Political Parties Flashcards
What is a political party?
A group of people drawn together by a broad ideology, who seek to gain power and enact policies through electoral success
What role do political parties play?
Representation
Political recruitment (e.g. Keir Starmer decided that Corbyn could not run for the Labour Party in next GE)
Political engagement and participation (e.g. local Party members can often pick local candidates)
Policy formulation
Stable government
Types of party?
Mainstream - attempt to form a government and address all policy issues (e.g. Conservatives, Labour)
Nationalist - stand in parts of the UK and campaign for independence (e.g. SNP, Plaid Cymru)
Single issue (e.g. Brexit Party, Green Party or niche parties like Health Concern Party which arose from concerns over Kidderminster Hospital)
Party systems?
Single party (e.g. Soviet Russia)
Dominant party (e.g. Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party
Two party (e.g. US… potentially UK?)
Multiparty
Some key principles of left-wing parties
Desiring reform to the way that society operates
In favour of big government and a large welfare state, including higher taxes for higher public spending
Includes socialists who are critical of free market capitalism
Some key principles of right-wing parties?
Support the conservation of the status quo, stressing the importance or order, stability, hierarchy and private property
In favour of small government with lower taxes and lower public spending
Why do political parties need funding?
Fighting elections
Holding party conferences
Carrying out research to develop policies and manifestos
Employing special advisors and full time staff
As of 2021, what was the overall income of the Labour Party?
£45.5 million
As of 2021, what was the overall income of the Conservative Party?
£31.7 million
As of 2021, what was the overall income of the Liberal Democrats?
£5.7 million
As of 2021, what was the overall income of the SNP?
£4.5 million
As of 2021, what was the overall income of the Green Party?
£3 million
How are parties currently funded?
Membership subscriptions
Trade Unions (Labour Party)
Local constituency fundraising
Public funding
Donations
How much do Labour Party members pay per month?
Currently £5.71
How many Labour Party members are there?
Currently around 366,000 (down significantly from the Corbyn era, where there were over 500,000)
How much did the Labour Party receive in membership fees in 2021?
£16.1 million, around 35% of their total income
How much is a Conservative Party membership?
Currently £3.50 per month
How many Conservative Party members are there?
Around 170,000
How much did the Conservative Party receive in membership fees in 2021?
Around £2 million, around 6.5% of their total income
How much is an SNP membership?
£1 per month
How many SNP members are there?
Currently around 72,000
How much is a LibDem membership?
£15 per year
How many LibDem members are there?
Around 70,000
Are party membership numbers staying consistent?
No - there has been an overall decline in party membership over the last few decades, which has harmed party finances
How does the Labour Party make money from trade unions?
They have a number of affiliated unions which give the party significant funds, including UNISON, UNITE and GMB
How much funding did the Labour Party receive from trade union affiliations in 2021?
£5.8 million, around 13% of their total income
How did the Conservatives harm the Labour Party’s income from trade unions?
Passed the 2016 Trade Union Act, which obliged new union members to choose to opt in to making payments towards political influence, rather than being automatically opted in as they were previously
How much did Labour make from local constituency fundraising in 2021?
£200,000 (small amount)
What is ‘short money’?
Funding intended to support parties to carry out parliamentary business, including policy research
How much short money did Labour receive in the 2023?
£7 million
How does a party qualify for short money?
It must have won either 2 seats, or one seat and more than 150,000 votes
How much did the Green Party receive in short money in 2023?
£192,000
How much did the SNP receive in short money in 2023?
£1.2 million
What is ‘Cranbourne money’?
Supports the opposition in the House of Lords
What other forms of public funding are available for political parties?
Funding for the Office of the Leader of the Opposition and Policy Development Grants
How much public funding did the Labour Party receive in 2021?
Just under £7 million (from short money, money for the office of the leader of the opposition, Cranbourne money and PDGs), around 15.5% of their total income
How much public funding did the Conservative Party receive in 2021?
£450,000 (only from Policy Development Grants)
How much public funding did the SNP receive in 2021?
£1.2 million (from short money and PDGs)
How much public funding did the LibDems receive in 2021?
£1.6 million (from short money, Cranbourne money and PDGs)
Where does the Labour Party receive its key donations from?
Trade Unions, but New Labour also began to receive more from businesses and rich individuals (e.g. Lord Sainsbury)
Where does the Conservative Party receive its key donations from?
