Chapter 2 - 6/6 - Summary of parties

Question 1

What three roles do parties play in the UK’s representative democracy?

Answer 1

1. They produce manifestos which governments are then held to account over.
2. They select candidates.
3. The perform the process of aggregation.

Question 2

What is aggregation?

Answer 2

The process undertaken by political parties of converting policies, demands, and ideas into practical and coherent programmes for government.

Question 3

What does adversarial party politics tend to do to issues and decision making?

Answer 3

It tends to reduce it to a binary yes or no, presenting something as wholly right or wholly wrong which is rarely the case.

Question 4

What did the Labour Party do in 2015 to open up the party?

Answer 4

Allowed people to become registered supporters and vote in the leadership election for just £3 - many Conservatives did this to influence the outcome.

Question 5

What are the four positive aspects of political parties in the UK’s representative democracy?

Answer 5

1. Provide opportunities for people to participate in politics.
2. Help to hold government to account.
3. Help to make the operation of elections and Parliament effective and understandable.
4. Identify and train people for office and leadership.

Question 6

What are the two negative aspects of political parties in the UK’s representative democracy?

Answer 6

1. Adversarial politics stifles consensus and reduces issues to binary choices.
2. parties claim mandates even though they do not get a majority of the vote.