uk government

• Political party funding


  Why they need money
• How political parties are funded

  • Advertising
  • Rallies and events
  • Manifestos
  • Broadcasting
  • Think tanks developing policies
• MPs paid from general taxation April 2023 £86,584
• Sources of political party funding

  • Membership subscriptions
  • Fundraising events
• Funding through membership subscriptions and fundraising events is controversial because it suggests rich people can influence policy
• Wealthy vested interests can bankroll a party to achieve their own political objectives
• Short money


  State provision to support activities of the opposition in Parliament
• Cranbourne Money


  Equivalent of Short money in the House of Lords
• Party funding is controversial because of the idea that powerful interests offer financial support in return for political influence
• Accusations made in the past of parties offering political honours (e.g. membership of House of Lords) in return for donations
• In 2007, Tony Blair's government claimed that individuals had paid to Labour Party funds in return for peerages, but nobody was charged, and the public was very angry
• Blair's response was to set up the Phillips Commission to investigate party funding and concluded parties should be funded through taxation and a limit of £50,000 on donations from individuals & organisations
• Funding recommendations


  • Largest parties to cut spending between elections by £20m each
  • Eligible parties receive 50p each year for every vote cast for them in most recent general election
  • Improve public access to better, clearer information about the sources of party income
• Larger parties (Conservative, Labour) would lose influence because they would be cutting their funds
• Last general election was a long time ago and so parties would be losing out on state funding
• Funding reforms would see parties be held to account
• Left wing


  Ideas associated with Socialism or social democracy
• Right wing


  Conservative ideas
• Left wing policies


  • Taxation
  • Trade unions
  • Socialisation
  • Nationalism
• Right wing policies


  • Privatising
  • Stability
  • Business
  • Fascism
• Factionalism


  Tendency within parties to split into different internal groups who hold views that are at variance with the main beliefs of the party
• Factionalism in political parties

  • Margaret Thatcher & the New Right in the 1970s
  • Tony Blair's New Labour in the 1990s
  • 1980s Labour party split between socialist and moderate MPs
  • Conservative party splits over Britain & EU membership in the 1990s
  • Liz Truss & Rishi Sunak
• Kier Starmer has Angela Rayner as deputy leader to try and unite factions
• Conservatism


  A state of mind of political movement that is naturally averse to excess change and reform, sceptical about strongly held political views, prefers the known to the unknown
• Conservatism


  • Generally support the retention of traditional institutions
  • Committed to free market capitalism
• Socialism


  A state of mind and a political movement that priorities equality of opportunity, social justice and collectivism as values, opposes free market capitalism, proposes measures to moderate the undesirable effects of capitalism
• The Conservative Party


  • Gradually developed and evolved since first Conservative PM- Sir Robert Peel 1834
  • Emerged from the Tory Party in the 1830s
  • Was a power for a total of 67 years in the 20th century, particularly within 1951-64 and 1979-97
• Traditional Conservatives


  Believe in reform where necessary, respect for law and order, conviction that the government should not interfere too much in the way people run their lives, importance of the protection of property, respect for tradition and institutions
• Modern Conservatives (One-Nation Conservatives)


  Believe the government has a duty to help the less fortunate, and in return those receiving that help would have responsibilities to try to contribute to lifting themselves out of poverty
• New Right (Thatcherism)


  Deregulation of the economy, support for the welfare state, free market economics and a more orthodox conservative approach to social policy
• Keynesian mixed economy


  • The government had much greater involvement in the economy to help resolve the problems of capitalism
• New Right/Thatcherism


  • Disengagement - government wouldn't intervene to save unprofitable businesses or bail out the UK economy
  • Deregulation and free market capitalism
  • Reduced power of trade unions
  • Lower taxes to incentivise enterprise and hard work
• Dependency


  The poor deserved to be poor, they lacked the work ethic and should take responsibility for their own actions, welfare provision was too high and made people more dependent on handouts
• Neo-Conservatism


  • Suspicious of the power of the state, concerned by the disorder resulting from increasing freedom and permissiveness, aims to have stronger government to enforce law and order, restore traditional morality and defend national identity, want to retain independence and sovereignty of the UK, do not put faith in international organisations to preserve foreign disputes, believe in a strong military and a willingness to use it to protect British interests
• Conservative Party Ideology


  • Thatcherite
  • One Nation
• Thatcherite


  • Lower taxes
  • Minimum benefits as it makes people lazy
  • No social responsibility
  • Oppose European interference
  • Strong foreign policy with military
  • No state role in economy
  • Victorian values
• One Nation Conservatism


  • More support for poor
  • Council houses
  • Benefits maintained
  • Support NHS
  • Concern for cause of crime
  • Organic society with nature hierarchy
  • Government intervenes in economy
  • Pro Europe, work with UN
• David Cameron became leader in 2005 and presented himself as a more socially inclusive leader accepting same sex marriage
• David Cameron respected Thatcher but recognised Britain had changed massively after she left office
• David Cameron stood on the side of ordinary people, compassionate conservatism