Political Parties

2.1 Political Parties ; 2.2 Established Political Parties ; 2.3 Emerging and minor UK political parties; 2.4 UK political parties in context

Define Political Parties

A political party is an organisation that develops a set of political goals and policies which it seeks to convert into political action by obtaining a position in government

How do political parties gain power?

By mobilising public opinion in its favour , selecting candidates for office , competing at elections and identifying suitable political leaders

Set the scene: as an estimate how many political parties are there in the UK?

Around 300 political groups.

Political parties have features; list these characteristics.

\- They have some kind of organisation

\- They develop political policies or programmes

\- They seek government office

\- They put up candidates for elections

\- They campaign to achieve public support

List the functions of political parties

\- Representation

\- Policy formation

\- Recruitment of leaders

\- Organisation

\- Participation and mobilisation/educating the public

How are Parties funded?

\- Collecting membership fees

\- Holding fundraising events

\- Receiving donations

\- Raising

\- Self financing candidates

\- State grants

\- Short money

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In 2015, how much was the membership for the Labour party?

Was increased to £3 per year.

How are MPs paid ?

MPs are paid by general taxation, they are also able to claim expenses for travel and cost of running office

How do parties meet most of their election costs? What is the name of the provision which assists them? ( HINT : TALL)

Parties fulfill most of their election costs from voluntary donations

Special state provision - short money

Historically, how have the conservatives and labour party been funded?

Conservatives have been funded by businesses , wealth donors and corporations

Labour are traditionally funded by trade unions however during the New Labour era (97 - 2010) Labour funding shifted from TU’s to donations from successful individuals

In 1997 , Labour received a donation from a wealthy individual, sparking controversy, how much was this donation and who was this person?

Bernie Ecclestone (chief exec of Formula One)

Received £1 million donation

It was debated that this donation influenced the delay to the ban on tobacco advertising in F1, leading to finance regulation.

Political Parties , Elections and Referendums Act (PPERA) 2000

Imposed a limit on party spending in General Elections, (£30k) per constituency .

Established additional spending limits for elections to devolved bodies and the EU parliament

Required all parties to declare donations over £5k to the electoral commissions

Political Parties and Elections Act (PPEA) 2009

This built upon PPERA’s regulations .

Imposed tighter regulations on spending by candidates in the run - up to an election

Allowed electoral commission to investigate cases and impose fines , restricting donations from non - UK residents and reducing the thresholds for the declaration of donations

What state funding is in place to ensure less influence of wealthy donors?

Policy Development Grants, Short Money, Cranborne Money

PDGs have a pot of £2 million - share is available to any party with over two sitting MPs

What is Cranborne money?

Cranborne money are funds paid to opposition parties in the HoL in order to help their adminstrative costs

What is short money?

Short money are funds paid to opposition parties in order to help them cover administrative costs

Which function of the opposition does short money help to effectively fullfill?

Proper scrutiny of government

Has reform been effective, think about ‘loans for peerages’?

Reforms has made funding more transparent , however parties have attempted to get around PPERA through long term low interest loans from supporters.

What was the Cash For Honours Scandal 2006 - 2007 (loans for peerages)?

A political scandal in the UK concerning the connection between political donations and the award of life peerages.

Cash for Honors : ‘Labour deliberately tried to conceal secret loans’ What was the nature of this case?

In March 2006, several men nominated for life peerages by then Prime Minister Tony Blair were rejected by the HoL appointments commission.

What happened in the MPs expenses scandal, what was the nature of this case?

The HoC had agreed to release information on MP expenses but would redact sensitive information, the information was then leaked to the Daily Telegraph by a parliamentary employee

‘Buying a Duck House’, explain this case.

Conservative MP Peter Viggers claimed £30,000 over 3 years for gardening. Among his claims were £1,645 for a duck house from taxpayers money.

The scandal had a significant impact on Politics. What did a 2013 Ipsos Mori poll reveal about the effect on the electorate? \[ANALYSIS\]

IN 2013 an Ipsos Mori poll revealed that 33% of Britons believed MPs used their position for their own personal gain

27% believed this was the case for most MPs

72% of respondents said they did not trust MPs to tell the truth.

What was the significance of the MPs expenses scandal? Consider the timing. \[FURTHER ANALYSIS + SYNOPTIC LINK\]

It came following the Iraq War - the perception that the government had conned the public into war was widespread

Came following a financial crisis - was clear that the public were to partake in a form of austerity.

Can be argued that the febrile anti politics atmosphere in 2016.

The Legg inquiry was ineffective in dissolving these tensions

In 2015, the Conservative Party received what % of their income from membership fees , as opposed to the SNP?

In 2015, the Conservative Party only received 2.5% of their income from membership fees the rest from donations as opposed to the SNP who had 45% of income from membership fees.

State 3 arguments supporting the statement that parties should be state funded

\- If parties are not funded by taxpayers , they will be funded by wealthy individuals and interest groups

\- State funding would allow politicians to focus on representing their constituents rather than courting donors

\- Parties such as the Lib Dems could compete on equal financial footing because funding would be based entirely on membership or electoral performance

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State 3 arguments opposing the statement that parties should be state funded.

