Political Parties Flashcards
What is a political party?
A group of people drawn together by a similar set of beliefs/ ideology.
Function of political parties
Representation
Participation
Recruiting office holders
Formulating policy
Providing government
Representation
Main function
Represent the views of the people w/ a certain set of beliefs.
Representative function could be performed by lots of indivs or pressure groups, pol parties bring order to the political system
Participation
To win power or influence, parties enc people to participate in pol- to vote, join a party and to support it through funding to get its message across.
Parties vary in how far they allow members to shape party policy, all main UK parties have procedures that involve membs in selecting cands to stand for local, national elecs or leader of party
For example the Labour Party incr its membership by allowing supporters to join for an annual subscription of £3 (later raised to £25), a dev that played a part in the election of Jeremy Corbyn as leader in sept 2015
Recruiting office holders
For a small no of people, party membs leads to recruitment as candidates for public office and thus participation in the UK’s rep democracy.
Cands can learn pol skills as campaigners and organisers
Parties also have right to reject or ‘deselect’ candidates who fail to live up to their expectations Eg Sam Tarry 2022 Labour MP for Ilford South
Formulating policy
Gen policy that embody ideas for which they stand for. Put to pub in manifesto
For ex, 2015 NHS is a battleground… cons prom for access to GPs 7 days a week, lab pledged appointment w/in 48 hours
2024 Labour nationalising rail after strikes
Providing government
Winning party at gen elec has opp to form gov. Party then controls business of parliament, w/ view of passing its manifesto into law.
PM is not directly elected by ppl, leader of largest party
A PM who loses confidence of party is vulnerable. For ex, Nov 1990 MT lost support of a large no of cons MPs, failed to win leadership contest outright. She resigned and was replaced by John Major, who was regarded as better placed to unite the party
MPs funding
Paid from general taxation… basic salary of MP is £91,346, as of April 2023. Allowed to claim expenses to cover the cost of running an office, living in Westminster and their constituency + travel
Funding of parties
Resistance to state funding of parties
Parties meet most of their election costs from voluntary subscriptions of their membership and from fundraising events of MPs’ constituencies.
Special state provision to support the activities of the opposition party, known as as short money
Why has party funding been controversial
Because of the suspicion that powerful interests offer financial support in return for political influence (e.g Tony Blair and Bernie Ecclestone donated £1 mil… delay in banning tobacco advertising in F1 racing)
Cons party = historically party of big business, Lab has trad been funded by TU… shaping pol
During the ‘New Labour’ years… replaced by donations by suc indivs as lab becomes more friendly to business
LD oft criticise their opponents for being bank-rolled by the wealthy
Large parties have been accused of offering pol honours, to their most generous benefactors… 2024 gov announced 13 new peerages including Stuart Marks, a Conservative treasurer who has donated £119,500 to the party since 2013
This runs in counter to the principles of democracy and openness
Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act of 2000
An indep electoral commission was set up to supervise party spending on election campaigns
The amount that a party could spend was capped at £30,000 in a constituency
Donations of more than £5k (nationally) or £1k (to a constit party) had to be declared, parties had to publish donations at reg intervals
Donations from indivs not on the UK electoral roll were banned
Was the act effective?
Didn’t put issue to rest. ‘Cash for peerages scandal’ 2006, transpired that several wealthy indivs who had loaned money to the lab party had been nominated for honours.
Exploiting a loophole in the law, only reg outright gifts
Blair was interviewed by police and two of his aides faced q
No charges- but dam rep
Was later decided loans would be subject to the same rules as donations, spending limbs for parties revised on run up for 2010 elec
Potential reforms
In a 2007 report by a former civil servant, Sir Haden Phillips, proposed to address the problem of priv donations by moving towards a syst where parties are funded from taxpayers’ money. Not been acted on, not good for additional burden on taxpayer.
A suggestion sup by Lab and LD at the 2015 elec was to impose limits on Indiv donations to parties. Debate was complicated by issues of party-political advantage bc of the cons, who stood to loose most from such a move, wanted to place corresponding restrictions on lab TU backers.
Trade Union Act 2016
Oblige new TU membs to choose whether to ‘opt in’ to the political levy. This was expected to lead to a significant drop in funding received by the lab party from unions
Arguments for state funding of parties
Parties play an important role in role in representative democracy, so deserve public funding.
Public funding would remove the great disparity in resources available to different-sized parties.
If the state matched donations by party members, it might encourage participation by the public and recruitment to parties.
It would curb the possibly corrupt influence of private backers on party policy.
Arguments against state funding
Increased state funding could lead to calls for greater state regulation, possibly reducing parties’ independence.
It is hard to decide how much support a party should have to qualify for funding.
Public funding could isolate parties from the wishes of the voters.
Taxpayers would resent compulsory contributions to parties which they disapprove.
The Conservative Party
Ideology
Trad cons… made party suc in the late 19th and 20th cent.. traced back to late 17th century
One Nat coined by Disraeli (PM 1868 and 1874-80)
Thatcherism… comprised following key themes;
Control of public spending, combined with/ tax cuts to provide incentives for business leaders and to stimulate econ growth
Privatisation
Legal limits on the power of TU
Tough approach to law + order
Assertion of Brit values abroad
Protect Nat Sov against growth of European community
Leaders of cons part 1992-2005
PM John Major (1990-97)
William Hague 1997-2001
Iain Duncan Smith 2001-03
Michael Howard 2003-05
Conservative Party
Problems trying to regain power
After con party forced Thatcher’s resignation, struggled to dev a new identity
Major cont Thatcher’s econ pol (priv rail,coal), but less confrontational tone, scrapped v unpopular poll tax/ community charge
Major struggled to contain growing con divisions in Europe
Leaders struggled to take on Blair who ensured New Labour held the centre ground of Br pol 1994-2007- Cons discredited after 18 years in power + div & scandals
Cons still associated w/ Thatcherism and fixed on trad issues like Europe, immigration, crime- an aging party unable to appeal to incr diverse society
How did DC seek to reposition the cons party 2005-2016?
New generation/ thinking- respectful of thatcher but aware of changed UK & less authoritarian - e.g legalise gay marriage, promote diverse candidates
Learnt from Blair- deliberate reaching out for centre ground, new voters
Cameron as ‘liberal con’ - tolerant of minorities, diff lifestyles, environmentally aware
Emph personal support for NHS, interests of ordinary people not elite
Less individualistic, keen on “Big society” w/ state/ vol sector partnerships
