Political Parties 1

Political Party
 An organisation whose members share a common ideology and/or policies, and
come together to seek election to political office
 Most parties ultimately aim to win general elections and form governments
 Differ from pressure groups, since they do not normally seek election
 However, some pressure groups do employ electoral candidacy as a means of
raising public awareness, despite having little chance of being elected
 In recent years, such groups have included the Referendum Party and the Pro-
life Alliance

Roles:
1. Representation
 Traditionally parties represent the views of their members
 Most parties try to draw support from diverse groups
 If they restrict their appeal to a narrow section of society, they might
secure some seats in the legislature but are unlikely to win general
elections
 Recent years, politicians have been accused of failing to represent public
opinion on key issues
o Since 2003, many voters have expressed dissatisfaction with the
political process because both Labour and Conservatives have
supported the war in Iraq

2. Participation
 Parties allow individuals to participate at all levels
 Area in which the parties are most obviously failing
 Fall in voter turnout and also membership numbers
 2005: combined figure for all three main political parties was about
600,000 members
 1975: the membership of the Conservatives was estimated at 1.12
million

3. Political recruitment
 Give future leaders their political apprenticeship
 Offer various career paths, in which aspiring candidates can learn the
relevant skills
 John Major was a local councillor before he became an MP
 Tony Blair fought a by-election in an unpromising constituency before
entering Parliament as an MP for Sedgefield

4. Policy formation
 Parties debate and formulate policy before presenting it in a coherent
programme, the manifesto
 They must make their members feel that they have an important role in
the formation of policy
 If disregarded completely, they are unlikely to renew their membership,
let alone campaign for the party or donate money

5. Providing stable government

 Without parties, it is argued that the Commons would simply be a
gathering of over 600 individuals
 Fulfil basic democratic requirements by ensuring relatively stable
government without supressing dissent within their own ranks
  Yet, during John Major’s second government, Conservative rebels
frequently opposed the official party line on Europe
 Despite the large parliamentary majorities enjoyed by Labour since
1997, Tony Blair had also faced backbench dissent

Party Systems

1. Two-party system

 Only two parties with a realistic chance of forming a government or
being the senior partner in a coalition
 Smaller parties have no realistic prospect of breaking their duopoly,
despite some being quite sizeable like the Lib Dems
 Tend to flourish where the FPTP system is used
 Britain and the US

Yes: No:
 2010: Labour and Conservative  2010: 35% of voters backed other
secured 66.1% of popular vote parties
and 87% of the 650 seats  Although the Lib Dems are a third
party, they often second to Labour in
contested
the north and west and to the
 Lib Dems, in third place, are still a
Conservatives in the south and east
long way behind the second party  The apparent stability in voting ignores
significant churn

Advantages Disadvantages
Effective and strong government Restricts voter choice
o Can carry out policy without fear of o Many voters seemed to be
being overthrown by a coalition of disenchanted with the
minority parties Conservatives and Labour
o Political stability = economic growth o Encourage apathy
Simplifies voter choice Sometimes characterised by adversary
o People in effect vote for or against politics
outgoing government o Emphasis on conflict and argument
o Not merely for a party rather than consensus and
compromise
o Governments sometimes come in
and undo the work of their
predecessors
o Reversals of policy and no
continuity
The government is clearly accountable to Growing dissatisfaction with the
the electorate performance of the main parties
o The electorate will know who to o Support for third parties has been
praise or blame for the policies in growing (e.g. Lib Dem and UKIP)
operation o Voters have been willing to vote for a
party with a clear alternative
message, such as UKIP
Moderation is encouraged The Commons is undermined by the ease
 Political Parties 3

o If an opposition party with which government can push through

knows that its turn will legislation
come, this encourages it to
be constructive and pass
as an alternative
government instead of
lapsing into extremism
Her Majesty’s Opposition is a ready-made
alternative if the government should fail

