Political Parties Flashcards
Origins of the Conservative Party
Dates back to 1834
Traditionaly represented the wealthy
Benjamin Disraeli adopted one nation conservatism which is more centrist.
Ideals of the conservative party
One- Nation conservatism dominated before 1979. Regans new right movement included thatcher which saw a further right wing movement. Traditional conservative values were evident in the Johnson government’s so called ‘war on woke’. Home secretary Priti Patel dismissed racist threats.
Development
Thatcher was impatient with her party’s tolerance of high taxation, powerful and disruptive unions and economic stagnation. Thatchers successor, John Major continued thatchers policy and struggles of Europe continued.
One Nation conservatism
Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak both identify as a one nation conservatism as well as David Cameron and his Big Society approach.
Labour Party origins
With origins in the Labour movement, the Labour representation committee formed in 1900 and became the Labour Party in 1906. Its aim was to represent the working class in Parliament. Labour originally focused on Socialism.
ideas of the Labour Party
Socialism is an ideology aiming for equality between people through common ownership of the means of production.
Social Democracy is the democratic version of socialism. Socialises win power within a democratic system. Cause 4 is a part of the 1918 constitution. It committed Labour to the ‘common ownership’ if the means of production and mediums of exchange.
Corbinisum was seen as a move to old Labour but New Labour is much more centrist as it has moved that direction after Starmer took over the party.
Liberal democrats
Formed from the two main parties the Liberal party and the Social democrats. Formed in 1981. Liberalism is based on freedom which includes free trade.
The Lib Dems have consistently supported the EU and Electoral reform is top priority for the Lib Dems. After breaking one of their core polices in the 2010 coalition they lost a significant part of their voting base.
Main 3 party on Economy
Conservatives:
Support small businesses and negotiates with other countries
Labour:
Free broadband for every home and businesses.
Wealth creation.
Liberal Democrats:
Support small businesses, catering, leisure and the arts
Main 3 party health policy
Conservatives:
More GP surgeries
Labour:
40,000 GP appointments every week
A new dentistry rescue plan
Liberal Democrats:
add 1p on income tax to fund an extra £7bn investment.
Main 3 Education policy
Conservatives:
30,000 starting policy
Labour:
Sure start early years education for all children.
Liberal Democrats:
Free childcare from 9 months for working parents increase school
Main three tax policy
Conservatives:
Abolish National insurance
Labour:
Not increase national insurance.
Liberal Democrats:
Increases tax
Main 3 defence policy
Conservatives:
Mandate national service
Labour:
Increase spending on UN peacekeeping
Liberal Democrats:
Meet NATO defence spending.
Work towards multilateral nuclear disagreement.
Structure of the Parliamentary party
Leader
Govt or shadow ministers
Ordinary MP’s
NEC/ Board of the Conservative Party
This is the group of executives who are in charge of running a party. Their role is less policy based and more the organisation of the local parties.
Structure of the Conservative Party
Each constituency has a conservative association who help to run election campaigns. There is a welsh and Scottish sub-party within the main party. The NCC (National conservative convention) makes decisions for the policies. Chairs attend as do regional officers and youth officers. The 1922 committee is made up of backbench MP’s. CCHQ (Conservative campaign head quarters) is based in London.
The Board of the party is the governing body of the party.
Tory Membership
200,000
Local and National organisation of the Labour Party
Each constituency has a CLP with a variety of officers and chairs. Regional branches decided the candidates for local elections.
There is a welsh and Scottish Labour Party within the Main party.
The NEC is part of the governing body of the party.
The PLP consists of Labour MP’s.
The Trade Union and Labour Party Liaison Organisation coordinates the 14 affiliated trade unions.
Many Socialist societies and groups are affiliated to the Labour Party.
Membership of the Labour Party
Peaked in 2017 with 552,000 members. In 2020 still 496,000 members.
Local and National Structure
Unlike the two main parties the Lib Dems use a federal structure. Members belong to a local party, regional party and national party of one of the Nations. The Federal body is the government body of the Liberal Democrats which brings together the National party. There is a parliamentary party of the HOC Made up Liberal Democrat MP’s.
