political parties Flashcards
what is left wing
emphasises the importance of creating a fair and equal society through positive state intervention. includes higher taxes on wealthy , extensive welfare provision and greater state influence in the economy.
positive view of the state and collectivist view of society
government should reduce inequality and encourage social cohesion by providing an extensive welfare state
wealthier should pay higher share of cost - redistributive taxation. government should also play a major role in the economy through nationalisation of key industries
generally enjoyed close relations with trade union movements since it represents economic interests of the working class
left embraces multiculturalism
what is right wing
beliefs derive from liberal and conservative ideology. include liberal focus on limiting excessive government, keep taxes low and protecting individual liberty.
focuses more on the importance of giving the individual as much control over their own life as possible
reject left wing attempts encourage greater equality and believes that the free market operates best when there is as little government interference as possible
aim to keep taxes low and trade union influence needs to be limited
companies operate better when there is competition , so nationalised firms best privatised
socially conservative so emphasises importance of shared national identity and traditional lifestyles
what is consensus vs Adversary politics
consensus - many political similarities between the main political parties - opposition may therefore be Able to support governments policies
in the 1950s the shared commitments of labour chancellor of the exchequer and the conservative chancellor of the exchequer to full employment and mixed economy led to the invention of the term ‘butskellism’
Tony Blairs embracing of traditionally conservative principles such as free market and low taxation made his time as labour leader a period of butskellite consensus
adversary politics - main political parties are divided by fundamental political differences
the opposition routinely oppose the policies of government since they are ideologically opposed to them
early 1980s show this - labour leader Michael foot was fundamentally at odds with Margaret thatchers free market reforms.
Jeremy Corbyn has also made politics adversary as he is radically opposed
what are the functions of a political party
SELECTING CANDIDATES - pick them to fight in elections.
in order to contest a general election applicants have to be a member of the party and then go through a national selection process to become an approved candidate if they pass this they can apply to a constituency party which will then choose the individual will have best chance of winning
once candidate wins can claim to have electoral mandate to represent that seat in HOC however party can deselect them from fighting in the next general election if there views are too opposed to those of local activists - gives party significant influence over whom the mp is likely to be especially if its a safe seat
eg in 2015 - Tim yeo the conservative MP for such Suffolk did not fight the seat having been denied the nomination by his local party for is pro European Union views
eg momentum was also in favour of this deselection to ensure labour MPs at Westminster represent the interest of the local party activists who were favourable to Jeremy Corbyn
PROVIDING THE PERSONNEL OF GOVERNMENT - by providing candidates for election to public office, political parties contribute the personnel for government eg the 2010 membership of conserve but Lib Dems provided membership of the coalition
ELECTING A LEADER - members of political party play important role fin electing party leader. eg In Conservative party they will agree on 2 MPs who the party members will then decide between. however in 2016 Theresa May became Pm unopposed as Andrea leadsom withdrew.
POLICY FORMULATION (MANIFESTO) - determine policy commitments that will be in manifesto.
In the Labour Party, a national policy forum consults with party members over the development of policy.
conservative party also encourages discussions however manifesto likely to be drawn up by senior members of the party.
CAMPAIGNING -
the way in which parties campaign during elections plays a key part in the democratic process. the grassroots labour movement momentum appreciated the importance of getting its political message across through social media.
REPRESENTATION - ensure the opinions of everyone in society are given a mouthpiece. in the 2017 general election 82.4% of those who voted felt that their political opinions were represented by the conservative and Labour Party. there is also opportunity to vote for other parties to ensure even more radical opinions have a chance of being heard. the way in which devolved governments use a proportional system gives minoritys a greater opportunity for representation.
MOBILISING CONSENT FOR GOVERNMENT -
without parties it would be difficult to form effective governments in RDs with large populations as individual politicians with there own views would find it virtyally impossible to quickly and effectively establish governments. way in which parties combine elected politicians into recognisable groups creates favourable conditions for a stable government
do political parties help or hinder representative democracy ?
HELP -
Representative Democracy could not function without political parties. if politcians simply represented their own individual views then it would be very difficult to establish a government since its members would not be united by one ideology
political parties develop coherant political programmes through discussion. the way in which they issue manifestos enables voters across the whole country to make the same rational choices
without political parties, voting in elections would be more complicated because voters would no longer be able to associate a candidate with a particluar manifesto.
opposition political parties can hold a government to account for its policies in a way that wld be impossible for individual representatives.
political parties are vital in organising parliamentary business . if they did not exist representative bodies would become confused and disorganised.
