Politics: Parties- 2.4 The structure and organisation of the three main UK parties

Question 1

What is the lowest level of the Labour Party organisation?

Answer 1

Local branches are the lowest level of the Labour Party organisation.

Question 2

What role do local branches of the Labour Party play?

Answer 2

Branches select candidates for local elections and send delegates to the General Committee of the Constituency Labour Party (CLP).

Question 3

What is the function of the Constituency Labour Party (CLP)?

Answer 3

The CLP organises the party at constituency level and leads local and national election campaigns.

Question 4

What is the National Executive Committee (NEC) in the Labour Party?

Answer 4

The NEC is the main national organ of the Labour Party, enforcing party discipline and overseeing policy proposals.

Question 5

How has the role of the annual conference in the Labour Party changed?

Answer 5

The role of the annual conference has diminished since the 1990s.

Question 6

How does the structure of the Conservative Party compare to the Labour Party?

Answer 6

The Conservative Party has a similar structure at the local level, with branches corresponding to local council wards.

Question 7

What is the role of Conservative Associations (CAs)?

Answer 7

CAs organise the party at grassroots level and plan election campaigns.

Question 8

What is the Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ)?

Answer 8

CCHQ is the national party headquarters of the Conservative Party, located at Millbank, Westminster.

Question 9

How are the Liberal Democrats organised?

Answer 9

The Liberal Democrats are organised along federal lines with separate national parties in England, Scotland, and Wales.

Question 10

What governs the English Liberal Democrats?

Answer 10

The English Liberal Democrats are governed by the English Council Executive.

Question 11

What is the Federal Board in the Liberal Democrats?

Answer 11

The Federal Board shapes the strategic direction of the party and oversees federal committees.

Question 12

How do UK parties sit in the European Parliament?

Answer 12

UK MEPs sit in transnational groups rather than a single UK block.

Question 13

What is the membership of the Labour Party as of 2016?

Answer 13

The Labour Party had 515,000 members.

Question 14

What is the membership of the Conservative Party as of 2016?

Answer 14

The Conservative Party had 149,800 members.

Question 15

What is the membership of the Liberal Democrats as of 2016?

Answer 15

The Liberal Democrats had 76,000 members.

Question 16

What are all-women shortlists?

Answer 16

A Labour Party initiative requiring a constituency party to create an entirely female shortlist for parliamentary candidates.

Question 17

What are hustings?

Answer 17

Meetings where election candidates address local voters and party members.

Question 18

What are open primaries?

Answer 18

A ballot allowing all registered voters to select the candidate for an election.

Question 19

What are priority lists (A-lists) in the Conservative Party?

Answer 19

Lists of candidates aimed at increasing the number of women and ethnic minority Conservative MPs.

Question 20

What processes are used to assess internal party democracy?

Answer 20

The way leaders are chosen, candidates selected, and party policy formulated.

Question 21

How do the main UK parties choose their leaders?

Answer 21

They operate a two-stage system placing responsibility for electing the leader in the hands of grassroots members.

Question 22

What is the process for choosing parliamentary candidates?

Answer 22

Candidates must be approved, shortlisted by local parties, and then voted on by constituency members.

Question 23

What is the significance of all-women shortlists in the Labour Party?

Answer 23

They contributed to a significant increase in women MPs at the 1997 general election.

Question 24

What has changed in how the Conservative Party establishes policy?

Answer 24

Policy was once determined by the leader but now involves more grassroots participation.

Question 25

How does the Labour Party's policy-making process work?

Answer 25

It involves a two-year cycle with proposals made by policy commissions and formalised by the National Executive Committee.

Question 26

What influence does the Liberal Democrats' leadership have over policy?

Answer 26

The leadership can steer policy through the Federal Policy Committee.

Question 28

What is a two-party system?

Answer 28

A two-party system is dominated by two major parties that have a roughly equal prospect of winning government power.

Question 29

What are the three features of a two-party system?

Answer 29

1. Only two parties enjoy sufficient electoral and parliamentary strength to win government power. 2. The larger party can rule alone, while the other provides opposition. 3. Power alternates regularly between the two parties.

Question 30

Does FPTP always lead to a two-party system?

Answer 30

Yes, in the USA and Canada, two parties dominate completely. In the UK, it has sustained a two-party system for many years.

Question 31

What happened to the two-party system in the UK in 2010 and 2017?

Answer 31

The two-party system broke down, and the Conservatives were forced to make deals with smaller parties (2010: Lib Dems, 2017: DUP).

Question 32

Does proportional representation always lead to a multi-party system?

Answer 32

Yes, it tends to produce multi-party systems, as seen in Norway and Italy.

Question 33

How should we define the UK party system?

Answer 33

The classic era of the two-party system was 1945-74, when Labour and Conservatives won 91% of the vote.

Question 34

What was the share of the vote for the two main parties from 1979-2010?

Answer 34

The share of the vote fell to 73%, but they continued to win 91% of seats.

Question 35

What was the situation in the UK party system during 2010-15?

Answer 35

There was a coalition, and some referred to it as a 'two-and-a-half' party system, with Liberal Democrats scoring 23% of the vote in 2010.

Question 36

What was the SNP's performance in Scotland in 2015?

Answer 36

The SNP won in all but three of the 59 seats in Scotland, but they are not contenders for absolute power at Westminster.

Question 37

What is the Additional Member System (AMS)?

Answer 37

AMS is partly proportional and increases the representation of smaller parties in Scottish and Welsh parliament elections.

Question 38

What has been the SNP's governance situation in Scotland?

Answer 38

The SNP has been in power for over a decade, forming a minority government from 2007-2011 and again after May 2016.

Question 39

What coalition governed Scotland before 2007?

Answer 39

Scotland was governed for 8 years by a Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition.

Question 40

What has been the situation in Wales regarding party governance?

Answer 40

Wales has experienced periods of a minority Labour government, Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition, and a Labour-Plaid Cymru coalition.