UK Politics: Elections & Referendums

Question 1

Manifesto definition

Answer 1

The set of policies a political party promises to implement if they are elected.

Question 2

Factors evaluating electoral systems

Answer 2

-proportionality & fair result.
-vote value (shouldn’t be wasted).
-promoting participation & turnout.
-strong & accountable govt.
-local links (constituents relationship with representative).
-party choice & representation (encourage lots of parties to participate in elections).
-comprehensibility & transparency.

Question 3

Proportional electoral system

Answer 3

Electoral system that calculated the number of MPs or elected representatives by the actual no. of votes each party receives e.g. List PR.

Question 4

Majoritarian electoral system

Answer 4

Electoral system in which the candidates with the highest no. of votes per constituency is elected. Those that come 2nd or lower gain no seats.

Question 5

The main electoral systems

Answer 5

-First- past- the- post (FPTP)
-Party list proportional representation (List PR)
-Additional member system (AMS)
-Single transferable vote (STV)
-Alternative vote (AV)

Question 6

First-past-the-post

Answer 6

Candidate with the largest no. of votes wins the seat. Meaning it’s possible for parties to gain a large number of votes across the country but have little to no MPs.

Question 7

Advantages & disadvantages of FPTP

Answer 7

:( Proportionality & fair result - no. of seats won is not reflective of proportion of votes casts for party. E.g. because of ‘winners bonus’, 2019 conservatives had 43% public vote and 56% seats in commons.

:( Vote value - many votes are wasted. Those in safe seats may believe their votes don’t count. E.g. Brexit party 2019 won over 600,000 votes and not gained a single MP.

:( / :) - FPTP discourages turnout as people’s votes won’t be counted & smaller parties won’t be represented.
However, UK elections are not at steady decline, 2019 67.3%.

:) - Strong & accountable govt - traditionally clear & decisive results with decent majority votes. 1979-2010. However, 2010 & 2017 led to ‘hung’ parliament.

:) - Local links - MPs are directly accountable to their constituents.

:) - Comprehensibility - simple & straightforward to operate. Immediate result.

Question 8

Winners bonus definition

Answer 8

Where the party gains seats despite majority not voting for them, leading to wasted votes.
E.g. 2019, 44% wasted votes.

Question 9

Hung parliament definition

Answer 9

No clear winner, no party reaches 326. So they have co-alitions, minority govt.

Question 10

Supply of confidence deal

Answer 10

Agreeing to support a govt for limited time.
E.g. Theresa May with DUP 2017.

Question 11

Why should the UK replace FPTP?

Answer 11

-distorted results & winners bonus.
-UK is the only country in Europe that uses FPTP.
-party w most votes does not always gain most seats i.e. Feb 1974.
-doesn’t always result in strong govt. e.g. 2017.
-discriminative against smaller parties.
-encourages tactical voting.

Question 12

Why shouldn’t the UK replace FPTP?

Answer 12

-traditionally stable, strong govts.
-easy to understand & familiar.
-link between constituents and MPs.
-small & extremist parties kept out of govt.
-quick & straightforward.

Question 13

Voting behaviour reasons

Answer 13

-personality of candidate or leader of party.
-manifesto promises.
-influence of campaign & media.
-performance of current govt.
-voting for the ‘least bad’ option.
-voters don’t want to waste their votes.

PRIMACY & RECENCY.
- long term
- short term

Question 14

Age as the new class?

Answer 14

Age is one of the biggest indicators of how they vote.
Older votes are more conservative.
Younger voters were more remain & more labour.

Question 15

Consensus politics

Answer 15

Little difference between 2 main parties.
Began during WW2 when conservatives & Labour had a coalition.

Question 16

1979 election: Why did Thatcher win?

Answer 16

-James Callaghan was the PM during the “winter of discontent” where inflation & unemployment rates were extremely high as well as electricity shortages and lack of fuel & when asked in a report about the crisis, he responds “Crisis? What crisis” displaying ignorance, out of touch, insensitive, loss of control.
-Satchi & Satchi poster: “Labour isn’t working” won election - Labour delayed election.

Question 17

Conservatives win 1979

Answer 17

Margaret was disliked & unpopular compared to Callaghan who was known as “Sunny Jim”
Former Labour PM Harold Wilson stated his wife will vote conservatives.
Con won 329 seats.
Labour won 269.

Question 18

1979 election: Conservative manifesto

Answer 18

1. Control inflation & reform trade unions.
2. Cut income tax.
3. Fight against crime.
4. Encourage home ownership.
5. Improve defences.

Question 19

1979 election: Labour manifesto

Answer 19

1. Curb inflation.
2. Improve relations with trade unions.
3. Lower unemployment.
4. Power to the people.
5. Disarmament & world peace.

Question 20

1979 election: Primary, recency & valence.

Answer 20

PRIMACY:
-swing constituencies in south & red wall in north.
-conservatives gained support in W/C.
RECENCY:
-winter of discontent.
-thatchers media presence.
-‘right to buy scheme’
VALENCE:
-

Question 21

1983 election: Why did Thatcher win?