Members can also join a Specified Associated Organisation groups with a particular identity of focus. They can submit motions to the party conference.
Membership figures.
115,000
Labour selecting leader of the party.
There are two rounds. one within the parliamentary party and one for the members with each member gaining one vote. PLP nominates candidates and 20% or more of the PLP needs to nominate a candidate before they can proceed to the next round. Candidates also need the support of 5% of Local Parties and 5% of affiliated trade union members. Members vote using the AV vote system.
Conservative Party leader
MP’s vote on leadership and are eliminated un voting rounds until only 2 remain. All members vote on the remaining 2 candidates.
Lib Dem leadership selection.
A candidate must be an MP and have the support of at least 10% of Lib Dem MP’s, 20 local parties and 200 members.
All members vote using the AV system.
Labour’s use of registered supporters
In 2015 ‘Registerd supporters’ who paid £3 were allowed to vote in the leadership election. More than 100,000 signed up and Jeremy Corbin benefitted greatly from this. In 2016 the fee increased to £25 to prevent leadership elections from being hijacked. In 2021 Kier Starmer changed the rules to prevent registered supporters from being able to vote.
Choosing a parliamentary candidate
All three parties use a similar procedure to choose parliamentary candidates.
- Candidates are approved.
- Local party selects candidates from the central party list
- Constituency members vote to select the parliamentary candidate.
Parties have historically struggled to select a broad range of candidates which affects the composition of the House of Commons.
Labour’s ‘all women’ shortlists allowed for 101 female MP’s being elected in 1997. In Sept 2017 the party announced it will use all female lists for all of its top 50 target seats.
Conservative approach to party policy
Top down approach- the leaders team effectively decides what goes into the manifesto. Delegates at eh party conference do not vote on policy.
Labour approach to party policy
The National Policy forum agrees on policy direction.
Policies are then voted on at party conference.
The Leader can use personal authority to win support for their polices at conference.
The Party’s team then write the manefesto which is then agreed by the NEC, shadow cabinet ministers and senior trade union representatives.
Liberal Democrat party policy approach
The Federal Policy Committee develops policies to be out to the party conference.
Any member can also make a proposal at party conference.
The conference votes of all polices and all members can vote.
List of funding options available to party’s
Membership fees
Small donations from members
Large donations from wealthy donors
Trade unions
State Funding
Short Money
State funds paid to opposition parties in HOC to cover administrative costs and enable effective scrutiny of the Government.
Cranborne Money
State funs paid to opposition parties in the HOL to cover administration costs and allow for effective scrutiny of the Govt.
Policy development grants
Any party with two or more sitting MP’s is allocated a share of an annual £2,000,000 fund to cover policy development.
Support for election campaigns.
Royal Mail will freely deliver one piece of campaign mail to each elector in the UK. Parties receive free airtime for election boradcasts.
Political parties and election act 2009
Allows the elcectoral commission to investigate and impose fines
Increase the requirements for establishing the source of political donations.
The medias political relation
Newspapers may often affect how party leaders are perceived. In 2019 The Sun described Jerry Corbin as ‘The Most Dangerous Man ever to Stand for High Office in Britain’.
Tony Blair and Rupert Merdoch met several times so that the Sun would support TB. David Cameron met with Merdoch 26 times during his first 18 months in office. Some newspapers like the Telegraph consistently support the conservatives wears the Sun more consistently changes its position. The Times has switched to support the Labour Party in the 2024 general election. The BBC is unbiased.
Social media spending in the 2019 election
£1.4 million on SM Labour
£0.9 Million by Tories.
Leadership as a factor inflecting the result of a general elction
Media coverage is focused on the party leader significantly. Leaders who struggle to connect with voters (Therersa May) or motivate voters (Ed Miliband) are likely to have disappointing election results.
Party Funding as a factor inflecting the result of a general election
The Conservatives have an advantage with their wealthy donors.
Labour is dependent on union funds.
