What is a political party

Question 1

what is a political party

Answer 1

a political party is a group of like-minded individuals who seek to realise their shared goals by fielding candidates at elections and thereby securing election to public office.

Question 2

what is a mandate

Answer 2

the right of the governing party to pursue the policies it sets out in its general election manifesto

Question 3

what is a manifesto

Answer 3

a pre-election policy document in which a party sets out a series of policy pledges and legislative proposals that it plans to enact if returned to office

Question 4

what is the Salisbury Doctrine

Answer 4

the convention that the House of Lords does not block or try to wreck legislation that was promised in the manifesto of the governing party

Question 5

give an example of the electoral mandate in practice

Answer 5

In its 1997 general election manifesto, the Labour Party promised to remove the rights of hereditary peers to sit and vote in the House of Lords. The party’s landslide victory in the election therefore handed the party a strong mandate to fulfil this first stage of Lords reform, and it duly delivered with the House of Lords Act 1999

Question 6

reasons why the concept of an electoral mandate makes sense

Answer 6

• The UK has a widely held franchise with high levels of individual voter registration.
• The first-past-the-post system typically produces single-party governments, supporting the idea that winning parties have a mandate to implement their policies.
• Party manifestos are easily accessible to voters before elections, in both print and digital formats.
• Mainstream media provide summaries of key party policies, and televised leaders’ debates offer further scrutiny of party platforms.

Question 7

reasons why the concept of an electoral mandate doesn’t make sense

Answer 7

• Low voter turnout in recent general elections weakens the legitimacy of a clear mandate for the winning party.
• Coalition governments, like the one formed after the 2010 election, result in compromise policies with no single-party mandate.
• Most voters do not closely engage with party manifestos; voting tends to be influenced more by long-term loyalties or personalities than specific policies.
• The idea of a clear mandate is flawed, as voters cannot vote for or against individual policies—only entire party platforms.

Question 8

Roles of political parties

Answer 8

• Representation
• Political engagement and participation
• political recruitment
• policy formulation
• stable government

Question 9

describe Representation as a role of political parties

Answer 9

• traditionally, parties were said to represent the views of their members
• this was certainly true in an age of mass-membership parties, when parties and voters were clearly divided along class lines
• partisan and class dealignment, accompanied by the rise of centrist ‘catch-all’ parties, can be said to have undermined this primary role

Question 10

describe Political Engagement and participation as a role of political parties

Answer 10

• by making the wider citizenry aware of the issues of the day, parties perform an educative function that, by its very nature, encourages political engagement
• parties further promote political participation by encouraging citizens to engage with the democratic process and giving them the opportunity to exercise power within their chosen party
• the quality of participation afforded to members is shaped largely by the extent to which political parties are themselves internally democratic

Question 11

describe Political recruitment as a role of political parties

Answer 11

• parties assess the qualities of those seeking election to public office, casting aside those who are, for whatever reason, considered unsuitable
• Parties also give those who will ultimately become the nation’s leaders an opportunity to serve a form of political apprenticeship at a local level before ‘graduating’ to high office

Question 12

describe Policy formulation as a role of political parties

Answer 12

• Parties discuss and develop policy proposals before presenting them to voters in a single coherent programme (their manifesto).
• It is argued that this process is likely to result in a more considered, joined-up style of government than that which might emerge in the absence of political parties

Question 13

describe Stable government as a role of political parties

Answer 13

• Without parties, it is argued, the House of Commons would simply be a gathering of individuals, driven by their personal goals and political ambitions
• Parties present the voters with a clear choice, while also providing order following the general election – by allowing a single party to form a government and secure the safe passage of its legislative proposals through the Commons

Question 14

How are political parties different to pressure groups

Answer 14

• Political parties usually present a wide range of policies shaped by a core ideology.
• Major UK parties have open, inclusive membership structures.
• Parties participate in elections aiming to gain governmental power.
• They are highly organised, with formal rules that allow member involvement in key decisions.

Question 15

How are pressure groups different to political parties

Answer 15

• Pressure groups generally pursue a narrower cause or sectional interest
• Many pressure groups – particularly sectional groups – are more exclusive in their membership
• Those pressure groups that field candidates in elections generally do so simply as a means of raising their own profile – or to encourage candidates representing the mainstream parties to adjust their policies for fear of losing votes
• Even the larger, more established pressure groups are often dominated by a small leading clique; few pressure groups display high levels of internal democracy