Political Parties (UK Pol 2)

Question 1

What is a political party?

Answer 1

A group of likeminded individuals who seek to realise their shared goal by fielding candidates at elections and thus securing election to public office

Question 2

Functions of political parties:

Answer 2

-provide representation
-encourage public engagement and participation
-formulate policy
-recruitment of politically viable candidates
-providing stable government

Question 3

Types of political party

Answer 3

-mainstream (Cons, Lab, Lib Dem)
-National (SNP, Plaid Cymru)
-Issue-based (Green, Reform, Workers)

Question 4

Functions of minor parties

Answer 4

-represent a particular area/ cause
-force policy change (think UKIP and Brexit)
-prevent government complacency
-political engagement
-exacerbate the flaws of FPTP

Question 5

Why do parties need funding?

Answer 5

-campaigns
-conferences
-research
-paying staff

Question 6

What is short money?

Answer 6

State funding available to all opposition parties with at least 2 seats in the commons or one seat with over 150,000 votes

2023 Labour received around £7 mil

Question 7

What is cranbourne money?

Answer 7

State funds available to all opposition parties in the Lords

2023= Labour got around £820k

Question 8

What are policy development grants (PDGs)?

Answer 8

State funds available to all parties as a share of £2 million given by the electoral commission

-first £1 million is equally distributed
-formula used to calculate how the other £1 million is distributed, using share of vote and proportion of the electorate where the party contests elections

In 2023-24, Cons Lib Dem’s and labour all got equal amounts (£432,525)

Question 9

Arguments in favour of state funding

Answer 9

-parties represent the public so it makes sense for them to be funded by them
-reduces reliance on corrupt organisations
-prevents government from limiting the funding of other parties (think 2016 TU act)
-encourages participations and ensures that parties have more equal footing

Question 10

Arguments against state funding

Answer 10

-isolates parties from real world issues that they’d be exposed to normally by other companies
-tax payers shouldn’t have to fund parties they oppose (undemocratic)
-parties will always still have unequal resource

Question 11

Examples of membership funding

Answer 11

-Corbyns £3 membership scheme which aimed to make more people join
-2021 Labour got £16mil from membership so it worked
-same year cons got £2 mil

Question 12

Examples of trade unions funding

Answer 12

2021 labour got £6 mil (13% of total)
2010-22 the RMT has donated £240k to Labour

Question 13

2016 TU act

Answer 13

Gave new TU members the choice between contribution to funding Labour or not (before they were automatically made to contribute)

Question 14

Examples of donations from local fundraising

Answer 14

-2021 Labour got £200k

Question 15

Examples of donations from businesses and organisations

Answer 15

-Lord Sainsbury’s donated £2 mil to labour in 2023
-Frank Hester donated £5 mil to tories in 2024
-Ecclestone £1 mil to labour in 1997

Question 16

2000 politics parties, elections and referendums act (PPERA)

Answer 16

-parties limited to spending £30k per constituency on campaigns
-all donations over 5k (now 11k) to electoral commission

Question 17

2009 Political parties and elections act (PPEA)

Answer 17

-electoral commission can now investigate donation cases and criminalise/ fine those who break rules
-restrictions on foreign donations

Question 18

Examples of funding scandals

Answer 18

-1997= ecclestone donates £1mil to Labour in an attempt to delay the banning of smoking ads in formula one
-2006 Cash for peerages scandal
-Frank Hester allegations of racism and sexism yet tories still frequently accept donations from him
-2005= Micheal Brown donates £2.4 mil to Lib Dem and is later jailed for perjury (lying under oath)

Question 19

Features of one nation conservatism (largest conservative faction)

Answer 19

-pragmatic
-gradual change
-paternalism
-mixed economy

Established by Disraeli in the late 1800s

Question 20

Features of Thatcherism

Answer 20

-dogmatic
-radical change
-individualistic
-free market

Question 21

Examples of Conservative Party factionalism

Answer 21

-Rwanda (lee Anderson resignation 2024)
-Brexit (May and Cameron being europhilic forced to resign)
-European research group who pushed for a no deal Brexit
-northern research group advocate for more funding to the north whilst most other tories focus on southern support