political parties select suitable candidates to stand for elections and to select there leader. without such function RD would not be able to function properly
HINDER
political parties reduce voter choice by requiring voters to associate themselves with the manifesto of a party even tho that might not fully represent their views for example in 2017 you might have voted labour because you fully supported the policies on taxation and yet did not support the policies on nationalisation and defence as much. a party often only half succeeds in completly representing someone so limiting someones choice.
the freedom of action of MPS is reduced because, although they could argue that they have their own personal mandate, the party whips will expect them to support the programme of their party. can be criticised for suffocating genuine debate.
the ‘spirit of faction’ which political parties create is seen as negative. parties focus too much on their differences and fail to work together for the good of the nation. can create dangerously polarised society. however coalition lasted full term.
parties can give excessive power to the party membership. by selectibg party leader they effectively choose the PM
the way parties benefit from disproportionate funding also ensures they are able to monopolise political decisions.
how are parties funded
in UK parties have always relied on a great deal of private funding although they do get some limited access to public funds
policy development grants issue 2 million to all the main partys so that they can employ policy advisors
short money, named after the labour politician ted short, is allocated to the opposition parties for their work in HOC on the basic of how many seats they have . leader of opposition also recieve 800,000 for the running of the office
cranborne money - subsidies the work of scrutiny carried out by opposition parties in the HOL.
labour - short money 2023/24 - 7,689,924.53
green - 211,892.52
these subsidies do not however cover campaigning and election expenses for these will depend on the subscriptions of its party members and individual donations. the Conservative party has traditionally recieved large donations from big business people.
critics of this way of funding points out that it provides the conservatives with a huge advantage.
labours close ties with trade unions also mean they gain significant financial support from them leaving lib dems and other parties severely disadvantaged.
the trade union act 2016 changed the laws regarding trade union membership, new members must now ‘opt in’ if they wish there member fee to go to the Labour Party which suggests the conservatives advantage over labour will increase.
the political parties, elections and referendum act 2000 provided the funding of parties with more transparency
- an independant electoral commission estbalished to monitor how much parties spend on a campaign
- amount party can spend in a constituency during an election limited to £30,000
- parties must declare large scale donations (over 5000) to the electoral commission and must not accept donations from non UK citizens.
should the state fund political parties
in 2007 the phillips report stated that there was now a strong case for political parties to be funded through taxation. it has become prevalent with the big differences in money that parties recieve , as well as a number of financial scandals which were undermining public faith in democracy.
in particular controversy over ‘cash for honours’ (2006-7) gave force to the phillips report as it seemed to suggest that certain labour donars had been elevated to the house of lords by Tony Blair.
further progress to reduce the discrepancy in party funding has been difficult due to the conservative party benefitting most from donations and so is unwilling to lose that advantage.
critics of state funding:
in free democracy, people should be able to financially support whatever cause they wish. parties are no different to charities or pressure groups.
if the state was to fund parties it would be controversial deciding how much each party could claim.
philosophically, state funding might suggest that parties are some how servants of the state - so potenially limiting political independence
the funding of extremist parties such as british national party, which excludes certain groups from equal status, would be extremely contensious (cause disagreement)
conservatism
traditional:
The royalist supporters of the monarchy and established church of England resisted giving parliament greater influence and providing the public with greater freedom of worship
Those who supported the crown were siding with the status quo against what they thought would be dangerous and unstabalising violent forces of innovation and sudden change
Hobbes argued that if there was no strong government to control it’s citizens and resist dangerous innovation then anarchy would ensure, property would not be safe and violence would be endemic
He lived through the civil war so knew what can happen when a government breaks down so was fearful of sudden change.
one nation
according to disraeli traditional conservatism lacked the necessary dynamic to inspire men.
Thought conservatism must unite the nation in a collective reverence for those traditions that had made Britain great. He warns against Britain becoming 2 nations the rich and the poor . one nation - conservative party should protect and advance the interests of the whole nation. Thus is more inclusive and progressive than traditional conservatism.
disraeli supported social reforms. Harold Macmillian and edward Heath align with this.
the new right -
by the 1970s the effectiveness of one-nation conservatism was being undermined by large-scae industrial unrest. When thatcher defeated Heath what became known as ‘new right priciples’ became the new dominat creed.
Is a combination of neo liberalism and neo conservatism.
It is neo liberal because unlike one nation it is based on the principle that the economy best regulates itself with little government intervention. - what adam smith referred to as the ‘invisble hand of the market’.
Is also influenced by neo conservatism - which is more closely connected with authoritarianism.
modern conservatism combines elements of neo liberalism and neo conservatism, with a more tolerant attitude towards alternative lifestyles - major cameron and may tried to reposition party as more socially inclusive.
cameron - took power in 2005 he urged his party to ‘stop banding on about Europe’ and tried to present a new image, one that cared about the environment and the socially disadvantaged young people.