\- Taxpayers should not be expected to bankroll parties that they oppose

\- Politicians could become isolated from real world issues if they are denied access from interest groups

\- Parties will always have have unequal resources , even if state funding introduces - there will be differences in membership levels.

Define the term Old Labour

Old Labour is a term used to characterise the Labour governments and leaders between the periods 1945 to 1983. It is associated with democratic socialism (achieving socialist policies through democracy)

List the key values of the Labour party

\- Equality

\- Class Equality

\- Equality of Opportunity

\- Collectivism

\- Common ownership

\- Trade Unionism

\- Statism

\- Welfarism

What were the general aims of the 20th century labour party?

They sought to increase the power of trade unions, nationalise industries , greater redistribution of income.

What was the main factor contributing towards Labour’s victory and the defeat of Churchill in 1945?

Labour appeared fresh and energised offering a bold vision in contrast to Churchill.

Labour were able to win over voters by overring to act upon the Beveridge Report and benefitted from a change in attitudes towards the class system and social mobility.

Why did the Labour party decide to introduce a system of welfare?

The experience of war - wartime destruction left Britain with a shortage of 750,00 homes fostering a desire for far reaching social change and increased equality

Helped to create consensus for the urgent need for reform in the post war period (Beveridge Report of 1942)

Which PM is often associated with ‘Old Labour’ politics and social progress?

Harold Wilson - PM from 1964 - 1970 and 74 - 76

What were some of Harold Wilsons policies?

\- Taxes on those with high incomes were raised in order to redistribute wealth

\- Comprehensive education was introduced in the 1960s to improve equality of opportunity

\- Discrimination against women , ethnic minorities and homosexuals was outlawed and equal pay was passed in 1970

In 1976, under … the UK was forced to accept a loan of … from the …?

In 1976 , under Callaghan , the UK was forced to accept a loan of 3.9 billion

What was the political and economic climate of the UK under Wilson and Callaghan?

In 1967, due to the dock strikes Callaghan was forced to devalue the pound

In 1967, Britains application to join the EEC was rejected

In 1969, Barbara Castle failed to contain trade union power

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When was the Winter Of Discontent?

November 1978 - February 1979

What was the Winter of Discontent ?

Period of dispute between the Labour government and powerful trade unions - Callaghan states that he was overwhelmed by an uncontrollable ‘contagion’ that doomed him to defeat at the subsequent election

‘Labour isn’t working’

Famous poster describing Labour’s difficulty with managing the economy in 1979

What were the social democratic aspirations of the origins of Clause IV, the 1918 constitution?

‘To secure for the workers by hand or by brain the full fruits of their inquiry’

Significance? Demonstrates a commitment for public ownership of key industries and redistribution of wealth.

How did the emergence of Thatcherism affect the Labour party?

Labour had moved further to the left - it is argued that this signalled their decline and meant they were out of power from 1979 - 1997.

What was the phrase used in the 1979 Conservatives election campaign to describe the Labour manifesto?

‘nice manifesto comrade’

Which state system did the Labour party in the 1940s create?

The Welfare State - applied recommendations for Sir William Beveridge following the Beveridge Report which aimed to wipe out poverty and hardship in society

Define the term New Labour

The party had rebranded itself under Blair, the manifesto set out the party’s new ‘Third Way’ centrist approach to policy , with subsequent success at the 1997 general election

What were the main reasons for rebranding the Labour party as New Labour?

Developed in response to the changing political and global landscape inherited from the rise of neo liberalism and globalisation.

The death of trade unionism and de industrialisation - New Labour was seen as a modernisation project.

What is New Labour characterised by?

\- Rejection of the socialist idea of class conflict

\- Acceptance that capitalism was the best way of creating wealth

\- The state should be an enabling state

\- Individualism

\- Equality of Opportunity - education and welfare to create opportunity

\- Communitarianism

\- Political and constitutional reform

‘The sun backs Blair’

Blair and Murdoch were close friends and the Murdoch papers supported Blair’s labour government.

Why was it believed that the renewed Clause IV had introduced the death of socialism?

In 2002, New Labour architect Peter Mandelson claimed ‘‘We are all Thatcherites now’’

In her memoirs the Downing Street Years , Thatcher claimed that Blair was her ‘‘Greatest Success’

What was the increase in NHS expenditure under New Labour?

39% of GDP to 48.1%

National Minimum Wage 1998 ACT

created a minimum wage - long term aim of the NMW was to remove the problem of poverty pay

Sure Start centres

Support parents with children aged under four years old, living in disadvantaged areas in Northern Ireland.

* Sure Start's ongoing support, a child can do well at school and flourish at home.

Origins of the Conservative Party

The conservative party dates back to Robert Peel’s Tamworth Manifesto in 1834. This was credited with laying down the core principles we know today.

One Nation conservatism

Benjamin Disraeli - upper class should take care of the working class as they have an obligation due to their wealth

Dominant brand of conservatism in the 19th and 20th centuries , particularly the post war period.

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