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