A Level Revision Notes: US Parties - Comparing UK/US Parties & More on Third Parties

Campaign Finance & Party Funding:

Both the USA and the UK face issues concerning campaign finance and party funding
In either country, the problem has resurfaced when a scandal has erupted such as Watergate in the USA whilst in the UK, the parties exchange words on how they get their funding e.g Labour from the big trade unions and the Conservatives who are the in the hands of big businessmen/women.
The UK and the USA followed a similar pattern following this. In the UK the 2000 Electoral Commission Act was created by the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act. Jones & Norton found out that in 2014, almost 85% of the Labour party’s funding still comes from trade unions and that 51% of the Conservatives’ funding was still coming from big businesses.
Parties both in the USA and the UK tend to find ways to get around regulations.

State Funding:

Both countries have looked around the idea of state funding. In the 1970s the US tried federal matching funds whilst the UK saw the introduction of Short money and Cranborne money. Neither country has done this significantly or have they adopted it in the long term.
The issue of party funding can be seen as a structural approach. Where structures create relationships within institutions, and within political parties and the party establishment.
It can also be seen in the rational choice sense. Major parties will be happy with the status quo whilst minor parties will be very happy with the changes.

Party Systems:

The USA:

There are many types of party systems and it is hard to categorise them with every state or area in the USA and UK.
Some states in the USA have a dominant party system where the Republicans or Democrats will win in every election. The same can be said for some constituencies in the UK where the same party will always win in every election and have done for many years.
But it can be said both the USA and the UK have a two party system Caramani described it as “a two-party system is one in which two fairly equally balanced large parties dominate the party system and alternate in power”.
The USA is a 2 party system as the Republicans and the Democrats are swapping power whilst they are very similar in terms of policy.

The UK:

The UK is harder to categorise. Over half a century ago, there would be a 2 party system. Where the 2 major parties controlled over 96% of the house in 1955.
Following the 2015 election, only 67% of the house was in the balance of the two major parties. There were now 11 parties in the House.
The reason for this lies in cultural and structural changes. The rise of nationalist parties and issue parties means there are more parties.
In terms of executive control, it is still a two-party system. Despite all of this, it is still in a state of flux.

Changing Cultures In The UK:

Until recently, the USA and the UK both had the same electoral system and very similar party systems. Why do they have such different party systems despite having the same electoral system. The answer lies in the cultural changes across the country.
Trouble in Northern Ireland boosted support for nationalist parties, then the devolution debate bought the SNP in Scotland whilst popular Eurosceptic groups were the founding base of UKIP.
Meanwhile, in the USA, no such cultural change was happening as the party system works under a structure that allows one party to control the presidency while at the same time the other party controls Congress. The way the presidency can be won is specific, it can only be won by parties that enjoy broad, national support.

Internal Party Unity:

Party Factions:

Due to the 2 party dominance in both UK and USA politics, parties often find themselves without party unity. Parties find it hard to have unity due to the rise of nationalist and local issues which need attention.
Members of factions tend to stress certain strands of ideology, certain traditions or even certain policies over others.
They all believe in the party order but they tend to believe in a different priority or even different methods to achieve them.
These differences can bring a new product or an era such as New Labour or Thatcherism.
Party factions can be constructive by providing new ideas or policies, or they can be destructive as they fight for intra-party control.
Some may be formal membership groups whilst some may be ‘coalition’ groups of those who are like minded. They may exist at grassroots levels or at a professional level, or it even exists in both levels.

Aims Of Party Factions:

To accentuate certain policies e.g income equality, free trade.
To focus on a particular aspect of ideology e.g hard left
To reflect geographic, ethnic, economic groups within the party e.g One Nation Conservatives, Southern Democrats.
To widen voter appeal e.g Momentum
To extol the party ’greats’ of the previous era e.g Thatcherites.
To offer diversity within a party that stresses unity
To offer personal support and encouragement to those politicians and voters of a similar view
To challenge the party establishment e.g New Labour & Tea Party Movement.

