Political Parties

A level government and politics Political Parties

Old Labour

Nationalisation

Redistrubtion of wealth

Continually improving welfare and state services

Rejected Thatcheriste/ Free Mark reforms/ Blarite approach

New Labour

Revision of traditional values- Influenced by Anthony Giddens saw a shift in focus from the working class to a wider class base and less robust alliance with trade unions

One Nation

A paternalistic approach adopted by Conservatives under Disraeli and continued by Cameron and May

The rich are obligated to help the poor

New Right

Neo- Conservatives who want the state to take a more authoritarian approach to morality and law and order

Neo-Liberals endorsing free market approach and the rolling back of the state in peoples lives and businesses

Classical liberals

developed by early liberals who believed that individual freedom would best be achieved with the state playing a minimal role

Modern liberals

Emerged as a reaction against free market capitalism, believing this had led to many individuals not being free as it could no longer be defined as simply ‘being left alone’

Party Systems

The way or manner in which the political parties in a system are grouped and strucutred. There are several variants that could apply to Uk- one dominant, two party, two and a half party and multi party

Left- wing

Those who desire change

Reform

Alteration to the way in which society operates

Radical criticism of the capitalim

Right- wing

Support for status quo

Little or no change

Stressing the need for order

Stability

Hierachy

What is a political party?

A group of people that work together to achieved shared goals by standing candidates in public office

What does a winning party have?

A winners mandate

What legislation says the House of Lords cannot block a bill from a manifesto of the winning party?

Salibsury Doctrine

What roles do political parties play?

• Representation

• Political Engagement

• Political Recruitment

• Policy formulation

• Stable government

What is a mainstream party?

Runs in all constituencies and adresses all policy issues and attempts for form a government

What is a example of a mainstream party?

Conservatives

Labour

Lib Dems

What is a minority or niche party?

Nationalist Party- Stand in part of the UK and campaign for their nation or regions independence

Single issue-

What is an example of nationalist party

SNP and Plaid Cymru

Example of single issue parties

UKIP

Brexit Party

Green Party

What are the types of party systems?

• Single- party

• Dominant party

• Two party system

• Multiparty system

How could the UK be a multiparty system?

• In recent elections, escpecially 2010 and 2015 significant percentage of voters backed smaller parties

• Parties in the UK such as Scotland have parties other than Labour and Conservatives have significant power in 2021- SNP 64/129 seats

• In other elections- local (smaller parties) have significant sucess- UKIP BREXIT GREENS

• Sucess is more than elections- UKIP forced referendum on EU membership and aimed for Brexit which happened

How could the UK not be a multiparty system?

• Even in 2015 and 2010 Labour and Conservatives won the majority- FPTP doesn’t translate votes to seats

• The most important election is the General Election and they fail to win that

• Sucess is fleeting- many have come and gone UKIP Lib Dems- shrunk after coalition UKIP

• Green Party acts more like a pressure group- made other parties greener through fear of losing votes to them so impossible to break statute quo as a big party just steals their ideas

How are different parties funded?

Conservatives- Big donor

Labour- Trade union and some donors

Lib dem- Struggle

what is a funding scandal over Bernie Ecclestone

Paied 1 million pounds and tobacco advertisement laws didnt apply to F1

What is an answer to party funding scandals?

State funding

YES- Removes disparity

Reduces corruption

Plays an important public role so need public funding

NO- Leads to state regulation

Who gets the funding

Tax payers funding parties they dislike

Reduces the need to represent public views as already get their moeny

How many votes did reform UK get in 2024 election vs Seats?

5 seats

4,117,610 votes

How many votes did Lib Dems get in 2024 election vs Seats?

72 seats

3,519,143

How many votes did Conservartives get in 2024 election vs Seats?

121 Seats

6,828,925

How many votes did Labour get in 2024 election vs Seats?

412

9,708,712

What does the disparity in votes show?

Lib Dems gained more seats with less votes than Green showing flawed FPTP and large support for smalller parties as when added up is more than conservative vote

What are the implications for the government of a multiparty system?

‘Confidence and Supply’ agreements (conservative lib dem coalition 2010-15) Conservative gov by DUP 2017-19

New udeas on political agenda- Green ideas

Major parties lose control of the political narrsative- Cameron pushed into Brexit due to threat of UKIP

Variation across the UK- Covid saw Conservative response in England Labour in Wales and SNP in scotlaand

Disunion- In Scotland and Northern Ireland the parties with the majority do not sypport the Union in 2022

What factors effect Party Sucess

• Strength of Leadership

• Mood of country/ Context

• Unity

• Media

• Party funding

How does Strength of Leader affect success?