Businesses and rich individuals (e.g. Lord Cruddas)
How much did the Tories get in donations under BoJo?
£56 million in 2019 (compared to £34 million in 2017 under Theresa May)
How much did the Conservative Party receive in donations in 2021?
£20.5 million, around 65% of their overall funding
How much did the Labour Party receive in donations in 2021?
£9.9 million, around 22% of their overall funding
What did Blair’s government do to try to overcome the perception that party funding was undemocratic?
Passed the 2000 Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act
What did the 2000 Act do?
Established an independent Electoral Commission to supervise election spending by parties
Banned donations from individuals/businesses not on the UK electoral roll
Introduced requirements for reporting donations over a certain amount
When do donations or loans need to be reported to the Electoral Commission?
If they exceed £7,500 (to the central party) or £1,500 (to local party sections)
MPs also have to report loans and donations over £500 to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards
Concerns over donations
Concern about the reliance of parties on donations from rich individuals and big businesses
Concern that rich donors are able to buy political influence
What was the Cash for Peerages scandal?
In 2006-7, there was a scandal concerning a possible link between individuals who had loaned significant amounts to the Labour Party and these individuals being nominated for peerages
(more recent example - Lord Cruddas)
What was the Bernie Ecclestone scandal in relation to party funding?
Suspected that Blair delayed implementing a ban on tobacco advertising in F1 racing (which applied to all other sports) because Ecclestone had donated £1 million to Labour
Example of rich individuals having too much political influence?
Lord Cruddas threatening to withhold donations to the Conservative Party because of their ‘drag to the left’ under Sunak
What was the Michael Brown scandal in relation to party funding?
In 2005, businessman Michael Brown doated £2.4 million to the LibDems. A year later, he was jailed for perjury. There was pressure for the LibDems to return the donation but they kept it after the EC agreed they had accepted it in line with electoral rules
Issue of Russian influence in relation to party funding?
During BoJo’s premiership, over £2 million of donations to the Conservative Party were linked to Russia, raising major security concerns
What did Labour and the LibDems support in 2015?
A suggestion to limit donations from individuals (however, this was partly politically motivated as it would have hurt the Conservatives the most)
Arguments for state funding of political parties?
Would make parties more democratic by ending the reliance on businesses and rich individuals - less corruption
Would remove the disparity in resources available to different sized parties, thus enhancing pluralist democracy
Parties could focus more on representing the public, rather than raising money or limiting the funding of other parties
Arguments against state funding of political parties
Could isolate parties from the wishes of the public if they no longer need to seek financial support
Funding for extremist parties?? (e.g. in Germany the far-right ultranationalist party NPD receives 350k euros per year)
Taxpayers won’t want to fund parties they don’t support (however, the Kelly Report estimated it would cost the taxpayer around 50p per year - not a substantial amount)
If funding is linked to past performance in elections, it would perpetuate the two party system rather than enhance pluralist democracy (e.g. the Greens election results understate how much public support they have)
Abolishing private funding removes a form of political participation
Origins of the Labour Party
Founded in 1900 by a group of socialist societies and trade unions
What did the Labour Party commit to in its 1918 constitution?
Clause IV: ‘common ownership of the means of production, distribution and exchange’
What were some of the policies of Attlee’s government?
Comprehensive system of social security
Healthcare free at the point of need (NHS)
Nationalisation of coal, railways, power and steel
Did not seek to abolish capitalism, but control it through Keynesian economic management and ensure that there was equality of opportunity (e.g. creating comprehensive schools)
When did Old Labour end?
After James Callaghan was defeated in 1979
How did the Labour Party change in the 1980s?
Michael Foot’s hardline socialist manifesto (dubbed ‘the longest suicide note in history’) lost Labour the 1983 election, so the next leader, Neil Kinnock, had to make the party more electable
Examples of policies in Foot’s socialist manifesto which were rejected by the public
Further nationalisation, increased tax and public spending and the abolition of the UK’s nuclear weapons
What did the Labour Party recognise in the 80s which brought it closer to the centre?
The old industrial base of the country disappeared, so a party that only appealed to the working class couldn’t win an election
What did New Labour seek to do?
Find a third way between old-style socialism and free-market capitalism
e.g. dropped Clause IV of its constitution in 1995 and developed links with the business community
How did New Labour’s foreign policy move away from Old Labour’s?
