Political Parties

Question 1

socialism

Answer 1

a state of mind and a political movement that places such values as equality of opportunity, social justice and collectivism are high on its scale of values. it is either opposed to free-market capitalism or proposes measures to moderate the undesireable effects of capitalism

Question 2

Conservatism

Answer 2

a state of mind and a political movement tha tis naturally adverse to excessive change and reform. it is sceptical about strongly held political views, prefers the known to the unknown and generally supports the retention of traditonal institutions and values

Question 3

Liberalism

Answer 3

a state of mind and a political movement that places freedom, rights and tolerance high on its scale of values

Question 4

Old Labour/ Social Democracy

Answer 4

social democracy is a political, social and economic ideology that supports economic and social interventions to promote social justice within the framework of a capitalist economy and a policy regime involving:
- a commitment to representative democracy
- measures for income redistribution
- regulation of the economy in the general interest and welfare state provision

Question 5

New Labour/ Third Way

Answer 5

a movement to update Britain’s Labour Party by discarding the traditonal Labour platform calling for state ownership of the means of production. the movement was led by Tony Blair.

Question 6

One Nation Conservatism

Answer 6

a form of British political conservatism that views society as organci and values paternalism and pragmatism. the phrrase comes from Benjamin Disraeli, Conservative Prime Minister 1876, 1874-1880

Question 7

New Right

Answer 7

a political movement that became popular in the USA and Britain in the later 1970’s and 1980’s. it was largely a combination of very liberal attitudes towards the free market and capitalist economy and very conservative attitudes to society, morality and the maintenance of law and order. in the UK it is associated with Thatcher

Question 8

Classical Liberalism

Answer 8

a political philosophy and ideology belonging to liberalism in which primary emphasis is placed on securing the freedom of the individual by limiting the power of the government

Question 9

Modern Liberalism

Answer 9

focuses around the use of the state for the benefit of society as a whole. it is generally associated with social welfare programmes and a variety of other means that are used to support society

Question 10

Party Systems

Answer 10

a concept in comparative political science concerning the system of government by political parties in a democratic country

Question 11

Left Wing/ Right Wing

Answer 11

a commonly used way of describing political tendencies. left wing normally relates to ideas associated with socialism or social democracy. right wing normally refers to conservative ideas

Question 12

Factionalism

Answer 12

a tendency within parties to split into different intenal groups who hold views that are at variance with the main beliefs of the party. such groups/ factions may be formal groupings or merely informal tendencies

Question 13

Consensus Politics

Answer 13

a circumstance where two or more major political parties broadly agree on most basic policies. in other words, a period where there are a few or no major political conflicts. it may refer to a single issue where different parties agree to support the same policies. this implies a lack of strong ideology in politics

Question 14

Adversary Politics

Answer 14

the opposite of consensus. this is a circumstance where political parties are engaged in considerable conflict over political issues. this also implies that there are strong ideological conflicts in politics

Question 15

characteristics of left wing ideology

three points

Answer 15

favours:
- nationalisation of public services
- large state intervention in social and economic policy
- greater equality

Question 16

characteristics of a central ideology

Answer 16

favours:
- less state intervention but some regulation from the government on key policies

Question 17

characteristics of a right wing ideology

Answer 17

favours:
- privitisation of some public services
- lessened state internvention in social and economic policy
- greater personal autonomy

Question 18

Authoritarian

Answer 18

government requires a strict obedience to the authority of the state

Question 19

Libertarian

Answer 19

the rights of the individual are favoured over the state. in some cases government is believed to hinder individual freedom

Question 20

features of a political party

five features

Answer 20

• parties aim to gain power by winning political office through elections
• parties have a broad focus across many different areas (such as health, education, finance etc)
• membership of parties tends to share a common ideology: conservatism, socialism, liberalism
• minority parties recognsie they can’t hold power so instead seek influence
• may have narrow range of views e.g. Brexit Party or with a wide range e.g. Conservative party and can thus split into factions

Question 21

function of a political party: Policy making

four points

Answer 21

• particularly important for opposition to oppose the party in power
• all members tend to have a role in suggesting policies e.g. at conferences
• most polices made by ruling parties are made by ministers and their advisers
• also involves aggregation, surverying the range of demands of the population and supporters and alinging policy with that, sometimes making personal compromises

