Democracy in the UK Flashcards
Analyse the influence of media on voting behaviour - paragraph one
P - Many argue that broadcast media is the most influential form of media for voters
E - The broadcast media, by law, must be neutral and balanced reporting politics - when people access it for information during an election they are presented with different sides of argument - indirectly influences who they vote for so politicians worry about getting it right on TV.
E - 2019 GE, leaders of main parties were interviewed by Andrew Neil except Boris Johnson because his team were worried he would come across badly. The fear of the PM to put himself forward suggests he recognises potential influence a negative interview could have on voters.
Analyse the influence of media on voting behaviour - paragraph one rebuttal
R - In contrast, the influence of newspapers appears to be in decline
E - The print media, unlike TV, is allowed to be biased - believed by some that this would be important in influencing voters. A newspaper could tell its voters who to vote for in an election - but evidence suggests voters are more likely to buy a newspaper that supports their view than be influenced by that newspaper.
E - Illustrated by the fact the biggest newspaper (The Sun) supports Conservatives in England yet supports the SNP in Scotland. Respected polling expert John Curtice argues, “newspaper influence approximates to zero.” It is likely that newspapers are less influential at telling people how to vote but instead reflect how their readers are likely to vote.
L - Considering newspapers are read by a relatively older part of the population and have less reach than the broadcasters, broadcast media could be argued to be the most influential form of media as it reaches more and is accessible to more voters, as well as being less biased than print media.
Analyse the influence of media on voting behaviour - paragraph two
P - Some argue that new media is the most influential form of media for voters
E - For most digital media is the way they can access information. Most people can access internet at home, work or through mobile phones. Traditional television and newspaper outlets such as the BBC, Times, Guardian, Sun and Daily Mail now have apps and websites. Politicians and political parties are investing heavily in the use of new media - websites, blogs, podcasts and social networking websites like Facebook and Twitter. This is another way of reaching voters - especially younger voters.
E - The Labour party claimed to have “won” the social media campaign in 2019 and have the largest support among young people. 56% of 18-24-year-olds voted Labour and 21% voted Conservative.
Analyse the influence of media on voting behaviour - paragraph two rebuttal
R - However, although many people think new media is very influential, these views did not translate into votes
E - Despite hundreds of thousands of pounds spent on social media advertising by political parties, only around one in seven (14%) of survey respondents said they had seen one of these ads. As well as adverts not reaching many people, social media is more of an informant rather than an influence.
E - Labour claimed to have won the online election but the reality is their vote share fell by almost 8% and they saw their worst defeat in almost 100 years.
L - New media is more likely to reach younger voters however it is not very influential as it is more likely to inform voters rather than influence them, suggesting that broadcast media is the most influential form of media on voting behaviour as it is more likely to have an impact on voters decisions.
Evaluate the effectiveness of Parliament in holding the government to account - paragraph one
P - One way MPs can hold the government to account is by participating in debates and voting for/against Bills in the House of Commons
E - As part of legislative process, proposals for new laws or amendments to existing ones must be debated in parliament - allows opposition MPs to scrutinise details, ask questions on behalf of constituents and propose amendments. After debates and amendments have taken place, the Bill is subject to a final vote in the House of Commons. If the Bill receives majority of support from the House it passes; if it fails to do so then it doesn’t pass.
E - When former PM, Theresa May, submitted her Brexit Bill that set out the terms of Britain’s exit from the EU, the ‘deal’ was debated for months. Eventually, after Theresa May failed to convince the majority of the House and they voted against the deal three times - the Bill did not pass. The failure to pass the Bill forced Theresa May to resign.
Evaluate the effectiveness of Parliament in holding the government to account - paragraph one rebuttal
R - Shows that scrutiny of government in the chambers by MPs can be effective in holding government to account as without support from the majority of MPs, the government cannot pass new laws - can even lead to the resignation of the PM. However, the parliament’s ability to block new legislation depends on strength of the government.
E - If a PM commands a majority in the House of Commons and the party MPs are loyal, then there is very little stopping them from passing legislation.
E - In the 2019 General Election, the Conservatives won 365 seats out of 650. This means if the party agrees with all new Bills, they will be passed easily with little to no input from other parties
L - Despite this, scrutiny of government by MPs in the chamber is an effective way of holding the government to account most of the time as there is lots of room to make amendments to Bills and find flaws or mistakes within them.
Evaluate the effectiveness of Parliament in holding the government to account - paragraph two
P - Another way MPs can hold the government to account is by scrutinising the PM and their government through parliamentary committees
E - Parliament has both general and select committees which scrutinise government legislation. General committees exist in HoC and scrutinise proposed legislation in fine detail. Select committees exist in both HoC and HoL and scrutinise work of government departments and any other issue of public concern. Committees have the power to call witnesses and subpoena documents.
E - The Science and Technology Select Committee investigated whether or not the government’s decision to allow Chinese mobile phone company Huawei access to UKs 5G telecommunications network was a threat to national security. Furthermore, Select committees are made up of MPs from all parties meaning they are not bound by party loyalty.
Evaluate the effectiveness of Parliament in holding the government to account - paragraph two rebuttal
R - Shows that parliamentary committees are effective in holding government to account as they can question/investigate government freely and in detail. However, some question the effectiveness of committee scrutiny due to fact that the governing party has a greater number of committee chairs.
