Political Parties Flashcards
What is liberalism?
-an ideology which stresses the important of individual freedom and human rights + need for clear limits on the power of the state
-core values: justice, equality of opportunity, government by consent, constitutionalism
What is classical Liberalism?
-18th and 19th century
-favours a laissez-faire economic system + mainly a free market with limited gov interference
-classical liberals are influenced by the ideas of Social Darwinism (believe it is inevitable and nature that talent, hardworking people will be more wealthy than others)
-heavily influenced the Conservative Party
What is modern Liberalism?
-19th and 20th century
-social problems caused by the Industrial Revolution led some to challenge the view that the poor were really free to improve their lives through hard work
-Modern Liberals argue that the state has an important role in ensuring that there is real equality of opportunity
-influenced the Labour Party
What is social Liberalism?
-a welfare state required to bring labour real equality of opportunity (Old Age Pensions Act 1908)
-1945-51 Labour government wanted to tackle ignorance, disease, squalor and idleness
What is economic Liberalism?
-argues that laissez-faire policies do not work for all and the government manage the economic to address inequality
-believed in Keynesian tax and spend economics
What is socialism?
-sees capitalism as exploitative
-believe that humans are social creatures (of equal worth) who can achieve more working for the collective good
-Core Values: egalitarianism, community, operate and common ownership of the means of production (nationalisation of industry)
How can socialism be seen in the Labour Party?
-enfranchisement of the working classes in the late 19th century led to the idea that socialism could be achieved through the ballot box
-party had its first majority government in 1945 and tackled Beveridge’s ‘Five Giants’ by introducing major reforms (introduction of the NHS, nationalisation of heavy industries and expanding the welfare state)
What was the post-war consensus?
-1945-1979 there was a board agreement across the political spectrum that collectivism, mixed economy, Kenyan economics and wealth redistribution were for the better
What spilt the Labour Party between the 1950’s and 1960’s?
Democratic socialists and Social Democrats
Democratic socialists:
-the left wing of the Labour Party
-supported the abolition of capitalism
-commitment to full nationalisation found in clause IV of the Labour Party constitution
Social Democrats:
-centre left part of the party
-accepted capitalism but supported significant state intervention
-proposed changing Clause IV
What is conservatism?
-seeks to resist change
-tend to be pragmatic (focus on practical outcomes and are suspicious of utopian ideologies)
-Core Values: tradition, pragmatism, order, hierarchy, property
-more property = more respect
What is one national Toryism?
-the belief in organic society, different classes are different organs, dependent on each other
-upper classes rule the country
-middle classes generate wealth
-working classes produce goods and foods
-One Nation are paternalistic (believe that the wealthy should look after the poor)
One-Nation conservatism and the post-war consensus
-one nation suited the post war consensus
-accepted that inequality needed to be addresses and wanted to find a middle course between socialism and classical Liberlaism
-supported a mixed economy and state intervention
-in the 50s and 60s conservatives supported a welfare state, nationalism and corporatism
-one nation dominated the Conservative Party from 1945-79
How did Thatcher end the post-war consensus?
-it was prompted by the economic problems of the 1970s
-inflation and unemployment demanded Keynesian responses
-economic problems and strikes led to the winter of discontent 1978-79 (petrol shortages and uncollected rubbish)
-prompted mant to call for major trade union reforms
What was Thatcherism?
-it was inspired by the New-Right and was a reaction to the post-war consensus
-tackle the economic problems of inflation, strikes and poor growth, the conservative government led by Thatcher rejected the post-war consensus and favoured a return to classically liberal policies (free markets, low taxes and minimal state intervention)
What is Thatcherite economic policy (neoliberalism)?
Keynesian tax and spending is replace by classical liberal economic policies:
-subsidies for struggling businesses ended
-power of trade unions limited by reforms
-required secret ballot before strikes and banned secondary striking
-universal benefits ended and replaced by means tested benefits
-tax cuts and council tenants given the ‘right to buy’
As a result inflation reduced, but unemployment rose as competitive industries were allowed to fail
What is Thatcherite social policy (neoconservatism)?
-Thatcherism emphasised law and order and traditional family values
-video recordings act banded ‘video nasties’
What was Labour like under Micheal Foot (1980-83)?
