Political Parties examples

Question 1

3 ways party members can play a role in one of the main political parties + examples

Answer 1

1. Can donate to parties to help further cause
   - Lord Sainsbury has continuosly funded the tories eg. £25,000 to scottish tories in 2018
2. Influence the direction of political parties
   - Labour party conference 2019 = party’s position regarding brexit was voted on by members (remain neutral)
   - allows representation = engagement in politics
3. Some parties can vote on party leader
   - BoJo won on a vote of 0.15% of the population = 100,000 members
   - thereby also elected the PM as conservatives

Question 2

3 reasons why minor parties are important + examples

Answer 2

Governing part can use a minority party to reach an agreement and form a government
- Conservative and democratic unionist part made a pact in 2017

A minority that wins a large no. of votes may influence a party out of fear
- Conservative party was influenced by UKIP and so promised a referendum on EU withdrawal

If a minority part wins a large number of votes it can be influential in the house of commons
- SNP since 2015

Question 3

3 main things in 2019 conservative party manifesto

Answer 3

• No rises in income tax
• Get brexit done
• 20.5bn funding for the nhs by 2024

Question 4

3 main things in 2019 labour party manifesto

Answer 4

• 10 minimum wage for all workers
• hold another Brexit referendum
• 400bn transformation fund eg. housing

Question 5

2 main things in libdem party manifesto

Answer 5

• stop Brexit = money spent on public services
• 1p rise in income tax

Question 6

2 advantages of state funding for parties

2 disadvantages of state funding for parties

Answer 6

• hard to determine how much support a party needs to get for funding
• Unfair on apathetic tax payers
• Would curb the possibility of corruption
  -would remove the disparity available to different sized parties

Question 7

3 ways the UK can be seen as having a multi party system

Answer 7

• Growing support of alternative parties
  eg. 2019 Brexit part got 30.52% of votes

Growth of coalitions ans hung parliaments
- coalitions and hung parliaments are becoming a more regular feature in Westminster,
eg. 2010 coalition = no party achieved the 326 seats needed for a majority. The Conservatives, led by David Cameron, won the most votes and seats, but still fell 20 seats short.

defection of MPs from Labour and Conservatives
- Tory MP Christian Wakeford defected to join the Labour party = as a result of pm parties

Question 8

Conservative party
3 features of one nation conservatism

Answer 8

• A keynesian economy ( gov. should publicly spend to stimulate demand) with significant state intervention
• evolution not revolution
• pragmatism and paternalism

Question 9

Conservative party
3 features of Thatcherism

Answer 9

• '’rolling back the frontiers of the state’’ - deregulation and privatisation of publicly owned businesses (neo liberalism)
• neo conservatism - eg. banned the promotion of homosexuality in schools
• individuals over society as a whole

Question 10

The Labour Party
Old labour vs new labour

Answer 10

Dogmatic vs. Pragmatism
Interventionist state vs favours a market economy
Universal welfare vs Targeted welfare

Question 11

Conservative party under David Cameron

Answer 11

compassionate conservatism - liberal conservatism
- coalition made it difficult for them to achieve anything

Question 12

Liberal Democrats
Orange book (classical liberalism) vs Social liberals (progressive liberalism

Answer 12

Orange book
- classical liberalism - minimal state intervention , equality and self reliance
- thatcherite / neo liberal economics
- Nick Clegg

Social liberals
- Progressive liberalism - some regulation of the market (Keynesian) + basic targeted welfare
- reject thatcherite economics
- Tim Farron

Question 13

Conservative party local level structure
+ policy making systems

Answer 13

• local conservative associations with ward branches
• organises the grass roots of a party

Question 14

labour party local level structure
+ policy making systems

Answer 14

• Each constituency has a constituency labour party - CLP and branch labour party
• leads local campaigns

Question 15

libdem party local level structure
+ policy making systems

Answer 15

• local branches
• run constituency level campaigns

Question 16

libdem party national level structure
+ policy making systems

Answer 16

• federal board with directly elected party members
• replicates party federal structural

Question 17

conservative party national level structure
+ policy making systems

Answer 17

• national HQ in london - conservative campaigns
• conservative party forum was set up in 1988 to encourage grassroots

Question 18

labour party national level structure
+ policy making systems

Answer 18

• National HQ in london - national executives committees
• enforce party discipline and can expel members
• sovereign policy making body

Question 19

3 factors that determine internal democracy of parties

Answer 19

• choosing and removing party leaders
• choosing parliamentary candidates
• establishing party policy