Parties which are seen as frontrunners are also advantaged as donors think that they have a chance and are worth giving to.
Party record as a factor inflecting the result of a general election
Governments are Judged on their record, with The Lib Dems the electorate held them to account in 2019 for their role in the coalition.
Media as a factor inflecting the result of a general election
Support from key papers such as the Sun and Times is critical but more importantly the emergence of Social Media is seeing widespread funding.
Election Campaigning as a factor inflecting the result of a general election
A well crafted election campaign can help to secure a landslide (New Labour in 1997 or GET BREXIT DONE).
A poorly run campaign can cause the popularity of a party to fall- Theresa May in 2017.
Electoral system, as a factor inflecting the result of a general election
FPTP favours parties with concentrated geographical support.
Electoral pacts can help win support- in 2019 the Brexit party didn’t stand any candidates in conservative held seats. Labour was criticised not to make a remain alliance.
SNP- Policies and impact on debates
Policies:
- Independence for Scotland
- Increase in Public Spending
- End Austerity
- Strap Trident
Impact on Policies
- Won majority in 2011
- Scotland voted remain
- SNP membership has increased resulting in the 56/59.
- Third largest party in the UK.
- Responsible for managing the COVID response in schools.
- Tainted by sleaze from the Nicola Sturgeon scandal.
UKIP Polices and impact on Debates
Policies:
Keep UK totally separate from the EU
Anti immigration
Free Speech, free markets
Impact on policies:
Founded in ‘93 and built support.
Won the 2014 European Parliament election.
- To try to claw back support from voters lost to UKIP David Cameron.
- Won by 3.9 million votes in 2015 but only had one seat in the House of Commons.
- Achieved their epipotimous goal in 2016.
- UKIP won fewer than 29,000 votes in the 2019 election and won no seats in parliament.
Reform Uk Policies and impacts of debates
Policies:
- Low Tax economy
- reform the public sector and electoral system
- opposition to coronavirus restrictions and lockdowns.
Impact on politics:
- Push for a clean break with the EU.
- Far right
Plaid Cymru
Polices:
- Independence for Wales
- increased investment for Wales
Impact on Policies
- Provides a clear voice for Wales
- Struggles for media attention because of its size.
Green Party
Policies:
-Environmental protections and a green economy
- Investment in public services.
Impact on politics
- Provides an environmental perspective on all policies areas.
- Encourages other parties to develop environmental policies.
Two party system
Two significant political parties compete for power in a duopoly.
A typical product of FPTP electoral systems.
Tends to result in single party majority government
Two party system evidence
Either Tories or Labour in govt since 1922.
Since 1930 only the conservatives and Labour have had a realistic chance of winning a general election.
- Coiltion goats are rare.
- 2017 election was described as a return to the two party state
Multi Party system evidence and definition
Defintion:
- Multiple signifiant political parties compete for power.
- A typical policy of proportional voting systems
- Tends to result in coalition or minority Govt.
Evidence:
- In recent years smaller parties have played a key role in govt. The Lib dems were important in 2010-15 and UKIP were important in influencing national policy objectives
- Multiple parties hold power across the uk.
What are political
parties?
organisations which seek to form a government by selecting a candidate
What were the main
voting reform acts of
the 1800s and what
did they do?
a variety of acts had seen an unprecedented increase in the size of the electorate
What has happened to
the membership of
mass parties over the
decades?
this has dramatically decreased
reform membership has surged in 2024. Also has become the party with the highest membership
How does the history
of a party affect its
structure? Detail two
examples, briefly
explaining both the
structure and why they
have developed this
way.
the Labour Party structed around socist societies and trade unions
Historically, how did
the Conservative party
select its leader? How
does the party select
leaders today?
backbench appoinemtns process
MP’s through a series of ballots elect 2 candidates put to members
leadership can be contested by resignation or 15% of MP’s writing to 1922 committee
6 functions of a political party
- governing and electioneering
- raising money
- developing policy
- representation
- participation
- recruitment
Why was the 2016
Conservative
leadership election
controversial?
