PRINCIPLES OF POLITICAL PARTIES Flashcards
what is a political party?
an organisation of people with similar political values and views which develops a set of goals and policies that is seeks to convert into political action by gaining government office
3 general features of political parties
the members share similar political values and views
they seek to secure either the election of their candidates as representatives or to form gov at various levels
have some kind of organisation that develops policy, recruits candidates and identifies leaders
what is a manifesto?
a pre-election document in which a party sets out a series of pledges and legislative proposals that it plans to enact if elected
what is a mandate?
the right of the governing body to pursue policies set out in its manifesto without needing further approval from voters. does not require them to deliver on manifesto promises of prevent the drafting of proposals not included in the manifesto
what is the Salisbury doctrine?
developed in the 1940s as a constitutional convention that the unelected HOL should not frustrate the will of the Commons (cannot oppose bills included in the governing parties manifesto - would interfere with the will of the people)
points for why the concept of an electoral mandate makes sense
FPTP system usually results in a single party government so the winners have the right to implement their policies and this can be done easily
summaries of the main policies are talked about in the mainstream media
members are ‘bound in’ by mandate (maintains discipline)
accountability
points for why the concept of an electoral mandate doesn’t make sense
low turnout at recent general elections means the mandate is not convincing
coalition Govs (e.g. 2010) often struggle to compromise on policies and no single party has a mandate
most voters pay little attention to manifestos and may not agree with all manifesto commitments even if they have
some commitments may be vague/open to interpretation (accountability)
making policy
a set of intentions or a political programme developed by parties about the governments, policies reflect the political stance of parties and governments
The ruling party controls the government most policy is made by ministers and their advisors.
Representation
Parties claim to have a representative function. Many parties have in the past claimed to represent a specific section of society. Today, all main parties argue that they represent the national interest and not just the interest of specific classes or groups. However, in reality parties tend to be biased towards the interest of one section of society.
What is partisan dealignment?
A process which began in the 1970s, whereby voters used to be strongly attached to one party, identified with that party and always voted for it detached themselves from that relationship and even greater numbers it’s closely associated with class dealignment
What is class dealignment?
A trend whereby fewer people consider themselves to be a member of a particular social class and so class has a decreasing impact on their own behaviour
Populist parties
These tend to emerge rapidly and often disappear equally quickly. Typically, they represent people who feel they have been ignored by conventional parties. The appeal of populist parties is usually emotional or visceral and plays on peoples fears and dissatisfactions. They generally take root among the poor who feel left behind and can be both left and right wing.
Selecting candidates
A key function is to select candidates to fight local regional memorial in German elections in the National party. Leadership may have some influence over which candidates are chosen, but it is in this role that the local constituency parties have the greatest part of play, they find prospective candidates who go through selection process to become an approved candidate in order to contest a general election once the candidate wins they can claim to have an electoral mandate to represent that seat in the HOC
Identifying leaders
The members of political party also playing important role in the election of the party leader and have procedures in place for identifying leaders
Organising elections
The way in which political parties, campaigns and elections, Plays a key part in the democratic process. party activists deliver leaflets, canvass voters on the doorstep and arrange political hustings so voters understand the the choice between candidates
