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
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
4
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
4
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
4
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
Privatisation
the transfer of a business industry or service from public to private sector
concerns: strikes, monopoly, no one buy shares
but Thatcher ran with it - 128B debt by state run industries
Treasury in favour of it - huge sums of money to be made, nationalised industries ineffecient
Initial attitudes - tarditionalists disagreed, expensive
Sold energy, gas, airlines - British telecoms - 173p each, profit of 30% made a day
neoliberal
Sale of Council houses
appealed to working english class - ‘Right to buy’
those left out - unemployed, fell below 3M
neoliberal
High unemployment
50,000 during 1980s, 20% pop, Teeside
Unemployment hit hardest in industrial highlands
neoliberal
Taking on the trade unions
Thatcher saw trade unions - couldnt see a worthwile purpose, but still wielded political count
Strongest in mines
To weather miner’s strike (a year from March 1984-arch 1985) , 20 uneconomic pits for closure, 50M tons of coal piled for blackouts
Defeat of mines symbolic - willpower of margaret, winning state shown, 80% off mines didnt want to go off work
Social unrest and polarisation of political opinion
Riots in Yorkshire
Political faction leader tearing up communities - ‘No turning back’ (dining group of tories) - pushed Thatcherism, privatise edu and health (freestanding hospitals)
Fall of Thatcherism
- ousted by own party in 1990s, poll tax too far, john major took over
- gov now characterised as sex scandal and economic blunder, new labour party took over after
4
David Cameron coalition
- ‘heir to Blair’
- Joint programme for government
- Speaks with one voice
- Con - 307 seats, Lib Dems - 57
4
May’s Conservative government
- won a majority very few predicted
- manifesto focused on cutting deficit and keeping austerity
- unreliability of labour
- struggled to negotiate brexit w.o strong majority
3
Old labour values and policies
- equality - redisribution of england
- class conflict - prioritise working class
- collectivism and common ownership
policies:
- welfare state - nhs 1940s
- trade union power - interest of members
- nationalisation - public ownership of major industries - state control in interest of communities and worker’s in those industries
3
New Labour under Blair values and policies
- rejection of class conflict
- role of capitalism - best way to create wealth in markets
- acceptance of individualism and communitarianism
3
Jeremy Corbyn
- most rebellious mp 1997-2010
- fundamentally old labour
- 2017 manifesto - high taxation, abolition of tuition fees, renationalisation of energy markets
Keir Starmer
- after disastrous 2019 ge, he stood in
- secured 56% of the vote
- arguably more centrist
3
Labour policies
- green prosperity plan 0 C02 by 2023, decarbonising elec
- crime - punishment, 1/2 violent crime, new labour
- economics - old lab, no wealth tax, not raise top rate of income tax
3
Liberal Democrats and core values
- liberty - state interfere as little as possible
- welfare - people not free in poverty
- social reform and multiculutralism - lgbt, women rights
Liberal Democrats policies
- law and order - prisons rehabilitate offenders as much as punish
- welfare - 20K more teachers, benefit systems encourage work
- foreign policy - support NATO
- constitutional reform - scared human rights leaving
Faction definition
a disctinct group within a political party whose views vary significantly from the main party policies
some have formal membership and organisations whilst other looser and represent policy tendency
2 Conservative factions
Cornerstone - traditional views, christian, nationalist, family views
cornerstone of maddy’s hatred
opposed to social reforms such as legal abortions
jacob rees mogg
Conservative way forward - thatcherite, neo-liberal, retention of free markets through low tax
liam fox
Labour factions
Momentum - far left wing, seeing wealth redistribution than tax, public ownership of key industries
jeremy corbyn
Blairites/social labour - centrists, key supporters of new labour and the third way - capitalism to contribute to society
Yvette Cooper
Liberal Democrats factions
Orange book liberals - traditional liberal values of free markets and the withdrawal of the state from excessive intereference
Ed Davey
Social Liberals - social justice, wealth redistribution through tax and welfare provision
Jo swinson
European Research Group
Led by chairman Jacob rees mogg alongsiode steve baker - split over may brexit deal - pushed back 6 months
thereatened voting strikes to get brexit deal done - demanded vonc, she defeated them
99 mps against extension 30th june, 80 obstained
senior members plucked for ministerial office