Became more pro-European, such as adopting the Social Chapter (whereas Foot had wanted to leave the ‘capitalist’ EEC)
How did NL’s stance on trade unions move away from OL’s?
Downgraded the influence of trade unions (e.g. not meeting what the trade unions wanted for the minimum wage), instead looking to cultivate links with big business
New Labour economic policy
Not increasing taxes, but still increasing public spending (2002 - largest increase in NHS funding ever)
Introduced national living wage at £3.60 per hour (but this was less than trade unions wanted)
Happy for individuals to get rich through hard work - equality of opportunity, not equality of outcome
Supported capitalism and the use of PFIs, which used the private sector within public services such as in building new schools and hospitals
New Labour law and order policy
Said Labour must be ‘tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime’ - continued to tackle poor social conditions but also imposed conditions on the receipt of welfare benefits
Some of Labour’s counter-terrorism measures prioritised the community over individual rights
Broadly encouraged and facilitated immigration (net migration to the UK quadrupled to around 200,000 per year when Blair was in office)
New Labour welfare policy
Consistently increased spending on the NHS and education (between 1997 and 2007, the core spend per pupil rose 48%)
Winter fuel payment introduced for pensioners and there was free off peak travel for over 65s
Introduced Working Families Tax Credit to incentivise work
New Labour foreign policy
Doubled foreign aid spending while in power
IRAQ
Other New Labour policy
Constitutional reform (HoL, Supreme Court, HRA)
Sought to improve female representation in Parliament through all-women shortlists (similar to Old Labour’s goal of getting working class people into Parliament)
Corbyn’s economic policy
Significantly increasing taxes by introducing a new 50% tax rate for those earning over £125,000 and raising corporation tax from 21% to 26%
Also pledged 6 big nationalisations: rail, mail, water, energy, broadband and ending PFIs
Corbyn’s law and order policy
Opposed cuts to police numbers (agreement w/ Blairites) but focused more on dealing with poverty and inequality than a tough stance on crime
Corbyn’s welfare policy
Strongly opposed benefit cuts and pledged to replace universal credit
Opposed use of private sector in the running of public services
Pledged an annual increase of 4.3% in health and social care spending
Pledged to scrap tuition fees and introduce a lifelong adult learning service
Corbyn’s foreign policy
Had been against Trident but pledged not to pull out of NATO and to continue paying for Trident
Corbyn’s other policies
Pledged to build 100,000 council houses per year by 2024
Pledged to extent 30 hours of free childcare to all two-to-four year olds
How much extra taxation and spending did Corbyn’s 2019 manifesto pledge?
Increase tax by £78 billion and public service spending by £98 billion
Current Labour economic policy
National insurance and income tax will be frozen for everyone except those earning over £80,000, who will pay ‘a little more’ (has moved away from this!)
Ditched £28b green property plan
Would respond to public sector strikes by negotiating to find a fair pay deal - would also repeal any new anti-strike legislation from the Conservatives
Pledged to create a nationalised Great British Energy Company and to nationalise rail (but removed all of Corbyn’s other planned nationalisations)
Current Labour law and order policy
Pledged to recruit 13,000 extra neighbourhood police, showing a strong approach to tackling crime
The manifesto also details specific attention to the importance of working alongside youth workers, mental health services and drug rehabilitation services
Unclear migration policy? but criticising Rwanda plan
Current Labour welfare policy
Will introduce a £150b ‘Social Transformation’, improving schools, hospitals, care homes and council houses
Will introduce a £10 an hour Real Living Wage
Will involve private healthcare to cut waiting times and reform the NHS
Scrap private schools’ charitable status
Current Labour foreign policy
Funding for UN Peacekeeping Operations to be increased to £100 million
Aligning with Conservatives over Gaza
Stressed commitment to NATO (pledging to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP as soon as possible, exceeding NATO’s minimum 2% requirement - conservatives have pledged to do the same by 2030)
Renewal of the Trident nuclear deterrent
Current Labour other policies
Create a Women and Equalities Department with a full-time Secretary of State
Values of traditional Conservatives
Historically, the Conservative Party was dedicated to the defence of property and traditional authority
Values of one-nation Conservatives
Concerned with bridging the gap between classes through paternalistic social policy
In what ways can Major be seen to have continued Thatcher’s legacy?