E - Chairmanship of committees reflects party balance in Parliament, so once the number of seats won by each party is known, a proportionate number of committee chairs is allocated to each party.
E - Following the 2019 GE, the Conservatives were entitled to 16 chairs, Labour were given 9 and the SNP given 2.
L - Therefore it can be argued that because most committees are led by MPs from the governing party the ability to scrutinise the government is diminished. Scrutiny of the government by MPs in the chamber is subsequently more effective.
Analyse ways in which individuals and groups in society can influence government decision making - paragraph one
P - One way pressure groups can influence the government is by using illegal methods
E - Not all pressure groups adhere to law when trying to pressure the government. Some groups take to extreme measures and act illegally to try and get the government to act on behalf of their cause. Some methods they use are holding violent protests, creating blockades, scaling public buildings and attractions and kidnapping.
E - In August 2021, Extinction Rebellion held multiple protests across London blocking busy public areas including Oxford Circus and London Bridge. Police officers were removed from urgent matters to remove protestors and had to resort to using force to get rid of them. The protests caused mass problems of traffic and disruption.
Analyse ways in which individuals and groups in society can influence government decision making - paragraph one rebuttal
R - By using illegal methods, tends to achieve instant and free media coverage - results in increased membership and possibly influence. However, illegal methods do not work that well.
E - Groups that use illegal methods are highly unlikely to gain support of government, no matter how popular they are with public. The government will not want to encourage illegal action and so are unlikely to work with these groups.
E - On 24th September 2021, following Insulate Britain protests, Grant Shapps tweeted, “We won’t tolerate reckless behaviour on motorways or ports. I’m therefore seeking a further injunction to prevent this disruption. Living in a democracy everyone is entitled to protest, but that doesn’t extend to closing roads and ruining livelihoods.”
L - Therefore, pressure groups using illegal methods to influence the government are not effective. The government doesn’t want to promote illegal activities no matter how much public support there is for the group.
Analyse ways in which individuals and groups in society can influence government decision making - paragraph two
P - Another way pressure groups can influence the government is by using peaceful methods such as demonstrations or petitions
E - A demonstration is when large groups of people gather to march in particular place with banners, placards etc. Do this to show level of support there is for particular cause and that it may be unwise to ignore request. Petitions are when pressure groups get members of the public to sign request to do something to show support for particular cause or action. If thousands of people sign these it shows there is widespread support for the pressure group. This may make the pressure group more likely to win their case for change in the law to happen.
E - In 2015 over 450,000 people signed petition regarding the UK not offering proportional asylum in comparison with other European countries for refugees. The issue was debated in parliament and the PM David Cameron confirmed 20,000 more Syrians would be resettled under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation scheme and a further £100 million would be spent in humanitarian aid.
Analyse ways in which individuals and groups in society can influence government decision making - paragraph two rebuttal
R - However, peaceful methods such as petitions are only successful to a certain extent
E - Petitions are only really successful if receive over 100,000 signatures as that is when will be considered for debate in parliament. Despite this, most petitions still end up being unsuccessful.
E - In 2016, over 4,150,000 people signed a petition calling for a 2nd EU referendum however it did not amount to anything. The topic was debated on 5th September 2016 before the government confirmed it would not be pursuing a second referendum due to overwhelming support from parliament.
L - Therefore, pressure groups using peaceful methods to influence the government are not always successful. Despite this, it can be argued that pressure groups using peaceful methods are generally more successful than pressure groups using illegal methods as they are more likely to gain the attention and support of the government.
Evaluate the effectiveness of one voting system you have studied in providing fair representation - paragraph one
P - One way First Past the Post provides fair representation is by producing a decisive result
E - Typically, elections under this system produce a decisive and clear-cut result whereby one party has a working majority. This means that a single party wins over half of the seats in parliament, in the case of Westminster this is 326 seats or more.
E - The Conservative party won 365 seats in the 2019 General Election, a clear majority. This has allowed them to follow through on their manifesto promises with limited interference from other parties in parliament, such as “getting Brexit done”, which was a key part of Boris Johnson’s election campaign.
Evaluate the effectiveness of one voting system you have studied in providing fair representation - paragraph one rebuttal
R - However, strong, majority governments are not always fair ones
E - Governments with a strong majority are able to implement policies without having to consider the views of other parties within parliament. As long as majority governments can rely on their MPs to vote in line with the party, legislation can be passed relatively easily as they outnumber all other parties
E - This was evident in the junior doctor contract dispute when the Health Secretary at the time, Jeremy Hunt, chose to impose a change of contract on junior doctors within the NHS despite significant opposition from the Labour party (the second largest party in parliament) and the profession themselves.
L - Therefore, it can be argued that FPTP only provides fair and effective representation for those that voted for and support the majority governing party as they are getting what they were promised. Everyone else is left largely underrepresented as all other parties can effectively be ignored when deciding policy, which is unfair.
Evaluate the effectiveness of one voting system you have studied in providing fair representation - paragraph two
P - Another way First Past the Post provides fair representation is because extremist parties are less likely to get into power
E - Extremist parties have very unique views and priorities that they have towards running a country, these views can influence constituencies to vote for a well-known main political party that has fewer extremist views. This leads to extremist parties not getting fair representation in parliament due to the lack of support from the general public.
E - In the 2019 General Election, extremist parties like UKIP did not win any seats and only gained a small number of votes (0.1% of the vote share).
