examples Flashcards
evaluate the view that pressure group activity supports participation and democracy
- BLM protests in over 150 locations raised 150m and Rashford June 2020 led to u turn on policy in Nov and 1 mill in support
- 2016 Greenpeace photos of forest claiming destroyed by Resolute but acc by fire.
- 2011 GP launched campaign for tuna harmful methods and gov acted on tuna labelling.
- bureau of investigative journalism financial sector pressure groups spent 93 mill on lobbying 2011.
- 4 mill signed Brexit got nowhere.
- just stop oil.
evaluate the view that the labour party is still a new labour party.
-Keir backs abolition of tuition fees, contrast to blair.
-Blair introduced windfall tax and Corbyn pledged 2019 to raise 1mill.
-Blair pro ID cards and Corbyn anti.
-Blair tougher sentencing and detaining rights terrorist act 2005? corbyn against.
-Blair and Corbyn against cuts to police, tough on crime tough on causes of crime.
-Blair introduced civil partnership through legislation and gender recognition act and also seen through Keir ‘we are the party of equal pay, sure start, BAME and abolition of article 28.’
-Blair Iraq and ties to US Vs Corbyn for peace and favoured withdrawal from NATO and suggested Trumps visit cancelled.
-Miliband against Iraq but still pro militancy with Libya and Afghan, Corb, Keir and Blair pro EU and Brexit backed a second referendum.
evaluate the view that the media is influential in politics
-newspapers played a role in the 2016 elections with leave being supported by most newspapers.
-broadcast media is trusted by public as legally impartial, Bojo tried to avoid in 2019, changed public opinion of Brown 2010.
-young people get news from social media seen through youthquake of labour voters in 2017
-Tony Blair met with Rupert Murdoch and convinced him for the Sun to support new labour.
-newspapers dismissive of Corbyn in 2017 yet he was close to winning the election ‘Cor-Bin’
-56% of people aged 18-24 voted lab in 2019 election
evaluate the view that the outcome of general elections are stable and predictable?
-in 2010 the electoral reform society estimated that going into the 2010 general election, of the 650 382 were safe seats 59%.
-in 2015, 111 seats changed hands.
-2017 labour won the Kensington and Chelsea seat from tories by 20 votes.
-from Oct 1974 Labour won more semi-unskilled working class DE votes in every general election that the conservatives.
-1992 general election Sun backed John Major and had the famous headline ‘it was the Sun wot won it’.
-2019 Tories broke red wall North, both in C2 and D2 categories tories were at 49% and 47% opposed to lab both being 33%.
-opinion polls in 2017 and 19 tory majority was correctly identified.
-opinion polls for 1992 general election predicted lab ahead of tories by 1.5% on average but tories claimed 7.6% more votes.
-2015 opinion polls showed one or two percent between tories and labour but labour actually had 31.2 and tories 37.8.
evaluate the view that the actions of pressure groups have been more significant than gov legislation in defending rights and promoting them in the UK.
-R v Secretary of State for the Home Dept. (2014) Liberty ensured human rights were protected by intervening when the 1997 Police Act breached Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, Supreme Court agreed and law was changed.
-Facial recognition technology (2020), Liberty won legal challenge against police use of oppressive facial recognition technology Court of Appeal agreed, deemed it a breach of privacy rights, data protection laws and equality laws.
-Despite Liberty’s importance, their reference for rights is the 1998 Human Rights Act - government legislation.
-Stonewall 1997: Sutherland v United Kingdom campaigned against higher age of consent for gays, successfully bringing minimum age for lawful activities from 18 to 16.
-Government has played an equally important role in its own LGBTQ legislation - 2013 Marriage Act launched by Minister for Equalities Lynne Featherstone.
-2012 National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT Union) organised strikes to secure bonuses for members during Olympics.
-Gurkha’s only able to settle in the UK after government allowed it and home secretary Jacqui Smith announced it to parliament.