Adrea leadersom stood down leaving Theresa may leader
How did Labour’s
electoral college
system work? Why was
it controversial?
inequality between members and trade unions
What did the Collins
Review (2014) suggest
and how did the
changes implemented
impact the 2015
leadership election?
one member one vote
did establish £3 regestered supporter
Why was Labour’s
2016 leadership
election controversial?
many registered supporters signed up to vote
How does the Liberal
Democrat Party select
its leader?
candidates need support of 10 MP’s and 200 member nomination from 20 local parties
Do third parties give
members any more or
less influence over the
selection of party
leader than the main
parties?
more- except reform
What selection stages
do candidates
generally have to go
through?
party headquarters approve
local party members select candate
How has Labour
attempted to increase
the number of female
MPs over time? Why
has this proven
controversial?
all female shortlist or one woman shortlist
46% of labour MP’s are women (parliament is 40% wimmen and this is the highest ever)
What was the
Conservative Party’s
‘A-list’ and why was it
controversial?
local members did not like the imposed candidates
What are open
primaries? How have
the Conservatives
experimented with
them?
highly expensive
Sarah wollerston was selected through primaries
How does the
Conservative Party
generally decide its
policies? Give an
example of when has
this been questioned
by members.
party leader
MP’s voice points and approvals
Boris Johnsons cabinet got no say over 2019 manifesto
How has the Labour
Party’s policymaking
process changed over
time? What was it like
originally, and how is it
structured now? Do
members have more
or less influence?
now with more power to members rather than Trade Unions
How has the block
vote changed? What
impact has this had?
where trade unions vote through a block
this strong inflence saw clear ideological views
How do the Liberal
Democrats decide
policy, and how was
this challenged when
in government?
manifesto but changed in coalition government
What is the ‘iron law of
oligarchy’?
large orfnaisatinos need leaders with knowledge and ability to take control
Why might recent
reforms reduce
Labour’s income from
affiliated union
members?
from 2016 it has become an opt in system
Why is the source of
donations to the two
main parties
controversial?
many for labour are unions many from tories come from wealthy indicudial donors.
Lord Ali and Cash for Honors scandal
What did the Political
Parties, Elections and
Referendums Act
(2000), do? How was
this changed by the
Political Parties and
Elections Act (2009)?
created the electoral commission
placed limits on electoral spending
parties must declare all donations and record all above formally above £50
What is Short Money
& Cranborne Money?
short- given to opposition scrutiny and oppostion
cranbrone- money to 2 main opposition parties
How was Short Money
reformed in 2016 and
why was this
controversial?
reduced by 19% and was criticised for limiting resources of opposition
What other form of
state funding is
available to opposition
parties? How does it
work?
policy development goals
parties need 2 MP’s
What are the main
arguments for and
against increasing
state funding for
political parties?
if not more reliance on donors
trust in politics is already low
tay payers might not want to fund some parties
Why did economists
claim that the UK was
experiencing
‘stagflation’ in the 70s?
there was low growth and high inflation
Why were the Labour
and Conservative
governments worried
about the power of the
unions in the 70s?
union limited coal July and lend shortages
they treated power of the government
winter of discontent
What is ‘Thatcherism’?
neo iberal ideology
small state
neo conservative state- maintain order and natinoalsiu
What is monetarism?
How did it differ to
Keynesian economics?
cutting inflation should be to prioritise smaller state market neo liberalism
more in favour of government intervention
Why did Thatcher
believe that free
market competition
was essential?
so the UK economy could transition into a state where it was internatilly competitive again
How did Thatcher
restrict the power of
the trade unions?
demands made governance changing
made political motivation for for strike illegal
made secondary action illegal
How did Thatcher
deregulate the banks
and financial markets?
curt red tape, supply side economics
lifted restrictions on secrvices banks could offer
What is privatisation?
the selling of private firms
How did Thatcher
change income taxes
and benefits?
means tested bandits
cutting tax
reducing basic rate
What was the Right to
Buy scheme?
selling social housing
Thatcherism supports
classically liberal
economic policies; can
the same be said for
social policies
very much big state, regulation social policy
such as section 28
What was Section 28
of the Local
Government Act
(1988)?
banning LGBTQIA teaching or dusccsion in sochool s
What are the main
differences between
the ‘Wets’ and the
‘Dries’?
