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POLITICAL PARTIES

Audrey
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POLITICAL PARTIES

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    1. POLITICAL PARTIES

    3. What is a party? Parties are characterised by their involvement in a liberal democratic culture. They are voluntary organisations whose members share broadly similar views, and whose purpose is to participate in government by securing the election of their candidates.

    4. The Functions of Political Parties Representation Stable Government Participation Recruitment Policy Formulation

    5. Representation In a liberal democratic system of free elections, parties need to compete for public support by seeking to represent the interests of as wide a portion of the population as possible.

    6. Stable Government Parties exercise discipline over their national and local representatives Party policies ensure clear programmes of government, which are presented to the public via manifestoes Opposition parties provide a stable mechanism for challenging government, and offering a potential alternative.

    7. Participation Parties have local organisations involving ordinary members This offers everyone a chance to be involved in the political process Party members exercise an influence on policy making Party members also canvas in elections, seeking to encourage others to vote and participate in the electoral process.

    8. Recruitment Parties recruit their leaders and their elected politicians from within their own ranks. They also provide much of a politician’s education.

    9. Policy Formulation Parties offer choices between competing policy programmes Party members and leaders are all involved in the formulation of policy As groups seeking electoral success, such policy formulation also owes much to the parties’ understanding of popular concerns.

    10. Do Parties Help or Hinder Democracy? If parties are good for democracy, there must be evidence that they encourage wide participation in politics and represent a wide range of people and interests; If they are bad for democracy, the evidence should suggest that they inhibit popular participation and reserve power to a small group of leaders.

    11. Elitist versus Pluralist Some people argue that the party system conforms to an elitist model. The parties are essentially controlled by the leaders, with a parliamentary membership of narrow background. The opposing, pluralist, argument suggests that parties provide opportunities for everyone to reach the top, and encourage strong grassroots participation and influence.

    12. Elitist Characteristics Parliamentary candidates chosen by leadership Parliamentary candidates have similar backgrounds and characteristics Party leader chosen by small, select group Party leader is powerful Party conference lacks influence Policy decided by leadership

    13. Pluralist Characteristics Parliamentary candidates chosen by whole constituency membership Parliamentary candidates represent diverse range of backgrounds Party leader chosen by membership Party leader has limited powers Party conference is open forum for debate and has influence Party membership helps decide policy

    14. Elitist or Pluralist? The more pluralist the party, then arguably the better it is for democracy Since the 1950s, the main parties have been regarded as being similar in their structures and practices It is important to consider the parties’ intentions, or theoretical operation, and the actual practice, which may differ.

    15. Parties – Good for Democracy? The parties have structures that seek to give influence to ordinary members However, party members are not representative of electorate, and leaders often need to act as moderating influence to ensure party’s electability Media scrutiny encourages strong level of central control by leadership Party leaders can come from humble backgrounds – Callaghan, Thatcher, Major, Howard

    16. Conclusion Parties are pluralist in structure, although often act in elitist ways. This, however, is driven by the demands of the society they serve and the needs of the democratic system, as much as by leaders’ personal wish for control. It is also clear that even powerful leaders must remain responsive to party and public opinion.

    17. PARTY IDEOLOGIES The Conservatives have traditionally been seen as the party of the upper classes; Conservatism in the 20th. Century was also One Nation (paternalist) and pragmatic; non-ideological. Since Thatcher, the party has been indentified with free market economics, support for the individual, hostility towards public services and unions, low taxes and support for strong law and order policies. Ideological.

    18. PARTY IDEOLOGIES The Labour Party has traditionally been the party of the working class and trade unions Before Blair, it was identified with high taxes, support for state involvement in the economy and strong public services, suspicion of private enterprise and moderation in law and order policies.

    19. PARTY IDEOLOGIES Today, despite rhetoric, underlying policies of the two parties seen as being very close, although recession has exposed some modest differences. Parties agree on support for public services, controlling spending and tax, tough law and order policies, EU referendum, caution on euro, pro-US foreign policy. The difference is in the detail

    20. Researching the party positions There is no substitute for checking the party websites – the front pages alone give a list of stories and policies that help to identify their current stance, and it is worth looking at these on the eve of the exam.

    21. The Examiners’ Report ‘03 a) Outline two features of a political party. At all levels, there was the belief that political parties are formed to win general elections, with some candidates taking this further saying that parties provide candidates to stand in these elections. Better responses talked of organised groups with a shared ideology translating into policy programmes. The best responses characterised political parties in terms of the breadth of their policy interests as well as the scope of their organisation.

    22. Some specimen questions on parties (old paper) (a) Outline two functions of political parties? (5) (b) Describe three issues over which Labour and Conservative parties disagree? (15) (c) How different is ‘new’ Labour from ‘old’ Labour? (30)

    23. The Political Parties Finis!

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