
posted 13th October 2024

Parties are supposed to be fun. Political parties are ... well, they're fun if you're into politics. But most debaters are, or should be, into politics.
What is a political party?
A political party is a group of people who share the same vision of how society should be run, and who seek power through elected office at local and national government level to make that vision happen.
What political parties are there in the UK?
As of May 2024, there were 393 political parties registered in the UK, ranging from the Flood Prevention Party, through the Monster Raving Loony Party, to seven socialist and eight communist parties. However, the main national parties - the ones most people have heard of, and are the only ones which are realistically likely to form a government or be part of a government - are:
Conservatives
For lower taxes, less public spending, less involvement of the government in the economy, social conservatism, accept economic inequality.
Labour
For higher taxes, more public spending, social liberalism, more involvement of the government in the economy, promote economic equality.
Liberal Democrats
Somewhere in between Conservatives and Labour.
Green
Higher taxes, more public spending, greater economic equality, much more urgent action on the climate crisis
Reform
More public spending but much less immigration, highly socially conservative, little or no action on the climate crisis.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of political parties?
Advantages
1. Diversity
Having a choice of political parties means that a wide variety of views is represented. Different ideas about society have to compete and debate against each other in a healthy competition to find the best answers. One of the first things dictators do is abolish political parties - or rather, abolish them all except their own party. This shows how important political parties are for democracy. In general, anything dictators are against is a good thing.
2. Simplicity
If we didn't have political parties, then at every election you would have to get to know all the candidates in every election, find out what their plans were for the country, and work out whether you agreed with them or not. This would be hard work. Political parties offer a package. When you vote Labour or Conservative or Liberal Democrat, you pretty much know what you're getting, and what sort of government they're likely to form if they get the most seats, no matter the strengths and weaknesses of individual MPs. Political parties are a kind of franchise, like McDonald's or Starbucks. A Labour MP or a Conservative MP, like a Big Mac or a cappuccino, are going to be the same from Newcastle to Newquay, which makes life much simpler.
3. Discipline
All political parties who have MPs in parliament have people called 'whips'. They are there to maintain discipline in the party by making sure MPs vote with the party line in parliament. Despite their name, they are not allowed to use physical punishment, but they can use sanctions to enforce the party's will, such as preventing MPs from being promoted to being ministers or even, as a last resort, expelling them from the party. This means that when you have elected a Labour, a Conservative or a Liberal Democrat MP, you know what you are getting; they will follow the party line you chose.
Disadvantages
1. Discipline
Wait, I thought you just said that discipline was an advantage? Well, yes, but it can also be a disadvantage. Party discipline means that MPs don't think for themselves, they just follow instructions. This means that policies which may be very unpopular with MPs and the public get through because MPs dare not vote against it. Party discipline can stifle proper debate and discussion.
A recent example was the new Labour government's decision to continue the last government's policy of restricting benefits for families that have more than two children. Many Labour MPs, like many Labour voters, thought this policy was wrong, but they voted for it anyway, because of party discipline. Seven Labour MPs rebelled, and 'had the whip removed', i.e. were expelled from the party.
2. Members' power
Parties don't just have MPs and councillors. They have members. Anyone can join in return for a modest membership fee. Members are very important when it comes to election time, as they help get the party votes by handing out leaflets and talking to people on doorsteps.
People tend to join parties because of a passionate political belief. On the one hand, this makes for more committed and thoughtful members, but on the other hand it means that party membership tends to be quite unrepresentative of wider society. Conservative party members tend to be overwhelmingly old, white, male and prosperous; Labour party members are more likely to be graduates living in cities. And yet these self-selecting groups have a great deal of power, as they get to choose candidates to be MPs and, even more importantly, the party leader, who is the one who either becomes prime minister or could become prime minister.
This hasn't always gone well. Being popular with members doesn't require the same skill set as being either a potential or an actual prime minister. Labour members twice chose Jeremy Corbyn, whom many of them adored, but who lost two elections and thereby kept Labour out of power. Conservative members chose Boris Johnson, who had to resign as prime minister after being exposed as a serial liar, and Liz Truss, who crashed the economy and became the shortest serving prime minister in British history, lasting only seven weeks in office. Currently (October 2024) Conservative members are choosing (yet another) leader; all the candidates have had to make their policies more extreme in order to get the members' votes.
It used to be the case that MPs chose the party leader. This was in some ways less democratic, but it had its advantages. MPs have a vested interest in having a good leader who is likely (if in power) to run the country well and to win elections, because if they lose the election they lose their job. They are also directly answerable to the public, so are likely to be more responsive to public opinion.
3. Funding
Running a political party, particularly running elections, is an expensive business. Members' subscriptions are not enough by themselves. This can make parties over dependent on donors, who can then exert unaccountable power over elected governments. Some countries manage this problem by putting a limit on how much any individual or organisation can donate to a party. In Germany, parties are funded by the state from taxation.
Should I join a political party?
Yes, if you want to make the world a better place. As every debater should.
Motions that go with this topic
1. This house would make all MPs independent.
2. This house would cap donations to political parties.
3. This house would fund political parties from taxation.
4. This house would have MPs, not members, elect party leaders.
5. This house would join a political party.