Democracy In Scotland Flashcards
Powers of the Scottish parliament
2
Devolved
Reserved
Devolved powers
2E
Are the areas that the Scottish Parliament has control over and is free to make laws about
Eg. Education- curriculum for excellence in 2010-11
Housing- housing act 2014 stopped people from buying their council houses
Reserved powers
2E
Are the areas the Scottish Parliament doesn’t have control over, theses areas are controlled by the uk parliament
Eg. Defence- defence reform act 2014
Gambling- gambling act 2005
Powers of the first minister
3
Chooses cabinet members
Represents Scotland abroad
Implements government policies
Chooses cabinet ministers
1E
She is the leader of the Scottish cabinet so can select MPs to serve in it
Eg. Made John Swinney education secretary
Represents Scotland abroad
1E
She promotes Scotland as a place to visit and do business with
Eg. She visited Paris for a WW1 memorial
Implements government policies
1E
She is responsible for developing and putting policies into action
Eg. Free school meals policy for p1-3s
Rights of individuals
3
To vote
To join a party
To campaign
Rights of individuals- Voting
1E
Everyone ( unless under 18, in prison, mentally unstable or a non British citizen) can vote
Eg. Elections are held every 5 years
Why some people don’t vote
2P
Think their votes don’t count as they are only one person in a FPTP system,
They are travelling so don’t have a polling place even though they could sign up for a postal vote
Most people do vote because…
2P
We live in a democracy and should make the most of it,
People died for the right to vote so it’s disrespectful if we don’t exercise it
Rights of individuals- Joining a party
1E
Anyone can join a political party
They do this to show their support of the party’s ideologies
Eg. People can join SNP, Green, Labour, Liberal Democrats, Conservatives, UKIP and more
Rights of individuals- Campaigning
1E
People do this to persuade MPS to support their cause
Can go to demonstrations, sign petitions, send emails and more
Eg. The cancel Brexit petition received over 6 million signatures
Political parties- elections and campaigning
5
Delivering leaflets Party election broadcasts Clear focus Strong leader Use of the media
Political parties delivering leaflets
1E
Parties do this to spread their message and so people have a physical copy of their manifesto
Eg. During the 2016 election SNP delivered leaflets in Stirling to persuade people to re-elect Bruce Crawford as MSP
Party Election Broadcasts
1E
Parties are allocated five minutes on TV to try and gain support
Eg. the SNP created a successful comedy broadcast in 2011 ‘What has the Scottish government ever done for us?’ to convince people to re-elect an SNP government
Political parties clear focus
1E
Election campaigns need a clear focus to get their message across
Eg. in 2011 SNP campaign focused on three words ‘record, team, vision’
Political parties strong leader
1E
Campaigns need an image of strong leadership
Eg. 2016 Conservative campaign used the slogan ‘Ruth Davidson for a strong opposition’ to convey the fact that they had a strong leader
Political parties use of the media
1E
Social media is used widely by parties to communicate with the public
Political parties also try to get as much coverage as possible
Eg. in the 2016 election the Scottish liberal democrat leader did strange things to get noticed by the media and publicity
Influence of the media
4
Role
Newspapers
TV and radio
The Internet
Role of the media
1E
The role of the media is to inform and educate the public
Eg. We have Scottish news every evening
Newspapers
1E
Newspapers are allowed to be biased but their influence is declining
Eg. 82% of British adults read a regional newspaper so they have a lot of influence (like the Lennox Herald)
TV and Radio
1E
Must avoid bias so every party has a fair chance,
Ofcom is an organisation that regulate TV and radio to ensure they aren’t biased
Eg. There were complaints that Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand were being biased on the BBC so they got suspended
The Internet
1E
The Internet has a growing influence,
Politicians use it to engage with the public
Eg. 39% of Scots were influenced by social media during the independence referendum
Pressure Groups
3
Examples,
methods,
why people participate
Examples of pressure groups
2P
2E
Greenpeace campaign for environmental issues
Eg. They have 11,000 members in Scotland
Amnesty international campaign for human rights
Eg. They have 7 million members around the world
Methods of pressure groups
2P
2E
Petitions show that the public feel strongly about an issue and create pressure on the government for change
Eg. The snowdrop campaign gained 750,000 signatures in six weeks for tougher gun laws
Direct action is striking, Street blockades ect
It draws extra attention to a campaign
Eg. Peace protesters blocked the entrance to fast lane the nuclear base
Why people participate in pressure groups
3P
3E
Are passionate about the issue
Eg. If you are Passionate about nuclear disarmament in Scotland you can join the CND who have a ‘no to Trident’ campaign
Think with more people it will gain attention
Eg. Greenpeace have 11,000 members in Scotland so have more chance to influence decision makers
They have been personally affected by the issue
Eg. People in Scotland against wind turbines being built near their houses created ‘Scotland against spin’
Role of MSPs
3
Committee members
Taking part in Debates
Constituency work
Role of MSPs- Committee members
2E
Most MSPs are members of at least one committee,
committees usually meet on Tuesday or Wednesday mornings,
each committee deals with a specific area
Eg. MSPs can be members of one or two committees
Eg. The Justice committee deals with crime and law in Scotland
