Democracy

• Political parties


  • Promote democracy
  • Damage democracy
• Political parties promote democracy

  1. Provide a framework for elections

  2. Provide full time agents and an army of volunteers who will campaign on behalf of candidates

  3. Ensure that stable government is formed and held accountable to voters

  4. Allow people to participate beyond voting by joining and rising up the party hierarchy

  5. Can educate people and inform citizens about issues
• Political parties fail to offer voters any real choice

  Due to lack of representation from smaller parties, Labour and Conservatives are morphing into one party, leading to apathy, disengagement and falling participation
• Both Labour and Conservative parties have to some degree austerity measures in their manifestos to help reduce the national debt
• Political parties are not viewed as representative of the British electorate


  Membership of political parties in the UK is low, many people see pressure groups as a more effective vehicle for getting ideas acted upon
• Labour only has about 190,000 members compared to the Countryside alliance with members around a million
• Increased centralisation of decision making and power within political parties


  The party's whips often force MP's to do what the party leader wants, although MP's should primarily think about their constituents needs
• This was clearly seen in 2014 when Conservatives voted for higher education fees
• Political parties are seen to be corrupt


  By promoting the interests of the party above the democratic system
• Examples of political party corruption


  • Cash for Questions Affair
  • Blair government removing formula one from the tobacco advertising ban