What is the role of political parties in a democratic political community?

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James Rees

What is the role of political parties in a democratic political community?

        Political parties are made up of groups of people, who sometimes share similar ideologies and aims, who come together with the objective of obtaining political power and using this power to have influence on the government of a state.

        The role of the political party has changed immensely over the years and political parties have adapted to this. British political parties have often been identified as being representative of certain social class groups. The fundamental basis of the Labour party was supporting the rights of workers and its major support base was working class. The Conservative party on the other hand has traditionally been identified as being the party, which is favoured by the middle and upper classes, focusing on their interests.

        In seeking to obtain political office, political parties are giving elections greater importance because they are providing voters with a clear vision and manifesto of ideas they will introduce if elected into office.

Political parties offer choice to the electorate. In a country such as the United Kingdom, the British people have an immense wealth of political parties to choose from, representing just about any political ideology imaginable ranging from support for protection of the environment to those that favour the introduction of a Marxist style government. However only two parties, the Conservative and the Labour parties have shared office over the past fifty years and the majority of current members of the House of Commons still belong to either the Conservative Party or the Labour Party.

A political party would argue that its most important role or function is to serve the people of the state it wishes to be elected to run. Political parties are supposed to serve in the national interest.

        A political party must decide on what issues it is going to fight an election campaign and show how they would make an improvement if elected. Political parties are going to use issues, which they know are most appealing to the electorate and most likely to get them elected to public office. Furthermore political parties develop new ideas.

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        Political parties provide an opportunity for the ordinary people of a nation to engage in politics. Whereas in the past, a country’s government was chosen by the monarch or by a small group of very rich men, in Western style democracies, virtually everyone has the right to vote.

        Political parties monitor the work of other people in the public eye. In the United Kingdom, committees made up of Members of Parliament exist to debate such issues as the royal family and its value for money but also to ensure that members of their political parties are not being corrupt and ...

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