Privatised coal and railways
Thatcher’s economic policy
Top rate of income tax was reduced from 83% to 40%
Corporation tax was reduced from 52% to 34%
Spending was cut by £1 billion, including cuts in housing, energy, education, foreign aid etc…
Privatisations (e.g. British Telecom in 1981)
Right-to-Buy scheme
Thatcher’s law and order policy
Harsh stance against unions, making striking more difficult and using police against striking workers
Increased funding for the police and armed forces
Thatcher’s welfare policy
1988 Education Reform Act removed control over education from local politicians and centralised the curriculum
Introduced elements of privatisation into the NHS for ancillary services
Thatcher’s foreign policy
‘Iron Lady’ - very assertive in international affairs
Eurosceptic and sought to protect British sovereignty
Thatcher’s other policy
Section 28 - Thatcher supported ‘Christian values’
Cameron’s economic policy
Cut taxes in 2015 (despite budget deficit he inherited from Labour)
Cameron’s law and order policy
Supported tough sentencing for certain crimes, but also promoted a ‘rehabilitation revolution’ to reduce reoffending
Cameron’s welfare policy
Austerity (e.g. SureStart scheme scrapped)
Universal credit introduced to simplify the benefits system and encourage people to take up employment
Radical change within the NHS, allowing the private sector to compete with state hospitals
Cameron’s foreign policy
Continued Thatcher’s promotion of the ‘special relationship’ with the USA
Supported air strikes against IS in Syria and Iraq
Cameron’s other policy
Legalised gay marriage
Current Conservative economic policy
Increased corporation tax from 19% to 25% in April 2023
Increased National Living wage from £9.50/hour to £10.40/hour in response to inflation
Strongly opposing striking workers (e.g. tough stance against the RMT)
Current Conservative law and order policy
Pledging to recruit 20,000 additional police officers
Introduced Public Order Act to limit protest rights
Strong anti-immigration stance
Current Conservative welfare policy
Increased NHS spending by £300 million (but they were asking for £7 billion)
Current Conservative foreign policy
Air strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen
Strongly supports Ukraine
Weak response to Israel
In what areas have the LibDems been consistent?
Constitutional reform, civil liberties and internationalism
LibDem values under Kennedy
They were centre-left - opposed Iraq war, identity cards and tuition fees and wanted to introduce a 50% tax rate for those earning over £100,000
‘Orange Book’ LibDems
Supported free market capitalism, whilst emphasising the party’s traditional commitment to the freedom of the individual
Manifesto included scrapping undergraduate tuition fees, constitutional reform and changing the Trident nuclear missiles system
Why did the coalition destroy the LibDems?
Went along with the Conservatives’ austerity policies and broke manifesto promise to scrap tuition fees.
Current LibDem policies
Oppose tax rises
Back green investments
Support constitutional reform
Why are the LibDems unlikely to be significant in the next GE?
Starmer is moving Labour back to the centre, meaning many more voters will be comfortable voting for them
Leader Ed Davey is relatively unknown by the public
When did the SNP start to threaten the major parties in Westminster?
From 2007 onwards, the SNP began to grow in popularity due to the skilful leadership of Alex Salmond
Since 2016, the SNP has been in power in Scotland either as a minority government or as the major party in coalition with the Scottish Greens
Why may the SNP struggle in the next GE?
A YouGov poll has predicted that Labour could win 24 seats from the SNP in the next GE
Nicola Sturgeon scandal
Leader Humza Yousaf not very popular (viewed favourably by only 29% of Scots) - recent humiliation over hate speech laws
Examples of GE successes for the SNP
2015 - 56/59 Scottish seats
2019 - 48/59 Scottish seats
Policies of the SNP
Scottish Independence
Introduced free university tuition fees in Scotland
Support immigration and want control over migration to be a devolved power
Pro-Europe
Increased higher and top rates of income tax, so so both rates are 2% higher than in rest of UK
How many votes did UKIP win in 2015?
3.9 million (but this was only 1 MP)
Why has UKIP declined in importance?
After Brexit, Farage saw his job as done
How many votes did the Brexit Party win in the 2019 European Parliament election?
Most votes out of any party (30.5%)
How can Reform UK be seen to be growing in importance?
Has its first MP (Lee Anderson) following a very public defection
Current polls suggest voting intention for Reform UK sit at around 15%
How many votes did the Green Party get in 2015?
More than a million votes but no seats
How many votes did the Green Party get in the 2019 European Parliament elections?
