UK Elections Flashcards
What are the purpose of elections?
- Gives legitimacy to the new leader
- Gives them a mandate to carry out their manifesto
- Can hold the government to account for their time in office
What is a by-election?
If a seat becomes vacant due to the death or resignation of an MP an election in that constituency is held
What types of elections are there in the UK?
- General elections
- By-elections
- Local elections
- Devolved assembly elections
- European Parliamentary elections (previously)
What is a majoritarian system?
In an election the winner must get an absolute majority (>50%)
What is a plurality system?
The winner of an election is the person who gets more votes than any other candidate
Is there a majoritarian or plurality system in the UK?
Plurality - MPs do not need to get over 50% of the vote to be elected
Where is First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) used in the UK?
General elections
Features of First-Past-The-Post (FPTP)
- Plurality system
- Single-member constituencies
- Disproportional outcome
Where is Supplementary Vote (SV) used in the UK?
London Mayoral elections
Features of Supplementary Vote (SV)
- Majoritarian system
- Voters give 1st and 2nd preference
- Winning candidate has at least 50% of the vote (including 2nd choice votes if necessary)
In what elections has List PR been used?
European parliament elections
Features of List PR
- Proportional system
- Multi-member constituencies
- Vote for a party, not a candidate
Where is Single Transferable Vote (STV) used in the UK?
Northern Ireland elections
Features of Single Transferable Vote (STV)
- Proportional system
- Rank candidates
- Multi-member constituencies
- Proportional outcome
Where is Additional Member System (AMS) used in the UK?
Scottish Parliament
Additional Member System (AMS) is a mix of which two other electoral systems?
FPTP and List PR
Example of FPTP producing a very disproportionate outcome
In 2015, in Belfast South, the SDP candidate was elected with only 24.5% of the vote
What is the average constituency size in the UK?
68,000
What is a safe seat?
A constituency where the incumbent party has a large majority
What was the safest seat in the 2015 general election?
Walton in Liverpool
Labour candidate won 81% of the vote
What is a marginal seat?
One where the two main parties often compete at elections and it is often unclear whether a party will be re-elected
Why is turnout often higher in marginal seats?
The votes are more likely to make a difference to the result
What was the most marginal seat in the 2015 general election?
Gower, where the Conservatives beat Labour by 27 votes
How often are the size of constituencies reviewed?
Every 8-12 years
How does UKIP’s result in 2015 show the weaknesses of FPTP?
They received 12.4% of the vote, but only picked up 1 seat
What percentage of the vote did the two main parties receive in 2010?
65%
What is a winner’s bonus?
The excess proportion of seats a party wins compared to the proportion of votes they receive
Vote share of the Conservatives in 2015 vs the proportion of seats they won
Vote share - 37%
Proportion of seats - 51%
Vote share of the Conservatives in 2015 vs the proportion of seats they won
Vote share - 37%
Proportion of seats - 51%
What is tactical voting?
Voting for a party who you may not 100% support to ensure another party is not elected
E.g. voting Labour to ensure that the Conservatives are not elected, even though you may support the Greens
What is a minority government?
When the governing party does not have a majority of seats in parliament, meaning they have to form deals with other parties to pass legislation
What is a coalition government?
A government consisting of two or more parties which share policies and ministerial posts
Advantages of FPTP
- Simplicity
- Clear outcome
- Strong majority government
- One representative per constituency
- Keeps out extremist parties
How is FPTP simple for voters?
Voters only need to cast one vote for their preferred party
Disadvantages of FPTP
- Disproportionate outcome
- Plurality system
- Limited choice
- Safe seats make votes have unequal value
How many times has the winner of the popular vote lost the general election?
Twice, 1951 and 1974
Example of List PR giving a proportional outcome in the 2019 European election
The Brexit Party won 39% of the vote and got 40% of the seats
Why should FPTP be replaced?
- Other systems such as STV and List PR better represent vote share
- The party with most votes does not always get most seats
- Winner’s bonus
- MPs are rarely elected with a majority of their constituency vote
What factors influence why someone votes for a party?
- Personality of candidate
- Attractiveness of policies
- Electoral system in place
- Individual characteristics (age, gender)
- Success of campaign
What is the primacy model?
Suggests people vote based on long-term factors like age, class and gender
What is the recency model?
