Examples

Question 1

Direct democracy

Answer 1

2019 Brexit Party Manifesto

Question 2

Major referendum

Answer 2

EU membership June 2016, Scottish Independance 2014

Question 3

Examples of outsider groups

Answer 3

Amnesty International, Greenpeace, Fathers4Justice

Question 4

Examples of insider groups

Answer 4

British Medical Association, National Farmers’ Union, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)

Question 5

Statistics regarding pressure group membership in the UK

Answer 5

40-50% of the UK’s population if a member of at least one pressure group.

Question 6

Examples of modern Western democracies that use elements of direct democracy

Answer 6

Switzerland (propose initiatives), USA (propose initiatives), UK (referendums + petitions)

Question 7

Women receive right to vote on equal terms to men

Answer 7

Representation of the People Act 1928

Question 8

Example of voting age lowered + higher turnouts

Answer 8

Voting age lowered to 16-17- year olds in 2014 Scottish Independence referendum + they received a higher turnout than 18-24- year olds.

Question 9

Prisoners denied right to vote + compromised

Answer 9

2005 European Court of Human Rights denied all prisoners right to vote but 2017 Conservative government announced plans to allow around 100 prisoners to vote in order to compromise with ECHR

Question 10

Participation Crisis - Yes

Answer 10

1950s Conservative had 2.5 million members.
2018 Conservative had just 124,000 members.

Question 11

Participation Crisis - No

Answer 11

Turnout in general elections has increased since 2001, 69% in 2017 general election.
Labour membership has increased to more than 500,000 members following the 2014 independence referendum.

Question 12

Voting behaviour

Answer 12

2017 - young people more likely to vote Labour than older people who would vote Conservative
Middle -class voters were more likely to vote to remain in 2016 EU referendum than working-class voters of the same age
BAME groups more likely to vote Labour, white people more likely to vote Conservative.

Question 13

Examples of major privatisations

Answer 13

British Gas
Royal Mail
Buses

Question 14

Example of landslide general election

Answer 14

1997 - Blair wins landslide general election for Labour

Question 15

Example of referendum with highest turnout

Answer 15

2014 Scottish Independence- turnout 85%

Question 16

Labour achievements

Answer 16

1998 Devolution, 1999 removal of hereditary peers, passing of Freedom of Information Act 2000 + Human Rights Act 1998, introduction of minimum wage + increased public spending.

Question 17

Examples of relation with media

Answer 17

Aggressive online campaign against Lauren Kuenssber (BBC Political Editor) resulted in her attending Labour’s 2017 conference with bodyguard protection.

Question 18

Examples of pressure groups influence methods

Answer 18

Insider: BMA briefs MPs on health policy, meets with ministers + responds to consultations - organised first full strike by union doctors in 2016 over contracts.
Outsider: (direct action) Greenpeace put pollution masks on 15 statues in London in 2016. Extinction Rebellion throw orange smoke at pool championships in 2023.