Question 22

Features of old labour (think kier Hardie, 1900s what not)

Answer 22

-dogmatic
-mostly working class
-interventionist
-public sectors
-social justice
-universal welfare

Question 23

Features of new labour (Blair and Brown)

Answer 23

-pragmatic
-not limited to the working class (Corbyns “for the many not the few” although he isn’t strictly new labour)
-market economy
-private-public relationships
-social inclusion
-targeted welfare

Question 24

Labour party factionalism

Answer 24

-lot of opposition to corbynities
-Blair vs brown
-Red Labour (very left like corbyn) vs Blue labour (centre left like the milibands and Starmer somewhat) vs Purple Labour (New labour and Blair)

Question 25

How did the Lib Dem’s form

Answer 25

1988 out of the SDP-liberal alliance
SDP formed by Gang of Four who departed from labour in 1981

Question 26

Features of social liberals

Answer 26

-modern liberalism
-Keynesian economics
-progressive

Think Davey and Farron

Question 27

Features of orange book liberals

Answer 27

-classical liberalism
-individualism and neoliberalism
-Thatcherite influence

Think Clegg (big advocate of constitutional reform)

Question 28

Green Party stats

Answer 28

-one seat (Caroline Lucas for Brighton pavilion) from 2010-24
-reduce social inequalities (scrap tuition fees and increase minimum wage) and ban fracking and reach net 0
-victimised by FPTP (2015=. 3.8% of vote but one seat but in 2019 SNP got 3.9% vote and 48 seats)

Question 29

UKIP stats

Answer 29

-24 seats in 2014 European Parliament elections (more than any other party)
-victims of FPTP (2015= 12.7% vote by one seat)
-tackling immigrations and advocating private education

Question 30

SNP stats

Answer 30

-want independence refs (done in 2014 and denied in 2022)
-more devolved finance, like national insurance and inheritance tax and NHS funding via Barrett formula
-2015=56/59 Scottish seats 2019=48

Question 31

Conservative leadership elections

Answer 31

-candidates report to 1922 committee who sets the rules for race
-Series of ballots until the field is narrowed won to 2 candidates
-OMOV

Question 32

Labour leadership election

Answer 32

-candidates need support of 10% (was 15%) parliamentary Labour Party and support from either 5% constituency parties or 3 affiliated companies (2 of which must be TUs)
-OMOV

Question 33

Lib Dem leadership election

Answer 33

-candidates need nomination of 20 local parties or 200 members
-OMOV under AV

Question 34

Examples of widening recruitment

Answer 34

Labours all women shortlists and Conservatives A-lists (minorities and women)

Question 35

Arguments that the UK is still a 2 party system

Answer 35

-minorities are disproportionately impacted by FPTP (UKIP and green)
-2010 Lib Dem’s got 23% vote and 62 seats by cons got 36% and 198 seats
-2017=82.4% voters voted for one of the two main parties
-since ww2 all government have involved either cons or lab

Question 36

Arguments that the uk is not still a 2 party system

Answer 36

-2 of the last 4 goes have been supported by minor parties
-FPTP= fewer majority (or weaker majority) governments
-2010= only 65% of people voted for one of the 2 main parties
-UKIP forcing through EU referendum
-SNP being £rd party from 2015-19 (shows changing attitudes to minor parties)

Question 37

Arguments that a 2 party system is good

Answer 37

-easier to gain a majority and thus an electoral manadate
-multi party is too many ideas all at once and unpredictable, leading to slow decision making and public disengagement

Question 38

Arguments that a 2 party system is bad

Answer 38

-decreased pluralism= less debate or consideration of issues
-voter apathy esp in safe seats
-under representation of minorities
-difficult decision making due to constant back and fourth