Politics: 2.1 Political Parties Functions and Features Flashcards
What historical interests did the Labour and Conservative parties represent?
Labour historically represented working class interests, while the Conservatives represented the interests of the landed gentry and aristocracy.
What factors have undermined the primary role of political parties?
Partisan and class dealignment, as well as the emergence of ‘catch-all’ parties.
How do parties contribute to citizen education and political engagement?
Parties inform citizens of key issues and encourage political engagement through campaigning during elections.
What role do parties play in candidate selection?
Parties select candidates at all levels and provide political training to those deemed suitable for the job.
What is the significance of policy formulation within parties?
Parties discuss and develop policy proposals, presenting them in a coherent programme (the manifesto) to the electorate.
What is the role of parties in opposition?
In opposition, parties critique the government and propose alternative policies, allowing general membership to take a more active role.
What is ‘aggregation’ in the context of political parties?
Aggregation is the process of converting policies, demands, and ideas into practical policy programmes for government.
What would the House of Commons look like without parties?
Without parties, it would be a gathering of individuals driven by personal goals and ambitions.
How do parties provide order and cohesion in government?
Parties present voters with a clear choice before an election and allow a single party or coalition to form a government.
What is a political party?
A political party is a group of like-minded individuals who seek to realise their shared goals by fielding candidates at elections and thereby securing election to public office.
What is the main aim of most mainstream UK parties?
Most mainstream UK parties ultimately aim to emerge victorious at a general election.
How do political parties differ from pressure groups?
Political parties contest elections to secure control of governmental power, while pressure groups generally have little interest in being elected to office.
What is a mandate?
The right of the governing party to pursue the policies it sets out in its general election manifesto.
What is a manifesto?
A pre-election policy document in which a party sets out a series of policy pledges and legislative proposals that it plans to enact if returned to office.
What is the Salisbury Doctrine?
The convention that the House of Lords does not block or try to wreck legislation that was promised in the manifesto of the governing party.
How does the Salisbury Doctrine relate to electoral mandates?
The Salisbury Doctrine holds that the unelected House of Lords should not oppose any bill included in the governing party’s manifesto at the time of the general elections, allowing the Govemrent of the da to deilver on said manifesto pledges.
What was a significant example of the electoral mandate in hous of Lords reform in practice?
The Labour Party’s promise to remove the rights of hereditary peers in its 1997 general election manifesto, which was fulfilled through the House of Lords Act 1999.
What roles do political parties perform in the UK?
Political parties perform five main roles:
1. Providing representation
2. Encouraging political engagement and participation
3.Engaging in political recruitment
4. Formulating policy
5. Providing stable government
How do parties encourage political engagement?
By making the wider citizenry aware of the issues of the day and promoting participation in the democratic process.
What is the difference between political parties and pressure groups?
Political parties offer a broad portfolio of policies and contest elections, while pressure groups pursue narrower causes and may field candidates primarily to raise their profile.
What are the main functions of political parties ?
Providing Goverment
Formulating policy
Recruiting office holders
Participation
Representation
John Major said about his manifesto it was ‘__ __’ what does this show?
The latter years of the twentieth century saw party leaders taking direct control of the process of drafting the election manifesto. In 1992, the Conservative leader John Major famously declared that the party’s manifesto was ‘all me’.
Give some reasons that the concept of an electoral mandate does makes sense?
Yes
- The franchise is widely held and there is a high level of individual voter registration.
- FPTP electoral system usually results in a single-party government, so it follows that the victors should have the right to implement their stated policies.
- Each party’s manifesto is readily available to voters ahead of polling day, both in print and electronic form.
- Digested summaries of the main policies of each party are disseminated by the mainstream media. Televised leaders’ debates at the last two general elections have seen the leaders of the parties questioned on their main policies.
Give some resons that the concept of an electoral mandate dosen’t makes sense?
-
Low turnout at recent general elections means that the winning party can hardly claim to have secured a convincing mandate.
-Coalition governments such as that seen in the wake of the 2010 general election mean that two or more parties must agree a compromise programme for which **no single party* has a mandate. - Most voters pay little attention to party manifestos, whether in full or digested form. -Voting behaviour is more about long-term factors or personalities than it is about policy detatil.
- Concept of Mandate is flawed as it is impossible for voters to cast a ballot for or against party on the basis of a single policy.
What was the status of the BNP by 2016?
By 2016, the BNP had been reduced to a single local councillor and just 500 members.