Over 2 million votes (12% vote share) and 7 MEPs
How many votes did the Green Party get in the 2019 General Election?
2.7% of the vote but just one seat (but their vote share increased by 1.1% from 2015, showing steady increases in support)
Policies of the Green Party
Pledged an investment of over £100 billion per year into the ‘Green New Deal’ to tackle climate change
Committed to reducing social equality
Oppose privatisation of the NHS
Pro-EU
Arguments that minor parties are unimportant (success in elections)
FPTP reduces the power of smaller parties (despite the fact that the core vote of the two main parties has decreased from 80% in 1979 to 66% in 2015, there has been no reflection of this in Parliamentary seats)
e.g. in 2015, UKIP won just one seat, despite having 3.8 million votes and in 2019, the LibDems won just 11 seats with 3.7 million votes
Arguments that minor parties are important (success in elections)
Where minor parties have geographically concentrated support, they can have significant success
e.g. in 2019, the SNP won 48 seats with 3.9% of the vote
Minor parties have also been successful in local elections and elections to the European Parliament
e.g. in 2019, the Conservatives and Labour finished 3rd and 4th in terms of European Parliament votes, beaten by the Brexit Party and LibDems
Arguments that minor parties are unimportant (ability to play a role in government)
Labour and Conservative parties have always been in power since the end of WW2, either on their own or as the major party in a coalition
e.g. in 2010 coalition, LibDems unable to keep their promise to scrap tuition fees as the Conservatives’ austerity policies dominated
Arguments that minor parties are important (ability to play a role in government)
Minor parties have had a lot more electoral success in devolved bodies, thus playing a key role in government
e.g. SNP has been in power in Scotland since 2007, making significant policy changes like abolishing prescription charges and tuition fees
Minor parties have had influence in coalition
e.g. LibDems drove policies such as the 2015 Recall of MPs Act, DUP had a significant role in Brexit policy due to the confidence and supply arrangement w/ Tories
Arguments that minor parties are unimportant (impact over policy)
Two main parties have dominated policy since WW2
e.g. Thatcher was able to implement her New Right philosophy and massively shape economic policy, Blair was able to implement significant constitutional reform
Major parties are broad churches, enabling them to maintain mass support
Arguments that minor parties are important (impact over policy)
Minor parties can indirectly influence policy, threatening the main parties electorally or using their platforms to apply pressure
e.g. the electoral threat posed by UKIP played a key role in Cameron calling the Brexit referendum and the Brexit Party helped bring about a ‘hard Brexit’ deal
e.g. the Green Party has raised the political profile of environmental issues, forcing the major parties to support them
Factors affecting party success: party funding
Those with significant funding can hire more staff and spend more on advertising and campaigning (gives them a wider reach)
Labour receives lots of money from trade unions and donations and the Tories receive a lot of money from big businesses and rich individuals
Party funding scandals can also undermine a party’s credibility
Factors affecting party success: electoral system
FPTP - those with concentrated geographical support benefit, while smaller parties with some support across the country are underrepresented
Benefits the major parties as well as regional parties
e.g. in 2015, UKIP won just one seat, despite having 3.8 million votes and in 2019, the LibDems won just 11 seats with 3.7 million votes
Factors affecting party success: party leadership
Particularly influential now due to rise of TV and social media
Charismatic leaders can appeal to the public and make the party seem unified (e.g. BoJo)
Unpopular leaders can be detrimental (e.g. Corbyn)
Arguably importance of leadership is overstated? (Nick Clegg was very popular after TV debates, but this did not translate into large electoral success)
Factors affecting party success: media
How favourably the media presents a party can be an important factor in their success (e.g. ‘it was the Sun wot won it’)
Much of the press is right-leaning and some may argue that this damaged Corbyn’s electoral prospects as he was portrayed unfairly
Factors affecting party success: policy and reflecting the public’s wishes
Policies being in line with what the electorate wants is a key factor in party success
e.g. UKIP received lots of support in 2015 as lots of the population saw Brexit as an opportunity for change
Policy that is too radical can be damaging
e.g. Labour’s 2019 manifesto had huge spending commitments, which did not appeal to many people
When did Keir Starmer reveal his 6 pledges and what are they?
16/5/2024
Stabilizing the economy.
Reducing NHS waiting times.
Setting up Great British Energy (a nationalized energy company).
Eliminating antisocial behavior.
Recruiting 6,500 new teachers.
Launch a new Border Security Command.