• Johnson ‘oven ready Brexit’

• Blairs ‘Things can only get better anthem’

• Thatchers promise to sort out trade unions following winter of discontent

• Sturgeon has taken the SNP to new heights

How does Weakness of Leader affect success?

• Brown financial crisis of 2008

• Callaghan attacked with ‘labour isn’t working’ in 79

Can leader strength be mitiagted?

YES

MAY V CORBYN in 2017 both were weak looking leaders corbyn- untrustowrthy

leading to minority government

How does Capturing Public Mood affect success?

in 2015 concern over finance- financial crisis and austerity so conservative acted as the safe pair of hands leading to them becoming sole power #

In 2019 Johnson offered a end to Brexit which the public were tired of hearing about

SNP captured the public mood in scotland- indi ref

How does Not Capturing Public Mood affect success?

In 2019 Labour offered program too radical for the majority

2015 collapse of the Lib Dems Nick Clegg got the mood of voters wrong over tuition fees

How does Unity affect success?

Media puts focus on it

• Behind Boris Johnson in 2019 after much infighting united eventually behind him

How does Dis Unity affect success?

Leadership battles- Johnnson- Truss- Sunak all weak and different factions supporting diffeent individuals

• nfighting in 1997 lead to destroy

• 2017-2019 Clear rifts in Labour Moderates vs Left

• Johnson's government leaked and accused of briefing against colleagues

How does Media affect success?

• 2019 Corbyn accused media of being anti- him

  Daily Mail - ‘Cor- Bin’

• Balir and Cameron media savvy

• Leaders who grab attention make good TV Trump and Johnson

How does Party Funding affect success?

• Conservatives- wealthy individuals - Frank Hester ‘dianne abbot makes me want to shoot all black women’ donated over £16 million since 2019- Russian money

• Labour trade unions reliance but suffered in drop in membership- Labour also turned to wealth with Bernie Ecclestone

  Rich donor conflicts ideals

• Lib Dems cannot compete

What values did Traditional Conservationism have

• Defended property

• Defended hiercachy

• Gradual Reform

What is One national conservatism associated with

• Benjamin Disreali

• Paternalism

• Patrioctic foregin policy

• After WW2 accepted Labour Welfare reform, Keynesian economics,nationalised industry,prgamatism

• Conserve

What is Thatcherism

• Under Margaret Thatcher is a new right ideology

• Cutting public spending and tax

• Privatisation of Utilities competition within state services such as ranking in schools, private aspects of NHS

• Reduction of trade union power (crush the unions)

• Tough law and order

• Aggressive foreign policy of USSR and Falklands war

• Eurosceptic

What is the post thatcherism era of Major

• Attempts to soften thatcher

• Tries to reconcile Eurosceptic and pro factions leading to division

What is the post thatcherism era of Cameron

• Liberal conservatism

• Social policies such as legalizing gay marriage

• Return to a moderate one nation conservatism

• Austerity

What is the post thatcherism era of May

• ‘Strong and stable’’- but impression of anything but

• Brexit chaos

• Continued austerity

What is the post thatcherism era of Johnson

• Brexit

• COVID 19

• One nation ideas but tough law and order

• Difficult to judge ideological position due to circumstances and unclear

What is the post thatcherism era of Truss

• Tax cuts causing market panic

• Party division of economic

• Public trust reduce

• Leadership last 49 days

• Conservative rating hit record low

• Libertarian economics and free market conservatism

What is the post thatcherism era of Sunak

• Fiscal conservatism

• Economic stabilization

• Sought to heal party unity

• Immigration control - Rwanda plan

• Cost of living crisis

What is labours origins?

Grew out of socialist groups

Name became Labour- party in 1906

The first labour MP was Keir Hardy

1918, the party wrote a constitution committing the party to socialism (has since been changed)

What did Old Labour do?

• Brough about NHS

• Nationalised industry

• Brought a comprehensive welfare system from cradle to grave
  Focus on equality of opportunity through comprehensive schools

• 1979 defeat moved further left and lost 1983 with a very left-wing manifesto ‘longest suicide note in history’

What was New labour do and who was it under?

