Single-issue politics involves
political campaign
A political campaign is an organized effort which seeks to influence the decision making progress within a specific group. In democracies, political campaigns often refer to electoral campaigns, by which representatives are chosen or refer ...
ing or political support based on one essential
policy area or idea.
Political expression
One weakness of such an approach is that effective
political parties are usually
coalitions of
factions or
advocacy group
Advocacy groups, also known as interest groups, special interest groups, lobbying groups or pressure groups use various forms of advocacy in order to influence public opinion and ultimately policy. They play an important role in the develop ...
s. Bringing together political forces based on a single intellectual or cultural common denominator can be unrealistic; though there may be considerable
public opinion
Public opinion is the collective opinion on a specific topic or voting intention relevant to a society. It is the people's views on matters affecting them.
Etymology
The term "public opinion" was derived from the French ', which was first use ...
on one side of an argument, it does not necessarily follow that mobilizing under that one banner will bring results. A defining issue may indeed come to dominate one particular electoral campaign, sufficiently to swing the result. Imposing such an issue may well be what single-issue politics concern; but for the most part success is rather limited, and electorates choose governments for reasons with a broader base.
Single-issue politics may express itself through the formation of a single-issue party, an approach that tends to be more successful in
parliamentary system
A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democratic governance
Governance is the process of interactions through the laws, norms, power or language of an organized society over a social system ( family, t ...
s based on
proportional representation
Proportional representation (PR) refers to a type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to geographical (e.g. states, regions) and political divis ...
than in rigid
two-party system
A two-party system is a political party system in which two major political parties consistently dominate the political landscape. At any point in time, one of the two parties typically holds a majority in the legislature and is usually refe ...
s (like that of the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
). Alternatively, it may proceed through political
advocacy group
Advocacy groups, also known as interest groups, special interest groups, lobbying groups or pressure groups use various forms of advocacy in order to influence public opinion and ultimately policy. They play an important role in the develop ...
s of various kinds, including Lobby groups, pressure groups and other forms of political expression external to normal
representative government. Within a broad-based party it may be the concern of a single-issue
caucus
A caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a specific political party or movement. The exact definition varies between different countries and political cultures.
The term originated in the United States, where it can refer to a meeting ...
.
Very visible as it was in
Western democracies in the second half of the twentieth century, single-issue politics is hardly a new phenomenon. In the 1880s, the third government of
William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-con ...
made
British politics in practical terms single-issue, around the
Home Rule Bill
The Irish Home Rule movement was a movement that campaigned for self-government (or "home rule") for Ireland within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It was the dominant political movement of Irish nationalism from 1870 to the e ...
, leading to a split of the
Liberal Party.
Groups and voters
Single-issue politics are a form of
litmus test; common examples are
abortion
Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...
,
taxation
A tax is a compulsory financial charge or some other type of levy imposed on a taxpayer (an individual or legal entity) by a governmental organization in order to fund government spending and various public expenditures (regional, local, o ...
,
animal rights
Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as avoiding suffering—should be afforded the sa ...
,
environment
Environment most often refers to:
__NOTOC__
* Natural environment, all living and non-living things occurring naturally
* Biophysical environment, the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism or ...
, and
guns. The
National Rifle Association
The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a gun rights advocacy group based in the United States. Founded in 1871 to advance rifle marksmanship, the modern NRA has become a prominent gun rights lobbying organization while cont ...
in the United States, which has only one specific interest, is an example of a single-issue group. What differentiates single-issue groups from other interest groups is their intense style of lobbying.
The term ''single-issue voter'' has been used to describe people who may make voting decisions based on the candidates' stance on a single issue (e.g. support or opposition to abortion rights, for
gun rights or
gun control
Gun control, or firearms regulation, is the set of laws or policies that regulate the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, modification, or use of firearms by civilians.
Most countries have a restrictive firearm guiding policy, with onl ...
). The existence of single-issue voters can give a distorted impression: a candidate's overall views may not enjoy the same support. For example, a person who votes for a socially liberal Republican candidate, based solely on their
support of abortion, may not necessarily share the candidate's other views on
social issue
A social issue is a problem that affects many people within a society. It is a group of common problems in present-day society and ones that many people strive to solve. It is often the consequence of factors extending beyond an individual's cont ...
s, such as
gun rights or
family values
Family values, sometimes referred to as familial values, are traditional or cultural values that pertain to the family's structure, function, roles, beliefs, attitudes, and ideals.
In the social sciences and U.S. political discourse, the convent ...
.
Single-issue parties
A single-issue party is a
political party
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...
that campaigns on only one issue.
It is generally believed that single-issue parties are favored by voluntary voting systems, as they tend to attract very committed supporters who will always vote. Through systems like
instant runoff voting
Instant-runoff voting (IRV) is a type of ranked preferential voting method. It uses a majority voting rule in single-winner elections where there are more than two candidates. It is commonly referred to as ranked-choice voting (RCV) in the U ...
and
proportional representation
Proportional representation (PR) refers to a type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to geographical (e.g. states, regions) and political divis ...
they can have substantial influence on the results of elections.
First-past-the-post voting
In a first-past-the-post electoral system (FPTP or FPP), formally called single-member plurality voting (SMP) when used in single-member districts or informally choose-one voting in contrast to ranked voting, or score voting, voters cast their ...
systems tend to nullify their influence, but local single-issue parties, such as
Independent Kidderminster Hospital and Health Concern, which sought to reopen the
Accident and Emergency unit at
Kidderminster Hospital, may see more success under this voting system. This party won the
Wyre Forest seat, where the hospital is located, at two consecutive
general elections (in
2001
The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanistan ...
and
2005) in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
. The party went on to become a national party, the
National Health Action Party
The National Health Action Party (NHA) is a political party in the United Kingdom.
