Political Parties Flashcards
What is a political party
- group of people drawn together by broad ideology
- aspire to form a gov
What key functions do political parties need funding for?
- fighting elections
- holding party conferences
- carrying out research and developing policies and manifestos
How do parties get funding?
- membership subscriptions (was 35% of labour parties funding in 2021)
- trade unions (2021 - 13% of labours funding)
- public funding
- donations
2000 Political Parties, Elections, and Referendums Act
- make party funding less democratic
- have to report donations over £7,500
What ideas did Old Labour want to implement?
- nationalisation of coal, railways, power, steel
- NHS created
- described themselves a socialist (but were social democrats)
- keynesian economics
What was the thing abt longest suicide note in history
- Labour lost 1983 election on hardline socialist programme of nationalisation, increased tax spending, withdrawal from ‘capitalist’ EEC
Why did they stray away from Old Labour?
- industrial base of country disappeared, couldn’t just appeal to working class anymore
- early 1980s, moved away from left wing to broaden support
What is Third Way
- third way between free-market capitalism and old style socialism
How did New Labour come about
- revising clause IV, they were no longer trying to nationalise and redistribute wealth
- moved away from just high taxes on the rich
- third way
- pro-EU (Eu developed policies that protected workers rights, e.g Social Chapter’
What was the thing about Red Ed
- 2010-2015
- He tried to combine New Labours support for businesses with defence of the working class
- media dubbed him red ed
- mainly continued new labours policies but moved slightly to the left
Corbin rise to power?
- 2015- labour members wanted them to be more left wing (they got replaced in Scotland by SNP for not being left wing enough)
- Corbyn had a more left wing agenda and got chosen as party leader
- he struggled to form a united shadow cabinet (opposing MPs forced a 2nd leadership contest, he won)
Corbyn fall from power
- he reembraced old labour ideas
- destroyed in 2019 election, rejection of such left wing ideas and a weak leader
- issues with antisematism in labour party
Economic policy under New Labour?
- not increasing taxes to separate from earlier social democratic administrations
- did not make wiping out inequality a priority (national minimum wage of £3.60 and hour, not what trade unions wanted)
- supported capitalism and use of Private Finance Initiatives (PFIs), using the private sector in the provision of public services (e.g building new schools)
Law and order under New Labour?
- Blair said that Labour must be ‘tough on crime, and tough on the causes of crime’
- some measures to fight terrorism promoted safety of community over human rights
- encouraged and facilitated immigration (net migration quadrupled to 200,000 a year when they were in office)
Welfare under New Labour?
- Increased spending on NHS (shortest waiting time in NHS history)
- increased spending on eduction (average spending rose by 48% per pupil between 1997 and 2007, record results in schools)
Foreign policy under New Labour
- Blaire supported George Bush decision to invade Iraq in 2003
- Doubled foreign aid spending
Law and order under Corbyn
- opposed cuts to police numbers
- rejected new labour tough stance on crime
- 2017 and 19, pledge to end immigration targets
Welfare under Corbyn
- opposed benefit cuts
- opposed use of private sector to deliver public services (argued for fully state run NHS)
- 2017-19, pledged to scrap tuition fees
What was the post-war consensus
- conservative undid very few of labour’s policies when they took office
How did Cameron detoxify Conservative party
- elected 2005
- he identified himself as a liberal conservative, tolerant of minority groups and different lifestyles
- showed that he valued NHS and the environment
- shifted party back to moderate one nation conservatism
How did Cameron move away from Thatcherism
- Cameron and may said they stood on the side of ordinary people
- Cameron argued for cooperation between people, talking about “Big Society” (sounds pretty one nation)
- he supported the legislation of gay marriage
Why did Theresa may soon lose power
- reign defined by chaos and division within Conservative party over brexit
Why did boris Johnson soon lose power
- he successfully passed the hard brexit deal after 2019 election (slogan ‘Get Brexit Done’)
- Partygate scandal during COVID eventually brought him down
How did liz truss get destroyed
- she sought to bring back Thatcherism to boost UK economy in context of cost of living crisis
- her chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng introduced mini budget which cut taxes significantly, but it made value of the pound fall and Bank of England increased interest rates
- she tried to replace Kwarteng with Jeremy Hunt but it was too late and she resigned (after 45 days)