Political Parties: Structure Flashcards
What is a political party?
Groups of like-minded individuals who seek to realise their shared goals by fielding candidates at elections and thereby securing election to public office
What are the types of minority or “niche” parties?
- Nationalist parties
- Single-issue parties
Examples of nationalist parties
SNP, Plaid Cymru, Mebyon Kernow
Differences between political parties and pressure groups
Political Parties:
- Broad portfolio of policies guided by an ideology
- Inclusive (Open membership structures)
- Contest elections with view to securing power
- Highly organised
Pressure Groups:
- Pursue narrower cause or sectional interest
- More exclusive
- Only field candidates at election for awareness
- Internally undemocratic
What is a two-party system?
Where two fairly equally matched parties compete for power at elections and others have little realistic chance of breaking the duopoly
What is a single-party system?
One party dominates, bans other parties and exercises total control over candidacy at elections - where elections occur at all
What is a dominant-party system?
A number of parties exist but only one holds government power
What is a multi-party system?
Many parties compete for power and the government consists of a series of coalitions formed by different combinations of parties
Is Britain a two party system?
Yes:
- Labour and Conservatives only parties with chance of government
- Lab and Con secured 65.1% of pop vote in 2010 winning 86.8% of seats
- Lib Dems (3rd) still long way behind second place
No:
- 34.9% backed other parties
- Lib Dems come 2nd to Lab in north and west and Cons in south and east
- Potential for “two and a half party system” where Lib Dems involved in coalitions
- Different parts of UK operate under different party systems
- Any party that could mobilise non-voters could win
What are the roles performed by political parties?
- Representation
- Participation
- Political recruitment
- Policy formulation
- Providing stable government
What is the structure of the Labour Party?
- Those who join are assigned a local branch
- Branches select candidates for local elections and send delegates to the General Committee of the Constituency Labour Party (CLP)
- CLP organises party at constituency level
- CLP takes lead in local and national campaigns and plays a part in selecting candidates for parliamentary elections
- National Executive Committee (NEC) is main national organ
- NEC enforces party discipline, ensures smooth running of party, has final say on selection of parliamentary candidates and oversees the preparation of policy proposals
What is the structure of the Conservative Party?
- Branches correspond to local council wards
- Conservative Associations (CA) play a key role in organising party at grassroots
- CAs plan election campaigns and select parliamentary candidates
- National party is organised at Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ) at Millbank, Westminster
What is meant by internal party democracy?
A measure of the extent to which rank-and-file members have genuine power within a given political party.
What three processes are commonly considered when assessing how internally democratic a party is?
- How leaders are chosen
- How candidates for parliamentary elections are selected
- How party policy is formulated
How does the Conservative Party choose it’s leaders?
- Only sitting Tory MPs may stand
- MPs must be nominated and seconded
- A series of ballots is held amongst Tory MPs with the lowest placed eliminated after each round
- Individual party members then choose between the final two by postal ballot
How does the Labour Party choose it’s leaders?
- Elections operate under an electoral college employing AV
- Electoral college divided into three sections:
- Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) + MEPs
- Affiliated organisations
- Ordinary party members
- Candidates must be nominated by 12.5% of MPs if there is vacancy - 20% to issue a challenge
- If no candidate gets over 50% on first ballot, further ballots must be held on an elimination basis, using preferences until a winner emerges
- Operates on OMOV basis
How does the LIberal Democrats choose it’s leaders?
- Must have 10% of parliamentary party and nominated by at least 200 members from at least 20 different local parties
- Election operates on OMOV basis under preferential STV system
- Losing candidates eliminated and votes transferred until a candidate gets 50%
How does the Conservative Party select parliamentary candidates?
- Prospective candidates get onto an “approved” list of candidates by attending a formal panel interview
- Approved candidates apply to local CAs and get onto a shortlist
- Short-listed candidates garner the support of party activists by attending a constituency general meeting
- Nominations can be vetoed by the national party’s Ethics and Integrity Committee
How did David Cameron attempt to broaden the range of candidates selected?
- A-lists
- Hustings
- Open Primaries
How does the Labour Party select parliamentary candidates?
- Prospective candidates must get their name onto the NEC’s approved list
- The list is forwarded to CLPs which draw up shortlists before selecting their preferred candidate under OMOV
- NEC can impose it’s own choice
What is a women-only shortlist?
Where a constituency party is required to draw up an entirely female shortlist from which their parliamentary candidate will be chosen
How do the Liberal Democrats select parliamentary candidates?
- Prospective candidates must be vetted by national party (England, Wales, Scotland)
- Can then apply to constituency parties for selection
- Shortlisted candidates go forward to a ballot of all constituency party members
How does the Conservative Party make policy?
Mostly by party leadership
How does the Labour Party make policy?
- National Policy Forum (NPF) appoints policy commissions to make proposals which are then formalised in the NEC
- It then goes to the party conference for approval
