UK parliament Flashcards
Holding the goverment to acccount
Debating and voting on laws
P: The main function of the house of commons (HOC)/ parliament is to make new laws and change existing ones.
E: Parliament can scutinise proposed laws by goverment during debates and voting against them if necessary.
E: Sep 2019 goverment defeted several times during the brexit process, 21 conservative MPs voting against BJ in an attempt to try stop brexit
R: Whip system. They are there to ensure MPs vote for their own party. Job is to spotpotentail problens with MPs. MPs often get an increased chance of promotion if they obided whip. They dont listen they will be deslected
E: The 21 conservative MPs which voted aginst brexot bill got deselected
L: HOC/parliament can debate, question and put presure on the goverment most giverments can rely on their backbenchers to vote with the party. If a goverment has a comfprtable majority of MPs it is unlikley they will challenge gov.
Holding goverment to account
House of Lords (HOL)
E: HOL can debate and amend bills but cannot outright object bills, they can only send them back for ammendments. Peers are unelected therefore not subject to presure from part Whips. HOL can dlay bills even if it has a strong majority from GOV
E: In 2024 the goverment suffered 5 defeats from the HOL over the rwanda bill. proposed to deport asylum seeekers to rwanda by declaring it a safe place.
R: Cannot rejact bills onlt delay for up to a year, by sending a bill back to the HOC with ammendments.
E: The safety of Rwanda bill was sent back several times with amendments befoe it finally passed in Aprail 2024
L: Provides extra scutiny, particulary important when gov has large majority where they could just steamroller bills. However most bill will get through eventually because HOL cant reject bills, HOL ability is limited.
Holding goverment to account
Attending Firts Ministers question time (FMQ)
E: Provides oppertunity for opps, MPs and backbenchers to question Prime minister about policies and current affair, putting PM on the spot.
E: Brois Johnson had to justify his reasoning for not closing boarders to restric COVID to Keir Stammer.
R: PM is given adevanced notice about questions and has a tean of civil servents who help hime prepare him for questions and answers. Not really on the spot. Often turns into a media circus with MPs shouting at each other to the point where noone can be heard.
E: For example Victoria Atkins has been reprimanded by thr duty speaker over her behaviour during parliamentry debate after she loudly interuppted another MP.
L: Quitr Ineffective, Provides very publican diredct way at address PM. The mannetr at which PMQs are carried out are very unproductive and PM get notice anout some questions
Holding Goverment to account
Commitees
E: Commitee for every area fo gov, they can question PM, call witness, revieew dpcuments and make reecomendations, all public meaning gov must justify itself if commitee is being critical.
E: Paricia Ferguson, MP Glasgow west, Chair of Scottish affair commitee,critical in the realtionshipbetween Holtrood an westminister, giving a voice to people accross Scotland.
R: Limited in their power to hold GOV to account. The number of MPs from each party in a commitee is based on how many seats a party has. It acn be difficult to hold gov to account as many are likely to support commitee. Also commitees acnnot force gov to folllow recomendations.
E: Gov did not commit to making thr changes recomended in the Environmental Audit commiteee report.
L: Commitees do hold gov to account but gov is not obliged to listen. Also majority of people incommitee will be from majority gov
Voting behaviour
Sex
E: Men and women have different life experiences experiences causing a gap in the way men and women vote. There are issues which only impact women yet are decisions which are heavily impacted my men.
E: For example Boris johnson is 15%. less popular with women compared to men and Keir Stammer3% more popular amongst women.
R: Many argue that voting is far more complex and due lots of fictor. They may be big differences between men and women but thers also many Similarties. Men and women share their experience which leads everyone to being informed and voting for whats best for everyone.
E: For example is the 2024 general election, 43% of men voted Labour and 45% of women voted Labour betwen the ages of 24 to 45.
L: There is a clear impact of sex on voting behaviour. However it is not as simple as claiming men and wome vote differently , it is hugly dependent on party policies and the effect they will have
Social class- voting behavior
E: Social is the measure of a persons status and position within Societies, it usually takes into account someones, income. wealth, occupation and education . People will often vote on how a parties policy will benefit them
and the peple around them.
E: For example conservatives traditionally have policies such as lower taxes that will financially benefit the highest earners the most. Although in the 2024 general election there was little difference between the way social classes voted between Labour and conservatives.
R: Social class has become far less important in modern politics. Employment patterns have massively changed in the last 30 years as certain industries such as mining have declined. Resulting in blurred lines between the working and middle classes.
E: In the 2024 general election every social classes has a high voting percent for Labour over tories showing that the disconnect between classes is rising.
