Summary Edexcel Government and Politics: Political Parties essay plans
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Course
Political Parties
Institution
PEARSON (PEARSON)
8 detailed 30-marker essay plans with matched arguments, including examples
1. Evaluate the view that the UK is no longer a two-party system
2. Evaluate the view that the labour party has lost its traditional socialist values
3. Evaluate the view that the Conservative party has moved away from...
Evaluate the view that the UK is no longer a two-party system
Not a two-party system Two party system
2 ½ party system TPS has remained from FPTP
- Tories and lab won significant amount of - power of lib dem was short lived with
election but creation of lib dem in 2998 them only receiving 8% of the vote in 2015
took advantage of polarisation and became election
a safe middle ground
- lib dem won 23% of share in 2010 and
formed coalition with conservative
- also, did well in 2023 council election and
won 407 counselling seats
Success of issue-based parties Not a true threat to major parties
- UKIP- 3.9 vote sin 2015 - major parties still dominate the main
- Green party- influence in shaping agenda political; debate e
after their emphasis on environmental - TV debate = con and tory only
sustainability - major parties adopt single-issue party’s
policies e.g. Con ‘get Brexit done’
2 ½ party system due to devolution Simply regional power and have no real
- regional power has increased significantly threat of power in Westminster
with media giving attention to major - only 450 MPS
regional parties e.g. SNP and their want to
gain another Scottish independence
referendum
- SNP landslides in Scotland taking 59 seats
missing just three in Scotland in 2015
Evaluate the view that the labour party has lost its traditional socialist values
Lost socialist values Maintained socialist values
Economically Economically
- Blair = wealth creation > redistribution // - introduced NMW // largest spending rise
promised to take 250,000 under 25s off on the NHS in 2002, pro-EU and trade union
benefits // promised no increase in income - Starmer: promise to close non-dom tax
tax loophole and use funding to create new
- Starmer = rejected rent freeze in London generation of nurses/ doctors
Socially and law and order Socially and law and order
- Blair: ASBO to track punishment and deal - Blair: terrorism bill was voted against and
with youth crime // Blair’s terrorism bill 49 Labour MPS rebelled // huge focus on
from 24hrs to 90days detention root causes of crime an cut classrooms to
- Starmer: scrapped commitment to free under 30 students
uni tuition fees
Party image Still progressive image
- Blair: rebranded the party with more right - Starmer: care about trans rights being
wing policies e.g. tougher on crime protected in the Equality Act after Con
, claimed to want the wording to change
from ‘sex’ to ‘bio sex’ taking away trans
rights // promise to cut A&E wait times
Evaluate the view that the Conservative party has moved away from Thatcherism
Firm commitment to neo-liberal free More interventionist approach to the
market economic policies economy
- Truss- rejects increasing welfare benefits - increase corporation tax from 19 to 25%
in line with increasing inflation - increase in R&D grants for businesses
- budget 2023 = decrease business tax - 2020 furlough schemes
Attitudes regarding foreign affairs More progressive attitudes regarding
- Thatcher- Eurosceptic due to concerns of foreign affairs
the depreciation of the value of the pound - aid to Ukraine during Russia-Ukraine war=
from joining EU trade // Conservative: push £4.6 billion military assistance
Eurosceptic agenda with ‘get Brexit down’
and European Research Group
Social issues/ law and order More progressive attitude regarding social
- ‘stop the boats’ under Sunak… deport issues
illegal immigrants to Rwanda - cut waiting lists
- law and order- promise of 20,000 police - making same-sex marriage legal under
officers Cameron
Evaluate the view that political parties should be state funded
State funding No state funding
Would bridge income gap and provide Current system excellent model for
fairness democracy
- state funding is more equal and - party funds correspond with popularity =
encourages politicians to focus on voters legitimate democracy
and not donors compared to membership -e.g. Labour membership standard rate
feeds and donations 2021 = £4.21 per month = 512,000
- e.g. 2019 Tories = 19.4m in donations and members + Conservatives lowered
greens received 245,000 = advantage for membership fees to £2.09pm in 2021
tories // tories won 350 seats and greens membership risen from 124,000 in 2018 to
won 1 200,000.
- low fees creates political momentum //
allows people to support the party they are
in favour of
Would increase transparency State funding not needed as it is possible
- often parties’ income and their donors are to be elected without high funding
unknown until after general election -e.g. 2019 SNP won 48 seats with donations
- donations hidden or released at a later reaching £25,000 // SNP has a loyal voting
date block
- 2019 GE in Dec 2019 but donations stats - other factors are important e.g. mood of
released in Jan 2020 electorate
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