Political Parties Politics Edexcel Essay Plans

① Political Parties UK Politics: Paper I Evaluate the view that the funding of political parties in the UK should be reformed (30) Introduction One key proposal for reforming party funding in the UK is through making political parties state funded, as they are in other Western democracies including Australia, the Netherlands and Germany. This state funding could be based on the number of votes/seats received by a party in the previous election, or it could match small donations from members of the public Argues that political party funding should be reformed in the UK Point 1-party funding influence on the potential for corruption and undue influence FOR- arguments that party funding should be reformed Donations from rich individuals and businesses are a key source of party funding in the UK. This is particularly true of the Conservative Party, which receives the majority of its funds from donations, but is also important for the Labour Party, especially now that Starmer is moving the party to the centre ground. In 2021, the Conservative Party received £20,500,000 from donations, which was around 65% of their overall funding. In 2021, the Labour Party received £9,933,000 from donations, which was around 22% of their overall funding. This is likely to increase now that Starmer is being more favourable to business, though. In early 2023, for example, Lord Sainsbury donated £2m to the Labour Party, having stopped donating to the party under Corbyn. There are major concerns that rich donors are able to buy political influence, which is highly undemocratic, and there have been a number of scandals in relation to party funding across a range of parties In 2006-07, there was a 'cash for peerages' scandal concerning a possible link between individuals who had loaned significant amounts to the the Labour Party and these individuals being nominated by Prime Minister Tony Blair for life peerages in the House of Lords.. The nominations were rejected by the House of Lords Appointment Commission and there was suspicion peerages were promised in return for the loans. More recently, there has been concern in relation to the influence of Russian money in the Conservative Party. When Boris Johnson was in power, over £2 million of donations to the Conservative Party were linked to Russia, raising major security concerns. This included Evgeny Lebedev who was made a peer by Boris Johnson. At the same time, the Conservative Party hasn't implemented any of the 21 recommendations of the Russia Report, which discovered widespread attempts by Russia to try and influence voters in the Brexit referendum. There is therefore a strong argument that party funding should be reformed to reformed to reduce the reliance of parties on donations from rich businesses and individuals and to therefore reduce the possibility of corruption. AGAINST-arguments that party funding shouldn't be reformed Whilst donations are certainly an issue, they aren't the only source of party funding in the UK, with membership subscriptions, trade unions (for the Labour Party) and some public funding also being key sources. • This is particularly true of the Labour Party. In 2021, the Labour Party received around 15.5% of their total income from state funding that is available to opposition parties, 13% of their total income from trade unions and 35% of their total income from membership fees. The extent of possible corruption perhaps shouldn't be overstated, as the amount of donations is minuscule in comparison to the US and political parties are mainly motivated by staying in power and therefore developing policies that appeal to the electorate. Further, donations are regulated by the Electoral Commission, which ensures that all large donations and loans are transparent and come from individuals or businesses who are on the UK electoral roll. Political parties are mandated to ensure their donations/loans come from permissible sources and to report to the Electoral Commission any that don't. JUDGEMENT Overall, the potential undue influence of donations from rich individuals and businesses is certainly a problem in relation to party funding, particularly for the Conservative Party which receives a majority of its funds from donations. Party funding should therefore be reformed to reduce the reliance of the Conservative Party on donations This could be done by banning donations to any party over a certain amount and increasing state funding to compensate for it. Point 2-party funding influence on party system FOR arguments that party funding should be reformed One of the key arguments for reforming party funding is that the current system of party funding favours the Labour and Conservative Parties and upholds a two-party system in the UK. Labour and the Conservatives receive a great deal more funding than minor parties. In 2021, for example, Labour received £45,564,000, the Conservative Party received £31,744,000, whilst the next highest amount of party funding was just £5,733,339 for the Liberal Democrats. The high levels of funding received by Labour and the Conservatives allow them to greatly outstrip minor parties in terms of spending on fighting elections, hiring staff and spending money on advertising. Even the limited public funding currently available to parties in the UK upholds the two-party system. Short Money forms the vast majority of public funding and is only available to opposition