Principles of Political Parties Flashcards
What do Political Parties use manifestos for?
A political party uses its manifesto to set out a coherent body of policies that it would seek to pass into law if elected to office.
What is the Salisbury Doctrine?
It says that the HoL should not oppose any bill that was included in the elected party’s manifesto.
What is a mandate?
The right of the governing body to pursue the policies it sets out in it’s manifesto.
In a democracy should parties be free to ignore their own parties manifesto? Why yes?
Most voters pay little attention to party manifestos.
Sometimes it might be necessary to ignore the manifesto during emergency cases.
Votes don’t usually like everything in the manifesto.
In a democracy should parties free to ignore their own party’s manifesto? Why no?
Ignoring manifestos breaks the trust of the voters.
Define Partisan dealignment.
A process in which voters who used to be strongly attached to one party and always voted for it have detached themselves from that relationship in ever greater numbers
Define Class Dealignment.
A trend where fewer people consider themselves to be a member of a particular social class and so class has a decreasing impact on their voting behaviour.
List three functions of political parties?
Selecting candidates.
Organising elections.
Identifying leaders.
What are populist parties?
Parties that tend to emerge rapidly and often disappear equally quickly. They usually play on people’s fears and dissatisfaction. Can be both left and right wing.
What is cronyism?
Refers to the controversy about ‘cash for honours’ where donors and friends of the party expect a reward for their donations.
How are parties funded?
Collecting membership subscriptions from members.
Holding fundraising events such as festivals, conferences and dinners.
Receiving donations from supporters etc.
What donations do the CP party attract?
Large donations from wealthy individuals and business corporations.
What is the impact of large donations on political parties?
Larger parties have better access to funds from wealthy individuals, businesses, and corporations, while smaller parties often lack regular sources of income and rely on idealistic donors.
How much of the Labour Party’s income came from trade unions in 2014-2015?
Nearly 60% of the party’s total income, amounting to £11 million.
What are the changes happening regarding union donations?
Rules for union donations are changing, potentially making it easier for individual union members to opt out of contributing to the party.
What does the Political Parties, Elections, and Referendums Act (PPERA) 2000 regulate?
• People not on the UK electoral roll can no longer make donations
• Spending limits for parliamentary elections (£30,000 per constituency)
• Donations over £5,000 must be declared
• Donations over £7,500 must be placed on an electoral register
What did the 2009 Political Parties and Elections Act (PPEA) introduce?
Tighter regulations on spending and donations based on the regulations established by PPERA.
Why is party funding considered controversial in the UK?
• Funding is biased towards the two biggest parties, disadvantaging smaller parties.
• Major parties are at a huge advantage, while smaller parties struggle to compete, promoting political inequality.
• Donations from large donors may lead to political influence, where donors expect a return on their investment.
What form of political influence is considered problematic with large donations?
Large donations can create an unaccountable form of political influence, where donors expect to shape policies or gain political returns from their investment.
What form of political influence is considered problematic with large donations?
Large donations can create an unaccountable form of political influence, where donors expect to shape policies or gain political returns from their investment.
What is “cash-for-honours,” and why is it controversial?
Cash-for-honours” refers to donors giving large sums of money to political parties in return for honors such as knighthoods or peerages. For example, JCB owner Antony Bamford donated over £2.5 million to the Conservative Party, raising concerns about undue influence.
How has the decline in party membership affected party funding?
The decline in membership has made parties more reliant on large donations, opening up the possibility for increased corruption and political influence from donors.
What are some examples of large donations to political parties between 2015 and 2017?
• The Conservative Party received £11.3 million from the financial sector.
• The Conservatives received £3.6 million from property companies.
• Hedge fund proprietor Angus Fraser donated £1,137,400 to the Conservatives.
• Unite trade union gave £657,702 to Labour in early 2017.
• UNISON donated £376,242 to Labour.
What criticism is often made about union donations to political parties?
Union donations have been criticized as undemocratic because they can be made on behalf of members without explicit consent, giving unions significant influence over party policies.
What are the four basic types of solutions proposed for reforming UK party funding?
- Impose restrictions on the size of individual donations to parties.
- Impose spending limits on how much parties are allowed to spend.
- Restrict donations to individuals (outlawing donations from businesses, pressure groups, and trade unions).
- Replace all funding with state grants for parties, paid out of general taxation.
What did the 2007 Phillips Report suggest regarding political party funding?
The report suggested a strong case for political parties to be funded through taxation, proposing state funding models like “pence-per-voter” or “pence-per-member.”
What types of state funding already exist for political parties in the UK?
• Policy Development Grants: Available to any party with at least two sitting MPs, used for hiring policy advisors.
• Short Money: Distributed to opposition parties to fund their parliamentary work based on seats and votes won in the previous election.
• Subsidies for TV broadcasts and campaign postage costs.
What is Short Money, and what is it used for?
Short Money, named after Ted Short, is used to fund opposition parties’ parliamentary work, such as research facilities. The amount is based on the number of seats and votes each party won in the previous election.
How is Short Money distributed, and what criticism does it face?
Short Money is heavily biased toward larger parties, as it is based on the number of seats won in previous elections. For example, since 2015, the Labour Party received £6.7 million in Short Money per annum, while the SNP received £1.2 million.
