Advantages of Public Opinion on Law Making

Question 1

What is an advantage of public opinion on law making?

Answer 1

Where the majority of the public has certain beliefs, then Parliament can safely pass legislation on that issue.

Question 2

What are two examples of the advantages of public opinion on law making?

Answer 2

• The Dunblane massacre in 1996.
• The media reporting on MPs’ expenses claims in 2009.

Question 3

What happened in the Dunblane massacre in 1996?

Answer 3

• Students and their teacher were killed by a lone gunman with a legally owned gun.
• After reflecting on public opinion, Parliament banned the private ownership of most types of handguns.

Question 4

What happened regarding the media reporting on MPs’ expenses claims in 2009?

Answer 4

• Expenses claims made by various MPs were published in a national newspaper.
• Some of the claims were for large sums of money or for items the MPs had not paid for.
• The public outrage at the system of MPs expenses caused Parliament to reform the whole system.