Political Parties Pearson/Edexcel A-Level Politics

What is a two party system?

A party system where two major political parties dominate the government e.g. UK Conservatives and Labour

What is a multi-party system?

A system in which several major and many lesser parties exist, seriously compete for, and actually win, public offices. e.g. Germany

What are the main functions of a political party?

- Selecting Candidates for elections

- Providing the personnel that make up govt (not the civil service!)

- Electing a (party) Leader

- Policy formation -the manifesto-

- Campaigning for elections

- Representation of constituents

- Forming a functional government quickly.

What is a manifesto?

A set of ideas for policy/reform which are shown during the campaign trail.

What is a mandate?

The mandate is the governments authority to enact upon it's manifesto if it is elected.

How are political parties funded?

Whilst they have access to a minimal amount of public funds, political parties in the UK rely mostly on private funding. Donations mostly come from:

- Individuals

- Companies

- Trade Unions (Labour)

Explain the debate about why privately-funded political parties could be immoral?

Critics suggest that this can result in a huge advantage for well funded parties with 63% of all donations going to the conservatives during the 2019 elections.

Name as many established UK political parties as you can!

- Conservatives

- Labour

- Liberal Democrats

- Scottish National Party

- Plaid Cymru

- UKIP/Brexit party/Reform UK

- Green Party

- Democratic Unionist Party

- Sinn Féin

What is one nation conservatism?

A transformed ideology of the conservative party. It was based around the principle that the party should protect and advance the nation as a whole, more inclusive and progressive than traditional conservatism.

What is the New Right?

By the 70s one nation was no longer effective. Also known as Thatcherism, Rooted in classical liberalism in terms of economics it aims to reduce state intervention in the economy and over people's lives. However it is also influenced by neo-conservatives in its traditional views on family units and preservation of culture.

What change did David Cameron bring to the Conservative party?

Following Thatcher the conservatives had become known as the 'nasty party' -Theresa May 2002. To help shift this image, under the coalition govt, Cameron would introduce progressive policy on same-sex marriage, National Citizen Service and promoting the idea of 'Big Society'.

How has the European Research Group (ERG) impacted the conservative party?

Despite beginning in the 70s the group has only recently seen success. The group has become very influential, being responsible for forcing David Cameron to call the referendum on EU membership and helped affirm the position of the following 4 conservative PMs towards it.

What are recent conservative changes that move the party away from the new right?

Under Boris Johnson:

- The 'Levelling up' of the North

- Large Scale govt projects such as HS2 and extra £36Bn in NHS funds

- Increased taxes, National insurance increased from 1% to 1.25% and Corporation tax rose from 19 to 25%.

Under Liz Truss, attempts were made to reintroduce new right ideas with tax cuts like the 45p tax cut however they proved unpopular and were reversed by her successor, Rishi Sunak.

What is Old Labour?

Left-wing principles of taxing the wealthy, nationalisation and public welfare.

Who is an example of an old labour PM?

- Clement Attlee, introduced NHS, 20% of economy was nationalised

- Harold Wilson attempted to create a fairer and more equal society

What did New Labour/third way change about labour ideas and commitments?

Combines left-wing commitment to social justice with right wing emphasis on free markets in order to gain economic prosperity.

Who is the most notable new labour pm?

Tony Blair

What did blair and brown do whilst in power that differed from earlier labour PMs?

- kept Thatchers top taxation rate of 40%

- reduced state influence over schools

- tougher on crime

How did brown combat economic downturn following the economic crisis?

New top tax rate of 50% for earners over £150,000.

What were the policies and ideas of Corbyn (2015-2020)

- corbyn was far more left-wing than predecessors, a democratic socialist

- won unexpected landslide victory in party elections

- ran on slogan 'For the Many Not the Few' increasing labours vote by 9.6% in 2017

- Slumped in the 2019 elections leading to shift right under new leader Keir Starmer.

