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Politics - Unit 3 - Electoral Systems > EXTRA- FPTP > Flashcards

EXTRA- FPTP Flashcards

1
Q

In how many single member constituencies does voting take place?

A

646

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2
Q

In what other counties do they use FPTP? (5)

A
  • US
  • Canada
  • Bangladesh
  • India
  • British Commonwealth
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3
Q

From what year have all elections to the Commons been held under FPTP?

A

1950

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4
Q

If a party has less than half the votes cast, what does this mean under FPTP?

A

under FPTP , even if the party has less than half the votes cast, the largest number of votes is elected

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5
Q

Usually the party that has secured the most votes nationally usually forms government, however what might be the case?

A

a party may still win an election having actually obtained less votes than its closest rivals

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6
Q

Who does the FPTP system over represent?

A

it over represents at least one of the two main parties giving them a higher proportion of seats than their number of votes

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7
Q

What is an example form the 2015 general which reflects how some parties may be under represented?

A

UKIP acquired 12.6% of the votes, almost 4 million only 1 seat

the Green Party acquired 3.8% of the votes, just over 1 million yet also got 1 seat

Liberal Democrats only got 7.9% of votes, 2 and a half million yet got 8 seats

SNP got 4.7% of vote share, 1 and a half million votes yet 56 seats

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8
Q 
How many seats did 
UKIP get
Green Party get
Liberal Democrats get
SNP get?
A

1 seat
1 seat
8seats
56 seats

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9
Q 
What % of the Vote share did
UKIP get
Green Party get
Liberal Democrats get
SNP get?
A
  1. 6%
  2. 8%
  3. 9%
  4. 7%
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10
Q 
How many votes did 
UKIP get
Green Party get
Liberal Democrats get
SNP get?
A

-almost 4 million
-over 1 million
-2 and a half million
1 and a half million

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11
Q

What 5 main points show the advantages of FPTP?

A
  • We know who is to form government immediately after the election is over
  • Provides a strong, stable, single party government
  • It provides ‘rough justice’
  • close relationship between MPs and their constituency
  • System is easy to understand
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12
Q

Unlike the proportional system, what is an advantage about knowing who is going to form government immediately after the election is over?

A

there is no need for private deals to be done by politicians to make bargains in secret, removed from public attention.

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13
Q

What is an advantage for the public about providing a single party government?

A

It has clear responsibility for what is done well or badly and the public can thus vote accordingly at the next election.

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14
Q

What is meant by the advantage of FTPF as providing ‘rough justice’?

A

The result may be distorted but it broadly reflects popular opinion. In 1945, 1964, 1979, 1997 and 2010 it reflected the public desire for a change of direction

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15
Q

What is an advantage about the fact that under FPTP there is a close relationship between the MP and their constituency?

A

all citizens know who to approach if they have a problem or grievance with which they need help

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16
Q

Which 3 countries have abandoned FTPT in favour of more proportional systems?

A
  • Commonwelath
  • New Zealand
  • South Africa
17
Q

Who has the discussion for electoral reform been confined to?

A

the members of the ‘chattering’ classes

18
Q

What is electoral reform?

A

This means different things in different countries depending on the system of election currently infuse and what the alternatives under consideration might be. “Reform” means change and for the better, so electoral reform means something different and better than what we now have. For Westminster elections it would involve a move away from FPTP

19
Q

Who are the members of the ‘chattering’ classes?

A

these are those members of the educated sections of society who enjoy discussion of politics, social and and cultural issues. In politics they are sometimes known as political anoraks

20
Q

Which two groups in Britain have led the call to abandon the FPTP system?

A

Liberal Democrats and the Electoral Reform Society

21
Q

Who do current critics of the FPTP system point out?

A

the decline in support for the two main parties and the increased support for third parties over the last generation. This backing to the centre parties show that the public favours a less confrontational form of politics and more on cooperation.

22
Q

What are the 3 main criticisms of FPTP system?

A

1) Election results do not reflect the views of the electorate as a whole
2) The system is very harsh on small parties that are usually under-represented
3) FPTP encourages the under-representation of minority groups

23
Q

In what 3 ways does FPTP not reflect the views of the electorate as a whole?

A

a) The number of seats won by the parties does not reflect the number of votes cast
b) the effect of the system is too over-representative of the winning party
c) the second party has benefitted from the system, accruing a higher percentage of seats than votes

24
Q

What is an older example of when a party winning an election had fewer votes nationally than its rival?

A

February 1974

25
Q

How was the FPTP system too over-representative of the winning party in 1983?

A

the Conservatives won c40% of the votes and c60% of the MPs elected

26
Q

How is the FPTP system harsh on smaller parties such as the Liberal Democrats and UKIP?

A

They are more thinly spread throughout England, Scotland and Wakes, with no great area of strength

27
Q

How is UKIP an example of how the FPTP system is harsh on smaller parties?

A

in 2015 election, they acquired 12.6% of the vote yet only one seat because their support was too thinly spread, this compares to the SNP who only gained 4.7% of the vote yet gained 56 seats

28
Q

In what type of constituencies are parties more willing to run candies from all backgrounds, classes and colours?

A

multi member constituencies

29
Q

How many people voted for labour in 2005 which was the lowest votes of an administration since 1929?

A

9 and a half million

30
Q

in the 2005 general elections what % of MPs failed to win a majority?

A

65%

31
Q

in the 2005 general election how many seats would the Liberal Democrats have actually received?

A

142 seats

32
Q

How did the Conservatives not benefit from FPTP as opposed to Proportional representation?

A

Under PR they would have had 208 seats however only retained 197

33
Q

What % of the electorate voted Labour in 2005 out of 44 million voters?

A

22%

34
Q

Why does the fact that English constituencies are historically larger than that in Scotland and Wales work well for Labour, before the SNP?

A

this is because Labour dominates these areas

Politics - Unit 3 - Electoral Systems (13 decks)

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