-went into the 1983 election with very left wing manifest (dubbed the longest suicide note in history)
-stepped down as party leader following the heavy defeat
What was the Labour Party like under Neil Kinnock and John Smith 1983-94?
-party began to shift from the left to the centre
-recognised the challenges faced by a socialist party in a post-industrial society with a large middle class
-Kinnock expelled far left extremists from the party
What was labour like under Tony Blair (1994 onwards)?
-inspired third way
-promoted triangulation (middle course between the socialism of old labour and neoliberalism of Thatcher)
-rebranded the party as ‘new labour’ and shifted it to the centre
-Labour won a landslide victory in 1997
What was new labours economic policy?
-Clause 4 replaced with a commitment to a thriving public sector
-cut corporation tax and promoted privatisation
-wanted to increase choice and competition in the public services
-launched ‘new deal’ work programme (focussed on providing training and employment rather than benefits)
What were New Labours policies?
-a series of reform promoted by LGBT rights
-pro EU
-supported the US war on terror
-passed the HRA
-passed controversial anti terror laws following 9/11
-passed constitutional reforms (devolution)
What was the financial crash?
-labours first 2yrs gov spending increased considerably and there was a fall in tax receipts + bailout stimulus package failing
-led to enormous national debt
-ruined Labour’s economic credibility
-Cameron caused Brown of ‘failing to fix the roof which the sun was still shining’
Was the financial crash the Labour governments fault?
-originated in the US
-prior to the crisis gov spending of GDP had been lower than under the previous conservative government
-labour claimed that they had to invest in the infrastructure that the conservatives had neglected
-UK economy’s over reliance on the hosing market and financial sector had begun under the previous conservative government
What was the conservatives response to the financial crash?
-sided with liberal economist view (deficit has to be reduced at a rapid pace)
-would be achieved through cutting gov spending (austerity)
What was the Labour party’s response to the financial crash?
-argued austerity would lead to a double dip recession
-sided with Keynesian economic view
—> gov should no invest large sums of money to stimulate economic recovery (national deficits would be reduced when the economy recovered)
What was the post-crash consensus?
-all major parties resounded to the crash by pledging to reduce deficit
-pledged to do this at different extent and by differing speeds and methods
What internal divisions were there in Thatcher’s Conservative Party?
-by 1990 the party was divided between ‘wets’ (one nation tories) and ‘dries’ (Thatcherites favouring dogmatism, radical change and free market economy)
What was the conservatives response to party like under Cameron?
-elected in 2006 as leader
-seen as a renewing and modernising force following a series of election defeats
-wanted to lead the party away from divisive policy areas like Europe and towards those where it could gain and electoral advantage (environment)
Why did Cameron describe himself as a ‘liberal conservative’
-wanted to blend fiscal conservatism and socially liberal values
-sought to end the ‘nasty party’ image
-focused on tackling the causes of crimes
-supported same sex marriage
What was the Conservative under May?
-identified herself as a one-nation Tory
-pledged to focus on JAMs (just about managing)
-pledged to cut-taxes
-make reductions in public spending and grammar school expansions
-premiership was dominated and ended by Brexit
What was the Conservative Party like under Johnson?
-identified as a one-nation Tory
-pledged to level up
-critics argued he had no ideology but was an opportunist
-committed large amounts of public spending to the NHS, education and infrastructure
-response to the pandemic can be seen as one-nation
What was the Conservative Party like under Truss?
-brief return to neoliberalism
-supported free trade and ‘trussonomics’ (major tax cuts she thought would stimulate the market and trigger growth)
-resembled one-nation
-safeguarded families from the cost of living crisis + introduced energy price guarantee (10s of billions cost)
What was the Labour Party like under Brown?
-Brown’s era was defined by the 2008 financial crash
-gov was forced to nationalise a number of high street banks and -returned to the ‘tax and spend’ approach of ‘old labour’
What was the Labour Party like under Ed Miliband?
-struggled to unite the party or the electorate
-2015 saw sweeping defeat for the Labour Party
-right of the party felt that Labours failure was due to the party abandoning Blair’s formula
-left felt that Miliband’s failure was a symptom of the failure of the New Labour project and that the party needed to embrace socialism
What was the Labour Party like under Jeremy Corbyn?
