political parties

politics paper 1

what are political parties?

political parties are organisations of people with similar political ideologies, who seek to develop policies across a broad range of issues + turn those policies into action by winning government office → elect a leader, agree a manifesto, standing candidates in elections

how are parties funded?

• membership fees - political parties receive funding from membership fees paid for by party members - yet party membership is in decline, so this source is decreasing

• private donations - parties are becoming increasingly reliant on donations (from individuals, corporations or trade unions) - limited to £7500 per year, unless disclosed publicly → avoids influence + ensures transparency

• short money - funds received by all opposition parties that win 2+ seats or win 1 seat but 150,000+ votes in the general election → designed to cover party admin costs + allow effective scrutiny of government, conservatives currently receive the most (cranborne)

• trade unions (labour only) - charges members a political levy as well as membership fees e.g. UNISON - 2016 trade union act limited this as it made union members opt in to party funding, rather than automatically

• local constituency fundraising - very minimal + often spent on local campaigns

role of political parties

• political participation - parties allow people to have a greater participation in politics by becoming party members + consequently, increase their involvement in the democratic process + they aim to increase political engagement by educating the public on political issues

• representation - parties express public opinion, developing policies that are designed to appeal to the public - “catch-all” → but do they represent everyone well? some parties are issue based (ukip + the brexit party)

• government + opposition roles - parties ensure a strong single government is formed, after a general election, which can pass legislation through commons + opposition can check actions of the government + hold them accountable

• provide a clear choice at elections

• create clear policy - establish policy that is in the interest of voters + meet their needs → through a party manifesto. but they are more reactive of public opinion rather than proactive

• recruiting politicians - parties recruit individuals to the political system + choose the most suitable to stand for office + promote certain politicians for senior positions → prospective mps have to apply + do interviews

what is the political spectrum?

a way of measuring + describing the overall policy positions of different political parties - offering a wide range of choice at elections. traditionally, the key divide was between labour (left) + conservative (right) → however, it is not that simple anymore, with the parties moving more towards the centre.

key principles of left wing parties vs right wing

left: desiring change, reform + alteration to the way that society operates - in favour of big government + a welfare state with high tax + spend

right: supporting the conservation of the status quo + little change, stressing the importance of order stability, hierarchy + private property. in favour of small government, individualism + self determination with low tax, low spend.

who funds the specific parties?

• historically, labour has been funded by trade unions → new labour means more funding from a few wealthy individuals/companies e.g. dale vince at ecotricity 2024 - over £1.5mil

• conservatives - mainly from wealthy donors e.g. frank hester (over £10mil in 2 years) despite the controversy

• overall, party funding exists through short money, cranborne money (paid to the opposition in the hol) + policy development grants + donations from individuals/businesses - concern over the ability to buy political influence

reforms to party funding

• numerous controversies around party funding as it seems that individuals can buy access to + influence political decision makers

• political parties, elections + referendums act (ppera 2000) → party spending limits at general elections to £30k per constituency + limits spending to devolved parties + european parliament + says any individual donations that are above £5k must be made public

• political parties + election act (ppea 2009) - enabled the eelctoral commission to investigate + fine parties who broke the rules of the ppera + limited donations from non-uk residents + reduces the amount at which donations need to be made public by parties

have party funding reforms worked?

• regulations have increased the transparency of party funding

• but issues remain over funding + transparency → parties still receive large donations from wealthy individuals (frank hester)

• bigger reforms such as introducing state funding are unlikely - would be the taxpayers money

state funding: against

• taxpayers might oppose funding parties they dislike, especially more radical parties

• in practice, it may be difficult to calculate what each party would receive

• state funding will not solve the issue of parties having different amounts of funding as there would still be discrepancies

• we are in a free society with democracy → should be allowed to donate to any party we choose

• parties may become dependent on the state - limiting democracy

state funding: for

• state funding would remove the influence + access private donors have on the political process

• state funding gives politicians more time to serve their constituents - rather than seeking funds

• minority parties could compete better if the gap in funding was reduced + this could challenge the two party system

• greater funding for opposition parties would allow them to hold the government accountable more effectively = more democratic

the 2 main parties

run candidates in all (except some ni seats?) constituencies, developing policy across all sectors + attempt to form a government.

minor parties

minor parties often have little chances of winning themselves (reform uk - unproportional) but lib dems! they may be able to enter government as a partner in a coalition (coalition gov 2010) these parties may be regional/nationalist parties e.g. snp, sinn fein - only stand in their region + often advocate for their independence, or single issue parties e.g. ukip, brexit - mainly focused on campaigning for their issue.

uk - multi-party system? are minor parties important?