• Neil Kinnock and John Smith

• Return to more moderate left position but failed success until 1992 Blair

• Blair 97-01-05

• Brown in 07 tried to go back left but faced world economic crisis

What are key party’s of Blairs ‘new labour’

• Altered Clause 4 (removed commitment to public ownership and redistribution of wealth)

• Became a catch-all party rather than a purely working-class party

• Accepted capitalism

• Started devolution Wales Scotland

• Introduced minimum wage

• Used PFI

• Won 3 times

What was Labour like under Miliband?

• Labelled ‘red Ed’ and ‘the wrong miliband’

• Failed to capture public support

• Difficulty eating a bacon sandwich

What was Labour like under Corbyn?

• Unexpectantly won the leadership contest

• Strong support under Momentum and young members

• Failed marginally in 2017 despite weak and divided conservatives and landslide in 2019

• Eventually only attractive to hard wing Left wing supporters and many long term supporters had left

What is Labour like under Starmer?

• Removed a lot of the left wing: Corbyn (banned in future elections as labour) DIanne Abbott, Rebecca Long-Bailey (attempt to stop antisemitism) left-wing

• Pro business stance

• Reset Eu Relations

• Centre left

Labour economic policy

• No reckless borrowing

• No increase in VAT or National Insurance for working people

• Pro-business pro growth

• Increased minimum wage

• Natioanlise key industries

• Abolish Private schools charitable staties

Tory economic policy

• Public spending

• 2024 Manifesto £17 Billion tax cuts by 2030

• Reduce Natioanl Insurance Contributions

• Abolish Stamp duty

Labour Welfare policy

• Simplify disability benefit system

• Remove 2 child benefit cap

• Review universal credit

• 0 hour contract ban pledge

Conservative Welfare policy

• Benefits reofrm

• Tax cuts

Labour Law and Order policy

• Opposed cuts in police number

• Tougher sentences for offenders in antisocial crime

• Knife crime reduction

• Youth support hubs

• Corbyn ‘tough on crime, tough on causes of crime’ rejected Balir first half

Conservative Law and Order policy

• Support for victims

• Whole life orders (proposed)

• Protest regulations 2023

Labour on foreign policy

Corbyn wanted a second Brexit referendum

Support for Ukraine

Adocated Ukraine to join NAto

Strengthen ties with China

Comservative on foreign policy

Enhanced cooperation with US

Balance economic and security interests

Nato commitment

What are the origins of the Lib Dems Party?

Formed in the mid 19 century

One of the main 2 partys until Labour party

Facoured free trade and was in towns and cities

Contained radicals who pushed for political and social reform

What did classical liberals like?

Free market economics

Free trade

Small state

Individual freedom

What do Modern liberals value?

20th century

Equality of oppurtunity

Social reform ‘new liberal’

gov of 1906-1914 Brough in old age pensions , National insurance, payment of MPs, free school meals

John Maynard Keynes devised economic theory

How did the Lib Dems form?

Split from Labour party and formed an electoral pact but formally united in 1988

who was the Lib Dems first leader?

Paddy Ashdown

How many setas did the Lib Dems win in 1997?

46

How many seats in 2005?

62

What liberal is Nick Clegg?

Organe book which called for a move back to classical liberal ideas

What did the leaders of Labour and Conservativces say about Nick Clegg in TV debates?

I agree with Nick

How many seats in 2010 of Lib Dems and what did this allow them to do?

57

Coalition government

What did Clegg aim to do in 2010 coalition

• Moderate conservative policy

• Achieve liberal goals

• Prove the party was viable

What referendum with Clegg want

• One on STV but were only given SV

What did the Lib Dems go back on?

Promise not to raise unviersity tuition fees and associayed with austerity

How many seats did the Lib Dems win in 2015?

8

Lib Dem Economic Policy

Healthcare funding proposed £8bn

Capital gains tax overhaul

Net 0 commitment

benefits reform called ffor

Lib Dem law and order

Prison reform for priosners (proposed)

Preventative penalities for knife crime (harsh sentences)

Decriminalisation of posseion of drugs for personal use

Lib Dems welfare

Proposed:

Universal Credit Oberhual
Child benefit increase

Mental health serives

Lib Dems on Foreign policy

Support Ukraine

Commitment to NATO

Support free trade