What are some policies and ideas of current Labour under Starmer?

- Remains committed to Labours social justice beliefs.

- believes in a 'mixed' style of economy

- promising 'biggest ever transfer of power from Westminster to the people' by involving the public in elected the HoL

- believes in increased powers for the devolved govts and mayors.

What is the most prevalent issue preventing the Libdems from being more relevant?

The gap between their vote share and seat share. E.g. in 2010 when libdems got 23% of votes but only 8% of seats

Who are the SNP?

Center left party advocating for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom.

Policies:

Increased investment in public services like healthcare and education.

Support for renewable energy.

Opposition to nuclear weapons.

They have been successful in recent years winning the majority of Scottish seats during the 2015 and 2019 Westminster GE.

What are some unique policies or properties of the Lib-dems?

- In 2019 the Lib-dems campaigned for rejoining the EU. Remains a strong supporter of the UK-EU relationship.

- String tradition of parliamentary and constitutional reform within the party. Democratic HOL, Introduction of Proportional Representation at Westminster.

- Wish to increase income tax by 1% to increase NHS funding by £7 Billion.

What is an example of a devolved govt having its sovereignty limited by Westminster?

In 2023, Westminster blocked the Scottish govt bill aimed to implement self-identification as it went against the Equality Act (2010)

What is Plaid Cymru?

Welsh nationalist party -mostly popular with welsh speaking central welsh voters. Loses to Labour in the South.

What could be said to be the reason for the success of UKIP/Brexit/Reform Parties?

Their leader, Nigel Farage, could be suggested to be the reason behind the success of the parties. His strong media presence and quasi-populist style have made him popular amongst the white working class.

What are notable policies of UKIP?

- opposition to EU membership

- opposition to further immigration

Where did UKIP see the most success?

In EU parliament elections.

What percentage of votes did UKIP receive in the 2015 general election?

12.6% - but only 1 seat

What is the Green Party?

The party promotes green politics, specifically ecology; nonviolence; social justice; participatory, grassroots democracy; gender equality; LGBT rights; anti-war and anti-racism

Why has the green party failed to see major success outside of the Brighton Pavilion seat?

FPTP has restricted the Green Parties election success immensely.

What is the DUP?

Democratic Unionist Party -it wishes for northern ireland to remain a part of the UK. Closely related to the Conservatives.

What is Sinn Fein?

Left wing Political party in Northern Ireland -wish to reunite ireland. In 2022 they won their first Northern Irish election.

How has the two-party system been eroded in Westminster?

- The 1988 formation of the Lib-Dems from the Liberal Party and the SDP. It had broader appeal than either of the smaller parties.

- Partisan Dealignment, people voting based on specific issues rather than Class.

- Lib-dems focusing on specific regions to gain the most influence (South-West England).

- The Coalition govt of 2010 solidified Lib-Dems presence as a major party.

- SNPs rapid progress to its breakthrough in 2015 and the high profile campaign of 2014.

Is it reasonable to state that the UK is a 'two and a half party' system?

No, as following the success of the 2010 elections for LibDems the Conservatives and Labour saw their highest vote share since 1970, 82.4% (2017).

Where in the UK is there multi-party democracy?

In the devolved governments.

How has SNP vote share grown since 1992?

Massively, from 21.5% to 45% in 2019 (50% peak in 2015) -this is in Scotland only.

How does the leader impact party popularity?

- public image (strong image e.g. Margaret Thatcher 'the Iron Lady') (weak image e.g. Liz Truss not having presence and image to instill public trust in her policies.

- media presence (e.g. Boris Johnsons PR stunts, or Nigel Farage and GB News)

How is the media important to political parties successes?

- positive media coverage can boost a leaders support significantly (e.g. Thatcher's press secretary Bernard Ingham. Or Alistair Campbell who aided Tony Blair)

- Negative media coverage can equally damage a political parties image e.g. Negative press of Blair following the 2003 Iraq war.