-Often, parliament is more effective at protecting workers’ rights than pressure groups e.g. National Minimum Wage Act, 1998 and onwards
using the source evaluate the view that opinion polls bring more advantages than disadvantages to elections and referendums.
-The 2017 United Kingdom general election saw a 69% turnout rate, The 2017 general election saw a 2.6% increase in turnout when compared to 2015, and voter turnout has generally been increasing since 2001.
-Labour’s proposed policies, such as a £30 billion increase in NHS funding and scrapping university tuition fees, appealed to many voters while Theresa May’s Brexit policies lost her support.
- 2017 opinion polls showed how similar in popularity Labour and the Conservatives were; for example a poll conducted by Survation in June 2017 found that the Conservatives had a lead of only 1%.
-opinion polls during the 2016 EU referendum virtually predicted the inconclusive outcome. A June 2016 poll conducted by YouGov found that 43% of voters were in favour of remaining while 42% were in favour of leaving the EU.
evaluate the view that it is media not pressure groups that has the greater influence on government.
-BMA on Covid 19
-50% globally read a newspaper.
-Blair, Brown and Campbell struck a deal with Rupert Murdoch to gain favourable press coverage of their campaign.
-2.3 m read the sun daily.
evaluate the view that the election is lost by the gov rather than won by the opposition.
-Government management of the economy is absolutely vital and failure in this area can result in the government losing the election e.g. The winter of discontent was incredibly damaging to the Labour Party in 1979 general election as strikes and a bitter winter led to a huge loss of support for the party - this resulted in labour losing to Thatchers Conservatives.
-The Conservatives gained a poor reputation for economic continents especially after Black Wednesday in 1996. This inflicted a lot of damage to the Conservative party who placed a large emphasis on being the party or financial competence.
- The Conservatives in 1979 run and effective campaign claiming that labour isn’t running. During the winter of discontent moment, this was a message that resonated with the population Lead to swing voters of 11% from C2 and 9% from DE to Conservatives, groups which traditionally vote labour.
-Similarly new Labour run a slick campaign in 1997 to encourage people to go out and vote them into power.
They targeted middle England in particular and recorded large swings from C1 and C2 after running a strict and disciplined campaign.
-Callaghan despite being personally popular 1979 we seem to be weak in dealing with the striving unions.
His dismissal of the winter of discontent’s seriousness was damaging within the media and the air lead line ‘crisis, what crisis?’ was quickly picked up by the Conservative party.
-Similarly in 2010 Gordon Brown was also seen as an insecure workaholic who could not articulate a convincing vision for the country his disastrous interview with Dylan Buffy when campaigning in Lancashire where he labelled her a ‘bigoted woman’ Was a significant mistake.
-Theresa May in 2017 also alienated voters with a U-turn in social care during the campaign this made her seem weak and indecisive subsequently causing her to lose her majority.
-how charismatic leaders are can help determine the outcome e.g. in 1997 Tony Blair was seen as a young charismatic leader With a clear vision while John Mayer appeared grey, unexciting a weak.
In 2010 Nick Clegg use the television debates to his advantage, to present himself and his party as a credible third option.The subsequent Coalition government with Clegg as deputy prime minister demonstrated how he appeared as a reputable leader. However it should be noted that despite the enhancement of his personal reputation, liberal democrat take vote share increased by 1% but Five seats were lost.
-The Conservatives had become deeply divided by 1997 over Europe - The party was split over euroscepticism and pro European MPs. Labours subsequent landslide pointed to a divided and tired party who had spent nearly 20 years
-Similarly the Labour Party also became divided over divisions between Blairite and brown eyed actions in the run-up to the 2010 general election - governing party at war with itself cannot win general elections.
-The Sun has backed any election win since 1979, famously claiming ‘it’s the sun wot won it’ In 1992 after running a campaign against the Labour Party and its leader Neil Kinnock.
