Political Parties Flashcards
Roles of political parties in the UK
-Representation: represent the views of the members.
-Political engagement and participation: promote political participation by encouraging citizens to engage with the democratic process and giving them the opportunity to exercise power within.
-Political recruitment: assess the qualities of those seeking election to public office and cast aside those who are unsuitable.
-Policy formulation: discuss/develop policy proposals before presenting them to voters.
-Stable government: without the House of Commons would be a gathering of individuals driven by political ambitions. Parties present the voters with a clear choice whilst providing order following the general election.
Dominant party system
-Several parties exist but only one holds government power.
-Thatcher’s government in 1979 - 1997. New Labour in 1997 – 2010.
-Main parties have become more central and try to attract the floating voters.
Multi-party system
-Many parties compete for power and the government consists of a series of coalitions.
-Parties such as green/liberal democrats saw a rise of votes in 2023.
-SNP became the ‘third party’ from 2015 due to the result of the 2014 referendum.
Single-party system
-Only one party dominates, bans other parties, and exercises total control over candidacy at elections.
-Does not exist in the UK.
-Nazi Germany in the 1930s, North Korea and Russia.
Two party system
-Two equally matched parties compete for power at elections and others have little chance.
-Only conservative or labour party have been controlling party in the house of commons since 1945.
-2015 – 67% of the votes went to labour/conservatives and won 89% of the seats.
-Only labour/conservative prime ministers since 1929.
Labour under Gordon Brown (2007-2010)
-Chancellor for 10 years prior.
-Economy went weak under him.
-Forced to nationalise several high street banks whilst overseeing a return to the ‘tax and spend’ approach because of the 2008 bank crisis.
-Hard fought reputation for economic competence was surrendered.
-Members felt his commitment to social justice was greater than Blairs.
Labour under Ed Miliband (2010-2015)
-Ran against his brother David Miliband, dobbed ‘red ed’ by the media.
-Narrow victory relied on the backing of trade unions.
-Struggled to establish a coalition of voters large enough to carry the party back into office in 2015.
-Sweeping defeat led to a party period of introspection.
-Many factions for ‘new labour’ and ‘next labour’.
Labour under Jeremy Corbyn (2015-2019)
-Very left wing committed socialist.
-Won surprisingly with 50% of the votes.
-Many factions formed between ‘old’ and ‘new’ labour.
-Ideological positioning and rebellious backbencher track record made it difficult for him to demand/command the support of fellow labour MPs.
-Corbyn’s vision looked at policies the party had pursued pre-new labour (1970s/early 80s).
-Full employment & economy that works for all.
-Secure our NHS and social care.
-National education service open to all.
-Cut income and wealth inequality.
-Action to secure an equal society.
-Spoke out against ‘new labour’.
Labour under Kier Starmer (2020-…)
-Hadn’t been an MP that long but had been director of public prosecutions of the UK from 2008-2013.
-Won his seat of St. Pancreas in London in 2015 and became party leader withing 5 years.
-Seen as a middle group member of the party who could reunite the factions behind on leader.
-Labour has been consistently in the lead in opinion polls since beginning of 2022 due to the failing of the conservative government during a global crisis.
-Still divides opinion as not being tough enough on issues such as Israel-Hamas, considered boring and not an exciting candidate.
One nation conservatism
-Rooted in pragmatism and a belief in gradual improvements founded on experience and existing institutions.
-Paternalist conservatism = favoured pluralism and held that while authority should be centralised, the state should be benevolent.
-Wanted slow gradual change.
-Support for universal welfare state.
-Increasing European integration.
Thatcherism
-‘New Right’ – monetarism, free market economics, deregulation.
-New style in the 1970s as ‘liberal conservatism’: focused on the economy.
-Marked the death of the post war consensus and the rise of adversarial politics.
-Favoured the importance of the induvial over the needs of society.
-Deregulation in the field of business.
-Privatisation of publicly owned industries.
The Conservatives under David Cameron (2010-2015)
-Initially sought to lead the party away from areas where the party was deeply divided (E.G Europe) and towards those where it could gain electoral advantage (E.G Environment).
-Set about ‘detoxifying’ the conservative brand – the desire was reflected in the 2010 general election pledge to fix ‘broken Britain’.
The Conservatives under Theresa May (2016-2019)
-Her time in office was focused on Brexit.
-Marked a shift away from Cameron’s policies.
-The 2017 manifesto stated a policy to test fuel allowances, when determining the costs, they would need to pay for elderly care. Labour labelled this as ‘dementia tax’.