-Corbyn was committed socialist
-was a serial backbench rebel
-moved the party back to old labour principles (increased tax for the wealthy + great investment in public services + nationalisation of key industries)
-2017 the party did well and gained additional seats
-suffered badly in 2019 (criticised for his failure to deal with anti-semitism + weak Brexit policy + left wing manifesto)
What was the Labour Party like under Keir Starmer?
-ideology described as being ‘soft left’
-guiding labour toward more centrist policies
-supported investment in the UKs public services using tax hikes for the wealthy
-distanced himself from corbyn’s talk of denationalisations + Blair era interventionist foreign policy positions
What/ how did the Lib Dem’s form?
-formed in 1988 out of a coaltion between the Liberals and Social Democrat party
-placed high emphasis on civil liberties and historically help pro European stance
-parties 2 main factions: social liberals + orange book liberals
Social Liberals:
-draw on modern Liberlaism
-rejected Thatcherite economics
-during New Labour they were viewed as a left-wing alternative to Labour
-favoured economic policies that reduced inequality
-more liberal on issues like defence spending, antiterror laws, Iraq war + ID cards
Orange Book Liberals:
-2004 senior MPs (Nick Clegg, Vince Cable + Ed Davies) contributed to the ‘Orange Book’
-set out more classically liberal approaches for the party + stressed the importance of Thatcherite economics
What was the coaltion government of 2010-2015 like?
-tensions between Orange book Liberals who led the party + grassroots liberals
-social liberals opposed welfare cuts and the increase to tuition fees
What was the liberal party like post-2015?
-Jo Swindon won only 11 seats in 2019 (due to their manifesto promise to revoke Article 50)
-2020 Ed Davey elected leader of the party (orange book liberal + promoted investment in transition to net zero, childcare, schools and adult education)
What policy issues was there a consensus between major parties in 2019?
-all parties pledged extra funding for the NHS and social care
-all parties pledged to recruit more police officers
-all pledged to build new homes + make them energy efficient
-support immigration that benefits UK economy
-pledged major investment in the rail infrastructure and bus services
-all opposed IndyRef2
What manifesto pledges were made about Brexit in 2019?
-conservative favoured Brexit
-labour favoured a second referendum
-Lib Dem’s favoured revoking Article 50
What manifesto pledges were made on crime in 2019?
-Lab and Libdem pledged to reduce prison sentences for less serious prison offence + improve access to legal aid
-LidDems pledged to legalise cannabis
What manifesto pledges were made on education
-Lab and LibDem pledged to expand FSM
-Lab pledged to scrap tuition fees for all
-LibDems wanted to restore grants for poor pupils
What manifesto pledges were made on work and benefits in 2019?
-Cons largely promised to maintain status quo and pledge no income tax or NI rises
-Lab and LibDems pledged to scrap a range of unpopular benefits (universal credit)
What manifesto pledges were made on the economy in 2019?
-Con pledged modest investment
-LibDems pledged significant investment
-Lab pledged massive investment and re nationalisation of key industries
What manifesto pledges were made on housing in 2019?
-Lab and LibDems pledged to end rough sleeping
-Lab pledge to abolish right to buy + pledged to build council houses
What manifesto pledges were made on the environment in 2019?
-targets for net zero on carbon emissions varied
-Lab pledges to phase out petrol and diesel cars by 2050
2019 manifesto pledges on immigration?
-Con pledged to a point-asked immigration system
-Lab and LibDem immigration policies more flexible
2019 manifesto pledges on transport?
-Lab pledged to renationalise railways
-Lib Dem Pledge to freeze rail fares
Argument that the recent years have seen an end to distinct party ideologies in the UK:
-considerable ideological breadth with each party (one nation v Thatcherism, Old v New Labour, Social Liberals v Orange Bookers)
-there is a socially democratic consensus on high limit of spending on public services
-significant overlap between the parties manifestos in 2019
-rise of centrist politics (Blair and New Labour + Cameron)
-increased importance of party leaders
-tendency of Conservatives and labour to focus on appealing to the centre ground
Arugemnt that there are still distinct party ideologies in the UK:
-all main parties are rooted in distinct ideologies
-motivation and scale of parties investment to public services varies
-major parties still vary ideologically at times: Euroscepticism, Corbynism, Trussonomics
-increased importance of issues
-minor parties tend to be more ideological (SNP + UKIP)
How is the Conservative Party structured (top-down)?
