Structure and Organisation of the three main UK Parties Flashcards
how does the structure of the Labour Party shape up at local level
- Those who join the labour party are assigned to a local branch (lowest level of party organisation)
- Branches select candidates for local elections and send delegates to the General Committee of the Constituency Labour Party (CLP)
- The CLP organises the party at constituency level
- The CLP takes the lead in local and national election campaigns and plays a part in selecting candidates for parliamentary elections
- However, the extension of one member, one vote (OMOV) has diminished the role of constituency party leaders in relation to regular members
how does the structure of the Labour Party shape up at national level
- The National Executive Committee (NEC) is the main national organ of the labour party
- It enforces party discipline, ensures the smooth running of the party, has the final say on the selection of parliamentary candidates, and oversees the preparation of policy proposals.
- Although the annual conference was once the party’s sovereign policy-making body, its role diminished somewhat in the 1990s
what is ‘parachuting’ people in
the National Executive Committee (NEC) for labour and the Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ) formerly known as the Conservative Central Office (CCO) can ‘parachute’ in people within the party who have a background in politics but who are no longer MPs to run for a constituency i.e. Boris Johnson for the Tories
how does the structure of the Conservative Party shape up at local level
- similar structure to the Labour Party at the local level.
- Branches corresponding to local council wards operate below the constituency-level Conservative Associations (CA)
- The CA’s play a key role in organising the party at grassroots level and planning election campaigns
- As with the Labour party, however, the CAs no longer have free rein in selecting parliamentary candidates.
what is the national branch of the Conservative Party called
The national party is organised around the Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ) at Millbank, Westminster.
what did the national branch of the Conservative Party used to be called
The party’s headquarters were previously referred to as Conservative Central Office (CCO)
how do the Lib dems work at local level
- As a party, the Liberal Democrats are organised along federal lines
- Separate national parties in England, Scotland, and Wales operate with a fair degree of autonomy within their own geographical jurisdictions – and a series of regional parties exist under each national party
- In the absence of a separate ‘English Parliament’ (or ‘English Assembly’) to mirror those institutions in Scotland and Wales, the English Liberal Democrats are governed by the English Council Executive
- This body comprises the representatives of all 11 English regional Liberal Democrat parties
how do the Lib Dems work at national level
- At the UK level, the Liberal Democrats are governed by a number of federal institutions that were traditionally coordinated by the Federal Executive
- However, the party’s 2016 autumn conference opted to replace this executive with a new Federal Board – a body that would shape the strategic direction of the party and oversee the work of the party’s other federal committees.
what processes are considered when assessing how internally democratic a political party is
- The way in which leaders are chosen
- The way in which candidates for parliamentary elections are selected
- The way in which party policy is formulated
how do the Conservative Party pick a leader
- Conservative MPs vote in a series of ballots designed to narrow the field of leadership candidates down to two
- Party members vote on a one member, one vote (OMOV) basis to decide which of these two candidates becomes party leader.
how do the Labour Party pick a leader
- Candidates must secure the nomination of 15% of the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) to qualify for the ballot
- Party members and registered supports vote on a one member, one vote basis under an alternative vote system
how do the Liberal Democrats choose a leader
- Candidates must secure the nomination of 20 local parties or 200 party members to qualify for the ballot
- Party members vote on a one member, one vote basis under an alternative vote system
how have all three parties traditionally picked parliamentary candidates
- First, hopefuls must get their names on to a centrally vetted, approved list of prospective candidates
- Second, the local party draws up a shortlist from those approved candidates
- Third, constituency party members vote for their preferred candidate, whether in person at a meeting or by postal ballot
what have Labour done in recent years to try widen the pool from which prospective parliamentary candidates are chosen
the use of all-women shortlists
what have the Conservative Party done in recent years to try widen the pool from which prospective parliamentary candidates are chosen
experimented with public hustings, open primaries, and priority lists (A-lists)
how do the Tories establish party policy
- Conservative Party policy was traditionally shaped mainly by the party leader until the late 1990s.
- Though leaders consulted senior figures and members, the process remained top-down.
who was reportedly behind the the 2015 Conservative manifesto
Jo Johnson (younger brother of Boris Johnson)
Who wrote the 2010 Conservative manifesto
David Cameron, Oliver Letwin, and Steve Hilton.
who wrote the 1992 Conservative manifesto
John Major claimed full authorship of the 1992 GE manifesto: “It was all me.”
how do Labour establish party policy
Labour Party conferences were once genuine policy-making events, but this changed in 1997.
A new 2-year policy cycle was introduced:
- National Policy Forum appointed commissions to draft proposals.
- Proposals went to the NEC, then to party conference for approval.
This process reduced public conflict but also made conferences seem like a rubber stamp.
who wrote the 2010 Labour manifesto
It was largely written by Ed Miliband
who wrote the 2015 Labour manifesto
- Academics like Jonathan Rutherford
- MPs like Jon Cruddas
- Marc Stears, Miliband’s close friend and speechwriter
how do the Lib Dems establish party policy
- The Liberal Democrats’ federal structure was once seen as making them the most democratic of the main UK parties in policy-making.
- However, the party leadership has influenced the Federal Policy Committee, allowing it to steer policy to some extent.
how many members did Labour have in 2016
515,000
