Political Parties Flashcards
What is a political party?
An organised group looking to gain political power
What are the 2 main parties in the UK?
Conservative & Labour
What are the 5 main functions of political parties?
- Formulate policy
- Organise government
- Recruit leaders
- Representation
- Foster participation
Which 4 groups hold power in parties?
- Leaders
- Donors
- MPs and Lords
- Members
Which act restricted the funding and spending of non-party campaigners during election periods?
Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning, and Trade union Administration Act 2014
Which act regulated party funding and spending?
Political Parties, Elections, and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA)
What are 3 benefits of state funding?
- Reduces reliance on private donors or trade unions with vested interests
- Creates level playing field for all parties
- Improves party performance as they do not need to spend time and effort raising funds
What are 3 drawbacks of state funding?
- Reduces party links to society
- Funding linked to past electoral performance would favour existing and larger parties
- Makes parties less independent of the state
Which 2 parties formed a coalition between 2010 and 2015?
Conservatives and Liberal Democrats
How does the electoral system (FPTP) determine the success of parties?
Benefits 2 major parties by encouraging concentrated support
What are the 5 main factors determining the successes of parties?
- The electoral system
- The media
- The competition
- Policies
- Party leaders
How does the media currently influence elections?
Focuses on the 2 major parties, marginalising smaller ones (UKIP has been an exception)
How do events determine the success of parties?
Can affect popularity levels of parties linked to the events (e.g. UKIP and Brexit referendum 2016 or SNP and Independence referendum 2014)
How does competition determine the success of parties?
Smaller parties can eat at support of larger ones (e.g. SNP and Labour in Scotland)
How do party leaders determine the success of parties?
Popular party leaders attract people (e.g. Tony Blair) and less popular leaders repel them (e.g. Jeremy Corbyn)