Political Parties Flashcards
Define a political party
**Political party **= organised body seeking to win government by putting up candidates for election + mobilising a popular party
Explain the representation function of political parties and examples for how they do and don’t fulfil it
- Parties link the government + people together by** representing public opinion with policy positions** + claiming a mandate from votes
-
Effective: UK Parties are now ‘catch-all parties’ - they have policies which they then **enact with a mandate
** -
Ineffective:
Pressure groups are **more effective **forms of representation - 41% of Conservative MPs = privately educated - 65% of Sunak’s Cabinet = privately educated - compared to 9% in the general population
- 90% of Labour MPs went to uni in 2019
Explain the political engagement + participation function of political parties and examples for how they do and don’t fulfill it
- Provide **opportunties for citizens to shape policy **by joining the party
- Educates + mobilises electorate - which builds up loyalty
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Effective: Offer a range of activites = convassing, **public meetings, campaigning **
**Party membership **+ running events - with specific links to organisations such as Labour + trade unions + the Fabian Society - Ineffective: Turnout in GEs has fallen shortly since 1997 - 59% 2001 + 67% 2019
- Party membership of the three major parties has fallen = unable to mobilise participation
- Voter dealingment - 44% had strong loyalty in 1964 + 9% 2015
Explain the political recruitment function of political parties and examples for how they do and don’t fulfill it
- They** train + recruit** people for elections + government posts
- Help** fill seats in elected bodies **
- **Train future party leaders **by giving them posts to develop
- Effective: Parties provide the **candidates for elections + fill seats **in local councils, devolved assemblies + the HOC
- Headhunting unusual candidates + providing them with support + structure for people becoming MPs to help campaign
- Ineffective: Parties **choose leaders **who will win elections + are popular rather than competent
- Party leaders are chosen by **party members = 2% of the pop **- aren’t democratically accountable
- Reliance on connecttions + special advisors who later become ministers e.g Alex Burghart
- Cost - to campaign to be an MP you have to quit your job for 6 months min + need **money to campaign
Explain the policy formulation function of political parties and examples for how they do and don’t fulfill it
- Set public policy giving voters a clear choice - have clear ideological convictions
- Manifesto is a** means that parties** can be judged by
- Effective: Develop manifestos which** lay out legislation** they want to implement
- Labour - wanting to **renationalise railways **
- Conservatives - work with experts - Cass Report - overly ideological
- Ineffective: Parties no longer have ideological choices have **technocratic choices **
- More effective choice of leader or ** personality over parties** - follow **public opinion **
Explain the stable government function of political parties and examples for how they do and don’t fulfill it
- Parties form government + then implement their manifesto
- Governments are drawn from the same party = same values
- Parties **pass legislation + scrutinise gov policy
** - Effective: Typically a single party has a majority in the HOC + clear manifesto
- Opposition = ‘government in waiting’
- Vote whipping - 3-line whip
- Ineffective: Has been a decline in party unity - weakened a party’s control over the HOC
- Increase in internal party divisions + rebellions + overthrowing leaders - May had a 12 majority at the start
- Many** PM’s in a few years - May-Johnson-Truss-Suank-?** + many SNP leaders - 3 in 3 years
Explain how party’s fund their expenses
- Parties raise the majority of their election costs from the voluntary subscriptions of their membership + fundraising events in MP’s constituencies
- There is a special state provision to support the activities of the **opposition in Parliament called Short money **
Explain the issues and controversies around party funding
- The large parties have been accused of offering political honours such as places in the HOL to the **most generous benefactors **
- Mohamed Mansour was given an honour by Sunak in March 2024 after giving the party £5 mil in 2023
Explain what reforms have been implemented to make party funding transparency
2000 Political Parties, Elections and Referndums Act:
1. Independent electoral commission was set up to supervise party spending on election campaigns
2. Party’s were **capped at £30,000 in a constituency **
3. Donations of more than **£5000 (nationally) or £1000 (constituency) **had to be declared + published at regular intervals
4. Donations from indivduals **not on the UK electoral roll = bannned **
Explain why the reforms regarding party funding weren’t compelty effective + what it later led to
- ‘Cash for peerages’ scandal in 2006 - several wealthy individuals had loaned money to the Labour party had been **nominated for honours **
- Party was** exploting a loophole** in the law that meant that **only ourtright gifts were regulated **
- Led to loans becoming subejct to the same rules as donations + spending limits for parties were revised in the run-up to the **2010 GE
- Max a party can raise** = £35 mil
Explain arguments regarding potential reforms that should be made to party funding
- In 2007 a report by Sir Philips (Former CS) proposed to address the problem of **private donations moving public funding through taxation **
- However pressure to make **public spending cuts **meant that placing **additional burdens on taxpayers **
Explain arguments regarding potential reforms that should be made to party funding by the Lib Dems + Labour + the Conservatives response to it
- Labour + Lib Dems in 2015 supported imposing limits on individual donations to parties - Conservatives stood to **lose the most **so wanted the same with Labour’s treade union backers
- 2016 Trade Union Act oliged new trade union members choose whether to* ‘opt in’ to making payments to the political levy *- led to drop in LP donations
Explain criticisms of political parties
- Many** stifle debate** by enforcing uniformity + conformity among its members - whips ensure they all follow the **party line so representation is weak
- Prevents new or radical ideas** from developing in order to keep** support from the mainstream **
