Political Parties (Context, Origins, Divisions) Flashcards
What were the first Conservative Party objectives?
- Prevent the country falling too far into inequality.
- Preserve unity of the kingdom.
- Pragmatism.
What were the key principles of One Nation conservatism? (6)
- Strong law and order
- Faith in property and home ownership
- Tradition
- Pragmatism
- Noblesse oblige
- Organic society
What is Noblesse oblige?
- Those of higher social standing have a moral duty to help those of a lower social standing who have fallen on hard times. Paternalism
What are some neo liberalism ideas?
- High taxation prevents productivity.
- Welfare benefits create a dependency culture.
- Trade unions hinder economic development.
- Markets should not be regulated by the state.
What are principles of neo conservatism?
- Belief in the promotion and advancement of traditional values to ensure stability.
- Strong law and order in an authoritative state to impose social morality.
- Nationalism, believing pride and unification is the best way to maintain stability.
What are examples of factions within the Labour Party?
- Compass: 2003, in opposition to Blair by Neil Lawson. Critical friends of Corbyn.
- Progress: represents New Labour’s ideas and part of labours right wing.
What are examples of factions within the Conservative Party?
- Bright Blue: Continue Cameron’s style social liberalism with concern for environment.
- Tory Reform Group: one nation tories who are quite left. Oppose Brexit.
- Cornerstone Traditional values, Christian, nationalist, and reactionary.
- European Research Group: Eurosceptics Hard right
What are factions within the Liberal Democrats?
- Welfare intervention OR classical liberal free market.
- Clegg and Cable published ‘Orange Book’ in 2004 arguing for a return to economic liberalism.
- This was opposed by Simon hughes who favoured a more tax and spend approach.
What is Keynesian economics? (One nation)
- welfare state
- high employment
- state intervention
What faction of the conservatives support tradition, family values, and nationalism?
Cornerstone
Jacob Rees mogg
What are old labour values?
- Welfarism
- Centralised state
- Social justice
- Collectivism
- Equality of opportunity
What are some new labour values?
- Individualism > collectivism.
- Capitalism.
- Reject class conflict as all have equality through law.
- ‘Third way’ between socialism and free market.
- Enabling state.
- Constitutional reform.
- Equality of opportunity.
What was the primary idea of the Labour Party?
Improve conditions for the working class and to control excesses of capitalism.
What did labour form out of?
The trade union movement
What did Blair remove from the Labour constitution?
Clause IV- nationalisation / “common ownership”
What are the three factions of the Labour Party?
- Momentum: Corbyn far left
- Social democrats/blairites: centralist new labour
- Blue labour: socially conservative
What are the main values of the Liberal Democrats?
- Human rights and democracy
- The environment
- Constitutionalism (suspicious of gov power)
- Social justice and reform
- Multiculturalism
What did the liberal party emerge from?
A coalition between whigs and radicals
How did the Liberal Democrats influence the 2010 coalition?
Injected green politics and pupils premium to support school funding.
Why did the electorate punish the Liberal Democrat’s?
Raised uni tuition fees
What leader lost their seat to SNP?
Joe Swinson
What are the two fractions of the Liberal Democrat’s?
- Social liberals: former members of labour. Redistribution of income through tax and welfare.
- Orange book liberals: enhance individual liberties. Neo liberalism, minimal economic interference .
What is co-option?
When the policies of smaller parties are adopted by major parties.
What are SNPs main policies?
- Independence as a sovereign state within the EU.
- Supports constitutional reforms (second elected chamber, proportional rep, vote for 16).
- Abolish uni tuition fees.
- Welfare state.
What are some Green Party policies?
- Low cost, environmentally friendly homes financed by gov.
- Investment in public transportation
- Uni tuition fees abolished
- Wealth tax to top 1% of income ladder
- Living wage of £10 an hour
- Special tax on large banks
- Universal basic income of £90 a week
What are some impacts of minor parties?
- Rise of small parties led to labours loss.
- SNP eclipsed main parties in Scotland. Main parties had to support further devolution.
- UKIP encouraged euroscepticism and reducing immigration.
What is the impact of the Green Party?
- Encouraged main parties to adopt radical environmental policies.
- Became a protest vote.
- In a coalition with Scotland’s SNP.
