Political parties essay plan stats Flashcards
How can ‘Representation be the most important function of a political party’?
Democratic pluralism
– allow for the multiplicity of right/left wing views to compromise
o Current cross-party talks on Brexit with Theresa May potentially caving on ‘red lines’ relating to a customs union; Conservative compromise with Lib Dems over holding AV 2011
How is encouraging participation the most important fuction of a party?
o Parties encourage participation (e.g. to vote; in 2017 election, the conservatives spent £18.5 campaigning for people to vote for them, with £2.1m spent on Facebook ads alone); in 2017, 68.8% turnout, larger numbers vital for proper mandate/legitimacy
Bernie Ecclestone
. Bernie Ecclestone donated £1m to Labour, leading to delay in ban on tobacco ads in F1
How much did parties raise in 2017
Labour raised £55.8m in 2017, Conservative £45.9m
What shows influence of donations?
o 2001-2017, the top ten Conservative donors alone pumped more than £36m into the party; their excessive influence is undemocratic, and leads to corruption e.g. 2015 Oxford study showing link between donations and peerages
What is the 2016 Trade union act
- 2016 Trade Union Act obliged new trade union members to ‘opt-in’ for political payments, needs reform
o Guardian: ‘undemocratic piece of partisan law-making’ as affects Labour (who are partially funded by trade unions), union contributions to Labour important for enabling equality between two major parties
Sir Hayden Phillips
Did up idea in 2007 for state funding of parties
Clause 28
stopped councils and schools “promoting the teaching of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship.” in 1988 - thatchers reign
What are examples of thatcherism introducing policies of moral authoritarianism
like implementation of Clause 28 preventing local authorities from ‘promoting homosexuality’.
Economic policy of tories has stayed consistent
o In economic policy, Cameron’s policy of public spending cuts (‘austerity’) reduced size of the state; for example, budget of Whitehall depts cut by up to 25%, with withdrawal of state from public service provision. With welfare, Osborne distinguished between ‘strivers’ and ‘shirkers’ and introduced the ‘universal credit’ system intending to simplify welfare and encourage low-income people to take up employment.
What shows Tories to be pro environment
Boris releasing a 20 moint plan for a Green Industrial Revolution - net zero by 2050
What shows Tories to be anti environment
Cameron - Cut solar incentives by 65%, binned a £1bn competition to fund a trial Carbon Capture and Storage plant, scrapped a plan to make all new homes zero-carbon by 2016, made renewable energy generators pay a carbon tax, reportedly told aides to ‘get rid of all the green crap’ on energy bills
Camerons euroscepticism
o Prior to the referendum, Cameron hoped to renegotiate free movement of people, reduce power of the Commission, cut the EU budget and keep non-Euro countries out of further integration.
Economic policy of labour
commitment e.g. 2017 Manifesto would lead to (acc. to IFS) income tax rate of 67.5% for those earning £100k
Example that New Labour wasn’t that big a departure from the Old
o Deputy PM John Prescott argued New Labour embodied traditional values in a modern setting’, highlighted need to moderate between old-style socialism and free market capitalism
