Political Parties - Features and Functions Flashcards
Features of political parties…
> The members of parties share similar political values and views.
> Parties seek either to secure the election of their candidates as representatives or to form the govt at various levels (local, regional, national).
> They have some kind of organisation that develops policy, recruits candidates, and identifies leaders.
Typical variations in the features of political parties…
> Some are mass membership parties with many members (UK Labour Party); others may have a small leadership group who seek supporters rather than members (the main US parties).
> Some parties may be highly organised with a formal, permanent organisation (German Christian Democrats), while others have a loose, less permanent organisation (US parties that only organise fully during elections).
> Some parties may have a very narrow range of values and views, and are intensely united around those views (Brexit Party); others have a very broad range of views and values, and so may be divided into factions (UK Conservative Party).
> Some parties are very focused on gaining power (main parties in the UK and USA), while others recognise they will not gain power but seek merely to influence the political system (Green parties).
Functions of parties - Making policy…
One of the most recognisable functions of a political party is the development of policy and political programmes. This becomes especially important when a party is in opposition and seeking to replace the govt of the day.
The policy-making function of the ruling party is the same as the policy-making function of the govt. This involves political leaders, civil servants, advisory units, committees, and private advisers. Most policy in the ruling party is made by ministers and their advisers.
It is when in opposition that parties can have the most input into policy-making. Through various conferences and party committees, the party membership can communicate to the leadership which ideas and demands they would like to see as ‘official’ policy. This kind of influence occurs at local, regional, and national level.
The policy-formulating function is sometimes known as ‘aggregation’, which involves identifying the wide range of demands made on the political system, from the party membership, from the mass of individuals in society as well as from many different groups, and then converting these into programmes of action that are consistent and compatible. Aggregation tends to be undertaken by the party leadership group.
What is aggregation?…
Aggregation is a process, undertaken by political parties, of converting policies, demands, and ideas into practical policy programmes for govt. This involves eliminating contradictions and making some compromises.
Functions of parties - Representation…
Many parties have claimed to represent specific sections of society, for example, the Labour Party was developed to represent the working classes and trade unionists. The Conservative Party (in the 19th century) largely existed to protect the interests of the landed gentry and aristocracy. This has changed in the contemporary UK as all the main parties argue they represent the national interest.
There has also been an emergence in populist parties. Populist parties tend to emerge and disappear equally quickly and represent people who feel they have been ignored by conventional parties. The appeal of populist parties is usually emotional or visceral, and plays on people’s fears and dissatisfactions. Populist parties usually take root among the poor (who feel they’ve been left behind) and are often anti-big govt, anti-taxation, anti-big business and anti-established politics.
There has been a rise of ‘issue parties’. Green parties are the best example.
What is populism?…
Populism is a political movement and way of campaigning that appeals to people’s emotions and prejudices by telling them what they want to hear and that tends to find supporters among those who feel their concerns have been ignored by more established groups. It is, by nature, a reactionary movement that seeks to go back to a more popular idea of the past, rather than a progressive movement looking for change. UKIP’s claim to ‘take our country back’ and Trump’s ‘Make America Great Again’ are recent examples of populism.
Functions of parties - Selecting candidates…
Parties spend a great deal of their time and effort selecting candidates for offices at all levels - they need to find prospective councillors; elected mayors; members of the devolved assemblies and the Welsh and Scottish Parliament; and UK Parliament.
Candidate selection is mostly done at local and regional level, through party committees staffed by activists. National party leaderships do have some say in which candidates are chosen, but it is here that local constituency parties have the greatest part to play.
Functions of parties - Identifying leaders…
Parties need leaders, and in the case of main parties, this means potential govt ministers. For the ruling party, the PM completely controls the appointment of ministers. In opposition parties, the leader chooses a smaller group of ‘frontbench’ spokespersons, who form the leadership. Despite the dominance of party leaders, potential leaders ‘cut their teeth’ to some extent in internal party organisations and committees.
Following the Labour Party’s defeat at the 2015 GE, leader Ed Miliband resigned. This left behind a power vacuum and in finding a successor, the party ran into controversy. The party membership voted overwhelmingly to elect Jeremy Corbyn, however, Corbyn’s political views were considered too far-left. Many Labour MPs in Parliament refused to acknowledge him as their leader.
In contrast, the Conservatives also lost faith in their then-leader, Theresa May, in 2019 after her failure to unify the party to deliver an agreed version of Brexit. Boris Johnson was overwhelmingly the favourite among Conservative MPs and it became clear that ordinary party members agreed with the MPs, leading to his appointment as PM in July of 2019.
Identifying leaders - Liberal Democrats…
The Lib Dems use a different system that involves more of the grassroots party membership in the nomination process.
In the 2019 and 2020 leadership elections, candidates had to be an MP and were required to have the support of 10% of Lib Dem MPs and the support of at least 200 members spread across at least 20 different local parties. This is to ensure widespread support for any candidate. Once nominations close, the candidates campaign and are elected by all members of the party on a one member, one vote basis.
The Lib Dems use the Alternative Vote.
Functions of parties - Contesting elections…
Apart from supplying approved candidates, the party organisations form part of the process of publicising election issues, persuading people to vote, and informing them about the candidates.
Without the huge efforts of thousands of party activists at election time, the already modest turnout at the polls would be even lower.
Representatives of the parties are also present when the counting of votes takes place, so they play a part in ensuring that the contests in elections are fair and honest.
Functions of parties - Political education…
Parties are continuously involved in educating the people about the political issues of the day, explaining main areas of conflict and solutions to the issues they have identified.
This can clearly be seen in the way the Green Party raised awareness for environmental issues, or Labour raising awareness of the issues of low pay, zero-hours contracts, and funding the ‘bedroom tax’.
This function is becoming less important as the media and think tanks have taken over in supplying information to the public, but the growth of the internet and social media has also marginalised the parties.
Functions of parties - Reinforcing consent…
Parties have a hidden function that can be described as ‘the mobilisation and reinforcement of consent’. By operating and supporting Parliamentary Democracy, parties are part of the process that ensures the general population consents to the political system.
If parties were to challenge the nature of the political system, this would create political conflict within society at large. Parties that challenge the basis of the political system are generally seen as extremists and only marginal elements in the system.