Role of MSPs- Taking part in debates
1E
MPs can put forward motions for debate,
They may do this because the people they represent have raised an issue
Eg. Debates take place on Wednesdays and Thursdays
Role of MSPs- Constituency work
3P
3E
Attend events
Eg. The opening of a community center
Hold surgeries
Eg. Go to a village hall so constituents can discuss any issues
Communicate with constituents
Eg. Reply to emails and phone calls
Representation
2
Positives
Negatives
Positives of representation
3E
Eg. 5 out of the 10 cabinet members are women
Eg. 47% of labour MSPs are women
Eg. 2 leaders of major parties are LGBTQ: Patrick Harvey and Ruth Davidson
Negatives of representation
3E
Eg. Women only make up 35% of the Scottish parliament
Eg. Only 2 out of the 129 MSPs are an ethnic minority
Eg. Only 7% of MSPs are LGBTQ
Committees
3
Role,
Purpose,
Types
Role of committees
1E
To examine a particular subject in detail
Eg. The Justice committee report on matters relating to crime and law in Scotland
Purpose of committees
3P
To encourage public involvement in Parliament,
To enable Parliament to hold the Scottish government to account, To encourage the sharing of power
Types of committees
2P
2E
Mandatory committees must exist under the rules of Parliament Eg. equal opportunities committee and finance committee
Subject committees are based on the Scottish governments responsibilities
Eg. equalities and human rights committee and health and sport committee
AMS features
3
2 votes,
Hybrid voting system,
You have many representatives in parliament
AMS features- 2 votes
1E
Each person gets 2 votes,
One for a candidate to represent their constituency,
One for a party to represent their region
Eg. In Stirling you could vote for the Green party for your regional vote but not your constituency vote as they didn’t have a constituency representative
AMS features- Hybrid voting system
5P
Uses two different voting system to together,
First past the post for the constituency vote,
Proportional representation for the regional vote,
The candidate with the most votes wins the constituency seat,
The regional candidate is decided from the party list
AMS features- You have many representatives in parliament
1E
Eg. Each person has 7 regional MSPs and one constituency MSP representing them
AMS advantages
4
Proportional,
More choice,
Helps small parties,
Coalition more likely
AMS advantages- Proportional
1E
The MSPs elected more accurately reflect the views of the Scottish public,
Eg. Labour got 19% of the vote in 2016 so 24 MSPs were elected which is 19% of the seats
AMS advantages- More choice
1E
People have more of a choice between parties and candidates
Eg. In stirling you could vote for Bruce Crawford SNP for the constituency vote and green for the regional vote
AMS advantages- Helps small parties
1E
AMS allows smaller parties a chance to gain seats
Eg. Green have 6 seats in the Scottish Parliament
AMS advantages- Coalition more likely
1E
Coalition governments are more likely which means voters are represented
Eg. There has been 2 coalition governments between Scottish Labour and Scottish Liberal Democrats
AMS disadvantages
3
Coalition more likely,
Confusing for voters,
Breaks link between constituents and regional MSPs
AMS disadvantages- Coalition more likely
1E
Coalition governments are more likely which makes laws harder to pass
Eg. There has been 2 coalition government between Scottish Labour and Scottish Liberal Democrats
AMS disadvantages- Confusing
1E
Voters may be confused about how it works and what MSPs to contact
Eg. People in Stirling may be unsure whether to contact Bruce Crawford (constituency) or Annabel Ewing (regional)
AMS disadvantages- Breaks link between constituents and regional MSPs
1E
The party decides on the regional MSP not the voters
Eg. The Conservatives decided Murdo Fraser would be regional MSP
Coalitions
3
Function,
Advantages,
Disadvantages
Function of Coalitions
1E
Using the system of AMS makes coalition government more likely because it is more proportional so less likely that one party will get a majority,
To gain the majority of parties would have to gain almost 50% of the vote
Eg. There has been 2 coalition government between Scottish Labour and Scottish Liberal Democrats
Advantages of Coalitions
3P
Is more democratic as it represents a wider range of political opinions,
Creates a more honest and dynamic political system,
Creates a good government as their decisions will be made in the interests of most people
Disadvantages of Coalitions
3P
Is less democratic as the balance of power is held by smaller parties,
Is not as open and honest because often the decisions about specific policies are made after the election,
Provides a bad government because they are unable to take a long-term view
Majority government
3
Explanation,
Advantages,
Disadvantages
Majority government- Explanation
1E
A majority government is when one party has an absolute majority of seats in parliament
Eg. The SNP have had a majority government 2011-16
Advantages of Majority government
2P
1E
The decision making is easier so there is a greater sense of stability
The governing party can be held fully accountable for their actions
Eg. If people didn’t like the SNP freezing the council tax they could vote against them in the next election
Disadvantages of Majority government
2P
1E
If the governing party has a majority on every committee it reduces committees influence
Less people are represented
Eg. 2011–16 only SNP voters were represented
Minority governments
1
Explanation
Explanation of minority government
1E
A minority government happens when a party has the most seats but not enough to be in charge themselves
Eg. The SNP where a minority from 2007–11 so they needed support from other parties