What is the influence of the SNP?
- Independence ref 2014.
- Scotland Act 2016 (greater devolved power).
- Future independence ref.
What % of Scotland voted remain in 2016 EU ref?
62%
What’s the impact of the women’s equality party on other parties?
- Team of campaigners who were survivors of male violence stood as parliamentary candidates against those with SA allegations. 4/5 stood down.
- Liberal Democrat’s said they’ll adopt their key policies for tackling violence.
What was on the 2019 conservative manifesto?
- Not raising income tax, national insurance or VAT.
- Recruit 10,000 police officers and boost their funding.
- 10 point plan to unleash green Industrial Revolution.
What was in the labour 2019 manifesto?
- Renationalisation of rail ways
- Real living wage of £10
- 5% pay rise for public sector jobs
- Hold a second ref on brexit
What was in the Liberal Democrat 2019 manifesto?
- Tax increase to fund NHS
- Prison a place for rehabilitation
- 2000 more prison officers
- Increase number of teachers and £10billion for schools
- Settle 10000 refugees a year
- Stop brexit
- Insulate all low income homes by 2025
What did Starmer want to do in his 10 pledges in 2020?
- Increase income tax for top 5%
- Clamp down tax avoidance for large corporations
- Common ownership of rail, mail, energy, water
- Moderate immigration
- Nationalisation
- Strengthen workers rights
- Abolish hofL
What were the key policies of May?
- Leg to improve police practice
- Increase NHS spending
- Movement of free school meals and breakfast across primary school
- State pension increase with inflation
- Cut immigration
What were Cameron’s policies?
- Increase private sector share of economy
- Banking regulation
- Prevent crime and youth crime
- Welfare reform bill: benefit cap and universal credit
- Foreign trade and intervention
- Greener economy
- Marriage act 2013
What factors effect minor party success?
- Use of proportional representation
- Concentrated support
- Media support
- Popular ideas
- Charismatic leaders
- Offers something different
What are some failing factors to minor parties?
- Lack of funding
- Discriminatory electoral system
- Limited media exposure
- People feel they are a wasted vote
What factors effect a party’s popularity?
- Manifesto
- Leader
- Media
- Wider political context
- Party unity
- Opposition
What are the functions of parties in the UK?
- Making policy
- Aggregation: Recognising a wide range of demands and converting them into programmes of action.
- Representation: Often claim to represent a specific section of society (i.e. the Labour Party representing the working class) Now all main parties claim they represent the national interest.
- Selecting candidates/leaders
- Organising elections
- Political education.
What are populist parties?
Typically appear and disappear rapidly and claim to represent sections of society who claim to have been ignored by conventional parties – not represented at all.
What are the differences between left populist and right populist parties?
- Left populist parties – typically represent poor people and promote liberal ideas.
- Right populist parties – anti-taxation, anti big business, anti big government.
What is the definition of an issue party?
- Represent a particular cause
- e.g. Green Parties
What are left wing policies?
- Policies that conform to socialist policies
- Redistribution of wealth from rich to poor through taxation & welfare
- Public ownership & state control of key enterprises
- Elimination of privilege
Equal rights & opportunities
What are right wing policies?
- Policies that associate with conservatism
- Promotion of individualism
- State/gov does not interfere with economic & social issues
- Low personal taxation, strict position on law & order
- Stress on patriotism & nationalism
What are the definitions of consensus and adversary politics?
Consensus= general agreement
Adversary= period of conflict
What is consensus politics?
- No fundamental ideological differences between the parties.
- May disagree on details of a policy but an overall agreement.
- This can lead to there being more differences in political beliefs WITHIN political parties as there are BETWEEN political parties.
- In the UK today there is a general consensus on the importance of the NHS and the welfare state.
Where has consensus Politics been seen in political history?
- Post War Consensus (1945-1970)
- Post Thatcher Consensus (1997-2015)
Core values of Tony Blair so popular – Conservatives & Lib Dems had to accept them. - In the UK today there is a general consensus on the importance of the NHS and the welfare state.
What were examples of issues which caused tension during the adversary 1979-90 era?
- Privatising publicly owned industries.
- Legal restrictions on trade unions
- Council houses sold
- Higher level income tax reduced
