Political parties Flashcards
Roles of political parties
Provide representation Encourage political engagement and participation Engage in political recruitment Formulate policy Provide stable government
Features of One-Nation Conservatism
Paternalistic Gradual change Keynesian mixed economy Support for a universal welfare state Increased European integration
Features of Thatcherism
Business deregulation Privatisation Limits on the power of trade unions Less state intervention in the economy Individualistic Greater emphasis on national sovereignty Limited state welfare provision
Features of Old Labour
Dogmatic Working-class Nationalisation - Clause IV (1918) Favours public-sector provision Supports a universal welfare state
Features of New Labour
Pragmatic Catch-all Favours a market economy Favours public-private partnerships Advocates social inclusion Supports targeted welfare
Types of minority parties
Nationalist parties
Single-issue parties
Pro electoral mandate
Wide franchise
Each party’s manifesto is available to voters before polling day
Media spreads sentiment of manifestos prior to elections through TV debates, newspaper headlines, etc
Anti electoral mandate
Low turnout
Coalition / minority governments
Voting behaviour more about leadership personality or long-term factors than policy minutiae included in manifesto
Impossible to tell which polices of the majority party that the electorate are actually in favour of
Pro multiparty system in place in the UK
2015 - 13.5% of voters backed parties other than the ‘big two’ (61% in Scotland)
Minority parties have achieved success in second-order elections
Anti multiparty system in place in the UK
Labour and Conservatives the only two parties with a realistic chance of forming a government or being the senior partner in a coalition at Westminster
82.4% of the electorate voted for one of the two major parties in 2017
FPTP enhances the seats won in relation to vote share of parties with concentrated support, such as Labour in urban areas and the Conservatives in rural areas
The Electoral Commission
Created by the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act (2000)
Independent from government and party influence
Responsible for overseeing and strengthening UK democracy
Significance of Bernie Ecclestone’s £1 million donation to the Labour Party in 1997
May have prompted the subsequent delay in the introduction of the ban on tobacco advertising in F1, leading to calls for regulation
Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act (2000)
A response to increasing reliance for parties on donations from wealthy individuals, rather than revenue generated from membership subscriptions
Imposed an overall limit on party spending in general election campaigns (£30,000 a constituency)
Required parties to declare all donations over £5,000 to the Electoral Commission
Sought to make parties less reliant on wealth individual backers
Political Parties and Elections Act (2009)
Allowed the Electoral Commission to investigate cases and impose fines
Restricted donations from non-UK residents
Reduced the threshold for the declaration of donations to the Electoral Commission
Success of funding regulation
Have made party funding more transparent
