FPTP - Revision

Question 1

Name some advantages of FPTP

Answer 1

• Easy to understand and produces a clear result in each constituency. This is mainly due to the amount of safe seats in the UK (368)
• The system tends to produce a clear winner in the general election. This helps to create a ‘strong and stable’ government.
• Helps to prevent extremist parties breaking into the system.

Question 2

Name how we could improve aspects of FPTP

Answer 2

• Ditch the ‘winners bonus’
• Switch to Alternative vote (AV). Encourages political diversity and is more fairer.
• Ditch the ‘single member constituency system’. In the 2001 election, 333 MP’s were elected on a minority vote.
• Not a proportional system, leads to greatly exaggerated wins. For example, in 2010, Labour candidate Glenda Jackson won her seat in Hampstead and Kilburn with only 32.8% of the vote.

Question 3

Give an example of the ‘winners bonus’ in action

Answer 3

• In the 2001 election, Labour won a huge majority of seats despite polling only 40.7% of the vote.

Question 4

Give an example of how minority parties perform under FPTP

Answer 4

• Minority parties are usually heavily penalised, winning far fewer seats than their strength in the country entitles them to.
• For example, in the 2015 general election UKIP got 3.8 million votes yet only got 1 seat.
• However, Lib Dems got 8 seats with 2.4 million votes, far fewer than UKIP’s.
• Under AMS in 2016, 6 Greens were elected to the Scottish Parliament with 6% of votes

Question 5

Describe a typical demographic that is likely to vote Conservative

Answer 5

(All statistics from the 2010 general election)

• Older voters are more likely to vote Conservative. 43.9% of voters who voted Conservative were aged 65+.
• Rural areas are much more likely to vote Conservative.. For example, 51.9% voted Conservative in Devon compared to just 6.9% who voted Labour.
• Voters who live in the South are much more likely to vote Conservative.

Question 6

Give examples as to why FPTP does not produce a ‘strong and stable’ government.

Answer 6

• In the 2010 election, it produced a coalition government.

- In the 2017 election, it produced a hung parliament.

Question 7

Give some examples as to why FPTP does produce a ‘strong and stable’ government

Answer 7

• Tends to produce a single party government that is strong enough to create legislation and tackle the country’s problems, without relying on the support of other parties.
• Most governments under the system have lasted the full 5 year term, this suggests that governments produced under FPTP are stable. Means they are unlikely to collapse or receive a vote of ‘no confidence’.

Question 8

Give some examples as to why FPTP is not a democratic system.

Answer 8

• In the 2015 general election, the Conservatives won a majority in the House of commons despite receiving only 37% of the vote in the UK.

Question 9

Give an example as to why PR should not be brought back to Westminster.

Answer 9

• Extremist parties such as the BNP could enter mainstream politics. In 2011, the BNP gained 2,500 votes in Glasgow. Therefore, they have a much better chance of gaining an MSP under PR rather than under a single member FPTP system.

Question 10

Marginal seat example (SNP)

Answer 10

• In 2017, for example, the SNP won North East Fife by only 2 votes

Question 11

Strong constituency link example

Answer 11

• In the 2017 election, Dan Carden won a majority of 85.7%