Political parties II - unit 1

Question 1

UKIP main policies

Answer 1

• fix nhs - 1B invest, 750K hospitaks, social care cap
• grow economy - 20K jobs in 5 years
• Working family - 30hrs free childcare, energy support payment

Question 2

Green party policies

Answer 2

• free school meals
• carbon tax - 27B road scheme cancelled
• 3hrs free childcare

Question 3

3

SNP policies

Answer 3

• scot independence
• infrastructure projects in scot
• funding nhs

Question 4

DUP policies

Answer 4

• more funding for nhs
• anti - immigration
• anti eu

Question 5

3

How different parties have impacted British politics

Answer 5

• Become power brokers - constitution in 2010-15 - con needed lib dems, dup propped up in may c&s agreement 2017-19
• Devolved gov (SNP power in scotland, propped up by the greens), ni power sharing agreement is functioning - dup and sinn fein power sharing agreement
• UKIP arguably led the uk to leaving eu in 2016 in Brexit referendum - pushed con to the right and led to con calling brexit ref in 2015 manifesto

Question 6

3

How multiple parties have little significant impact

Answer 6

• locked out from fptp - ukip 2015 - 3.8M votes, 1 seat, 12.6%
• 2 party system inevitabely results in tory or labour pms - havent had a non-lab/con pm since 1920s, over 100 years ago, most of the time only propped
• support is transitory - ukip vote collapsed since brexit - 0.04% in 2019, lost all council seats in 2023

Question 7

4

How parties achieve party funding

Answer 7

• recieving donations from supporters
• raising loans from wealthy
• events
• membership subscriptions

Northern and Shell Media Group - 1m to ukip
Unite union - 1.8M to lab

Question 8

3

Political parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000

Answer 8

• meant people on uk electoral roll could no longer make sonations (limit foreign influence)
• Place limits on how much can be spent on elections - donations over 500 decalred
• Over 7.5K had to be electoral register

Question 9

Policy development grants

Answer 9

Can be used to hire advisors on policy
Con value of grants - 476K

Question 10

Short Money

Answer 10

Funds given to opposition parties to facilitate their parliamentary work - research facilities
Amount based on how many seats and votes gained on previous elections

Question 11

Cranborne Money

Answer 11

Funds paid to opposition parties in HOL to help with the cost of research and admin to help scrutinise work of gov
2021/22 year - 666K - Labour

Question 11

Argument for state funding (1)

Answer 11

End opportunities for corrupt use of donations - more transparency 2018 electoral commission investing donations to ukip and leave camp worth 2.3m

(harder to scrutinise priv organisations)

Question 12

Argument against state funding (1)

Answer 12

taxpayers may object to their money being used in this way - a member of right wing may be irritated if their tax was going to labour

Question 13

Argument for state funding (2)

Answer 13

will give smaller parties a boost to their electoral chances
con recieved 25m between april and june 2017 companies with 9.5m for lab and only 4.4.m for lib dems in same period

Question 14

Argument against state funding (2)

Answer 14

• parties may lose their indepedence as a result - since supporters no longer donate, they get the budget of the system - less humanising - party in gov maybe power to change rules but highly unlikely

Question 14

Argument for state funding (3)

Answer 14

• improve democracy by creating wider participation in democracy - parties reiceved the funding, angus fraser donated 1.1m to con party - undemocratic form of influence
• ukip 380,630 debt before 2017 election

Question 15

Argument against state funding (3)

Answer 15

• could increase state regulations of parties, which isnt neccessarily a good thing - comes out of tax - harder standard of living, momentum on low budget videos recieve 8m people on facebook during 2017 ge

Question 16

2017 election results

Answer 16

con - 318
lab - 262
third party - 35
89.2% won by 2 main parties

Question 17

2019 election results

Answer 17

365 - con
203 - lab
48 - third party
87.4% - two parties

Question 18

Two party system

Answer 18

2 realisitic chances from gov -2 win maj of votes in elect - not rep

Question 18

Dominant party system, one party system

Answer 18

Democratic systems that do not allow parties to operate freely - highly stable, lack of accountablity

Question 19

Multi party system

Answer 19

Several parties competing for votes - 2 have realistic chance of being in gov or coalitio, less volatile but looks fragile

Question 20

Factors impact that electoral success - leadership

Answer 20

crucial - voters respond to quality of individual for potential pm
qualities voters prefer - experience, decisiveness, ability to lead, media image

2015 - nicholas sturgeon hugley favourable on tv debates - very positive public approval rating in opinion polls

Question 21

Factors impact that electoral success - party unity

Answer 21

a disunited party has no chance of being elected
1980s - con untied with thatcher while lab split - resulted in 2 large victories - 1983 and 1987 ge
2019

Question 22

Factors impact that electoral success - media

Answer 22

whatever the policies are, the electorate are influenced by image of the party portrayed in media such as printed press, newspapers, social media - reinforces political affiliation
momentum