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Politics A Level - UK Politics > UK Political Parties > Flashcards

UK Political Parties Flashcards

1
Q

What is the definition of a political party?

A

A group of like minded individuals who seek to realise their shared goals by fielding candidates at election and thereby securing election to public office (P Lynch and P Fairclough in 2010)

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2
Q

What two types of party are there?

A

Major parties and single issue parties

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3
Q

What is the difference between major and single issue parties?

A
  • Major parties have a nationwide structure and organisation whilst minority parties are smaller
  • major parties have a broad ideology with a wide range of ideas across public life whilst single issues campaign for one thing that could be national or local
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4
Q

Give examples for the two types of parties

A

Major : Labour, Tories, Lib Dems

Single issue: UKIP, SNP, NHA

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5
Q

What are the main purpose of political parties

A
  • Representation
  • Participation - members involved in shaping party and internal democracy
  • Recruitment - member judged and selected in appropriateness for governing
  • Policy - parties create manifestos from internal discussion and consultation
  • Stability - parties mean stability in Parliament and things are able to get done. Ensures power is transferred safely and individual cannot sabotage system
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6
Q

State the difference between political parties and pressure groups

A

Political parties vs pressure group
• broad policy for broad groups vs specific policy
• open membership and structure vs exclusive or select membership
• Win seats to win power vs to raise public awareness
• grassroots organisation vs grassroots bases
• internal democracy vs run by small group of individuals
• donations from across society vs donations from local community/ supports of cause

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7
Q

What is the political spectrum?

A
  • How parties ideologies align with concepts or ideologies
  • The left and right oppose each other
  • Centrists sit in the middle
  • The prefix ‘Centre —‘ is used to indicate a more moderate nature of ideology whilst ‘far —‘ gives indicates extremism
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8
Q

What does the left wing stand for?

A
  • Social equality
  • State control of sources
  • Nationalisation
  • Collective responsibility
  • Higher taxation
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9
Q

What does the right stand for?

A
  • Accepts a degree of inequality
  • Market control of services
  • Privatisation
  • Individual responsibility
  • Lower taxation
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10
Q

When was One Nation Conservatism established?

A
  • Under Benjamin Disraeli in 1860s - 1880s

* He recognised the dangers of lassiez fair capitalism on the living conditions of the working class

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11
Q

What are the beliefs of One Nation Conservatives?

A
  • Unity amongst the classes in a nation and of and organic society
  • ONCs accept there will be inequality in society but that the richer are responsible for helping the less fortunate

This can be seen to be the approach of all parties

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12
Q

What are One Nation Conservative ideas about • Economic regulation
• Wealth distribution
• Individual liberty

A
  • Economic regulation: regulation is needed to prevent labour exploration by employers
  • Wealth distribution: organic society will exist and it is the responsibility of the rich to provide for the less fortunate
  • Individual liberty: a limit on individual liberty to prevent poverty. Stronger sense of community, moral connection through patriotism and religion
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13
Q

What recent policies by the current Tories could categorise them as ONCs

A
  • Rhetoric around law and order: ‘big society’, local government being relieved by social cohesion eg Free Schools under Education Act in 2011, ‘rehabilitation revolution’ and ‘hug a hoodie’
  • Environmental policy: Paris Agreement (194 other nations), £3bn up to 2020 to improve env., invest £500m over next 5 years towards making cars and vans 0 emissions by 2050 preservation of environment for the future, thinking about greater good of society
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14
Q

When was the Thatcher Era?

A

1979 - 1990

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15
Q

What are the key ideologies of Thatcherism?

A

Neoliberal economics - loose control of the economy by the state, free market
Neoconservative social policy - authoritarian view on morality and law & order

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16
Q

What are Thatcherite ideas about
• Economic regulation
• Wealth distribution
• Individual liberty

A
  • Economic regulation: neoliberal, believe in free market in which people are free to do as they please to make a a profit. The market decides values of goods and labour
  • Wealth distribution: believe wealth is based on self sufficiency and an individuals wealth is dependant on them
  • Individual Liberty: no belief in society and individual liberty is key. The rights of the individual is greater than that if the state and the state has less control
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17
Q

What recent policies by the current Tories could categorise them as Thatcherite

A
  • Actual policy on law and order: Cameron called for harsher sentences for crimes, introduction of Extreme Disruption codes 2015 manifesto, for those who ‘spread poison’ of terrorism
  • Economic policy: lowered corporation tax, Universal credit + bedroom tax under Welfare Reform Act 2012, aim to lower benefit by £12bn benefits cute, raised 40% tax threshold to £50k to encourage confidence in the free market
  • Foreign policy: renewal of trident, 2nd aircraft carrier brought into service, Voting to perform air strikes
18
Q

What is socialism?

