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Political Parties. AS Politics. Political Parties and the need for them. What are political parties? Why are parties important to democracy? What are the different types of party systems? Is it correct to describe Britain as having a two party system?
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Political Parties AS Politics
Political Parties and the need for them • What are political parties? • Why are parties important to democracy? • What are the different types of party systems? • Is it correct to describe Britain as having a two party system? • Benefits and disadvantages of two party systems
The Functions of Political Parties • Sift Ideas and Organise Opinion • Source of Political Knowledge • Link between individual and political system • Mobilise and recruit activists • Serve as source of opposition
One Party Two Party Systems Dominant Party systems Multi Party Systems Identify reasons why uses of FPTP encourages the development of a two party system What factors exist that have created and sustained the British Two Party System Party Systems
Tendency for opinions to be ‘for’ or ‘against’ The electoral system Existence of broad catch all parties Emphasis on being in government or opposition Traditional absence of deep ethnic, linguistic, religious differences within the population Problems faced by third or other parties Britain and the First Past the Post System
Advantages of Britain’s Two Party System • It promotes stable, effective and strong governments • Simplifies voter choice • Government is clearly accountable to the electorate • Moderation is encouraged
Disadvantages • It restricts voter choice • Far from promoting moderation, it can be sometimes be characterised by adversary politics • A growing dissatisfaction with the performance of the main parties
British Political Parties • Conservative Party • Roots in C17th ‘Tories’; dates from 1830s • Traditional conservatism Thatcherism • Labour Party • Founded in 1900 • Socialist ideology Social liberalism? • Liberal Democrats • Roots in C18th-19th Whigs – Liberal Party from 1868 • Liberal ideology – free trade • SDP-Liberal Alliance (1981-88) Lib Dems • Other parties • Celtic nationalist parties in Scotland, Wales, NI • Minor parties (e.g. UKIP, BNP, Greens)
What Shapes the Party System? (1): Institutions • Electoral system: Duverger’s law (1960’s – French Sociologist) • ‘An almost complete correlation is observable between the simple-majority single-ballot system and the two-party system’ • ‘Mechanical effect’ – third parties win few seats because must be first-placed • ‘Psychological effect’ – voters deterred from ‘wasting’ votes on small parties • PR tends to favour multi-partism • FPTP doesn’t always create 2-party systems • UK – FPTP manufactures majorities for Lab or Con • Hinders third party – unless regionally-concentrated support • Not the case for Lib Dems (though Scotland & SW England)
What Explains the Erosion of the Two-Party System? • Key election: February 1974 • Loss of faith in two main parties – Liberals benefited • Rise of Celtic nationalist parties • 1980s: Labour’s civil war • SDP-Liberal Alliance 1981-87 • Labour’s shift to left – abandoned centre-ground to Alliance • 1997-2005: Discrediting of Conservatives • Lib-Lab tactical voting to defeat Tories • Minor parties and nationalists: 10% of votes in 2005 election • 2005-present: Re-emergence of 2-party politics? • Lib Dems being squeezed by Labour and Tories?
UK General Elections 1945-2005 % Votes Won by Each Party % Seats Won by Each Party
