Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Modern Studies (Nat 5) > Politics > Flashcards

Politics Flashcards

1
Q

What does ‘Directly Elected’ mean?

A

Voters directly vote for the people who serve in this part of our system

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What does ‘Inderectly Elected’ mean?

A

The person is elected then chosen to play an additional, more powerful role by someone in government

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What does ‘Unelected’ mean?

A

The individuals involved are not elected by the public but play a role in our political system

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Where are people directly elected?

A

The House of Commons

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Where are people indirectly elected?

A
  • The executive

* The prime minister and cabinet

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Where are people unelected?

A
  • The monarch

* The House of Lords

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Name 3 different electoral systems used within the U.K.

A
  • First past the post
  • Additional member system
  • Single transferable vote
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Which electoral system does the House of Commons use?

A

First past the post

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Which electoral system does the Scottish Parliament use?

A

Additional member system

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Which electoral system does the Scottish Local Councils use?

A

Single Transferrable Vote

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Which constituency type does FPtP use?

A

Single member constituency

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Which constituency type does AMS use?

A

Single and multi-member constituency

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Which constituency type does STV use?

A

Multi-member constituency

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What is single member constituency?

A

Each constituency is represented by only one MP

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What is multi-member constituency?

A

Each geographical area returns several political representatives

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Give 3 arguments in favour of FPtP voting system

A
  1. Simplicity - Quick and easy to understand
  2. Efficiency - Quick and easy to count
  3. Moderation - Extremist parties (e.g. The racist BNP) have never been elected as they only poll a small number of votes and FPtP demands that you must poll the MOST votes in each constituency in order to win
17
Q

Give 3 arguments against FPtP

A
  1. Unfairness - Smaller parties like Liberal Democrats, UKIP, and Green are poorly represented as distribution of seats is not proportional to percentage of votes gained
  2. Wasted Votes - Any vote that doesn’t go to winning candidate is wasted as it doesn’t contribute to election of anyone
  3. Minority Dominance - One party can dominate the government without having majority votes
18
Q

Give one example of minority dominance in the government

A

The Conservative government in 2015 had over 50% of seats in Parliament but only polled less than 37% of the vote

19
Q

Give one example of unfairness of FPtP voting

A

In the 2015 General Elections UKIP had almost 13% of the vote but only elected one MP out of 650, whereas SNP’s picked up 56 seats with less than 5% of UK vote

20
Q

What is AMS voting?

A
  • First vote uses FPtP and allows the candidate to elect a constituency MSP
  • Second vote allows voter to elect a party - in Scotland this vote was used to elect an additional 56 Regional List MSP’s
21
Q

Give 3 arguments in favour of AMS

A
  1. Fairness - produces a more proportional and fair result - in second vote, number of seats gained are similar to percentage of votes won
  2. Representation - First 2 Scottish Parliament elections (1999 & 2003) resulted in coalition governments meaning wishes of more people were met
  3. Smaller parties are more fairly represented
22
Q

Give one example of a fairly represented party with AMS voting

A

In the Scottish Parliament Election 2016 Greens gained 6.6% of regional votes and gained 6 seats

23
Q

Give 3 arguments against AMS voting

A
  1. Confusion - two votes could be difficult for voters to understand. Could mean a reduction in voter turnout
  2. Spoiled Ballot papers - at 2007 election the ballot papers were combined into one sheet of paper, confusing voters and causing over 100,000 ballot papers being spoiled
  3. Lack of proper represnatation - AMS tends to produce coalition government meaning voters are likely to have a government no one directly voted for
24
Q

What are the 3 main features of STV voting?

A
  • Multi member constituencies
  • Voters rank choices from 1-5 etc
  • A quota decides how many votes needed to win
25
Q

Give 3 arguments in favour of STV voting

A
  1. Counters Apathy - no votes are wasted
  2. Fairness - Smaller parties are more likely to receive more seats
  3. Expansion of choice - Voters are given a greater choice of candidates both between and within parties
26
Q

Give 3 arguments against STV voting

A
  1. Confusion - A more complicated voting system for voters may lead to reduced turnout
  2. More complicated to count
  3. May lead to tactical voting
27
Q

What are devolved powers?

A

These are powered that Westminster have allowed the Scottish Parliament to make decisions on

28
Q

Give 3 examples of devolved powers

A
  • Education
  • Health
  • Housing
29
Q

How does an MSP represent us within the constituency?

A
  • Holds surgeries - to find out concerns/views of constituents
  • Attends social events like the opening of a new school
  • Replying to letters/emails/phone calls from constituents
  • Attends local meetings and events, to keep up to date with constituents and what’s going on within constituency
  • Meetinf with local councillor or MP to discuss issues further
30
Q

How does MSP represent us within the Scottish Parliament?

A
  • Being members of committees where Bills are introduced, scrutinised and amended
  • Asking questions at First Ministers or Ministers question time
  • Speaking in chamber on behalf of constituents
  • Voting in chamber, with constituents views in mind
  • Proposing Private Members Bill. Each MSP can propose 2 new bills within each Parliamentary session (4 years)
31
Q

How does the media influence political opinion?

A
  • 80% of households buy a newspaper, which is free to display its political allegiance
  • Many people say a party leaders image is important. The media have a huge impact on how they portray this
  • Politicians employ spin-doctors to enhance their image
32
Q

How doesn’t the media influence political opinion?

A
  • Political views are more likely to be formed by factors like age, social class, occupation
  • Information comes in variety of sources, not just media
  • In a survey of sun readers, 68% said they didn’t realise it’s political bias
33
Q

Name the 3 main duties of an MSP in Parliament

A
  • Debating in chamber
  • Sitting on Committees
  • Voting on proposed laws
34
Q

Name the 3 main duties of an MSP in the constituency

A
  • Holding surgeries
  • Working with local bodies like the council
  • Meeting with special interest groups
35
Q

Give one example of a motion put forward by an MSP

A

Nigel Don submitted a debating motion in 2012 to protect the Scottish birds of prey. It was supported by 30 MSPs out of 129. If was defeated but Nigel Don gained supports from groups within his constituency such as the Scottish Raptor Study Group

36
Q

What happens within committees?

A

They scrutinise the work of the government. Each committee has a specific area to focus on (e.g. Health and Sport Committee examines the Scottish Governments health policy, the NHS in Scotland, sport and other matters within its remit)

37
Q

Explain 3 devolved powers the Scottish Parliament hold

A
  • Health - The NHS in Scotland (hospitals, GP services etc)
  • Education - Nurseries, schools, colleges and universities
  • Law and home affairs - Criminal law, civil law, the police, court and prison services, the fire service

Modern Studies (Nat 5) (2 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions