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PARTIES - BLURTING - Coggle Diagram

- - - - Parties select their own leaders which provide a figurehead for the party which can be held accountable. Party leaders can also be well trained for leadership when moving through the ranks of the party when canvassing for example
    - - How this does improve democracy...
        
        Gives governments a degree of stability and coherence - as members of government are usually drawn from a single party and are thus united by common sympathies and attachments
        
        Allows parties to organise the legislative programme for government
        
        Provide a source of opposition and criticism which helps to scrutinize government and provide a government in waiting
      - How organisation of government does not improve democracy...
        
        There has been a decline in party unity since the 70s which has weakened a party's control over the Commons / government
        
        Instability can occur, even where a single party has a majority. This has been seen with David Cameron and then Theresa May's small majority of 12
    - - How does this improve democracy...
        
        Allows for citizens and like-minded people to help shape party policy
        
        Helps to educate and mobilizing through a range of activities such as canvassing, public meetings, poster campaigns and party broadcasts
        
        People have distanced themselves from their traditional interests and ideology by developing policies that appeal to the masses of the electorate
      - How this does not improve democracy...
        
        Turnout in general elections has fallen sharply
        
        The membership of the three traditional major parties in the UK has fallen
        
        Party leaderships have increasingly taken over running election campaigns based on centralized messaging, using the media and online platforms to replace the role of loyal activists
        
        Party dealignment has occurred - 44% of voters claimed to have a ‘very strong’ attachment to a party in 1964, this had fallen to 9% by 2015.
  - - - Parties link government to people by responding to the demands of public opinion and turning them into deliverable policy decisions
        
        the emergence of parties in the UK is tied to the introduction of universal suffrage. the enfranchisement of the working class has led labour to be the representative voice, conservative party has been representative of the middle class
- - - - Benefits:
        
        Encourages parties to develop programmes for government - major parties have clear ideological convictions and develop rival programmes of government
        
        Parties can be held responsible and to account once they construct a manifesto
        
        Electoral choice has increased as indicated by the number of parties contesting for seats since the Second World War
      - Drawbacks:
  - - - How do the major parties receive their funding?
        
        Tory party - receive most of their donations from wealthy individuals such as Sir Mike Gooley
        
        Funding can be raised through; fundraising events, party membership ect? reliance on donations has increased since party membership has decreased
        
        What 4 suggestions have been made in improving the situation?
        
        Impose restrictions on the size of donations
        
        Impose tighter restrictions on party expenditure which would made large scale donations futile
        
        1 more item...
        
        Some funding is also established by Policy Development Grants (which are granted by the government and paid for by taxpayers, a grant of 2 million is accumulated)
        
        Funding is also facilitated by short money, which are the grants given to opposition parties. The size of the grant per party is determined by its vote share or number of seats. This allows small parties like the Green party to prepare themselves for government. Reform became eligible for this grant after the 2024 election, which signified a shift away from a reliance on individual donations from those such as Richard Tice
        
        Labour party - recieve most of their donations from trade unions
    - - people not on the UK electoral roll could no longer make donations
        
        limits were placed on how much could be on parliamentary decisions
        
        donations over £500 would have been declared
        
        donations over £7500 were to be placed on the electoral register
- - - - Established as the other major party after the fall of the liberals, based on foundations of socialism.
        
        Emphasis on the need for equality of opportunity, redistribution of wealth and thus social equality
    - - The conservative movement behaved as a reaction to radical movements such as that of the french revolution - Edmund Burke essentially founded British conservatism