2.1 and 2.2 political parties and established parties Flashcards
define political party?
an organization of people with similar political values and views which develops a set of goals and policies that it seeks to concert into political action by obtaining government office, or a share in government, or by influencing government currently in power. it may persue its goals by mobilising public opinion, selecting candidates for office, competing at elections and identifying suitable leaders
what are the key features of established political parties?
-parties aim to gain power by winning political office through elections
-membership of parties tend to share a common ideology
-parties have a broad focus across many different areas e.g health
the function of a political party is to ‘make policy’, explain
-political parties are one of the key means through which societies set collective goals, forumalte public policy and offer effective choice
-by offering a manifesto at election time, parties can be held responsible for their performance in government, ensuring accountability in UK democracy
- the effectiveness of parties in formulating policies has been questioned. parties are now often chosen on their leadership rather than ideologies. given that labour and conservatives dominate the seats won in general elections, there is a lack of real choice for votes
the function of a political party is ‘representation’, explain
-representation is often seen as the primary function of parties in liberal democracies. political parties link government to people by responding to the demands of public opinion and turning them into deliverable policy positions. the winning party can then claim a popular mandate to carry out its policy
-the effectiveness of parties in ensuring representation can be questioned. in modern society, pressure groups have been seen by some as more effective than parties in articulating interests to policy makers
the function of a political party is ‘identifying leaders’, explain
- all senior political careers start with a decision to join a party and it is almost impossible to think of a major politician who is not associated with a party. parties act as training ground for party leaders because they gain experience of canvasing, debating issues, and running the country. this trains people in the values and processes of their party, and grow their political skills
- the effectiveness of parties in recruiting and training leaders has been questioned. parties are likely to choose leaders who are the most expert at winning elections, choosing the most popular rather than the most compotent, the skills for winning elections are not neccessarily the same skills needed to run the country
the function of a political party is ‘organisation of government’, explain
-the operation of government relies on political partes. they give governments a degree of stability and conerence, especially as members of the government are usually drawn from a single party. provide a source of opposition and criticm
-the effectiveness of parties organizing government has been questioned. the decline in party unity since the 1970s has tended to waken the majority party’s control of the commons
the function of a political party is ‘participation and mobilisation’, explain
-parties foster participation. they provide opportunities for citizens to join a group of like-minded people and therefore help to shape party policy and if the party wins, government policy
-the effectiveness of parties in ensuring participation and mobilization has been questioned. utrnout in general elections has fallen shaarply since 1997, with only 59% voting in 2001, the lowest turnout since 1918, and 66% voting in 2015, still about 9% below the historical average
how are parties funded?
-membership
-fundraising events
-receiving donations
-the self financing of candiates for office
-up to 2 mil per party is available in grants from the electoral commission
-money granted to opposition parties in the commons and lords
what does the 2000 political parties, elections and referendums act declare?
-people not on the UK electoral roll could no longer make donations
-limits were placed on how much could be spent on parliamentary elections
-donations over £500 to be declared
-donations over £7500 were to be replaced on an electoral register
how were regulations further developed in the 2009 political parties and elections act?
-gave the electoral commission the power to investigate and impose fines, restrict donations from non-UK residents and imposed tighter regulations in the run up to elections
explain the controversies surrounding party funding?
-in the 2019 elections, large parties like the conservative party and labour recieved millions more than smaller parties. labour accepted £5,476,086 and the Tories recieved £5,763,445 while smaller parties like the green party received £105,839, the womens equality party received £59.000
how did parties fund the 2019 electoral campaign?
for the conservative party, most of their funding came from donations (excluding public funds), for the labour party they received £2,829,146 in donations and £2,646,940 in public funds. but from plaid cumry they receieved £0 from donations
what did the phillips report of 2007 suggest?
party funding based on vote share or membership size would make more party politics in the UK fairer and more democratic
what are some alternative ideas for party funding?
-impose restrictions on the size of individual donations to parties, but to be effective the cap would have to be low
-impose tight restrictions on how much parties are allowed to spend. This would make large scale fundraising futile
-restrict donations to individuals e.g outtlaw donations from businesses, pressure groups and trade unions
-replace all funding with state grants for parties, paid for out of general taxation
what happened to the labour party in 2016 and why?
in 2016 labour was fined by the electoral commission for breaching finance rules. the investigation was launched after £7614 was found to be missing from the party’s election return for the costs of Ed Milibands’ ‘tombstone’. the investigation went on to identify 24 other undeclared election expenses, totalling £109,777
what is short money?
short money refers to the funds given to opposition parties to facilitate their parliamentary work e.g research facilities. the amount is based on how many seats and votes each party won at the previous election
what is Cranborne money?
refers to funds paid to opposition parties in the house of Lords to help with the costs of research and administration to help them scrutinise the work of the government
what are taxpayers views to this issue?
-although several political parties favour state funding/financing, there is little public appetite for it. Taxpayers are naturally reluctant to see their taxes being used to finance parties at a time attitudes for parties are at a low ebb. However, state funding remains the only solution that could create more equality in the system
reasons ‘for’ parties receiving full state funding
-would end the opportunities for corrupt use of donations
-would end the possibilities of ‘hidden’ forms of influence through funding
-would reduce the financial advantage that large parties enjoy and give smaller parties the opportunities to make progress
-would improve democracy by ensuring wider participation from groups that have no ready source of funds
reasons ‘against’ parties receiving full state funding
-taxpayers may object to funding ‘private’ organisations with views they find offensive
-would be difficult to know how to distribute funding, should it be on the basis of past or future performance?
-parties might lose independence and see themselves as organs of the state
-state funding might lead to excessive state regulation of parties
what are the origins of the Conservative party?
-conservatism has its origins in the conflict that occurred in the 17th century over the role and authority of the monarchy. those who supported royal authority were knows as Tories and later known as Wigs. With industrialisation and the growth of international markets, the capitalist middle class began to grow in size and influence. their rise challenged the traditional authority of the aristocracy and the landed gentry. As the 19th century progressed, conservatism began to develop into something closer to the movement we recognise today. sir Robert peel 1834-35 and 1841-46 is acknowledged as the first conservative prime minister. the party’s main objectives was to pressure the unity of the kingdom and preserve order in society
what is traditional conservatism?
originating in the late part of the 18th century, traditional conservatism emerged in response to the newly emerging liberal ideas behind the NA revolution and French. conservative thinkers like Edmund Burke became alarmed at the rise of ideas such as freedom of the individual, tolerance of different political and religious beliefs, representative government. until Thatcher
key principles= strong law and order to control society, preservation of tradition, the theory of nobless oblige, faith in property and house ownership
define one nation conservatism
a paternalistic approach adopted by conservatives under Desraili, in the 19th century and continued by David and Theresa, that richer people have an obligation to help poorer people
when and where did new right conservatism begin and what was it a response to?
- largely emerging in the USA in the 70s and 80s, it was a reaction both against socialist ideas gaining ground in Europe and Asia, and against traditional conservative values that were seen as too weak to deal with contemporary economic and social policies
who are the key leaders associated with New right conservatism?
Thatcher and Reagan
define neo liberalism
a political approach that favours free market capitalism, deregulation, and reduction in government spending
what are the main beliefs of Neo liberalism?
to hinder economic development, markets should not be regulated by the state, high taxation is a disincentive to work, welfare benefits produce a dependant society, state disengage with political management
what are the practical beliefs of neo liberalism?
(hint: RPR)
-propose reducing direct taxes, -privatising industries that have been taken over by the state,
-reducing welfare benefits