A
  • When the people own and control the means of production and is distributed evenly throughout society
  • The class system is removed and whole community is raised to the same level of wealth and opportunity
19
Q

Name three main forms of socialism

A
  • Marxist Leninism
  • Democratic socialism
  • Social democracy
20
Q

Name the key ideologies of Marxist Leninism

A
  • Emphasis on the proletariat ruling the state
  • Workers pushes towards revolution by more educated
  • Want socialism achieve through revolution and the fall of capitalism
  • Less concerned about the lowering of standard to achieve socialism
  • The state = the people
21
Q

Name the key ideologies of democratic socialism

A

The same as Marxist Leninism but change happens through gradual change rather than through revolution

22
Q

What are the core values of socialism?

A
  • Collectivism - goals achieved collectively as a group
  • Equality - equal rights, opportunity, outcome and welfare
  • Social justice - achieved without capitalism (M-L) or with regulated capitalism (moderate socialists)
  • Elimination of poverty
  • Class conflict and identify - say that capitalism creates a class conflict
23
Q

What is New Labour?

A
  • Established under Tony Blair
  • Defined as ‘the third way’ - not socialism or Conservative but somewhere in between
  • Brought Labour Party more towards centre with it incorporating capitalist ideas
24
Q

What was the issue with Tony Blair and clause IV?

A
  • Clause IV obliged Labour to stand for common ownership and block private enterprise in key industries, nationalisation and support for cooperatives
  • Blair removed this clause allowing Labour to campaign a more liberal/neo liberal economic campaign
25
Q 
Give ways that Blair differed from socialist view in regards to 
• Wealth distribution 
• Rights and obligation
• Economic responsibilities
• Private influence on services
• Liberal ideologies
A

• Wealth distribution: emphasis on wealth creation rather than distribution - minimum wage £3.60, a lot lower than trade unions wanted
• Rights and obligations: people needed to contribute to community, sought to impose conditions on the receipt of welfare benefits, introduced ASBOs and tougher in crimes
• Economic responsibilities : aimed to move aware from social democracy by conserving resources
• Private influence in services: enlist the public sector to deliver public services , PFI contacts contacts awarded to private fins to build new schools/hospitals
• Liberal ideologies: devolution,
Human rights act, willing to curb civil liberties in campaign again crime/terrorism eg extended time that terror suspects could be detained

26
Q

What are key Labour policies under Jeremy Corbyn?

A
  • Re-nationalisation of railways
  • Higher taxation
  • Scrapping trident
  • Luke-warn on EU membership
  • Put more into the economy via public infrastructure
  • End private finance in public sector
27
Q

Name some policies in the Labour manifesto for the 2017 snap election

A
  • Increase income tax - 45% for earners £80k+, 50% for earner £123K+
  • Extra £16bn for the NHS
  • Extra £8bn for social care
  • Triple lock pension
  • Reinstate housing benefits for under 21s
  • Free school meal for all primary school children
  • Abolish tuition frees
  • Build 100,000 new homes a year with some reserved for first time buyers
  • Remove 0 hours contracts
  • Re-nationalise Royal Mail and railways
28
Q

Describe an example of tensions between New Labour and Corbyn’s Labour

A

Haringey Development Vehicle
• Haringey Council went into a 50:50 deal with a private company to build new homes in the borough (a
New Labour leaning decision)
• The program is heavily opposed by residents
• The leader of Haringey Council resigned over tensions it cause with the new image of Labour which opposes private investment

29
Q

What are the beliefs of liberalism?

A
  • Small state/government
  • Support free market and free trade
  • Support globalisation
  • Heavily focused around human rights
  • Hold the rights of the individual as fundamental to all policy and that right should only be restricted if others are harmed
30
Q

What are the two types of liberalism and their focuses?