Question 20

the main political parties lack Internal democracy
- yes (2)
- No (1)

Answer 20

NO
- choosing parliamentary candidates
3 stage process : prospective candidates , shortlists , party members vote for their preferred candidate

limitation:
eg. womens shortlists since 1997 = at the 2005 general election, Peter Law was elected to represent a constituency but was prevented from seeking election

• Labour 2019 = party was accused of imposing candidates loyal to then-leader Jeremy Corbyn, Taiwo and Sultana

YES
- establishing party policy
eg. heavy influence of party leader = john major ‘it was all me at election manifesto
- 2010 election manifesto was entirely written by David Cameron
- liberal democrats = policy is made under the federal board which is voted on at conferences by members = most democratic
- labour = 2019 labour party conference allowed members to vote on the stance of labour party
however = labour conventions are only recommendatory
also… 2019 Momentum forced corbyn to make radical changes to manifesto (left wing) for 40,000 support

• Choosing and removing party leaders
  eg. lib dems = candidates must secure nomination off 20 local parties = democratic
  eg. Party members vote on one out of 2 members
• members don’t get a say in shortlisting so less democratic
• BOJO 0.15% of votes in population - 100,00o members

Lib dems = most democratic

Question 21

3 ways Uk can be seen as having a 2 party system

Answer 21

Parties like UKIP and Green party have struggled to secure seats = they have achieved success in 2nd order elections

• still main voted for
  2015 labour and conservative secured 67.2% of the popular vote winning 86.5% of 650 seats
• The success of minor parties in second order elections aren’t reliable
• Green party has failed to add more seats to their 1 seat
• 2015 = UKIP 13% of vote but 2 seats

Question 22

Functions of political parties

Answer 22

REPRESENTATION

They provide representation for the views of their members, either representing a social class or an ideology.

EG SNP represent and promote views of their members on Scottish Independence.

CREATE AND DEVELOP POLICY

before presenting to voters in a manifesto. This should result in a coherent plan which may not be the case if it wasn’t for a party.

EG Corbyn in 2019 created a left wing programme that voters could choose in 2019 if they agreed with those principles.
PROVIDE A STABLE GOVERNMENT

They provide order after a general election, voters know that if a party gains more MPs then their manifesto can be put into place, which they wouldn’t be able to predict if elections were about a series of independent candidates.

EG voting for Boris in 2019 meant knowing you would “get brexit done”, voting for Blair in 1997 meant getting his pledge card policies.

EDUCATION

They make citizens aware of important issues, and therefore encourage people to participate and get involved in addressing them.

EG Green Party promotes environmental issues about climate change which might encourage people to campaign, join the party or even a pressure group.

Question 23

Do parties help representative democracy
- difficult to establish a government without (limitation)
- voters need parties to create manifestos so they can make an informed choice (limitation)

Answer 23

1) difficult to establish a government without them = government requires consensus and agreement amongst cabinet. Without party consensus you get gridlock, eg Brexit before the 2019 election (TM did election to gain a majority).

ON THE OTHER HAND = They reduce the freedom of MPs to act in a way that benefits their constituents or even to follow their own conscience. For eg MPs were compelled by the Whips to vote in favour of the national insurance increase even though it might not have been something they supported or benefited their constituents.

voters need parties to create manifestos so they can make an informed choice of whom to vote for, eg if voters supported Brexit in 2019 they knew they should vote for a conservative candidate, and if they wanted a more socialist programme they should vote for Labour

ON THE OTHER HAND, they reduce voter choice - voters are forced to identify with manifestos they don’t fully agree with. EG some voters may have wanted to vote for a party that supported Brexit and soted Conservative even though their social and economic programme may not have benefitted them

3) opposition parties are necessary to hold government to account. The Labour and SNP have regularly challenged the government over their handling of the current cost of living crisis, suggesting a windfall tax on energy companies. It would be difficult to present a powerful opposition message if it was done by individual MPs rather than leaders of the opposition.

ON THE OTHER HAND Parties create an adversarial, negative approach to government, eg PMQ which turns into punch and judy politics.

4)_parties operate a selection process for candidates to select suitable people to represent constituents.

ON THE OTHER HAND, this process often goes wrong (Wakefield MP Imran Ahmad Khan has been jailed for 18 months after he sexually assaulted a teenage boy.) and also a small number of members have too great an influence over selection of party leaders especially when that party is in government, eg Conservative members selected not only the next Con leader but the next PM when they elected Boris 2019.