Key topic: Political parties

DO NOWStudy the handout showing the key functions of political parties at different levels in society. Which of these functions do you think are the most important/fundamental? Work with a partner to identify four or five such functions. For each of these functions, come up with a specific example to illustrate how they work in practice.

Parties in the electorate Parties as organisations Parties in government

Represent voters’ views and interests

Simplify choices for voters Recruit political leadership based on suitability for office

Create workably majorities in the HOC

Educate citizens Compete for governmental office

Create stability in government

Generate symbols of political identification/loyalty

Train political elites Implement policy

Encourage/organise political participation

Aggregate and articulate political interests

Control the administration

Take responsibility for government actions

Organise opposition/Hold government to account

The key functions of political parties

Reminder: Revision sessions

• Thursday, May 28th 9am-12pm• Friday, May 29th 9am-12pm

Big questions

1) What are the key functions of political parties?

2) What kind of party system do we have in the UK?

3) How far apart are the major UK political parties in terms of ideology and policy?

4) How internally democratic are the major political parties?

Types of party systemSingle-party system

A single party dominates, banning other parties or exercising total control over all candidates in elections, e.g. China 1949- present, North Korea 1955 - present

Dominant-party system

Many parties exist but one party holds the reins of government for an extended period, e.g. Japan, 1954-93 and 1993 - present

Two-party system

Two parties, fairly evenly matched in popularity and resources, compete for power, exchanging control of government relatively often, e.g. the USA from the early 1900s onwards

Multi-party system

Many parties compete and control of government changes hands frequently, e.g. Italy 1993- present

The UK: a two-party system?

Yes• Labour and the Conservatives

are the only parties with a realistic chance of leading a government

• Collectively, they routinely poll >60% of the popular vote and >80% of the seats in HOC

• There is a good deal of stability in UK GE; only 18% of seats changed hands in 2010 and only 17% in 2015

No• A growing percentage of voters

back other parties• Regionally, other parties often

come in second, e.g. UKIP in North East in 2015

• There is significant churn in seats, notwithstanding the level of stability overall

• Any party that could significantly mobile the non-voting population (~35% in 2015) could win the election

Internal party democracy

Measures of internal party democracy

• Election of party officials, including the selection of parliamentary candidates

• Formation of policy

Internal party democracy

‘Power in modern UK political parties is held by the party leaders and other senior figures as opposed to individual members.’ Discuss.

• Study the question above and the model answer provided (23/25).

• Re-draft the model answer, updating all of the evidence given on both sides of the argument.

• Re-write the Introduction and Conclusion to reflect your own views on internal party democracy.

Extension

L4 candidates will: • demonstrate a capacity for critical thinking,

including seeing relationships between different aspects of the course;

• perceive their field of study in a broader perspective, including some comparisons with other political systems;

• develop knowledge and understanding of relevant political concepts and processes

Revision plansIdentify three/four big questions for each topic:

Unit 1• Political participation and voting behaviour• Electoral systems• Political partiesUnit 2• Parliament• The core executive• Multi-level government

Plan detailed answers for each question: three points and counterpoints for each answer, including evidence and the key concepts you will need to explore

STUDENT RESOURCES

Parties in the electorate Parties as organisations Parties in government

Represent voters’ views and interests

Simplify choices for voters Recruit political leadership based on suitability for office

Create workably majorities in the HOC

Educate citizens Compete for governmental office

Create stability in government

Generate symbols of political identification/loyalty

Train political elites Implement policy

Encourage/organise political participation

Aggregate and articulate political interests

Control the administration

Take responsibility for government actions

Organise opposition/Hold government to account

The key functions of political parties

‘Power within modern UK political parties is held by the party leaders and other senior figures as opposed to individual members.’ Discuss. (25)

This question clearly focuses on the issue of internal party democracy—that is, precisely where power rests within the main UK parties: with grassroots members or with party leaders.In terms of making party policy, it is probably fair to say that ultimate power now rests with the party leaders. It would be hard for a party to head up policies which they themselves didn’t believe in. In the Conservative Party, the leader has always had the key role in formulating policy, though (s)he is expected to take into account the views of others, e.g. the front bench, the 1922 Committee, the party grassroots, etc. In the 1990s, William Hague sought to democratise the party’s policy-making process with his ‘Fresh Future’ initiative. Even so, the bodies he created were little more than advisory. Under Blair, the Labour Party has also seen a shift in policy-making power to the centre. In the 1970s, the ‘conference was king’ in terms of making policy. Under Blair, the party adopted a two year policy making cycle, during which policy commissions make proposals to the National Executive Committee before being passed to conference for final approval. These arrangements helped avoid the bitter arguments that characterised the party conferences of the 1980s.In terms of selecting parliamentary candidates, all three major a similar three stage process: first, those wanting to be candidates must get themselves onto a centrally-vetted list; second, they must be shortlisted by the constituency party; and third, they must be chosen by local party members, either at constituency meetings or by secret ballot. Even then, the central party can step in and reject local candidates in favour of its own, e.g. the Labour Party’s imposition of Shaun Woodward on St Helens in 2001 or UKIPs adoption of the renegade Tories Mark Reckless and Douglass Carswell. All three main parties give individual members a say in choosing the party leader. Liberal Democrats and Conservatives can both vote for candidates after a short list has been officially selected. In the case of the Conservative Party, this has led to official ‘coronations’, as when Michael Howard was the only candidate selected to stand for party leader. Labour Party members form one-third of the electoral college responsible for choosing between the candidates for party leader. In a sense, one could argue that internal party democracy is probably not a good idea anyway. When party membership was far higher, the views of party members may well have offered a fair insight into the views of the public at large. In the modern era, however, party membership is often not representative of the wider voting population. Allowing individual members too much power could therefore amount to electoral suicide—arguably the situation faced by the Labour Party in the 1980s and the Conservative Party found in the early 2000s.