1. lib dems currently have 72 seats - significant amount + can influence legislation + more minor parties are being elected e.g. reform + greens. the issues brought to recognition by minor parties are often adopted by larger parties e.g. popularity of brexit party was diminished after johnson’s hard brexit deal, popularity of greens, among youth, has enforced more sustainable policy in all manifestos e.g. labour plans to establish Great British Energy - nationalised + clean power + 2019 conservative manifesto promised net zero by 2050, due to popularity of greens

2. devolution utilises proportional representation + has resulted in genuine multiparty government e.g. northern ireland 2017 - over 5 parties in regional government

3. lib dems have been in power before - coalition + hung parliaments are more common than ever + minor parties secure significant votes - taking them away from major parties

uk - 2 party system?

it can be argued that the uk is a two-party system, since:

1. minor parties only gain traction for their singular issues + are not fit enough with expertise/history in government to suggest they could rule + are less concerned with wider policy. once these policies are adopted, their party support is diminished as their issue has been addressed e.g. ukip + brexit parties disbanded after this goal was addressed

2. there is no proportional representation in westminster → meaning a multi party system is not going to happen

3. history of uk parliament demonstrates a two-party system - conservatives + labour, previously conservatives + liberals → coalition government, liberal democrats had to compromise on legislation e.g. manifesto promised to not increase university tuition → but they did in government in 2012. fptp entrenches a two party system.

why do political parties need funding?

they need funding to:

• compete in elections - money on campaigns

• holding party conferences

• carrying out research + developing policy

• employing special advisers + staff

political parties, elections + referendums act 2000

attempt to overcome the perception that part funding was undemocratic, this act established the independent electoral commission, which supervises election campaign spending by ensuring that donations from those that weren’t on the electoral roll (foreign companies + individuals) were banned - parties must make sure of this. this act also introduced requirements for reporting donations that were over a certain amount - £7500+ for central party + £1500+ for party sections

conservative party origins

traditional conservatives: an aristocratic group, formed in the 17th century, the conservative party (by the 1830s) became focused on the defense of property + traditional authority against the threat of revolution, stressing the importance of gradual reform to protect + conserve the established institutions → appealing to aristocracy + the middle class.

one nation conservatives: originated from pm disraeli - sought to bridge the gap between the social classes through paternalistic social policy with natural leaders acting benevolently towards disadvantaged groups → winning popular support through social reform + patriotic foreign policy + strengthened national unity. balanced free enterprise with state intervention in economic + social policy → thrived post ww2

thatcherism + the new right: held both orthodox conservative ideas (social policy + law + order) + neo-liberal ideas (free market, monetarism + less regulation) → argued for the importance of individual needs above society → small state with limited government + limited state intervention = business deregulation + privatisation + reduced trade union powers + national sovereignty = LOW TAX + SPEND

cameron + may: reidentified the party as liberal conservative (inspired by the popularity of blair after labour’s rebranding) → tolerant of minority groups, with interests in the environment + valuing public services such as the nhs = similar to one-nation conservatism, emphasising the “big society” + appealing to minority groups

johnson: hardline brexiteer + passed a hard brexit → traditional conservatism but his leadership was impacted by covid (partygate) ut he still promoted “levelling up” in the north - one nation + high spend

truss: sought to reintroduce thatcherism to boost the uk’s economy - failed with her mini budget → cut taxes massively, which plummeted the value of £ + interest rates had to increase, worsening the cost of living → resignation after 45 days

sunak: thatcherism

labour party origins

founded in 1900, by a group of socialists + trade unions → aimed to get more working class mps into parliament to push their interests → state should nationalise key industries + run them in the interests of the community just for profit

old labour: atlee’s 1945 government (first with a majority) → nationalised coal, railways, power, etc. + estbalished the NHS - socialist/social democracy. they emphasised wealth redistribution + fairer society but didn’t try to abolish capitalism - managed it through keynesian economics to avoid of the workforce + encourage equality of opportunity. old labour ended after the defeat of callaghan, which created divisions between the left wing + the moderates → worsened by the move to socialism by foot (manifesto included further nationalisaion, increased tax + spend, abolition of nuclear weapons = LONGEST SUICIDE NOTE IN HISTORY)

new labour (third way): rebuilding of the party began with kinnock to broaden its support, as it realised that appealing to the working class was no longer enough due to the increasing affluence of society → aimed to find a third way between free-market capitalism + old-style socialism - somewhat inspired by giddens. labour became pro-european + tried to demonstrate party unity + discipline, emphasising modernisation + democratisation (devolution) + education. miliband tried to combine new labour’s support while defending the working class.

corbynism: by 2015, there was pressure from the left of the party for a radical approach → however, this lead to a huge part divide within the party betwen the centrists and the left. however, this failed during the 2017 election (despite winning more votes than starmer in 2024) + the party dealing with rumours of anti-semitism → impacted media approval

starmer - back to centre: more nhs appointments + staff, set up great british energy, closing loopholes on private education tax, increase minimum wage → appealing to the middle class, hawkish on foreign policy

reform uk manifesto

• freeze on non-essential immigration

• tax cuts for small businesses

• scrap net zero target

• banning “transgender ideology” + “critical race theory” in schools

• £17bil extra for nhs

• leave the european covention of human rights

green party manifesto

• increase nhs budget by £8bil

• taxes on assets over £10mil

• scrap university tuition fees

• net zero by 2040

liberal democrat manifesto

• more gps + faster cancer treatments

• increase spending by almost £27bil a year by 2029

• net zero by 2045

• expanding the franchise to 16 year olds+ and introducing proportional representation

types of party systems

• dominant party system - only one party has a realistic chance of winning political power, even though other parties run e.g. japan’s lib dem party

• single party system - only one party exists + dominates control over the lection e.g. the democratic people’s republic of china

• two party systems - the power shifts between these two parties e.g. conservatives + labour

• two + a half party system - two main parties exist but a third smaller party challenges their dominance + takes away seats e.g. cons-lib coalition + current libdems (72 seats)

• multi party systems - where multiple parties can win elections or may work as a coalition → usually due to proportional systems