Dominant Ideas Flashcards
A dominant idea is…
One which governs all actions are thoughts of an individual
One of the party’s mentioned is the SNP and their dominant ideas of…
Independence
Socially progressive
And anti-Brexit
The other party focused on is the Conservatives and their dominant ideas of…
Pro-union
Individualist
And pro-Brexit
This essay argues…
Whether these parties’ dominant ideas had a positive impact on there electoral performance to a certain extent.
Independence means…
This means the SNO want Scotland to have full power and control over its destiny
Independence example
In 2014, 45% voted for independence and in the 2015 General Election ran with the strap line “Stronger for Scotland” and won 56/59 seats in Scotland
Independence analysis
This dominant idea had a positive impact on the SNP’S electoral performance as more people wanted independence as shown by their landslide victory
Pro-union means…
The Conservative and unionist party want to keep the family of nations together and are therefore against independence
Pro-union example
For example in the 2015 General Election, conservatives promised to devolve more powers to the Scottish Parliament but only held onto one seat since 2010
Pro-union analysis
This suggests due to more Scot’s voting SNP rather than Conservative that the suggestion of more powers wasn’t enough to appeal to the electorate, therefore the dominant idea of pro-union didn’t have a positive impact on their electoral performance
Overall for Independence and Pro-Union
Overall the SNP’s dominant idea of independence had a positive impact in comparison to the dominant idea of pro-union as shown by the result of the 2024 Independence Referendum for SNP which carried onto the 2105 General Election
Socially progressive means…
The SNP want more redistribution of wealth, power and assets.
Socially progressive example
For example in April 2011, Scottish prescription charges were abolished and in the 2015 General Election, SNP won the Glasgow North-East seat, previously a “safe” seat for labour
Socially progressive analysis
This dominant idea had a positive impact as more voters moved from Labour to SNP after preferring their socially progressive policies
Individualist means…
Conservatives favour individual freedom over state control for the principle of helping individuals become more independent and self-reliant
Individualist example
For example in the 2015 Manifesto, Conservatives reduced the benefit cap from £26,000 to £23,000 and only keep 1 seat in the Borders in the 2015 General Election
Individualist analysis
This dominant idea had a negative impact on their electoral performance as shown by SNP winning the most seats as Scots predominantly prefer their socially progressive policies
Overall for Socially Progressive and Individualist
Overall the dominant idea of individualist had a negative impact on their electoral performance likely due to Scots not liking individualist policies which means the SNP’s dominant idea of socially progressive had a positive impact on their electoral performance as the Scottish public have become more reliant on the services that the SNP provide
Anti-Brexit means…
This means the SNP want Scotland to remain in the EU as the majority of Scot’s voted to remain
Anti-Brexit example
SNP argued for Scotland to remain apart of the singles market and customs union and tried to discuss a bespoke deal for Scotland and in the 2019 General election won 45% of the vote and 48 seats.
Anti-Brexit analysis
This has a positive impact on their electoral performance as many Scot’s believed that the SNP focused on what’s best for Scotland which meant they gained support from those who didn’t want Brexit
Pro-Brexit means…
This means the Conservatives want to leave the EU to particularly target immigration levels in the UK
Pro-Brexit example
For example in the 2019 Scottish general election, Conservatives won 25.1% of the vote, winning 6seats, losing 7 a dun the 2019 UK General election, won 365 seats
Pro-Brexit analysis
This dominant idea had a positive impact on their electoral performance across the UK as the public wanted Brexit dealt with quickly and believed the conservatives had the best plan to do so.
Overall Anti-Brexit and Pro-Brexit
Overall, the dominant idea of Pro-Brexit had a positive impact across the UK as a whole but wasn’t as popular in Scotland which means the dominant idea of Anti-Brexit has a positive impact on their electoral performance as many voters beleived that the SNP had Scotland’s best interests at heart which attracted non-Brexit supporters to vote SNP
Conclusion of Independence and Pro-Union
In conclusion the SNP’s dominant idea of independence had a a positive impact on their electoral performance as shown in the 2015 General election after their result in the 2014 independence referendum in comparison to the conservative dominant idea of pro-union as shown by the 1 seat the hold in Scotland
Conclusion of Socially Progressive and Individualist
The SNP’s dominant idea of socially progressive had a positive impact on their electoral performance likely due to Scots appreciating and becoming accustom to the free services that the SNP provide which helped them win another seat however the Conservatives dominant idea of individualist had a negative impact on their electoral performance as Scots predominantly do not support individualist policies
Conclusion of Anti-Brexit and Pro-Brexit
Finally, the SNP‘s dominant idea of anti-Brexit had a positive impact on their electoral performance as the SNP won the most seats in Scotland in 2019 likely due to the support of anti-Brexit supporters however the dominant idea of pro Brexit also had a positive impact on the Conservatives electoral performance across the UK as they were believed that be the best party to get Brexit done the quickest, leading to them winning the most seats in the 2019 UK General Election.
Overall conclusion
Overall, the SNP’s dominant ideas had a more positive impact on their electoral performance than the Conservatives to a large extent
