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Key Question – What do the political parties stand for? Background/Context:

Do you really understand the difference between the main political parties? Do you think that their policies reflect underlying principles and ways of thinking or are they just what they think the voters want to hear? Is it inevitable that whatever electoral system we adopt will lead to a shift towards consensus politics with no real alternative choice? These are the questions you should bear in mind when considering the role of parties in the political process.

Your Task:

Research the nature of the political party system in the UK (how can you set one up?) and the policies of the main parties in the UK. (Take “main” to refer to the top polling 3 or 4 parties in your constituency.) You should also try to understand something of the historical background/legacy of the party and the nature of their membership. Make sure that you also investigate the sources of funding for the party: this information now has to be publically available. You could divide this task up amongst the class, each member taking a particular party and reporting back.

Once you have completed your research, you should then be able to formulate some questions to ask representatives of the different parties. The ideal way to do this would be to invite them in for a ‘Question Time’ debate. You could open this up to other students and to their parents.

Here are some ideas for questions (note some of these relate to other activities). Ask the same question of all parties represented.

• What is your party’s position on lowering the voting age to 16?

• Do you consider that the membership of your party is representative of the wider population? (link with activity 7)

• In what ways was your candidate at the last election representative of the

electorate in this constituency?

• Can you explain the ways in which your party could be considered to be a

democratic organisation?

• Please outline your party’s policy on tuition fees/youth crime/immigration/UK Human Rights Act/devolution, etc.

• What makes your party unique, what is its distinctive history and philosophy?

• Where does your party stand in relation to the UK’s membership of (i) the EU, (ii) the UN, (iii) NATO, (iv) the IMF and (v) the G8.

• What is the position of your party on electoral reform and the reform of the House of Lords? (links with activity 8 and 11).

• What are your views on (think of a contentious local or moral issue)?

Exam-style questions

Typical exam questions arising from this topic could be the following.

Critically examine the extent to which ideology is still important to the main political

parties in the UK. (15 marks)

‘Most political parties are only interested in your views at election time: once elected, they all break their promises and do as they please.’ Discuss this statement. (25 marks)

Examiner’s advice on answering these questions

The first question expects you to be familiar with the distinctive features, values and ideas of each of the main political parties. Ideology is often rooted in the history of the party and the composition of its membership. You could tackle this question by looking at each party in turn and examining those beliefs which make it different from the other parties and then compare policies in major areas: are they really that different and are they linked to the distinctive values of each party? You will need to come to some sort of conclusion regarding the extent to which ideology is still important. Your conclusion should be backed up by the evidence you have presented regarding the beliefs of the party and its policies.

For the second question, you will need to engage in a discussion regarding the statement, but to make this an informed discussion (and so worthy of A2 level) you will need to examine some of the assumptions contained in the statement. To what extent does a party’s election manifesto reflect its deeply-held beliefs and ideology or is it simply a list of ideas that someone thinks the voters want to hear? How binding is the manifesto when a party gains power and what means do the party members have to influence and hold to account their representatives who form part of the government? If possible, examine some specific policies of parties that have gained power and analyse the extent to which these have been modified after the party formed a government. When two or more parties join to form a coalition government, the picture is more complex, as compromises on which policies can be adopted will have to be made. Your answer should demonstrate balance, with each party examined equally critically, and your answer should be based upon evidence and not unsubstantiated popular opinion.

Teacher’s Notes: Task 10 – What do the political parties stand for?

Taught element: Some outline of the background of the main political parties and a

definition of ideology would be helpful. You should also outline the legal status of political parties in the UK and explain how they can be set up. The Electoral Commission website has clear information on this and other areas of relevance to this section, see http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/guidance/resources-for-those-we-

regulate. The decision as to which are the main parties could relate to the

circumstances in your local constituency. If minor parties nationally are used by the student, they should explain that they are actually one of the main parties in their part of the country.

If you choose to organise a ‘Question Time’ style debate with party representatives, then you would probably need to support your students in organising this event. You may need to provide guidance on whether to invite controversial parties such as the BNP. This could make the event livelier but may distract from a consideration of the policies of those parties most likely to be able to form a government.

