UK Political Parties Flashcards
What fraction of the time have the Conservatives been in power since 1900?
Around 2/3
What year did the Conservative party originate?
1834
What groups did the Conservative party originally draw their support from?
- The landowning aristocracy
- The Church of England
Origins of One-Nation Conservatism
Benjamin Disraeli (Victorian PM)
Values of One-Nation Conservatism
- The duty of priviliged people and those in power is to act wisely
- Moderate social reforms
- Patriotism
- Pragmatic change over time
- Paternalism
What is paternalism?
- Respect towards those in authority
- Limiting people’s liberties for their own good
What does Butskellite mean?
Term which describes the post-war consensus between Labour and the Conservatives that endured until the 1970s
Why did the Conservatives move further to the centre following WWII?
The 1945 Labour landslide suggested a nation which needed radical reforms. With the establishment of the welfare state and NHS, the Conservatives had to accept these if they ever wanted to be elected again
Key ideologies of Butskellite Conservatives?
- Pro-European
- More accepting of a welfare system
Which Conservative PM joined the EEC in 1973?
Edward Heath
Which party was originally more Eurosceptic?
Labour
What are the values of traditional Conservatives?
- Emphasis on key institutions such as the Church and nuclear family
- Firm immigration policy
Which Home Secretary promised to create a ‘hostile environment’ for immigrants?
Theresa May
Example of a backbench rebellion from traditional Conservatives?
In 2016 there was an attempt to extend the Sunday working hours. This was squashed by a backbench rebellion.
What was different about Thatcherism compared to other Conservative ideologies?
It was radical and wanted more extreme reforms. This is different to the standard pragmatic Conservative approach
Key values of Thatcherism
- Individual freedom, particularly economic
- Reducing trade union power
- Emphasis on personal responsibility
4 ideologies in the Conservative party
- Thatcherism
- One-Nation
- Butskellite / Post-war consensus
- Traditional
Examples of Thatcherite policies in the modern Conservative party
- Everyone who can work should work and cracking down on welfare state
- Remove influence of foreign power (EU) and focus on individual sovereignty
Examples of traditional Conservative policies in the modern Conservative party
- 20,000 additional police and tougher punishments for criminals
- Points-based immigration system
- Maintain voting age at 18
Examples of Butskellite policies in the modern Conservative party
- Extra funding for the NHS
- Tacking climate change
Example of One-Nation policies in the modern Conservative party
- Maintaining pension triple lock
Main divisions within the Conservative party
- Europhiles and Eurosceptics
- Social liberals and social conservatives
What year was the Labour party formed?
1900
Key aspects of economic socialism
- Strong welfare state
- Nationalising industries
Examples of industries that were nationalised by Labour in the 1950s
- Coal mining
- Iron and steel industries
- Travel agent Thomas Cook
What is trade unionism?
A political movement in the Labour party which aims to strengthen trade unions and therefore create strong workers rights
Why has the power of trade unions decreased since the 80s?
- Conservative reforms in the 80s
- Shift in industry from the secondary to tertiary sector
What is globalist internationalism?
A Labour faction which is opposed to war and promotes peace and disarmament. Anti-Nationalist and believe countries should be able to work together to achieve global change
What are the origins of New Labour?
A need to modernise the Labour party following 18 years of Conservative rule. Pioneered by Blair
What are some of the values of New Labour?
- Accepting some of Thatchers changes and finding a middle ground between socialism and free-market capitalism
- Wanted a profitable country where profits are used to benefit society as a whole
What is Clause IV of the Labour constitution?
- Originally a commitment to large-scale nationalisation
- Changed by Blair to be a ‘market economy which serves the needs of the nation’
Example of some Blairite policies in the 2019 Labour manifesto
- Raising minimum wage
- Hold a second Brexit referendum
Examples of some 2019 Labour policies which followed economic socialism
- Renationalising some industries such as energy and railways
- Scrapping tuition fees
- Increasing the health budget by 4.3%
Examples of 2019 Labour policies which followed global internationslism
- Have a humane immigration system
What year did the Liberal Democrats form?
1988
What two parties merged to form the Liberal Democrats?
Social Democratic Party
Liberal Party
Why was the Social Democratic Party formed in 1981?
From a number of Labour MPs who believed that Labour had shifted too far to the left. They particularly opposed the policy of nuclear disarmament
What are the key values of the Liberal Democrats?
- Strong commitment to the EU and Europe
- Constitutional reform (new voting system)
- Human rights and freedoms
What was the Liberal Democrats’ stance on Brexit in 2019?
Wanted to completely stop the Brexit process
What was the Liberal Democrats’ policy on voting rights in 2019?
- Wanted to introduce STV for electing MPs
- Extending the franchise to 16-year-olds
What was the Liberal Democrat’s policy on taxation in 2019?