L: overall the impact of social class has lessens in voting behavior and. Currently it is more likely that the highest social grade vote Labour and a fifth of the lower grade vote reform . Showing that issue like immigration are having a greater impact.
Social media - voting behavior
E: Now a days the vast majority of people have social media at their fingertips tips, as a result it is how many people access their information for elections. More and more people are using social media is to get a faster more interactive way to gathering information on elections.
E: For example Labour spent over £2.4 million on social media advertising, compared to conservatives who spent 3 times less. Furthermore YOUGOV found that 43% of britons get their news on social media.
R: Some argue that television media is still more influential. During elections voters will watch ads, broadcast and debates to get a sense of who they want to run their country
E: In the 2018 general election BJ and Jeremy Corbyn had 6.7 million view and in the 2024 general election election 58% of britons got their news from TV.
L: It is clear that TV HAS A bigger impact on voting than social media. However social media still has a very big impact on voting behavior and perhaps will have a bigger impact in the future especially amongst young people.
Age - Voting behavior
E: older people and younger people experience the world differently which influences political decisions. Former prime minster Churchill believed that people would have to be “heartless” not to be liberal at the age of 20 and “brainless” not to be conservative by the age of 40.
E: For example over half of people over 69 votes either for either of the right wind parties, conservative or reform in the 2024 general election.
R: Many say that age doesn’t change political views, political opinions are changed but experiences and what will provide people with stability. Older people often seek stability more than younger people who are more comfortable with change.
E: one fifth of young people under tha he of 29 voted for right wing parties.
L: overall there’s a clear link between age and voting, shown clearly in the differences between under 29 and over 60s. However voting is not just as simple as age and has many influences.
Pressure groups- celebrities
E: well known individuals supporting their Cause. Having celebrties and important figures involved in a campaign helps gain attention.Celebrities use there platforms to Spread awarness about issues they feel strangly about and require govement attention. This is effective because celebrities will have large Followings on Social media and many trust them than the government.
E: Coldplay’s lead singer Chris Martain supports the Just stop oil movement.
R: these groups so often use disruptive methods which can gain negative media atention and which can lemit their Success. Campaigners Sometemes feel extremly passionate about an issue that the government is making no effort to help or change and use disruptive methods.
E: For example the disruptive methods used by the group Just stop oil often receives negative press amongst the British press.
L: celebrities can be extremely effective at getting attention for a cause and making the government act. However an individual opinion can be more influential too as well as a groups methods.
Outsider groups
E: Outsider groups are those who do not have access to decision making and do not have govemen influence. Outsider groups resort to more direct ways of geting their point across; petitions, lobbing, protests or even Civil disobedience.
E: Members of outsider group Just stop oil glued themselves to a Turner painting and got arrested.
R: These groups an be successful in drawing attention to issues and putting pressure on governments and changing polices.
E: Marcus Rashfirs worked with Fareshare to convince the government to provide families in Sngland with Free school meal vouchers during the summer holidays. Additionally if a government changes, outsider groups may become insider groups.
L: In short outsider groups do gain the attention of the country but the changes outsider groups would like to largely to so with government ideology.
Pressures groups- tactics and methods
E: pressure groups use tactics and method to gain attention and be more effective, such as civil disobedience. Pressure groups often feel so strongly about an issue they go to methods which can potentially get the into serious trouble.
E: For example pressure group like Extinction rebellion and Insulate Briton carrry out demonstrations such as blocking motor ways, gluing themselves to fences and doors. There grips have gained masses of attention and are very well known.
R: Groups which use such extreme and illegal method will find it difficult to work with the government because the government cannot support illegal actions. Often extreme method can turn the public against some groups.
E: For example supporters of tackling climate change have criticized Extinction rebellion for being too extreme for intense blocking ambulances and people meeting to get to work.
L: can use tactics and may kids to influence the government however these can often be dangerout and put the public and government of these pressure groups.
Pressure groups - leadership
E: Pressure groups which have strong leaders can be more successful because they are well organized and well founded. Meaning they can influence government decisions.
E: The groups ‘us for them’ is was stated by parents to campaign for the re-opening of schools during COVID. The group regularly appeared on the media and attracted a lot of attention. Encouraging more parents to join and put more pressure on the Government. They even submitted evidence to parliamentary committees.
R: The type and number of member in a pressure group is also important m. Groups with more member like greenpeace, will be better founded and have more people campaigning for them. Groups with well educated members can also be more successful due to these members having better networks, more confidence and In turn more influential.
E: BMA
L: groups with good leadership makes a pressure groups successful because they are well originated and founded but confidence and connections can be just as important for success.