A
  • Classic liberalism/Orange bookers - focus on economic freedoms of the individuals, lower taxes and regulation to stimulate economy
  • Social liberalism - aims to address the inequalities of the hierarchical system by improving the opportunities for all to enjoy economic liberty, higher taxes to pay for welfare/education
31
Q

How were the Liberal Democrats formed?

A

The alliance between the liberal party and the Social Democratic Party (an offshoot from Labour unhappy with Foot) became formal in 1988 forming the new party

32
Q 
What are the Lib Dem's policies on... 
• The economy  
• Welfare
• Law and order
• Foreign affairs
A
  • Economy - commitment to eliminating deficit in a way that is fair to the poorer in society, commitment to renewable energy and the green investment bank, while in power made policy to increase basic income tax threshold
  • Welfare - controlled better, curb benefits for better off pensioners (e.g. free bus travel), more £ to the NHS (manifesto in 2017 said this would be done by increasing income tax by 1%)
  • Law and order - aim to see personal freedoms not eroded by giving authorities more power, opposed Tory Communications Data Bill AKA Snooper’s Charter that monitored web history
  • Foreign affairs - remain in the and single market to promote trade with EU partners
33
Q

Labour, the Tories and Lib Dems are all seen to be the major parties in the UK. What are their features?

A
  • Representation across whole nation
  • Broadly centre looking
  • Policies for all aspects of government
  • Large(ish) membership
  • Developed internal structure
  • Established for decades
34
Q

UKIP, the SNP and Green Party are typically seen as minor parties in the UK. What are their features?

A
  • Generally born out of a single issue
  • Found further away from the centre ground
  • Less represented across the whole nation
  • Less developed internal structure
35
Q

What evidence is there that the UK is a multiparty state?

A
  • 2014 EU Parliament elections saw UKIP win withe 27.5% of the vote, more than one party winning votes in the UK
  • Devolved parliaments dominated by regional parties (Plaid Cymru, SNP)
  • Lib Dems have had significant number of seats in recent years (Coalition in 2010-15)
  • Increased membership and media attention to smaller parties in recent years (debate included all leader in 2017)
36
Q

What evidence is there that the Uk remains a two party state?

A
  • Only been two parties with majority government
  • Lib Dems have gone down in representation from 57 seats in 2010 to 12 in 2017
  • FPTP - surpasses smaller parties - UKIP got 12.7% of vote (3.9 mil votes) in 2015 only got 1 seat, doesn’t require a clear majority in vote only in the number MPs
37
Q

What is adversarial politics?

A
  • A system in which politicians refuse to agree on policies or ideologies
  • Parties will disagree on the direction of government due to - general ideological differences or as a way to force the opposing party to justify their position
38
Q

What are consensual politics?

A
  • A system in which politicians agree on the ends of policy but disagree on the process
  • Parties agree on policies in broad terms
  • Conflicts can still arise but are arguably due to personality and presentation
39
Q

When have there been consensual politics in the UK?

A
  • The Post war consensus - both parties agreed on the formation of the NHS, building a strong welfare state, mixed economy with nationalisation of key industries
  • The Lib Lab consensus on constitutional reform to the lords and voting system in the 1990s until Blair got into power under FPTP
40
Q

What evidence is there that the UK has consensus politics?

A
  • Increased support for minor parties which is causing a more pluralist parties
  • The use of alternate voting systems in N.I, Scotland and Wales all require greater deals of consensus to pass laws
  • Main parties are all broadly capitalist
  • Most of the 20th century had consensus due to the world wars and post periods
  • After the New Labour movement began most of the parties had similar policy until Corbyn
41
Q

What evidence is there that the Uk has adversarial politics?

A
  • Traditional ideologies means parties are unlikely to agree
  • Influence by class - causes massive disparity in the UK
  • FPTP discourages voting for smaller parties which leads to a lack of need for bipartisanship due to government having clear majority
  • Opposition is expected to oppose
  • Only one official opposition who do usually have bipartisanship with all other opposing parties (fights for opposition days and committee seats)
  • Arrangement of the HoC opposite benches set up for adversarial politics

Politics A Level - UK Politics (5 decks)

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