Political parties - unit 1 Flashcards
What is a political party?
An organisation of people with similar political values and/or views which develop a set of goals and policies which seek to convert them into political action by obtaining gov office
Three main features of political parties:
- they share similar political values
- seek election of candidates and ideally form a gov
- an organisation structure that develops policies, recruits candidates and identify leaders
Three controversial features/variations of political parties:
- some seek mass membership instead of mass support
- narrow v broad range of policies (Brexit v Conserv), focused on gaining power rather than influential politics
- highly organsied v loose, less permanent
Left wing
Section of a political party/system that advocates greater social and economic equality, and typically favours socially liberal ideas - they are relatively socialist and quite progressive
Right wing
A range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierachies as inevitable, typically supporting this position based on natural law, economics, authority, property and tradition
Centrist
Moderate political views and policies
Features of a political parties pg 6 finish
One nation conservatism - order
- Edmund Burke said ‘good order is the foundation of good things’ - disordered society - links with human nature
One nation conservatism - tradition
- Institutions like monarch, church and values like preservation of marriage and nuclear families
- Greatest critics of french revolution abandoning traditional forums of authority have stood the test of time - no generation should ever be so rash to consider itself superior to its predecessors
- Bring to an existing society some of the best aspects of past societies - how people thought and behaved in the past can inform current generations
One nation conservatism - pragmatism
- Flexible approach to politics
- Understanding what is best for people, what is acceptable, preserve stable society
- Economic crisis 2008 - reduction in taxes wanted, but needs to reduce government budget deficit
- Political action should be bc of a gentle relationship with government and governed, not conflict
One nation
- People tied together bc a common sense of being members in a independent society
- 2 nations - inevitable society, no divide in middle classes from industrial and capitatilst growth, people well off responcibility to care for poorer sections of society
One nation conservatism - ‘human nature’
Pessimistic view, stresses importance of competitive nature of people, likely to fall into disorder easy to follow false ideas , so suspicious of new ones
- crave order and security, individual people with individual goals
Thatcherism neo-liberal economic themes
- state should disengage from political management
- trade unions hinder economic development
- welfare benefits detrimental, dependancy culture
- high taxation is a disincentive for productivity
Thatcherism neo-conservatism themes
- belief in the promotion of traditional moral values for stable society
- requirement for strong forces of law and order in an authoritarian state, improve social morality
- nationalism, national pride and unification are the best way to maintain stable society
- distrust of multinational organisations like the EU believing pursuit of national interest should take priority
Thatcherism
kenneth baker says instinct than ideology
- state should do less so individual could do more
- state spend less so indivudal spend more
- state own less so indivudal could own more
