UK POLITICS 3 Flashcards
What’s the 7 functions of elections ?
- Participation
- Representation, choice
- Divisive to ensure majority
- Confer legitimacy
- Form/choose gov
- Hold gov to account
- Influence over policy
Advantages of FPTP ?(6)
1) speed and simplicity
2) strong and stable government
3) exclusion of extremists
4) a strong link (MP’s- constituencies)
5) popular candidate wins
6) produces quick response
Disadvantages of FPTP ?(6)
1) Elected on less than 50%of the vote
2) Favour two-party system
3) Votes wasted (safe seats) unequal value
4) Other systems have good links AMS..
5) Electronic voting ease speed
6) Discriminates against moderate small parties
What are marginal seats?
What are safe seats ? problem?
Seats held by a small majority, money campaigning focused here.
Constituency has a secure majority over, MP’s don’t have to try/voters votes wasted
What’s the supplementary vote (SV)?
1st/2nd choice- need 50% if not got to 2nd choice
what is it used for?
A majoritarian electoral system
London mayor and commissioners
AMS,(constituency vote/party vote= 1 local 1 regional representative, party list system makes result more proportionate)
What is AMS a hybrid of ?
Where is AMS used?(3)
proportional rep (FPTP) and list system
1) Scottish Parliament
2) welsh assembly
3) Greater London assembly
STV, (MMC’s vote 1,2,3 need to reach quota, surplus votes redistributed to 2nd preferences. Least pop eliminated till quota reached)
Where is the STV used?(2)
and is highly….?
- Northern Ireland assembly
- Scottish council elections
proportional
What is a mandate?
What is a plurality electoral system?
authority extended to winning candidate confirming they can legislate in accordance with manifesto
voter has one vote
winner takes all
could have less than 50%of vote
Elections promote democracy (6)
- Educate public
- Encourage participation
- Choice
- MP’s responsible, represent interests of electorate
- Peaceful change of power
- Ultimate expression of popular will
Elections don’t promote democracy (4)
- Can fail to educate, misinform
- Take decision-making away from ppl
- Mandate, but doesn’t specify likes/dislikes in manifesto
- Choice is illusion no diff between parties
Advantages of SV? (5)
- moderate campaigning (2nd choice value)
- simple, could replace FPTP
- all MP’s have to support majority of voters
- reduces tactical voting no wasted votes
- uses single member constituencies goof links
Disadvantages of SV? (3)
- promotes 2-party system
- tactical voting for 2nd choice
- not majority support as some 2nd choice votes for previously eliminated candidates
Advantages of AMS? (4)
- it is proportional (seats reflects votes)
- voter has accountable representative
- wider choice (fairer to 3rd parties)
- coalition government proven to be good
Disadvantages of AMS? (4)
- list chosen by party giving them power
- 2 representatives creates animosity
- complicated
- small parties less represented than under a fully proportional system
Advantages of STV? (6)
- fewer votes wasted
- greater choice
- more than 1 representative
- no safe seats
- no need for tactical voting
- coalition gov likely