Executive Level:
-The Conservative Party board acts as the ultimate decision making body
-has representatives from each section of the party
-the parties head office (Conservative Campaign Headquarters) is overseen + leads all administrative matters (finance, drafting policy and election campaigns)
National level:
-national convention meets 3 times a year and is attended by representatives of each constituency association
Local Level:
-Constituency associations for every constituency
How is the Liberal Democrat party strucutre (federal structure)?
Local level:
-local constituency parties feed into 3 state parties in England, Scotland and Wales
State Level:
-state parties report to the federal party and its Government body, the federal executive
Federal level:
-federal party is responsible for policy drafting, election campaigns and fundraising
Executive level:
-members elect representatives to three federal committees
-the federal executive, the federal policy committee and the federal conference committee
-the federal conference is composed of members from each local party and its the final decision-making body
How is the Labour Party structured (Bottom-up)?
Local level:
-the party has local branches with community led organisations (youth clubs, sports clubs and trade unions)
-constituency Labour parties (CLP) brings together party members within each constituency
-Labour also runs several local and regional policy forums each year
-the party then operates 8 different policy commission to carry out detailed policy work
National level:
-the party hosts a national policy forum several times a year
-theoretical ensures that the party policy represents the views of all members
Executive level:
-national executive committee sets out the party’s objectives and oversees the party nationally
-in theory the ultimate decision-making authority resides with the party’s annual conference
-delegates vote on the policy framework that the party’s manifesto will be drawn on
What functions do political parties perform?
Governing and electioneering:
-provide choice at election
-parties provide a united and coherent opposition to hold government accountable
Fund-raising:
-party structures enable the parties to raise money efficiently and effectively
-easier for party to raise money under one banner than through individuals
-enables parties to hire staff, undertake research, run election campaigns and grow the party
Policy Development and Integration:
-parties help to form a wide range of policies
-enable a clear ideology to be developed and communicated
-National level party organisations help bring together representatives from every level of the party
Representation: parties connect parliament and the people through MPs
What are the main political parties of the UK?
-conservatives
-labour
-LibDem
What are the two types of minority party?
-Nationalist parties
-Single Issue parties
Nationalist parties:
-look to nurture a shared cultural identity
-some nationalists campaigning for full independence such as SNP whilst other have more modest goals (Plaid Cymru)
Single-Issue parties:
-some of the parties offer a comprehensive policy programme rooted in a particularly ideological perspective —>e.x Green Party
-sometimes they campaign for a particular issue (UKIP + Brexit Party)
SNP
-campaigns for Scottish Independence
-held power in Scottish parliament since 2007
-won majority in 2011
-had new mandate in 2019 with IndyRef2
-3rd largest party in commons
-Sturgeon has a pro-Europe perspective during Brexit
UKIP
-campaigns for hard Brexit and against immigration
-won 2014 European Parliament election
-won 12.6% of the vote share in 2015 with 1 seat
-used influence to push the Conservative to have an EU referendum
-since 2016 referendum the party has lost its influence
Plaid Cymru
-campaigns for Welsh devolution and increased investment in Wales
-won 4 seats in 2019
Brexit Party
-campaigned for a hard Brexit
-won the 2019 European Parliament elections (gained 2019 seats)
-helped the Conservatives win in 2019 by standing down candidates in constituency’s the conservatives had won in previous elections
-didn’t win seats in 2019
DUP
-campaigns for NI to remain the UK
-largest unionist party in NI
-in government with Sinn Fein
-2017 formed a confidence and supply agreement with Mat
Green Party
-limited direct influence over policy because of its size
-1 seat in the 2019 election
-encourages other progressive parties to develop environmental policies
Two-Party system
-2 fairly equally matched parties compete for power at elections
-other parties have little chance of breaking their duopoly
-Britain has traditionally operated under this system
Multiparty system
-many parties compete for power at elections+ gov consists of a series of coalitions
-rise of LibDem and other smaller parties (21st century) led some to suggest the UK was morphing into a multiparty system
What is the nature of the UK party system?
-despite the rise of smaller parties (UK remain a 2 party system)
-conservatives and labour dominate in elections
-2017 Labour and conservative won 580/650 seats
Argument that the UK is a multiparty system?