parties that have won either two seats in the House of Commons at the previous general election, or one seat and more than 150,000 votes in total from all seats contested • Funding is granted in relation to the number of seats won and therefore favours parties who are already able to succeed in the FPTP voting system This issue could be resolved by moving to a fully state funded system in which funding was allocated either based on votes won at the previous elections (not seats) Evaluate the view that the current Conservative Party is a Thatcherite Party (30) Introduction When in charge of the Conservative Party in the 1970s and 1980s, Thatcher transformed the party's policies in almost all areas. She introduced neoliberal economic policies, and embodied strong conviction politics, including in her crusade against trade unions Argues that the current Conservative Party is a Thatcherite Party Point 1-economic policy FOR: still Thatcherite Perhaps the most important aspect of Thatcherism was in relation to economic policy, in which Thatcher greatly reduced taxes, public spending and the size of the state in an attempt to promote individualism and economic growth The top rate of income tax was reduced from 83% when she came to power to 40% in her last budget. Corporation tax reduced from 52% to 34% In her first few years, spending was cut by £1 billion including cuts in housing. energy, education, employment, industrial subsidies, transport and foreign aid. Thatcher supported privatisation and the removing the state from the market and introduced a series of massive privatisations starting in 1981 with British Telecom Liz Truss' attempted economic reforms in the 'mini-budget of September 2022 clearly sought to promote a Thatcherite agenda in order to tackle rising inflation, showing how there are key parts of the current Conservative Party that are strongly supportive of Thatcherism Her mini-budget attempted to cut taxes significantly including corporation tax, abolish the top rate of income tax and cut stamp duty, all to be funded by borrowing The current Conservative Party under Rishi Sunak continues to be very supportive of privatisation and relatively low taxation and public spending, particularly in comparison to the high level of taxation prior to when Thatcher came into power Part of Sunak's approach to reducing the national debt and seeking to halve inflation by the end of 2023 will likely include reducing public spending. AGAINST: not Thatcherite On the other hand, the current economic policy of the Conservative Party under Rishi Sunak should be seen in the context of fixing the damage caused by Liz Truss' attempted Thatcherite reforms • Rishi Sunak's government has reversed Truss' planned tax cuts and pledged to increase some taxes in order to try and bring down inflation. Corporation tax, for example, will rise from 19% to 25% in April 2023. Sunak's economic policy is focused on trying to prioritise national finances in the context of the cost of living crisis by reducing the national debt and seeking to half inflation by the end of 2023 JUDGEMENT Overall, the economic policies of the Conservative Party remain largely Thatcherite, as they are very supportive of privatisation and relatively low taxes and public spending Though Liz Truss' proposed tax cuts failed and have since been reversed by Rishi Sunak, signalling a move away from a very ideologically Thatcherite economic policy, Sunak's government is still broadly supportive of Thatcher's economic approach. Point 2-law and order and the unions FOR: still Thatcherite Thatcher's government took a very strong approach to law and order and was generally very tough on crime. Despite cutting the budgets of other departments, she increased funding for the police and armed forces Rishi Sunak's government has taken a similarly strong approach to tackling crime, pledging to recruit 20,000 additional police officers and reduce "homicide, serious violence and neighbourhood crime" by 20%. Thatcher also had a very strong policy position in relation to trade unions. She called them the 'enemy within' and successfully reduced their powers, by making striking more difficult and using the police against striking workers, often violently The approach of Rishi Sunak's Conservative government to striking workers in the winter of 2022/23 seems reminiscent of these policies. Sunak has taken a very tough approach to striking workers and protests, refusing to heed the demands of striking NHS nurses and teachers and offering very weak pay offers that are very unlikely to be accepted. His government has also planned to introduce anti-strike legislation and laws to limit protests in the UK. ARGUMENT: not Thatcherite Though the current Conservative government has taken a relatively strong approach to striking workers, it has arguably not been as harsh or uncompromising as the policies of Thatcher's governments For example, after months of industrial action, the RMT (the UK's biggest rail union) and government came to an agreement for a pay deal in which salaries were increased by between 9% and 15% for workers. JUDGEMENT Overall, though the current Conservative Party's stance in relation to the unions isn't as harsh as that of Thatcher's government, the party still takes a relatively strong stance on the unions and law and order and should therefore still be considered a Thatcherite party Point 3-foreign and immigration policy FOR: still