Stucture Of Parties Flashcards
What is CLP
CLP (constituency Labour Party)
Selects parliamentary candidates and organises party at constituency level
What is NEC
NEC (national executive party)
Main organ oversees policy proposal preparations and has final say on parliamentary candidates. Enforces party discipline
Example of party discipline ?
April 2016- ken Livingston me suspended by NEC for bringing party into dispute
March 2018- indefinitely suspended
May 2018- resigned from labour
Three levels of the Conservative party?
Local conservative branch
Constituency associations
Board of the Conservative Party
What did Political parties, elections and referendums act 2000 do?
Prohibited receipt of funds from foreign or anonymous donors
Restrictions on campaign expenditure
£30,000 per constituency
What is short money?
Given to opposition parties to help them hold the government to account
Funding for opposition’s parliamentary business, travel and expenses, running of leader of opposition’s office
How much did labour and SNP receive in short money?
£7.3 million labour
SNP £850,000
Where does most funding come from for labour, conservative and Lib dems?
Unite donated £4.1m (mainly trade unions)
JCB donated £1.5 (mainly individuals)
Ferring Pharmeceutical donated £234,000
What could be done to reform funding?
State funding
Caps on donations
Bans on particular organisations e.g trade unions
Problem with state funding?
Taxpayer has to pay to a party they may not agree with
But prevents corruption, level playing field
Problems with caps on donations?
Less money so campaigns are more difficult
But lessens likelihood of funding scandals
Problems with bans on particular organisations ?
Labour Party specifically relies a lot on union funding
Why is there controversy about funding ?
An Oxford university study in 2015 found a significant link between donations to a party and peerages