- Increase corporation tax from 17% to 20%
- Tough action against tax evasion
How many seats did the Lib Dems win in 2019?
11 (-1)
How many seats did the Lib Dems win in 2010?
57
Local level structure of the Conservative party
Local Conservative Associations
Local level structure of the Labour party
Each constituency has a Constituency Labour Party
Local level structure of the Liberal Democrats
Organised along federal lines with separate branches for Wales, Scotland etc.
3 stages for candidate selection (for all parties)
- Get on party’s list of centrally approved candidates
- Apply to be shortlisted at a local branch
- Win vote of local party members
Which party has pioneered all-women candidate shortlists?
Labour
How does the Conservative party choose their leaders?
- MPs vote in a series of ballots to narrow the choice of candidates down to just two names
- Party members vote between the two
How does the Labour party choose their leaders?
- MPs must get a backing of at least 10% of MPs and either 5% of constituency parties or two trade unions
- Party members vote using AV
How do the Liberal Democrats choose their leaders?
- Candidates must gain support from 10% of MPs and at least 200 party members
- Party members vote using AV
How did Keir Starmer win the Labour leadership in 2020?
He won over 50% of the votes in the first member ballot so there was no need for a second round of voting
What percentage of first choice votes did Ed Davey get in the 2020 Lib Dem leadership race?
63.5%
How many members of the Labour party were there in 2020?
Over 550,000 (making it the largest political party in Europe)
How many members of the Conservative party were there in 2020?
160,000
How many members of the Liberal Democrat party were there in 2020?
Over 100,000
Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000
- All parties must register with the Electoral Commission and provide financial statements
- Parties limited at spending £30,000 per constituency
- All donations over £7,500 must be declared
Who was fined for breaching electoral law in 2018?
The Leave UK campaign were fined £70,000
3 ways in which parties can be funded
- Membership subscriptions
- Individual donors
- State funding
Advantage of membership subscriptions funding parties
- Fair and transparent
- Ensures no single donor undue influence
Disadvantage of membership subscriptions funding parties
It is not a sustainable source of revenue, particularly as party fees are often low
Which unions gave Labour over £3m in 2019?
Unite and GMB
Main issue with parties receiving large individual donations
The potential for corruption and unfair influence over government
Example of a donor influencing government policy
- Bernie Ecclestone donated £1m to Labour in 1997
- Labour then allowed tobacco advertising to continue at Formula 1 despite it being banned at other sporting venues
Example of a donor receiving a peerage
Michael Farmer had given £6.4m to the Conservative party since 2010 received a peerage
What are Policy Development Grants?
£2m annual grants given to parties with at least 2 sitting MPs
What is short money?
Paid to opposition parties in the HoC to help with their administrative work and providing effective scrutiny
What is cranborne money?
Paid to opposition parties in the HoL to help with their administrative work and providing effective scrutiny
How much funding did the Conservatives receive in 2019?
£19,300,000 (63% of total)
How much funding from individual donors did the Conservatives receive in 2019?
£13,300,000
How much funding did Labour receive in 2019?
£5,400,000
Should the state fund political parties? - YES
- Would allow parties to focus on representing constituents instead of pleasing donors
- Would make parties more even as the Conservatives get greater donations than other parties
- Radical reform is potentially needed as election acts haven’t prevented corruption allegations
Should the state fund political parties? - NO
- Voters shouldn’t have to fund parties they disagree with
- Donation is a democratic right (one which is constitutionally protected in the US)
- By contributing to a party, people are more politically engaged
Who did the Sun back in the ’90s elections?
1992 - Major
1997 - Blair
What is an argument against the notion that newspapers determine election outcomes?
- Newspapers only reinforce existing opinions
- Newspaper circulation has significantly fallen
How much did each party spend on advertising in 2019?
Lib Dems - £1.3m
Labour - £1.9m
Conservatives - £0.9m
What factors determine a party’s success?
- Leadership
- Policies
- Grassroots campaign
- Strength of opposition
- Party unity
- Electoral system
Example of a policy which influenced the 2019 election outcome?
The Conservatives’ “Get Brexit Done” was much more appealing than Labour’s convoluted Brexit policy
How has weak leadership hurt a party’s reputation?
Corbyn was seen as an extreme and weak leader which hurt the overall Labour party
What are the two types of minor parties?
- Nationalist parties
- Single-issue parties
How have the SNP influenced mainstream politics?
Without their pressure for a 2014 Scottish independence referendum, it is unlikely that Cameron would’ve entertained the idea
How has the DUP influenced mainstream politics?
They entered a confidence-and-supply deal with the Conservatives in 2017
How successful were UKIP in the 2014 European election?
Won over 26% of the vote, defeating the three major parties