Thatcherite Thatcher had a very strong, assertive foreign policy leading to her gaining the reputation of being the 'iron lady'. She strongly projected Britain's Interests abroad, including against the USSR and in the Falklands War, and developed a strong relationship with Reagan in the US The current Conservative Party also takes a strong approach to foreign policy. Much like Starmer and Johnson, Sunak has strongly supported Ukraine in the war against Russia, whilst Foreign Secretary James Cleverly also detailed the tough stance the UK needs to take on China's lack of adherence to the "rules and norms of the international community" Thatcher was also eurosceptic and sought to protect Britain's sovereignty against a growing EU. This can be seen as similar to the current Conservative Party that is strongly opposed to the political union of the EU and is pledging to 'take back control' following Brexit. AGAINST - is not Thatcherite The policies of the current Conservative Party in relation to Brexit are a lot more economically reckless and anti-free trade than Thatcher likely would've supported. Thatcher was eurosceptic in relation to the political union of the EU, but strongly supported the EU's promotion of free trade and economic union The Conservative Party under Rishi Sunak has taken a very strongly anti-immigration stance. Sunak has pledged to 'stop small boats' and quickly deport those who arrive illegally in the UK by preventing those without valid documents from claiming asylum The Conservative Party has also supported sending some as asylum seekers to Rwanda and has introduced the Illegal Immigration Bill which pledges to make the asylum claim of anyone who has arrived illegally on a small boat 'inadmissible', despite this contravening the Human Rights Act This can be seen as different from Thatcherism, which wasn't strongly opposed to immigration and recognised its economic benefits. JUDGEMENT Overall, the current Conservative Party is somewhat Thatcherite when it comes to foreign policy. Though the party's strong stance on the international stage and support for a Western foreign policy is Thatcherite, its economic recklessness in supporting Brexit and strong anti-immigration stance is less Thatcherite. Conclusion In conclusion, the current Conservative Party is certainly still a Thatcherite Party. Not only can this be seen in economic policy, with the party's strong support for privatisation and low taxes, it is also clear in the strong approach of Sunak's government to trade unions, foreign policy and law and order • Further, as was clear in Liz Truss' mini-budget, there are significant parts of the Conservative Party that seek to take Thatcherite reforms even further. Evaluate the view that current Labour Party policy is closer to Old Labour than it is to New Labour (30) Introduction In the years since Keir Starmer has become leader, Labour Party policy has shifted significantly away from that of Corbyn's Labour Party. This essay will therefore take 'current Labour Party policy' to mean the policies of the Labour Party under Starmer currently Argues that the current Labour Party policy is closer to New Labour than to Old Labour Point 1-economic policy FOR: closer to Old Labour Starmer's Labour Party supports the nationalisation of both rail and energy, which is a significant difference from New Labour, which supported privatisation and didn't nationalise any industries when in power Nationalisation is also a key economic aim and principle of Old Labour, which believed that key industries should be run by the state in the interest of the whole population, rather than being driven by private profit Under Starmer, the Labour Party has criticised the Conservatives' approach to the cost of living crisis and pledged to decrease disparities within society Starmer also said he would respond to public sector strikes by negotiating to find a fair pay deal for workers and that the Labour Party would repeal any new anti-strike legislation introduced by the Conservatives This can be seen as being aligned with the principles of Old Labour, which is driven by improving equality in society and representing the working class Current Labour Party policy says that those earning over £80,000 will have to pay 'a little more income tax' under a Labour government It could be argued this shows the Labour Party is closer to Old Labour economic policies, which supported high public spending and high taxation, particularly for the rich. ARGUMENT: closer to New Labour Since becoming leader, Starmer has sought to shift the Labour Party's image away from being anti-business as it was perceived under Corbyn and towards a greater support of capitalism and the business community This is similar to the transformation of the Labour Party under Blair and New Labour Though Starmer has pledged to nationalise rail and energy, he has scrapped the other four planned nationalisations that Corbyn's Labour Party supported In particular, Starmer has pledged to reform the NHS and cut waiting times by making greater use of private providers and being ruthless with 'bureaucratic nonsense' This is very similar to New Labour, which introduced Private Finance Initiatives (PFIs), in which private contractors were used to help deliver public services, including the NHS The economic policy of Starmer's Labour Party has shifted away from the 'high taxation, high spending' policies of the Corbyn era, instead moving towards a .