political parties Flashcards
The functions and features of political parties in the UK’s representative democracy. • How parties are currently funded and debates on the consequences of the current funding system.
1
Q
What are 3 features of a political party
A
- members share similar political views
- members seek the election of a candidate who will then ideally form a gov.
- organise + develop party policies, recruit candidates, identify leaders
2
Q
what are the variations of those features of a party
A
- seek mass membership or mass support
- highly organised vs loose, less perminant
- narrow vs broad range of policies —> conservatives vs brexit (get brexit done)
- focus on gaining power vs influencing policy making —> Tories/Labour vs Greens
3
Q
what are the 6 functions of a political party
—> SPECRP
A
- selection of candidates and leaders
- policy formation
- education
- contesting elections
- representation
- providing consent
4
Q
what does policy formation mean and give an example
A
- important for gov. and opp.
- identify problems + demands of country
- creation of policies the party would put into place if they came into power
- involves party leaders, civil servants, SPaDs, ministers
—> Johnson = “get brexit done”
5
Q
what does representation mean and give an example
A
- when parties represent a specific area of society and also national interests
- populist parties claim to represent the unheard members of society who feel as if their views havent been listened to by conventional parties, emotional appeal
- labour = trade unions, tories = businesses
6
Q
what does selection of candidates and leaders mean and give an example
A
- parties spend time finding candidates for all types of office holders
—> councillors, elected mayors, members of devolved assemblies
7
Q
what does contesting elections mean and give an example
A
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