-May planned to allow the reintroduction of grammar schools.
Class style votes
-Conservative party was the traditional working class/low-income voters. Jeremy Corbyn was seen as to left wing.
-2015-2019: the conservative party picked up a lot of ‘traditional’ labour seats/working class seats.
-‘Class dealignment’ – don’t necessarily vote based on class.
-Labour were more university educated ‘middle class wages’ voters.
The Liberal Democrats under Nick Clegg (2007-2015)
-Developed a government programme that included more orthodox Liberal Democrat policies on issues such as constitutional reform and the protection of civil liberties & prospective significant tax cuts.
-Repositioning on tax marked the triumph of the ‘orange book’ liberals over the ‘social’ liberals making the possible coalition in 2010 with the conservatives more conceivable.
-Orange book liberals: ‘classic liberalism’ – endorsed Thatcherite economics – took the party more centre right.
-Social liberals: ‘new’ or progressive liberalism – rejected Thatcherite economics.
-In 2010, they received 23% of the vote due to Cleggs performance in the leader’s debate.
Have we seen the end of ‘ideology’ over pragmatism of political parties?
Yes
-The three main parties are social democratic in nature; concerned with making piecemeal changes to arrangements.
-Ideological wings of each of the three main parties have been marginalised.
-Significant overlaps in the stated policies of the three main parties.
-Increased emphasis on presentation and personality over substance.
Have we seen the end of ‘ideology’ over pragmatism of political parties?
No
-The three main parties have distinct ideological traditions and committed care support.
-Ideological dividing lines became more apparent in the wake of the global financial crisis.
-2015 election of Corbyn as Labour leader returned to a style of ideologically polarised politics not seen since the early 1980s.
-Rise of smaller ideological/single issue parties and pressure groups suggest ideology still matters significantly to the electorate
Conservative party manifesto 2015
-Economy: 40% of tax per £1 if earning £50,000.
-Home affairs: aims to keep annual net migration in thousands.
-Education: create 500 free schools by 2020.
-Health: increase NHS spending by £8bn above inflation.
-Environment: invest £500m to make most cars zero emission.
-Foreign: replace trident with four submarines.
-Constitution: devolve further powers to Scotland and Wales.
Labour party manifesto 2015
-Economy: raise minimum wage to £8 an hour by 2019.
-Home affairs: 1,000 new border staff.
-Education: cut university tuition fees to £6,000 a year.
-Health: 20,000 more nurses, 3,000 midwives and 8,000 GPs.
-Environment: freeze energy bills until 2017.
-Foreign: a minimum, credible, independent nuclear deterrent.
-Constitution: replace House of Lords with an elected senate.
Liberal Democrat party manifesto 2015
-Economy: deal with deficit by 2017/18 by cutting/raising tax.
-Home affairs: scrap police and crime commissioners.
-Education: guarantee qualifies teachers.
-Health: increase NHS funding by at least £8bn by 2020.
-Environment: double renewable electricity by 2020.
-Foreign: end continuous at-sea nuclear deterrent.
-Constitution: bring in votes for 16-year-olds and the STV system.
Similarities of how leaders are elected into the labour, conservatives and the liberal democrats party
-Labour and Liberal Democrats vote on ‘one member one vote’ and both use alternative vote system.
-Candidates must be a sitting MP, Labour party candidates must have 10% support of all MPs.
Differences of how leaders are elected into the labour, conservative and liberal democrats party.
-Conservative party use a series of ballots, usually from 6 candidates where MPs vote in 4 rounds until the final two MPs are chosen and then conservative members vote between the final two.
-MPs need at least 20% fellow MPs to support them.
-Labour party candidates need 17% of MPs support.
All women shortlist
-A labour party initiative which requires a constituency party to draw up an entirely female shortlist form which their parliamentary candidate will be chosen.
-Shortlist of only women for ‘safe seats’ to help the Labour party elect more women in parliament. This saw a significant rise in female MPs after the 1997 general election victory to New Labour.
-Compared not the US there are 224/650 (35%) female MPs in parliament and 153/590 (25%) in US congress.
How is party policy established?
-Usually done at their annual party conferences which usually take place every year.
-Party leader and two politics aides were said to have constructed the entirety of the parties 2010 manifesto.
-Dominic Cummings is said to have written a lot of the ‘vote leave’ and 2019 campaigns.
-Alistair Campbell is said to have contributed a lot of ‘New Labours’ ideology from 1994 – 2003.
-Party manifestos around election time will have all the policies the parties are proposing.
