big parties have to adapt and don’t hold all the power
Continued threat of SNP ever since they took 50% of the vote in 2015 means Labour may be stuck and are an effective bloc in Parliament

Between 2005 and 2019, neither party was able to form a large majority. Led to coalition and confidence + supply agreement in 2017. Even more tangible impact of other parties on policy. Been the case since the Alliance in the 1980s

In devolved assemblies: Not 2 party as they don’t have the only realistic chance of forming power. Dominant for Labour in Wales, neither stand in N. Ireland and in Scotland neither have realistic chance (SNP won 50% of seats in 2021)… more impactful cos of increasing devolved powers.