Question 22

function of a political party: representation

5 points

Answer 22

• Many parties claim to support a specific part of society e.g. UK Labour represents the working class and trade unions.
• However many now claim to represent the national interest. Thus they instead seek to ensure that all groups in society have their interests and demands at least considered.
• Tend to be biased towards one section due to ideological bias.
• Populist parties quickly arise to support underrepresented groups, e.g. The poor.
• Issue parties are also arising e.g. The Green party

Question 23

functions of political parties: selecting candidates

2 points

Answer 23

• Spend a lot of time selecting candidates for office at all levels e.g. Local councillors, elected mayors aswell as for devolved assemblies and the national parliament.
• Candidates are decided on a local and regional level, through party committee staffed by activists. Mostly local constituent parties deciding but national leaders do have some say.

Question 24

functions of political parties: identifying leaders

5 points

Answer 24

• in the ruling party, the PM completely controls the appointment of ministers.
• In opposition parties, the leader choses a smaller group of ‘frontbench’ spokespersons who form the leadership.
• Potential leaders are able to train by getting opportunities in formal internal party organisations.
• Problems with leadership in the past include Jeremy Corbyn winning overwhelmingly in the leadership contest but being too far left to represent much of the party.
• Contrastingly, Boris Johnson was agreeably elected leader in 2019

Question 25

functions of political parties: contesting elections | 2 points

Answer 25

- Form part of the process of publicising election issues, persuading people to vote and informing them about the candidates - done so by party activists. - Representatives are present at vote counting so ensure election contests are fair and honest.

Question 26

functions of political parties: political education | 3 points

Answer 26

- Continuously involved (not just at election time) in informing about the political issues of the day, explaining the main areas of conflict and outlining their own solutions to the problems they have identified. - Also educate on how the political system works. Green for example raises awareness about the environment. - In some ways however the media and think tanks have taken over this role, aswell as social media.

Question 27

how are political parties funded | 7 ways

Answer 27

- collecting membership subscriptions from members - holding fundraiser events e.g. dinners, conferences - recieving donations from supporters - raising lonas from wealthy individuals or banks - the self financing of candidates for office - up to £2 million per party available in grants from the Electoral Commission - short money granted to opposition parties in the Commons and Lords -

Question 28

historically where does the majority of the Conservative's funding come from

Answer 28

large businesses and individuals

Question 28

what did the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 do

Answer 28

regulate funding by reducing foreign influence, limiting how much could be spent on elections, stating donations over £5000 had to be declared and those over £7500 had to be put on an electoral register.

Question 29

historically where does the majority of Labour's funding come from

Answer 29

trade unions

Question 30

why don't small parties have a regular income

Answer 30

because any donor is acting out of idealism rather than any prospects of gaining influence

Question 31

Political Parties and Elections Act 2009

Answer 31

gave the electoral commission the power to investigated and impose fines, restrict donations from non-UK residents and impose tighter regulations in the run up to an election

Question 32

the MP's expenses scandal 2009

Answer 32

several MPs and Peers were found to have misused allowances and expenses permitted to them - many sackings, resignations and even prison sentences

Question 33

why is the current system of party funding controversial | 4 ways

Answer 33

- clearly favours bigger parties - large donors may expect political return on their investment, whilst parties can't change policy as a direct result of a donation, they may be influenced - aspects of funding may verge on being corrupt, some donor may expect to recieve an honour - the steady decline of party membership means parties are even more reliant on donors

Question 34

what are the four basic solutions to solving problems with party funding

Answer 34

- impose restrictions ont he size of individual donations to parties. to be effective, the cap would have to be relatively low - impose tight restrictions on how much parties are allowed to spend - restrict donations to individuals and outlaw donations from businesses, pressure groups and trade unions - replace all funding with state grants for parties paid out of general taxation

Question 35

pros of state funding | 7 pros

Answer 35

- would make parties more democratically responsive - reduces corruption and influences of 'special interests' - parties won't have to spend time and resources trying to source funding - could help break two party dominance as funds are shared out proportionally - current rule around state funding are weak - Cranborne money for opposition and short money for opposition is shown to be effective - in a democracy you have to pay for it, can't allow it to work on its own