The ‘Question Time’ event would also be an opportunity to ask questions relating to the other topic areas within this section, such as accountability and representativeness and attitudes to the role of Parliament and international organisations such as the EU and the UN.

Learning outcomes

What do the political parties stand for?

• Candidates need to be able to understand what is meant by the term ‘political party’ and they should understand the nature of the UK party political system.

• They should be able to give examples of some of the main polices of the major political parties.

• They should be able to explain clearly the ideological and policy standpoints of the major UK political parties.

• They should be able to debate, with reference to contemporary material, whether or to what extent ideology is still important in the party political system in the UK today.

Student’s activity

The task students are set is to research the main political parties in the UK and then invite representatives to a “Question Time” style event. Each student could research a specific party and then report back to the group. The party’s websites are an obvious starting point but Wikipedia can be useful here. No great depth of detail is required: the main task is for the students to gain some insight into what makes each party distinctive and to have an understanding of the ideological differences between them. The aim is to ensure that they are able to ask informed questions of representatives of each party and that they get the most out of the event.

Hopefully, your students will do most of the work when it comes to organising and promoting the event itself. The scale of the event will depend on their motivation, the resources available and the level of institutional support. An alternative option could be to have students acting as representatives for the party they have researched.

Marking guidance (note comments in introduction)

Critically examine the extent to which ideology is still important to the main political

parties in the UK. (15 marks)

AO1 Knowledge and Understanding

Level 3 (3-4 marks) A clear understanding of the ideological differences between the

parties.

Level 2 (2 marks) Answers will show a partial account, only one party may be

considered.

Level 1 (1 mark) Answers will show a limited understanding of ideology.

AO2 Analysis and Evaluation

Level 3 (5-6 marks) Answers should evaluate the importance of ideology to the main

parties. Examples of policy differences (or similarities) may be used to illustrate the points made.

Level 2 (3-4 marks) Partial analysis, eg one party or one policy area only.

Level 1 (1-2 marks) Answers will show limited evidence of analysis and evaluation.

.

AO3 Communication and Action

Level 3/2 (2 marks) The account makes good use of the citizenship terminology.

Precise legal terms are not expected. There may be occasional errors of spelling, punctuation and grammar.

Level 1 (1 mark) Limited use of citizenship terms which may not be developed. Legibility

may be poor and errors of spelling, punctuation and grammar could be intrusive AO4 Synthesis

Level 3 (3 marks) Effective use of knowledge of policy differences arising from student’s research or reference to other areas such as EU, human rights legislation, social history, etc (see p21).

Level 2 (2 marks) Demonstrates at least two elements of synthesis.

‘Most political parties are only interested in your views at election time: once elected, they all break their promises and do as they please.’ Discuss this statement. (25 marks)

AO1 Knowledge and Understanding

Level 3 (4-5 marks) Detailed knowledge of the UK party political system (eg relationship

between manifesto and policy) and a good grasp of the ideological basis of the major parties.

Level 2 (2-3 marks) Answers will be partial, some of above aspects only.

Level 1 (1 mark) Credit any relevant basic knowledge (0 marks for no relevant

response).

AO2 Analysis and Evaluation

Level 3 (6-8 marks) Engagement with the statement is expected and evidence used (eg

specific policies) effectively to construct a relevant argument.

Level 2 (3-5 marks) More limited use of evidence or superficial analysis. Level 1 (1-2 marks) Limited analysis of one or two items.

AO3 Communication and Action

Level 3 (3-4 marks) Answer is well organised to reach a valid conclusion regarding the

statement. Good use of terminology and may include reflection on their own

participation in politics or involvement in ‘Question Time’ event. Legibility and few, if any, errors.

Level 2 (2 marks) Some appropriate citizenship terminology. Occasional errors etc of

spelling, punctuation and grammar. There may be some lack of structure.

Level 1 (1 mark) Limited use of appropriate citizenship. Legibility may be poor and

errors of spelling, punctuation and grammar could be intrusive. AO4 Synthesis

Level 3 (6-8 marks) Synthesis could come from consideration of issues such as

accountability and the nature of representative democracy. It could also include effective use of examples of specific policies researched or covered in other topics (EU, UN, Human Rights etc).

Level 2 (3-5 marks) Partial ability to synthesise evidence/other area(s) of the

specification.