Becoming a coalition PM alongside the need to reduce the UK’s budget defecit restricted his ability to create ‘Cameron’s Britain’
Despite reducing the UK’s budget deficit, winning the Scottish independence referendum and detoxifying the Conservative brand, Cameron will be remembered for the decision to hold and loose the EU referendum.
may - The Party was split over a hard or soft Brexit and a transition or no tradition period
The poor response to the Grenfell tower fire in 2017 weakened her too
Her decision to call a general election early to gain a mandate seams understandable from April 2017 when she was 20 points ahead in opinion polls and facing one of the weakest Labour leaders ever
But it resulted in a minority government that had to form a confidence and supply agreement with the DUP
Often spoke about a group known as JAM’s – Just About Managing
She appeared to prefer an interventionalist approach- wanted to create an industrial strategy and set a price cap for energy prices
Also wanted to reintroduce grammar schools and repeal the fox-hunting legislation- creates mixed messages
The Conservatives remain committed to low taxation
neo liberalism
committed to low taxaition
In order to maximize economic growth
In 2012 chancellor of the exchequer George Osborne cut the tip rate of taxation from 50p to 45p
In the 2017 general election conservatives pledged to increase VAT and by 2020 to have cut corporation tax to 17% making the UK one of the most competitive countries in the world to do business
In 2017 they also pledged to increase the threshold for top rate taxation to £50,000 by 2020 and to increase the personal tax allowance to £12,500
Since 2010 the conservative chancellors of the exchequer have introduced ‘austerity’ measures as a way of reducing the deficit which had reached £100 billion under Cameron.
neo conservatism -
- in its 2017 manifesto conservatives commited to cutting immigration to under 100,000 a year. demonstrating neo conservative emphasis on the importance of maintaining the nation state as a shared community.
- May committed to a strong national secruity policy - trident nuclear deterrent remains cornerstone of conservative defence policy.
- values tradition so opposes further reform to house of lords
one nation
- david camerons emphasis on a ‘big society’. Cameron introduced national citizenship qualification was a way of acknowledging the importance of our shared membership of society.
- under cameron gay marriage was passed
- in 2016 chancellor of the exchequer George Osborne introduced a living wage.
the labour party
old labour -
established in 1900 in order to represent the interests of the working class. traditionally been a compromise between democratic socialism and social democracy. Webb believed the capitalist state will eventually be replaced by a socialist state - ‘the inevitably of gradualism’. conversely others like anthony crosland belives that a more socially just and equally society can be achieved by reforming existing capitalist structures.
labour governments traditionally sought to create more just society through nationalisation, redistributive taxaition and extensive welfare state.
attlee first majority labour gov - created NHS and 20% of the economy was nationalised inc core industries like steel and coal.
labour gov of harold willson - did government led economic expansion. Also committed to expansion of comprehensive education, race relations act and sex discrimination act passed. Taxes increased.
New labour - 1979 james callaghan defeated by conservatives under thatcher.
following the election of michael foot as labour leader in 1980 the party moved to the left with in the 1983 labours manifesto inc nationalisation, increased taxes, withdrawal from EEC and nuclear disarmament. one labour mp gerald Kaufman referred to it as ‘the longest suicide note in history’. Thatcher recieved a landslide victory shocking labour into abandoning its most socialist policies.
under tony blair in 1994 was when labour most transformed.
blair was strongly influenced by the principles of the ‘third way’ which was developed by anthony giddens. Labour should enact policies which would encourage wealth creation rather than wealth redistribution. in short labour should work for the achievement of social justice within a prosperous capitalist economy.
Blairs impact was so great the party became known as ‘new labour’. he modified clause IV so therefore abandoning commitment to nationalisation and accepy economic benefits of a free market.
blairs centrist policies put him at odds with more left wing members like Tony benn and jeremy corbyn.
margaret thatchers chancellor of the exchequer nigel lawson had lowered the top rate of taxaition to 40% in 1988. Blair kept it at 40% on the basis that the wealthiest are wealth creators and wld grow the economy faster with less taxes.
greater emphasis was put on the state as an enabler rather than a provider. state schools given more independence and tuition fees were introduced.
new labour introduced tough new laws such as anti-social behaviour orders to combat crime
for Blair key element of new labour was modernisation. in 1999 heriditary peers reduced to 92, the european convention on human rights was incorporated into british law and an independant supreme court was created. Referendums paved way for devolved bodies in Wales, Scotland and NI.
new labour still remained committee to social justice - 1997 introduced minimum wage and increased spending on public services
current labour ideas and policies
on resignation of TB in 2007 Gordon Brown became PM in response to the global economic crisis and attempted to stabalise public finances by introducing partial bank nationalisation and changes to taxes - many people said this was end of new labour
browns successor ed miliband 2010-2015 seemed to distance the party from its recent blairite party even more eg with energy price freeze.
corbyn and momentum -
elected as leader in 2015 that signalled most striking shift in direction of labour.
soon after he was elected a new group in labour known as momentum was est to sustain his leadership and encourage the spread of democratic socialist principles such as nationalisation and redistributive taxation. They drew inspiration from Karl Marx.
also used slogan ‘for the many, not the few’
the 2017 labour party manifesto was the most socialist since 1983.