Question 36

cons of state funding

Answer 36

- would allow parties to ignore important stakeholders e.g. labour and the trade unions - politicians could become isolated from real life issues with the removal of interest groups - could reinforce two party dominance as it favours established parties, especially if funds are shared out based on past elections - the 2007 Phillips Report recommended a pence per voter formula, benefits two biggest parties the most - short and Cranborne money supports those with seats but penalises those who fall victim to FPTP - the Recall Act 2015, a result of the expenses scandal, allows constituents to hold their MP to account for any wrongdoing - political parties and elections acts 2000 and 2009 - laws already put in place - why should the tax payer fund parties they don't agree with - state funding is hard to introduce e.g. how is it shared out and who qualifies;

Question 37

# [](http://) Cash for Honours scandal

Answer 37

between 2006-7, unproven suspicion that many peerages were given out by Blair in return for donations

Question 38

Cash for Questions scandal

Answer 38

a scandal in Major's premiership in which two MPs were accused o fbeing bribed by the owner of Harrods to ask parliamentary questions and other tasks

Question 39

key principles of One Nation Conservatism | 8 principles

Answer 39

- **human nature is inheritely bad**, man is driven by basic appetites and not reason - **ordered and structured society**, achieved through an absolute ruler and strong government, loss of some individual rights - **preserving traditional institutions and keeping traditions** learning from ancestors to keep what works - **organic society theory** a united nation to prevent social conflicts, social responsibility - **pragmatism** principles are not eternal or fixed, flexible and undogmatic aproach to politics - **individualism** people should have as many opportunities as possible, less government interferene - **property owning democracy** as it encourages stability and security in society - **opposition to ideology** upholding traditional values and not following a strict ideology

Question 40

core ideas of Thatcherism/the New Right | 5 core ideas

Answer 40

- **deregulation** privatisation to allow for competition for rapid growth and freedom - **disengagement** no longer intervening in a failing economy or industry, thus allowing it to either become efficient enough to compete or disappear so resources can be moved elsewhere. - **trade union reform** main culprits in industrial inefficiency and needed to have their power reduced - **low taxation** high taxation was a disincentive to hard work - **dependency culture** state welfare benefits were too high and people relied on them too much and there was no incentive to improve economic conditions

Question 41

core values of social democracy | 6 values

Answer 41

- **common class interest** those in a class share similar interests and these conflict with other classes, need to reconcile this - **equality** central principle, all born equal and there is no natural order. some inequality to be an incentive - **social justice - redistribution of wealth** except social and economic equality is unattainable, benefits should act as an incentive and aim to help the most needy - **equality of opportunity** anxious to ensure all society has equality in opportunities, especially deprived areas where social forces work against them - **collectivism** people should achieve goals collectively and actions taken in groups are usually the most effective - **common ownership - clause IV of the 1918 manifesto** the common ownership of means of production and distribution, imposes economic equality through public industry

Question 42

key New Labour/ Third Way policies | 9 policy areas

Answer 42

- **anti poverty** adopted an attack on poverty, particularly child poverty. issued benefits so people can enjoy a decent standard of living - **economic policy** capitalism should be allowed to flourish, limited role for trade unions and public sector borrowing is acceptable if invested in public sectors - **welfare services** high quality public services should be preserved. the private sector should be involved if this improves quality and efficiency - **education** central in policies towards poverty reduction, equality of opportunity and law and order. improving quality and access to education - **law and order** 'tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime' - authoritarian attitude and tackling social causes of crime - **welfare benefits** an incentive to work and take responsibility for one's prosperity, not to redistribute income - **constitutional reform** less radical reform that focus on decentralising government, mild lords reform and human rights act - **Europe** Britain to remain at the centre but retain independence, cautious support for the single currency - **defence and foreign policy** Britain to take a leading role in world affairs, defend human rights and help poor countries

Question 43

core values of the Liberal Democrats

Answer 43

- **liberty** core value, the state should interfere as little as possible - **social justice** to remove unjustifiable inequalities in incomes and society - removing artificial privilleges people might be born into - **welfare** people can't be genuienly free if enslaved by poverty, unemployment or sickness or the deprivations of old age - state welfare sets them free - **constitutionalism** highly suspicious of the power of the government and thinks it should be firmly controlled, normally via the constitution - **social reformers** strongly support minority social groups - **liberal demoracy** supports constitutional reform to promote human rights and support democracy - **multiculturalism** different cultures and lifestyles should be welcomed and granted special rights - links to their pluralist outlook on society - **the environment** a modern value, human life will be enriched by a healhty physical environment and by biodiversity