2. Multi-party system
 When more than 2 parties have a chance of power
 Government tends to be based on coalitions of more than one
party
 Not usually a clear distinction between government and
opposition
 Common with proportional representation
 Devolution has turned minor Westminster parties into major
parties in Scotland and Wales, e.g. SNP minority government
 2010: European Parliament elections saw MEPs from 8 different
parties
 2014 European Parliament elections saw MEPs from 10 different
parties
 The norm in European countries such as Belgium , Finland and
Italy

2010 General Election

 Some say there is a trend towards a multi-party system
 But the Conservatives are clearly the senior partner in the coalition
 Only an exception to the overall situation, unusual with the first-past-
the-post electoral system in the UK
 This does not necessarily mean the end of the two-party system, too
early to say

2015 General Election

 Despite the fact that 10 out of 11 final polls pointed to a hung
parliament, the Tories won with a large majority, 99 more seats than
Labour
 Further shows that 2010 results were exceptions
 Evidently, the two-party system has not ended yet

3. Single-party system
 A single party dominates
 Banning other parties and exercising total control over all candidates if
elections should occur at all
 Mostly associated with authoritarian regimes
 Nazi Germany, China and North Korea

4. Dominant party system

  When there is free competition between parties but only one party is
likely to achieve an absolute majority of the votes cast
 Between 1979-2005: the UK experienced a long period of Conservative
dominance followed by a period of Labour dominance
 Some people therefore argue that the UK had become a dominant-party
system
 Before the black majority rule, the National party in South Africa was in
this position, as is the African National congress

Ideologies
 A system of assumptions, beliefs and values about public issues which are part of
a comprehensive vision of society
 The concept is central to politics as almost every political tendency has some
degree of ideological backing
 In recent years, parties have sought to distance themselves from traditional
ideological roots
 Some may say there is an end of ideology

Left Wing (more Labour):

 Communities rather than the individual, interest of the masses
o 1998: Blair devolved power to Scotland and Wales
He also introduced Minimum Wage, NHS and state education such as
Academies
 Equal opportunities
o House of Lords Reform Act 1999 removed all but 92 hereditary peers
 Anti-unilateral military action
o Iraq war in 2003: government would not take part without American
alliance
o However, this was not in accordance with Left Wing ideologies
o Robin Cook and Clare Short resigned over the issue

Right Wing (more Conservative):

 Laissez-Faire
o 2010 manifesto: reduce state control over schools
 Rule of law is superior to all laws
o Thatcher’s manifesto to strengthen rule of law
 Privatisation, capitalism
o Thatcher’s privatising of the former British Rail
o More recently: the case of Royal Mail being privatised and floated on the
stock market (90%)
 Law and order
o Michael Howard as HS for John Major wanted to tighten laws
o He tried to raise sentences for murderers in James Bulger’s case

Labour
 Political Parties 5

 1970s: there were right wing factions (James Callaghan took the view that public
sector pay demands had to be resisted)
 The left factions (Michael Foot and Tony Benn) favoured greater wealth
distribution
 1979: the left faction gained control
 1983: Foot’s manifesto was dubbed as “the longest suicide note in history”
o Included the most left-wing policies in the history of all its manifestos
o Included a commitment to state control of all major industries, support
for unilateral nuclear disarmament and enhanced worker’s rights
o Led to landslide victory for the Tories

Old Labour:
o Links with socialist societies, trade unions and the old working class. In
favour of public services, like Atlee’s NHS

New Labour:
o Rebranded as party was looking to broaden its appeal beyond the
working classes
o Involves a less powerful role for the trade unions and a rebranding
exercise to make the party more appealing to the middle class
o Old Clause IV removed from party’s constitution in 1995 (public
ownership of key industries and redistribution of wealth)
o More state paid education, Blair introduced the Academies
o Some accused Blair and other Labour modernisers of abandoning the
socialist principles upon which the party was founded

