Political Parties (Funding, Regulation, Make Up) Flashcards
Why is party funding controversial?
- favour two main parties
- large donors can be hidden and unaccountable
- expected peerage ‘cash for honours’
- lacks regulation/limits
What was the ‘cash for peerage’ scandal 2006?
Blair nominated 4 wealthy business men who had lent labour a total of £5 million.
what were trends in party funding for Conservative party and the Green Party in 2019?
- Conservatives declined 35%
- Green increased 65%
What are examples of cash for Peerages?
- 2006 Blair nominated 4 wealthy business men who had lent labour a total of £5mil.
- 2020 1/4 peerages were Tory donors.
Define short money.
Financial support for the opposition.
What is the tax allowance Act 2014?
- Marriage tax benefits: Reduced income tax, and ability to pass money onto spouse without injuring inheritance tax.
Want are potential funding reforms?
- Impose restrictions on the size of individual donations to parties.
- Impose tighter restrictions on how much parties are able to spend.
- Restrict donations to individuals; outlaw donations from businesses, pressure groups, and trade unions.
- Replace all funding with state grants, paid for out of general taxation.
What are arguments for parties receiving more public funding?
- Donations by individuals are disproportionate and unfair.
- Would enable smaller parties to have greater input in democracy.
- Curb influence of corruption and private bankers on party policy.
- State matched funding might encourage participation.
How much did parties receive 6 weeks prior to the 2019 General Election period?
- A total of £30.7 million in registered donations.
- Just under two-thirds (63%) of this was donated to the Conservative Party.
Where did 60% of labours income come from in 2014-15?
Trade Unions
What did the Political Parties, Elections & Referendums Act 2000 do?
- Established the Electoral Commission.
- People not on the electoral roll cannot donate (no foreign influence)
- Donations over £500 must be declared.
- Donations over £7500 must be placed on an electoral register.
—> transparency
What legislation has improved transparency of party funding?
- Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000
- Political Parties & Elections Act 2009
How much funding did the Conservatives gain in donations during the 2019 election period?
under two-thirds of all donations; 19.4m
What are success factors of political parties?
- manifesto
- choice of candidates/campaign
- leaders
- media
- wider political context
- unity
- opposition
What are drawbacks to funding reform?
- Little public appetite as tax payers are reluctant to see their taxes pay for parties.
- Likely large parties will be placed at an advantage. Hard to decide how funding will be allocated.
- Donations by individuals are willingly done and are manageable.
What was the ‘COVID loans for Tory donors?’
Companies that received taxpayer backed loans to help them survive the pandemic continued to donate tens and thousands of pounds to the Conservative Party.
How many seats do Lib Dem’s have?
14
How many seats does the Green Party have?
1
What % of Britains supported the PMs expansion of stop and search powers?
75%
What % of Britain thought the minimum wage was too low?
53%
How much funding did the Green Party get in 2019?
£245,000
How much funding did the women’s equality party get in 2019?
£60,000
What are a few sources of finance for UK parties?
- Membership subscriptions.
- Holding fundraising events.
- Receiving donations.
- State (cranbourne/short money)
- Up to £2 million in grants per party from the electoral commission.
What did the Political parties elections and referendums act 2000 do?
- People not on the UK electoral roll could no longer make donations.
- Limits were placed in how much can be spent
- Donations over £500 to be declared.
- Donations over £7500 to be placed on an electoral register.
What did the Political Parties & Elections Act 2009 do?
Gave the electoral commission the power to investigate and impose fines, restrict donations from non uk residents, and impose tighter regulations.
What % of people do not know where they stand on the political spectrum?
29%
Fill in blank: All donations that excess ________ must be registered with the Electoral Commission.
£7,500
How much did the Lib Dems get in donations during the 2019 election period?
£1.3 million
How much did trade unions donate to labour during tho 2019 election period?
£5 million
What was the % increase of donations to the Green Party from 2017 compared to the 2019 election period?
65%
How much did individuals and companies donate to parties prior the 2019 general election?
- Individuals- £19 million/ 62%. (Highest share)
- Companies- £6.6 million/ 21%.
What is the requirement for short money?
- Secure either 2 seats or 1 seat with a gain of 150,000 votes from the previous election.