The party grew out of the movement opposing the 2012 Health and Social Care Act. It campaigns for renationalisation of the privatised parts of the English Nat ...
. Similar parties in the UK are the
Save Huddersfield NHS party which had representation on
Kirklees Council, and
Save Chase Farm party.
In instant-runoff electoral systems which allow unsuccessful parties to designate where their votes are redistributed, single-issue parties may be formed as a way to funnel more votes to another candidate with quite different policies. For instance, in the
1999 New South Wales state election, candidate
Malcolm Jones received just 0.2% of the primary vote, but achieved the quota of 4.5% required to win a Legislative Council seat after receiving preferences from a wide range of minor parties (including both the 'Gun Owners and Sporting Hunters Rights Party' and the 'Animal Liberation Party'); MLC
Lee Rhiannon accused many of these parties of being nothing more than fronts.
A similar type of political party have been numerous in the Netherlands, where they are called
testimonial parties. Testimonial parties are often concentrated around a specific set of principles or policies which they seek to promote without the compromises contingent on ordinary coalition politics. Examples of some successful testimonial parties are the
Party for the Animals, the
Reformed Political Party, or the former
Pacifist Socialist Party.
Other single-issue parties focus on the interests of a specific target group, such as
ethnic minorities,
retirees, and
students.
Green parties,
cannabis political parties and
pirate parties
Pirate Party is a label adopted by political parties around the world. Pirate parties support civil rights, direct democracy (including e-democracy) or alternatively participation in government, reform of copyright and patent law, free sha ...
which exist in a number of countries, are explicitly based around the single issues of
environmental protection
Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment by individuals, organizations and governments. Its objectives are to conserve natural resources and the existing natural environment and, where possible, to repair da ...
,
cannabis legalization and
copyright liberalization respectively. These parties often evolve to adopt a full platform, however.
Europe
The most successful electorally British single issue party is the pro-
Brexit
Brexit (; a portmanteau of "British exit") was the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February 2020 CET).The UK also left the European Atomic Energy Community (EAE ...
UKIP which later due to its success started to formulate other policies. As its consequences started to become clear, its former leader
Nigel Farage left and founded the
Brexit Party, renamed
Reform UK as the withdrawal process gained momentum.
Other single issue parties in the UK are anti-
devolution Abolish the Scottish Parliament Party and
Abolish the Welsh Assembly Party, animal rights advocates
Animal Protection Party and the
Animal Welfare Party
Animal Welfare Party (AWP) is a minor political party in the United Kingdom campaigning on an animal welfare, environment and health platform.Animal Welfare Party websiteVision/ref>
History
The party was founded in December 2006 by Jasmijn de ...
and the pro
fox-hunting Countryside Party. There was also the electoral reform advocates
No Candidate Deserves My Vote! party.
In 2019, an
anti-environmentalist Polish political party called the
Party of Drivers
Party of Drivers ( pl, Partia Kierowców) is a minor single-issue political party in Poland with the aim of ''"fighting for the rights of drivers and hauliers"''.
References
External links
Official website{{Poland-party-stub
2019 establishm ...
( pl, Partia Kierowców) was formed with the aim of ''"fighting for the rights of drivers and hauliers"''.
In Norway, there is also a party called
Patient Focus (Norway) as a support movement for an expansion of the
Alta
Alta or ALTA may refer to:
Acronyms
* Alt-A, short for Alternative A-paper, is a type of U.S. mortgage
* American Land Title Association, a national trade association representing the land title industry
* American Literary Translators Associatio ...
hospital in
Finnmark.
North America
The
Anti-Masonic Party opposed Freemasonry.
Rent is Too Damn High
The Rent Is Too Damn High Party (Rent Is 2 Damn High Party) is a single issue political party, primarily active in the state of New York, that has nominated candidates for mayor of New York City in 2005 and 2009, and for governor and senator ...
is focused on housing.
Oceania
In Australia, a number of single issue parties have been elected to federal and state parliaments such as the
Animal Justice Party
Animal Justice Party (AJP) is a political party in Australia founded in 2009. The party was registered by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) on 3 May 2011. The party is also registered in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, ...
,
Dignity for Disability
Dignity Party previously known as Dignity for Disability or Dignity 4 Disability or D4D (known as Dignity for Disabled until 2010) is a political party in the Australian state of South Australia. The party had one parliamentary member, Kelly Vi ...
, the
Australian Reason Party,
Australian Motoring Enthusiast Party
The Australian Motoring Enthusiast Party was a political party in Australia from 2013 to 2017. Ricky Muir held a seat for the party in the Australian Senate from 2013 to 2016. The party voluntarily de-registered with the AEC on 8 February 2017.
...
.
See also
*
Big tent
A big tent party, or catch-all party, is a term used in reference to a political party's policy of permitting or encouraging a broad spectrum of views among its members. This is in contrast to other kinds of parties, which defend a determined i ...
*
Identity politics
Identity politics is a political approach wherein people of a particular race, nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation, social background, social class, or other identifying factors develop political agendas that are based upon thes ...
*
Issue voting
The term issue voting describes when Voting, voters cast their vote in elections based on political issues. In the context of an election, issues include "any questions of public policy which have been or are a matter of controversy and are source ...
*
Protest vote
A protest vote (also called a blank, null, spoiled, or "none of the above" vote) is a vote cast in an election to demonstrate dissatisfaction with the choice of candidates or the current political system. Protest voting takes a variety of forms a ...
*
Voting bloc A voting bloc is a group of voters that are strongly motivated by a specific common concern or group of concerns to the point that such specific concerns tend to dominate their voting patterns, causing them to vote together in elections. For exampl ...
References
{{Reflist