-there has been a move away from single party gov in the UK (2010-15 coalition + minority gov in 2017)
-smaller parties played a role in coaltion and minority governments
-smaller parties have significant impact on UK politics (SNP dominance in Scotland from 2015 + UKIPs rise resulted in the 2016 ref)
-2015: 61% of voter backed parties other than the big 2 in Scotland
-multiple parties hold power across the UK and developed nations (SNP dominate in Scotland)
Argument that the UK is a 2 party system?
-either conservative or labour have been in gov since 1945
-coalition and minority govs are rare (2 major parties have provided every PM)
-FPTP presents smaller parties winning a proportional number of seats
-in 2019 2 main parties won a combined 76% of seats
-success of minor parties is fleeting (BNP enjoyed brief success in local election but has no faded +LibDems now hold 11 seats)
How democratic is the labour parties leader selection process?
Stage 1: since 2018 to qualify for the ballot candidates must firstly secure the nomination of 10% of labour MPs +5% of constituency labour parties or at least 3 affiliated groups
Stage 2: since 2014 its members, registered supporters and affiliated members vote under the OMOV basis under AV system
*2014 saw a change from the electoral college in which Labour MPs help 1/3 of the vote. New system = more democratic + votes are weighted equally
2019, 5 candidates received the required number of votes from MPs and 3 received the required support from constituency labour parties and affiliated organisations. Starmer went on to win the election in the first round with 56.2% of the vote
How democratic is the conservative parties leadership election?
Stage 1:
-candidates must be nominated from 20MPs
-MPs then vote in a series of ballots, where the candidate with the least number of votes is eliminated
-process repeats until just 2 candidates remain
Stage 2:
-party members vote on a OMOV basis to decide which of the 2 becomes leader
2019, Johnson was selected as leader over Hunt
2022, Truss chosen over Sunak however Truss only lasted 50 days - party leadership decided to raise the threshold for nomination to 100 and Sunak was chosen (members did not have a say)
how democratic is the LibDem leadership selection process?
Stage 1: candidates must receive the support from 10% of MPs and at least 200 party members from at least 20 local parties
Stage 2: Members vote on a OMOV basis under the AV system
Party members were denied a vote in 2017 when Vince Cable was unopposed
2020, saw a competition between Ed Davey and Layla Moran
What stages do the main 3 parties follow in choosing their candidates?
- Hopefuls must get their name on the list of prospective candidates- list is vetted and approved by party leadership
- Local party draws up a shortlist from those approved candidates
- Constituency party members vote for their preferred candidate
How have the Conservative tried to diversify the pool of candidates?
Have experimented with public hustings- meetings at which prospective candidate’s can address constituency party members and local voters
Open primaries- popular ballot in which registered voters can vote to select a candidate (2 held in 2020 with Caroline Dineage selected as the candidate for Gosport + 1 cost £40,000)
Priority lists (a lists)- lists of candidates which prioritises female and ethnic minority candidates
How have the Labour Party attempted to diversify the pool from which their candidates are chosen?
-use of all women shortlists (1997 elections saw 101 female Labour MPs elected to Parliament ‘Blair’s Babes’
-some argue all women shortlists are discriminatory
-under Labour Party policy all women shortlists can only be imposed when fewer than half of Labour MPs are women
How democratic is the Conservative Party in its policy making?
-policy traditionally largely determined by the leader + leader expected to canvass the views of front bench (1922 committee + party elders and grass roots membership)
-in theory grassroots memebrs have a greater influence since the establishment of the conservative policy from 1998 (advisory rather than binding + top down)
-John Major 1992 ‘it was all me’
-May along with aides Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill said to have dominated the formulation of the party’s 2017 manifesto
How democratic is the Labour Party in its policy formulation?
-conferences of the past were policy making events
-from 1997 the party adopted a 2-year policy making cycle
-party’s National Policy Forum appointed policy commissions to make proposals which were formalised in the National Executive Committeee
-changes have made the party conference a rubber stamp for policy
-Labour’s radical 2019 manifesto was seen as a clear reflection of leader Corbyn’s views
How democratic are the Liberal Democrat’s in their policy formulation?
-local and national parties can submit motions to conference for debate
-motions debated and passed at conference become official national party policy
-motions must first be selected by the Federal Policy Committee
-conference agenda is controlled by a Federal Conference Committee
For which parties has membership been increasing recently?
