Functions of a Political Party

Participation and Mobilisation

• Parties:
• Provide opportunities for citizens to join parties and therefore shape policy 
• Help educate and mobilise the electorate through canvassing, public meetings, advertising, poster campaigns, broadcasts etc. 
• HOWEVER
• Voters’ loyalty towards parties has declined (in 1964, 44% had ‘very strong’ attachment to a party, 2005 10%)
• Turnout has fallen since 1997 (59% voted in 2001 - lowest turnout since 1918)
• Membership of major parties has fallen (from 3m in 1960s to 384,000 in 2015)

Representation

• Parties link govt and the people by responding to and articulating public opinion
• They develop policies that appeal to the electorate 
• The winning party claims a mandate to carry out its policies - translates public opinion into govt policy
• HOWEVER
• The electorate isn’t always well informed and rational when choosing between parties 
• FPTP(first past the post) means parties only need the support of 35-40% of the electorate to win 

Policy Formulation

• This is where they set collective goals and formulate public policy.
• They do this through manifesto and conferences, which is the delevopment of programmes of govt.
• It also states the  and gives the electorate a list of achievable goals.
• HOWEVER
• Major parties have distanced themselves from their traditional ideologies and are less interested in formulating larger goals for society 
• Parties are more eager to follow public opinion than shape it 

Recruitment of Leaders

• All senior political careers start with the decision to join a party.
• Party members can gain experience by debating and help run a constituency party 
• Party membership opens the door to political office.
• Parties recruit and train the political leaders of the future.
• HOWEVER
• As govt are appointed from the ranks of the majority party, they rely on a small pool of talent.
• Electioneering and other party activities may be poor training for running a large govt dept 

Organisation of Government 

• Parties:
• Help to form govts, meaning there is a system of party govt 
• Give govts a degree of stability and coherence, especially as members of govt are usually drawn from a single party and therefor united by common sympathies and attachments
• Facilitate cooperation between Parliament and the executive 
• Provide a source of opposition/criticism to help scrutinise govt policy 
• HOWEVER
• Decline in party unity since 1970s has weakened the majority party’s control of the Commons.
• E.g. In the 2010 general election, the Conservatives were 19 seats off a secure majority. Therefore, they had to form a coalition with the Lib Dems, to form a government.

Functions of UK political parties:

• Offering voters a choice at elections
• Recruiting politicians and promoting them to national leadership
• Create policies they believe are in the national interest