Effect On Factions of Voting Intentions:

If the factions are destructive and the party as a whole appears disunited, then it may become a negative issue in an election. This was seen in 1992 when the Republicans when Bush fell out with Buchanan who was more in tune with the social issues facing the country and the party.
Likewise, there was a similar fight in the Democrat party between Clinton and Sanders. For Trump, he may also face a similar challenge between the pro right and the religious right.
In the UK, there has been a similar challenge. Mainly within the Labour party. New Labour vs Momentum. When it became truly destructive, they formed the SPD which later became the Liberal Democrat Party.

Effect Of Factions On Party Membership And Principles:

Factions can be useful to parties, they can keep members who would have otherwise left either for another major party, or a third party. This can be said of the Tea Party Movement in the USA which kept the Blue Dog Faction the part of the Republican party. Whilst in the UK, one nation conservatives, was kept in the Tory party.
A party faction can also go from being a faction to a leadership. This was done in 2016, with Trump’s America First and the quick change from leadership to the faction of David Cameron’s Notting Hill, the metropolitan elite within the UK Conservative Party following his replacement as party leader and prime minister by Theresa May in 2016.
Factions tend to keep ideological and philosophically, lightweight, factions can keep the issues at the forefront of the party.

Party Policies:

When comparing policies, it is easier to suggest that the Democrats and the Labour party policies will be similar whilst the same can be said for the Republicans and the Conservatives but the two have stark differences.
Unlike the Democrats, the Labour party in the UK has remained at the grassroots level with trade unions and have been a socialist party for much of its life. Despite trying to become a socialist party during the Obama years, the Democrat party is not and never has been a socialist party because the appeal of socialist in the USA has never been widespread.
The Conservative party came out of the British government in the 19^th century as a party dominated by the landed aristocracy and the established church. Nothing of this resembles that in the history of the Republican party which was born out of the Civil War.

Policy Agreements:

Despite all of this, there are policy areas where the left-right divide does provide a match between the Republicans and the Conservatives.
They both: Dislike big government, favour low taxes when the economy permits, talk of being strong on law, high defence spending and they want equality of opportunity than equality of results.
The Democrats and the Labour Party are largely in agreement over the following: Right of minorities e.g racial, want better works rights, ‘green’ environmental policy, equality of opportunity than equality of results, better government spending on health, welfare and education, want to tax the rich to fund services.

Policy Differences:

Ideologically, the centre of gravity in American party politics is further to the right than it is in British party politics.
Broadly speaking, the Republicans are sat well to the right of the Conservative party whilst the Democrats sit to the right of Labour – more Old Labour and Corbyn’s Labour.
The UK Conservatives in some policy areas have more in common with the Democrats rather than the Republicans – such as the death penalty (oppose), support same-sex marriage.
Whilst the Conservatives may not be as far to the left as the Democrats, they are not as right to the Republicans.

Policy:	UK Labour:	US Democrats:	UK Conservatives:		US Republicans:
Abortion:	Support			Support but with limits as a conscience issue		Oppose
Death Penalty:	Oppose					Support
Same-sex Marriage:	Support			Support [but with some limits]		Oppose
Renewable Energy:
National Healthcare:
Role Of Central Government In Education:

Third & Minor Parties:

Support for 3^rd parties in the USA is minimal whilst in the UK support is substantial by winning up to 1/3^rd of votes in Parliamentary elections. And they win up to half in European Elections – down to a different voting system.
UK third parties reflect the four constituents’ parts of the UK – England, UKIP; Scotland, SNP; Wales, Plaid Cymru; Northern Ireland, SNP & Sinn Fein.
A 3^rd party was created in the UK to tackle the EU issue. The 2 main parties supported the EU so the creation of a party against started – in the USA no such issue is present.
Minor parties in the USA face significant problems because of the central position that the Presidential election holds in the structure. On only 4 occasions did a third party manage to mount a serious challenge in the past quarter of a century – 1912, 48, 68 and 1992.
The structure of major parties in the USA is more flexible and responsive than their UK counterparts. The use of direct primaries makes the major parties in the US more responsive to ordinary voters who do not need reasons to create third parties. Primary voters saw the way the Republicans changed by selecting Trump as the candidate.
Elections in the USA are much more expensive and the organisation on a national scale is much more challenging than in the UK. This makes it difficult for 3^rd parties to do well and compete in national elections in the USA.