In 1997, Tony Blair and his press secretary, Alistair Campbell, made it a priority to gain their backing in the 1997 campaign and made much of their support in their televised broadcast.
As 59% of people who read the Sun support the Sun is preferred party, party see it as a crucial to win over puppets in the Sun.
using the source evaluate the view that referendums create more problems than solutions.
evaluate the view that for the public the media is more significant than policy statements and manifestos from political parties.
argument in favour of reforming the westminster election system
P1: No clear majority required, many MP’s elected on far less 50% of the vote. For example 2019 229/650 elected with less than 50% support.
CP: However provides speed and simplicity, result often known by morning with quick transfer of power. PR In Belgium 2010 took 18 months to form gov, even coalitions are formed quickly 2010 lib dems and tory.
P2: Big problem with number of safe seats which greatly leads to limited voter choice and people forced to not vote for preferred candidate (tactical voting.), safe seats were a cause of 22 million wasted votes in 2015.
CP: Produces strong and stable government, seen through Blairs 179 majority, able to pass through devolution however libdems held power did not produce strong and stable May and Cameron
P3: Votes are unproportional and unequal in value. UKIP 3.9 mill for one seat, 2015 and libdems only won 8 seats in 2015 and leader failed to gain seat
CP: however have largely been seen to hold power in the FPTP system, 2005 libdems seat height of 62 and went on to Coalition and DUP and May 2017, largely seen that the two main parties are representative enough.
evaluate how far alternative electoral systems have benefited the UK political system
P1: The AMS system maintains the strong constituency of FPTP as members till directly vote for their local rep. The top up component then adds a more proportional element, a corrective to FPTP. For example, Tories won no seats in Scot 1997 under FPTP, but the TU list enabled them to gain 18 seats at the 1999 Scottish parliament elections.
CP: Creates a two tier system between reps. Furthermore the closed list system allows the party leaders too much power. Top up seats seem to benefit the major parties disproportionately, Lab Greatly benefitted in Wales.
P2: STV allows for a very strong correlation between votes and seats. Voter choice is also very high and votes can choose different candidates even from the same party. For example, been successful in NI helping to share balance of power.
CP: still not fully proportional, particularly in smaller multi-member constituencies. Also, in large multi-member constituencies, the link between member and voter is very weak. Hasn’t been fully successful in NI, the executive has had to be suspended multiple times and more extreme parties are emerging such as Sin Fenn replacing the moderate Ulster Unionist.
P3: SV, ensures the winner always has broad support, E.G Sadiq Khan 2016 had the largest mandate of any politician in history. It is also simple and straightforward and can help independents, 12 out 40 police and crime commissions were independent.
CP: Voters to have influence identity the clear top two candidates and as only one is going to be elected it is not fully proportional. Winner doesn’t get an absolute majority of the votes cast.
evaluate the extent to which direct democracy is superior to indirect democracy?
R1: Help to raise voters political awareness. 2014 Scottish referendum praised for airing thorough debate on complex issues such as the future of the nuclear deterrent based on the river Clyde, however can largely uneducate the population over Brexit
Cp: The norm is low turnout - for example the AV referendum had only 42%, however this was largely due to the coalition government and the Cons campaigning against also seen with 1997 welsh devolution under 50%
R2: government are more educated on matters involved in government decisions eg brexit covid etc.
cp: would allow for a direct participation and would mean that the electorate would not be unhappy with the government as seen at the minute. government is seen to be unfit by partygate Allegra Stratton Raab, would allow for the electorate to have a direct say on matters like COVID and cost of living crisis.
R3: Wholly democratic more feel their vote matters unlike FPTP, evident in high turnout in recent referendums unlike in general elections, seen through BREXIT 72.2% turnout,
Cp: However creates a lack of accountability and is highly impractical to manage and maintain, feeds into a divisive society, largely unable to hold and doesn’t really improve turnout that much with AV ref and GE improving74% of 65+ voted 2019