-Labour Party and SNP
-Labour party is now the largest political party in Western Europe (memberships surging to over half a million)
What has party membership been like for the Conservatives?
-incredibly low (raised 835,000 in membership fees in 2017 compared to Labour who raised 16 million)
From where does the Labour Party receive their income?
-individual members
-affiliated members and organisation
-those who chose to pay one off fees to participate in the general election
-Trade Union Act means that those in trade unions have to opt in to paying into the Labour Union
What donations do the Conservative Party receive?
-Conservative and Labour Party receive the most
-Conservatives received 33 million between 2006-15
-Labour received 21.5 million
-Lib Dem received 6.5 million
Elitism in the Conservative Party?
-claims that small group of wealth individuals use donations to encourage the party to protect their interests
-conservative leader club is a dining club which gives those who donate more than 50,000 a year regular access to the PM and ministers
Is there elitism in the Labour Party?
-arguably dependent on the support of a small number of union bosses
-2016 trade unions provided 55% of funds
-starmer refused to bow to pressure from unite, who recently withdraw funding in protest to his decision to return the party to the centre
What scandals have there been regarding party donations?
-1997 Bernie Ecclestone donated 1 million to the Labour Party + speculation it was linked to the labour govs decision to delay a ban on tobacco adverting in formula 1
-2006 Tony Blair ‘cash for honours’ scandal
-2022 Conservative Party came under criticism for accepting donations from individuals who have made money from Russia or have alleged links to the Putin regime
How are parties funded?
-state funding
-short money
-Cranbourne Money
-PDGs
State funding:
-is made avaliable to opposition parties in the HoC (short money) and HoL (Cranborne money) to help them cover admin costs thereby provide proper scrutiny for gov
Short Money:
-introduced in 1975 (named after Edward short)
-annual payment given to opposition parties in Commons
-to qualify a party must have 2 seats or 1 seat and more than 150,000 votes at the previous general election
-Labour recieved almost £6 million in Short Money in 2016-17
Cranborne Money:
-introduced in 1996 (named after Lord Cranborne then leader of HoL)
-annual payment given to the 2 main opposition parties in the Lords
-governing party does not receive Short Money or Cranborne Money as it has the use of the civil service
-Conservative gov was criticised for making changes to Short Money funding in 2016 (linking increases to CPI inflation)
PDGs
-parties also receive funding through Policy Development Grants
-£2 million annual budget for PDGs
-parties must have at least 2 MPs
-first £1 million is distributed equally among the eligible parties
-second £1 million is divided based on the proportion of the registered electorate where the party contest election
-3 main parties all received £432,000 PDGs in 2016-17
Argument that political parties should be state funded:
-reduced a parties reliance on donations made by wealthy individuals which breeds elitism
-state funding would enable politicians to focus representing their constituency rather than courting wealthy donors
-most political parties operate in deficit (spend more than they bring in) + without state funding the deficit would become unsustainable and parties would become even more reliant on donations from wealthy individuals and organisations
-after LibDems took office in 2010 they had to make several redundancies due to loss of short-money (shows how vital state funding is for smaller parties
Argument that parties should not be state-funded?
-taxpayers should not be expected o bankroll parties they oppose
-state funding could cause politicians to be more isolated (pressure exerted by interest groups is a healthy sign of pluralist democracy)
-parties will inevitably have equal resources even if state funding is introduced + there are differences on membership levels, human and material resources
-both conservatives and labour were critical of 2011 proposal to cap donations and increases state funding
What are reforms have there been to party funding?
-the political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000
-Political Parties and Elections Act 2009
The Political Parties, Elections and Referndums Act 2000
-parties must declare all donation over a certain amount (£5,000) to the electoral Commission which publishes records of donation
-act also place limits on campaign spending (£30,000 per party per consistency)
Political Parties and Elections Act (2009)
-raised the limit for declared donations
-gave the Electoral Commission powers to investigation breaches of the aw and impose fines
-declared donations must include documentation proving the origin of the money and UK residency of the donor
What problems are there with party funding?
-wealthy individuals have circumvented the regulation of donation by instead offering long-term, low interest ‘loans’
-main source of funding for UK’s main political parties continues to be donations
-Conservative party remains largely dependent on donations from wealthy backers