Suggests people vote based on short-term factors such as current issues and leadership
What is class dealignment?
Where people no longer vote based on their social class
What is a swing voter?
A voter who is not loyal to one party and is therefore more open to political campaigning
What is partisan dealignment?
Where people feel as though no single party truly represents them
What have been the four main changes in voting behaviour?
- Class dealignment
- Partisan dealignment
- More swing voters
- Rise of identity politics
What was the age at which someone was more likely to vote Conservative in the 2019 election?
39
What % of 18-24 year olds voted Labour and Conservative?
Labour - 56%
Conservatives - 21%
What % of 70+ year olds voted Labour and Conservative?
Labour - 14%
Conservatives - 67%
Context of the 1983 election
- Rising unemployment (over 3m)
- Military victory over Argentina in the 1982 Falklands War
What was the swing from Labour to Conservatives in 1983
3.8%
What was the impact of the SDP on the 1983 election
- Took many of Labour’s votes
- This resulted in Labour coming third - or worse - in 292 out of 650 constituencies
Vote share of the 3 main parties in the 1983 election
CON - 42.4%
LAB - 27.6%
SDP - 25.4%
How did newspapers influence the 1983 election?
- The Sun instructed voters to ‘Vote for Maggie’. They were the paper with the highest circulation
- Only 22% of newspapers in circulation supported Labour
Policies of Labour in the 1983 election
- Seen as too left wing for the general public
- Abolition of HoL
- Unilateral nuclear disarmerment
- Withdrawal from European Community
Policies of Conservatives in 1983 election
- Reduction in trade union power
- Expansion of privatisation
How did Thatcher campaign effectively in the 1983 election?
- Thatcher travelled on her ‘Superbus’ to key constituencies
- Focus on TV appearances
Which war helped boost Thatcher’s popularity?
Falklands War
Which new party broke away from Labour in 1983?
SDP-Liberal Alliance
What was the name of Thatcher’s documentary about her premiership, published 4 months before the 1983 election?
The Woman at Number Ten
How did the Conservative win in 1983 affect policy-making?
- Further privatisation
- Reduction in trade union power
- Restructured UK economy
What proportion of the votes did the SDP-Liberal Alliance win in 1983?
25% - just two points below Labour
Only won 23 seats (3.5%)
Key conclusions from 1983 election
- FPTP gave very disproportionate result
- Thatcher as a leader managed to successfully promote her radical policies while Foot failed
- The left-wing vote split between two parties
Context of 1997 election
- Major was running a minority government
- Conservatives deeply divided over Europe
- Conservatives overseen 1992 recession
- Labour had made gains in the ‘87 and ‘92 elections
How did Labour reinvent themselves for the 1997 election?
- Rewrote Clause IV, changing the commitment to nationalisation
- Emphasis on ‘third way’, accepting capitalism
Vote share for three main parties in 1997
Labour: 43.2%
Conservatives: 30.7%
Lib Dems: 16.8%
Number of seats for three main parties in 1997
Labour: 418
Conservatives: 165
Lib Dems: 46
Which areas did the Conservatives do particularly badly in 1997?
London - vote share fell by 14%
South East - vote share fell by 13%
How does the 1997 election show class dealignment?
Labour picked up the same percentage of votes in the C1 class as the Conservatives (lower-middle-class)
Which newspaper switched to supporting Labour in 1997?
The Sun
What percentage of newspapers were pro-Blair in 1997?
62%
Policies of Labour in 1997
- Moderate expansion of Welfare State with emphasis on personal responsibility
- Tough on crime
- Balance government spending
Policies of Conservatives in 1997
- Not too dissimilar from Labour
- Tax reduction
- Tough on crime
- Crackdown on benefit fraud
Which key Labour figure helped to secure the working class vote in 1997?
While Blair appealed to the middle classes, John Prescott (deputy leader) hailed from a working class background
What was the Conservatives’ election strategy in 1997?
Focused on attacking Blair as Major was not seen as a strong enough leader to directly promote
|Poster of Tony Blair with devil eyes, captioned “New Labour New Danger”
How did the 1997 Labour victory affect policy making?
- Constitutional reform
- Socialist changes such as introducing minimum wage
Key conclusions of the 1997 election
- Labour reinvented themselves as a modern party
- Blair seen as a more charismatic leader than Major
- Shows importance of the middle-class vote in determining election outcome