Wets- one nation tories
Dries- thatcher tories
Why did the Labour
Party split in the early
80s and what were the
consequences?
the left and right became more divided
the center left emerged which was opposed by traditionally
How did the UK’s post-
industrial society and
the pressures of
globalisation influence
New Labour?
infludende by globalisation- open regulation constitutional reform
awknologed change in loving standards
What was Tony Blair’s
‘Third Way’?
socialist ideology
focus on economic efficiency and social justice
How did Blair change
Clause IV of the
Labour Party
constitution?
got rid!
What did New Labour
promise ahead of the
‘97 General Election?
focus on education not have high spending
won 418 seats
How were New
Labour’s economic
policies similar to
those championed by
the Conservatives?
ran low spend government
economic policy of the tories
pricationsation and low tax
public finance initiatives
To what extent were
New Labour’s welfare
policies similar to the
previous Conservative
government’s?
hand up not hand out
academics
tuition fees
What impact did New
Labour have on public
spending and public
services?
What impact did New
Labour have on social
justice and equality?
offer UP work offers, minimum wage tax credits
civil partenships- ban on gay people in military was lifted
devolution
How traditional was
New Labour’s foreign
policy?
closer to Europe
didn’t adopt euro
doubled aid funding
highly active role
911 and Iraq war
Was New Labour’s
approach to civil
liberties more
libertarian or
authoritarian?
Third way
HRA and freedom of information act
laws against terrorists
supported ID cards
What was New
Labour’s attitude
towards constitutional
reform?
Devolution and power closer to people e
What is a recession?
How many recessions
have there been in the
UK since 1940?
when an economy suffers negative growth for 2 consecutive economic quarters
What gave Chancellor
Gordon Brown the
impression that there
would be “no return to
‘boom and bust”?
many sectors of positive growth in the economy
increase in real wages
3% grwoth
Why were house
prices increasing so
rapidly in the years
preceding the crash
and why was this a
problem?
low IR and high growth led to high house prices to have dept bringing given
more dept decreased bank liquidity
housing bubble
wealth effect - low savings ration
What does it mean to
say that prior to the
crash the banks were
‘over leveraged’? Why
was this a problem?
banks have low liquidity
How did the sub-
prime mortgage crisis
in America help to
trigger a global
recession?
sub prime mortgage which were given to uncreditwrothy customs
many given out which led to housing bubble
Why did the Labour
Government spend
billions bailing out the
banks? Why were they
‘too big to fail’
for the banks to fail would destabilise the enter world economy leading to any inflation and significant poverty
What was the 2008
economic stimulus?
Why did Labour argue
that it was necessary?
cuts in tax, more investment, more benifits
ensure more economic growth
so that ether economy wouldn’t run out of capital flows
What is the difference
between the national
deficit and debt?
deficit is borrowing above tax rev
this is tolerance budget deficit
Why did the deficit
increase so sharply
following the global
financial crisis?
huge increase in spending
low tax revenue decreasing
Why did Conservatives
argue that Labour had
‘failed to fix the roof
while the sun was
shining’?
that no economic reserves were installed
borrowing during a boom
How did Conservative
spending plans
change after 2007?
How did Labour justify
its pre-crash economic
polices?
more money was coming in
was investing to grow economy further
small govt spending in % levels
Why did Conservatives
& classical economists
want to cut the deficit
quickly, primarily
through spending
cuts?
to reduce the national deficit which began to become established after the FC
Why did Labour Party
& many Keynesian
economists favour an
economic stimulus,
even if it meant
increasing the deficit?
poor infrastucteu
UK’s resiiliance on financial sector
poor region
poor house building
How different were the
main parties’ spending
plans at the 2010
General Election?
labour- government should borrow money and redistribute
conservatives- cuts spending and safeguarnfsign borrowing spending