2010 Manifesto that reflect ideology:

 Protect “frontline investment” in childcare, schools, the NHS and policing
 Guarantee people aged 18-24 a job, work experience or training place if they are
unemployed for more than 6 months
 Establishing the Family Justice review to make sure children are treated well
 Halve the budget deficit within four years through a mixture of spending restraint
and tax increases for the higher paid

Conservatives

One-nation Tories
o Most of the 20th century: party was truly conservative
o Belief in paternalist conservatism: power and authority held centrally
but the state acts benevolently, caring for the neediest
o Belief in a mixed economy, known as Keynesianism
o More state intervention and internationalism
o Support for the welfare state

Thatcherism
o Late 1970s and early 1980s: new form of libertarian conservatism
o Belief in free market economics and deregulation with support for
traditional social conservatism (e.g. support for the traditional family
unit, religion and traditional views on sexual orientation)
o Supporters of this form of conservatism favoured the importance of the
individual over the needs of society
 Under Cameron, “New Tories”
o A shift to the centre
o More focused on environmental issues
o Wants limits on welfare payments and is in favour of individual
initiatives

2010 Manifesto that reflect ideology:

 Reduce welfare dependency
 Annual cap on immigration
 Reduce state control over schools

Conclusion for ideology:

 UK parties were once said to be ideologically based
 Recent years: said to have abandoned their traditional
ideologies as part of an effort to appeal to as wide a range of
voters as possible
 These modern catch-all parties are criticised as being little
more than election-winning machines

Party Organisation

Local & National Level

Labour:
o Those who join the party are assigned to a local branch, the lowest level
of party organisation
 Have a role in selecting candidates for local elections as well as
sending delegates to the General Committee of the Constituency
Labour Party (CLP)
o CLP: key role in organising the party at constituency level
 Takes the lead in local and national election campaigns
 Plays a part in selecting parliamentary candidates (though the
extension of one member one vote has diminished this role)
o National Executive Committee (NEC): main organ of the national party
 Ensures the smooth running of the party, enforces discipline
 Oversees the preparation of policy proposals
 Has the final say on the selection of parliamentary candidates

Conservatives
o Similar local structure as the Labours
 Branches corresponding to local council wards operate at the lowest
level
o Constituency Associations are above the local branches
 Key role in organising the party at the grassroots level
 Planning election campaigns and selecting parliamentary candidates

European Level
 2014 European Parliament election: 73 members were elected from the UK
 They sit in a number of transnational party groupings (as opposed to SINGLE
NATIONAL) within the chamber
 Political Parties 7

 Conservative MEPs sit with the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR)
group
 Labour MEPs sit with the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats
(PASD)
 Lib Dems sit with the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE)
 UKIP MEPs sit with the Europe of Freedom and Democracy group (EFD)

Internal Party organisation -> see folder + revision guide (basically can’t be fucked)

Minority Parties
 They take up particular causes neglected by the other parties
o E.g. the Greens give special emphasis to environmental policies
 Air certain grievances not being taken up by traditional parties
o SNP and Plaid Cymru have long argued for more attention to be paid to
the needs of Scotland and Wales
 Can act as a haven for protest voters
o Act as a spur to the traditional parties, saving them from apathy and
indifference
 At times, they may affect the outcome of elections
o 2010: a third party (Lib Dems) helped maintain a government in power
o A coalition

UKIP: one of the fastest growing parties in Britain – committed to outright withdrawal
from the EU
o Secured 13 seats at the 2014 European Parliament elections
o Compared favourably with its returns in 2004: 12 seats
o 2015 General Elections: won a seat for the first time, excluding victories from by-
elections

SNP: a nationalist party that want an independent Scotland, away from Britain

BNP: wholly opposed to any form of racial integration in Britain, lacks representation in
parliament

The Greens: keen to promote the conservation of the earth’s capital and increase
reliance on resources that can be renewed or recycled
o In recent years: tried to broaden their appeal
o Have won representation in the Scottish and European parliaments