Political Parties

• A political party is a group of similarly minded people who aim to achieve their objectives by fielding candidates for election to political office. It policies it aims to pass into law in its manifesto, which is a document listing policy pledges. The party that wins power as a result of electoral victory earns a mandate, which is when a political party or decision-maker has the authority to make decisions or put policies in place.
• parties ensure a single government is formed as a result of a general election so legislation can be safely passed through the house of commons.
• The role of the opposition is to hold government accountable.
• A parties role is to represent its members in various places parliament, councils etc. Parties allow people to have a greater participation thus increasing political engagment and educating the public on issuses.
• Parties choose politicians that they think are most appealing to the public and suite there policies. Parties also have a role in promoting politicians. Potential MPS are interviewed.
• Parties create policies that they believe are best and most popular with voter, these are presented in manifestos.
• Parties receive funding by membership fees but this is not their primary source as membership is declining.
• Parties have become increasingly reliant on donations from individuals or organisations.
• Short money is received by opposition parties that win 2 or more seats in the House of Commons at the general election or win 1 seat and gain more than 150,000 votes It is designed to cover party administrative costs and to allow for effective scrutiny of the government.
• Controversies around part funding have come from "cash for Qs" and the Bernie Ecclestone affairs. Which started the belief that you could buy access/influence over politics.
• New regulation the Political Parties, Election and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA) introduced spending limits on constituencies during campaigns (max £30,000). As well as Eu parliament and other devolved bodies, parties have to declare individual donations over £5,000.
• Political Parties and Elections Act (PPEA) 2009, enabled the electoral commission to investigate and fine parties that broke PPERA. Also limiting the donations allowed from non-UK residents and reducing the amount at which donations need to be publicised.
• Parties encourage long-term "loans" to bypass PPERA and the main parties still receive donations from wealthy people. Large reforms are unlikely to take place as they happen at taxpayers expense (state funding).
• The case for state funding

  • State funding would remove the influence and access private donors have
  • State funding gives politicians more time to serve the interests of their constituents rather than spending time seeking funding.
  • Minority parties could compete better if the funding gap between major and minor parties was smaller.
  • Greater funding for opposition parties would allow them to research policy and offer a strong alternative to the government, which is good for democracy.
• Current public funding exists through Short money, Cranborne money which is paid to opposition parties in the House of Lords, and Policy Development Grants.
• Left-wing describes those who want to change how society works and reform society.

  • socialists who are further to the left, and want to criticise capitalism and the free-market.
  • centre-left people who wish to reform rather than remove capitalism.
• • right-wing describes people who support the status quo and order in society.
  • Believe hierarchy is important and support private property.
• • The party leader represents the party and image of the party.
  • Public opinion of the leader and their ability to offer an appealing brand to the electorate plays an important role in creating support for the party.
• • A leader’s personality, charisma and popularity is important.
  • Nigel Farage was viewed as the image of UKIP and his charisma played a role in UKIP’s appeal to voters. Since Farage stepped down as the leader, UKIP has not achieved the same electoral success.
  • Tony Blair was popular beyond traditional Labour voters. His personality and charisma had wide appeal, important in the success of New Labour from 1997.
• • Party leaders need to unite the party, because party supporters may come from a range of groups in society.
  • More divided parties struggle to win elections and appeal to voters.
  • The Labour Party is divided under Jeremy Corbyn, who faced a vote of no confidence in 2016.
  • The Conservative Party is divided over leaving the EU.
• • Party leaders play a role in gaining party funding, which can affect the ability to run a stronger election campaign.
  • Theresa May held dinners for donors to increase funding for the Conservative Party.
• • The election campaign tells the public about party policies, personality of the leader, and how the party behaves under pressure.
  • For example, Ed Miliband was seen to be a weaker leader than David Cameron, because of problems in the election campaign.
  • Studies have shown that voters already know who they will choose before the election campaign, so the campaign may not always change minds.
• • Party policies are important to gather support. Change in party policies can gather new voters.
  • In 1997, after Labour rebranded to ‘New Labour’ under Tony Blair, they achieved their biggest general election victory.
• • Social media is harder to regulate, so false news stories (‘fake news’) may be seen.
• • How parties respond to external events (ie outside of UK politics) may impact their support.
  • Terror attacks, world politics and protests may all be commented on and responded to by major parties, this may impact their support.
• • The media provides the means by which the electorate can access information on parties.
  • Different media outlets support different parties.
  • The Daily Mail is a right-wing paper. The paper supported Brexit in the 2016 referendum
  • The Guardian is a centrist/left-leaning newspaper. Some Jeremy Corbyn supporters have accused the paper of being biased against the Labour leader.
  • The BBC is funded by taxpayers and is supposed to be unbiased.
• • Younger voters tend to lean more left.
  • The Conservative vote increases with age.
  • It is not clear why age changes voting patterns.
• • Historically Labour was the party of the working class.
  • But, voting has moved away from being related to class. Classes have changed sizes, and become less important. The number of workers in manual industries has fallen.
  • Educational opportunities have increased.
• • How someone’s family votes also has an impact on who they will vote for - some families pass on their political values.
• • Some political parties are more diverse and representative of minority populations than others.
  • The Labour party has historically had a more diverse electorate.
• Declining Population with party membership: 1980 = 4.1% of the pop 2010 = 0.8% of the pop