Political parties Flashcards
Functions of a political party (6)
-Representation
-participation
-elections
-government
-organisation
-education
Features of a political party 94)
-Parties aim to become government
-Organised bodies with a formal membership
-Typically adopt a broad-issue focus
-United by shared political preferences
Arguments for political parties ENHANCING democracy (4)
-Encourage participation
-Facilitate representation (channel between gov. and people)
-Educate the electorate
-Ensure peaceful transitions of power after elections
Political parties THREATEN democracy
-engage in adversarial politics
-Fail to truly represent (eg BAME)
-Oversimplify issues
-Need for funding means rich interest groups are excessively influential
Should parties recieve state funding ARGUMENTS FOR (4)
-stops wealthy groups influencing parties
-parties can focus on representing the electorate NOT fundraising
-smaller parties wil get fair financial support
-Less wealthy pressure groups will get a more equal hearing by parties
arguments AGAINST state funding (3)
-taxpayers should not be funding political parties
-Disagreement over how funding should be allocated
-Politicians may be less interested in wheat pressure groups have to say
Tony Blair and Bernie Ecclestone controversy 1997
Blair faced criticism , following Ecclestone £1million donation to Labour and delay in implementing a ban on tobacco advertising
What was the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act (2000)
-Set up an electoral commission to supervise party spending
-Donations of more than £5,000 had to be declared
When was the era of 2 party system
1945-74
Why was 1945-74 the era of the 2 party system
On average: Conservatives and Labour would win 91% of votes and 98% of seats
What happened in 1979-2010
UK moving towards a 2.5 party system
1979-2010 voting patterns
on average, the 2 main parties’ combined share of votes was 73%
BUT they still would win 91% of seats
What percentage of the vote did the Lib Dems receive
23% of the vote
62 seats
How many people voted for a party besides conservatives and labour
Around 35%
How many seats did the Lib Dems win in 2015
8 seats