- increased taxes for wealthiest - those earning 80,000 would be expected to pay the 45% rate of taxation.
- extensive programme of renationalisation - railways and water companies back into public ownership.
- remain close with trade unions - corbyn said ‘you are our family’ so wanted to reverse trade union act 2016
2017 there was a 9.6% swing to labour suggesting their is now considerable support for left wing socialism.
however it would not be true to say that labour has entirely returned to traditional values. 2017 was only committed to increasing the top rate of taxaition to 50p, rather than 83% where it stood in 1979. Labour has also not sought to re-modify clause IV and so is only committed to specefic nationalisations - eg labour recently announced plans to nationalise railways.
in other ways corbyn cld of been more radical than old labour - eg he supports nuclear disarmament althoigh this was established by Attlee. Corbyn also favoured a soft brext wheras old figures like michael foot and tony benn were highly eurosceptic.
Fairly unified behind Starmer
(Minor) transgender issues, should we raise taxes? How to deal with immigration? how to deal with Palestine?
the liberal democatic party
origins - classical liberalism - party was established in 1988 but its origins go far back. 1850s liberal party was dominant force in uk politics advocating free trade, lower taxes, balanced budget, parliamentary reform and more moral approach to foreign policy.
1900 - today - modern liberalism - the rise of labour provided alternative to liberal party - the liberal party declined as labour and conservatives shared power between them.
in earlu 1980s liberal party entered electoral pact with former labour mps who established the social Democratic Party. campaigning together as the alliance they fought the 1983 and 1987 general elections and then merged as the liberal democrats in 1988.
as united party they enjoyed growing success under paddy ash down won 62 seats on 22% of the vote in the 2005 general election. althoigh mps dipped to 57 in the 2010 general election their support proved necessary if david cameron was going to be able to form a government .
the coalition agreement which cameron and nick clegg negotiated gave the Lib Dems 5 seats in the cabinet inc cleggs position as deputy Pm . this was most influence party had since 1922.
current Lib Dem ideas and policies
current leader ed Davey
emphasis on social justice means they are prepared to increase taxes in order to improve the public services and government provides for the more vulnerable.
lib dems oppose opening more grammar schools, which they regard as a threat to social cohesion since theu give some children opportunities others lack.
2017 committed to free school meals and 2019 Give every child the best start in life by recruiting 20,000 more teachers as part of an extra £10 billion a year for schools.
are the most pro european party - they demanded a second referendum
are committed to the European convention on human rights as a core way of protecting our civil liberties.
want fair immigration - in 2017 committed to taking 50,000 syrian refugees by 2020.
the scottish national party (SNP)
established in 1934.
until 2015 the highest number of mps the SNP returned to westminister was 11 however in 2015 the SNP won an extraordinary 56 of the 59 scottish constituencies in the HOC on 50% of the popular vote in Scotland.
in 2017 the suppory fell back to 35 MPs.
they currently have 43 seats - making them the 3rd largest party in westminister
SNP therefore plays significant role in politics eg following the 2017 General election SNP Mps were elected to chair two HOC select committees.
and SNP Mps were highly vocal in their criticism of Theresa Mays decision to bomb President Assads military installations.
however there influence is limited by the unwillingness of labour to work too closely with a party that has replaced them as a dominant force in Scotland.
most powerful influence of the SNP has been in the government of scotland - maintained free University tuition
- prescription charges have been abolished
- 16+ allowed to vote in local elections and the independence referendum
however influence shldnt be exaggerated -
although SNP rejects nuclear weapons but westminister does so trident is still based in scotland.
also in the Gina Miller case 2017 the SC established that the scottish parliament need not be consulted over legislation withdrawing the UK from the EU even tho scotland voted decisively to remain in the EU.
plaid cymru
main basis of support has been in the welsh speaking parts of north wales but has never achieved an electoral breakthrough in the labour dominated South Wales.
currently has 3 mps in westminister
has achieved more success in the national assembly for Wales - from 2007-2011 formed coalition with labour.
labour has limited plaid cymrus success in both westminster and welsh parliament.