Answer 21

Labours manifesto “the new hope for Britain” was too left wing.
Called the “ longest suicide role in history “ by Gerald Kawf Mann.

Question 22

Conservatives win 1983

Answer 22

-Conservatives gained 61% seats and had 42.4% votes.
-Thatchers part in Falklands war had huge impact (win over Argentina) & she was named “Iron Lady”.
-Conservative majority increased from 43 in 1979 to 144.
-Thatcher was still unpopular and unemployment was high & up to 3 million.

Question 23

Labours manifesto 1983

Answer 23

-“new hope for Britain” was too left wing.
-called the ‘longest suicide in history’ by Kawf Mann Labour shadow minister.
-named worst campaign in history.

Question 24

Conservatives manifesto 1983

Answer 24

-“forward- the challenge of our times” portrayed a radical party that promised trade union reform.
-privatisation included British telecom, airways etc.
-modern & effective modes of campaigning. (Thatcher journeyed across nation in her superbus on a tour to connect with public & secure publicity).

Question 25

Role of the media 1983

Answer 25

-The Sun ran a headline saying “do you really want this old man to run Britain?”
-Thatcher had strong media presence & campaigned memorably.
“Vote for Maggie”

Question 26

1983 election - primacy/recency/valance factors

Answer 26

Primacy:
-older voters vote conservatives.

Recency:
-Falkland war.
-division of Labour Party into the SDP.
-media supported conservatives.
-Labour manifesto.

Valance:
-economy (inflation decreasing)
Conservatives are more credible when dealing with economic issues.
-defence - Thatcher helped greatly in Falkland law.

Question 27

1997 Context

Answer 27

Landslide victory & Labour won 418 seats.
Blair advocated for New Labour.
Economic crisis in 1992 because of the European exchange rate mechanism.
Blair was a fresh face.

120 women MPs. 101 Labour women.
Tactical voting.

Question 28

1997 Role of the media

Answer 28

The sun switched allegiances and backed Labour leader WHCIH was a strategic ploy by Blair.
Pro Labour newspapers for 62%.

Question 29

Labour policies & manifesto 1997

Answer 29

Recent modernisation - New Labour “not outdated ideology”.
1. Welfare.
2. Law and order (tough on crime).
3. Reform & rights (reform lords).
4. Education (middle way - maximise progress).
5. Healthcare: cut waiting lists.
6. Economist: balance.

Ditched clause 4 which committed Labour to collective ownership which was too leftist.

Question 30

Conservative policies & manifesto 1997

Answer 30

“You can only be sure with the conservatives” continuity & scrutiny.
1. Education (encourage more academic selection at secondary level).
2. Privatisation.
3. Reform (no major changes).
4. Law and order.
5. Economy reduce income tax to 20%.
6. Welfare

Question 31

The impact of leadership & the election campaign 1997

Answer 31

“Tony successfully carried the previous vase of electoral success across the slippery floor.”
Blair was young, charismatic & energetic.
Campaign had its own upbeat theme tune “Things can only get better”.

Major had an image problem & was mocked in cartoons for being grey & uncharismatic.
Blair said “I lead my party, he follows his”.
Tory campaign attacked Blair with demon eyes poster “New Labour, new anger.” (64% general public disapproved.)

Question 32

How the election affected policy making.

Question 33

2019 election - context

Answer 33

Johnson struggled to call election because of FTPA so he created Early Parliamentary general election act 2019.
Brexit was the main focus issue led election.
Labours “red wall” broke down into conservatives.
AGE was vital factor.

Question 34

2019 election - role of the media

Answer 34

The sun heavily rooted for Johnson as well as the Express & the Mail.
Conservative advert that 3.5 million saw on YT on day of release.
Labour outspent the Tory’s (1.4million to 900,000).

Question 35

2019 election - party policies & manifestos

Answer 35

-Johnson “Get Brexit done” overshadowed other pledges including 50,000 new nurses & no rise in income tax.

-Labours Brexit policy was nuanced and unclear as they wanted to release new referendum “Final say on Brexit”.
-Rise in minimum wage.
-Free university.

Question 36

2019 election - the impact of leadership & election campaign

Answer 36

Corbyn “failed to shine”.
He was too metropolitan. Labour voters didn’t like him.

Johnson had a populist style & a disciplined campaign focussing on Brexit getting done.

Question 37

How the election affected policy’s making 2019

Question 38

Party list proportional representation (List PR)

Answer 38

-Country was divided into regions electing 3-10 MEPs.
-Within each area MEPs elected on basis of their share of the vote.
-Instead of electing per constituency, areas are bigger (26 constituencies).
-Parties rank their candidates and the highest ranked candidates are almost certain to be elected.
90

D’hondt system works by allocating seats with 1 seat per round. At the start of each round, the total round for each party received at the start of the process was divided by the no. of seats the party has won +1. The party with highest remaining total wins.

Question 39

Advantages & Disadvantages of List PR

Answer 39

:) Proportionality & fair result: no. of seats won closely reflects the actual vote share of the parties.
E.g. brexit won 39% vote & gained 40% seats.

:) Vote value: less chance of warded votes & more parties can win seats. However since country is divided into regions, 1-5% of vote might not win seats.

:) / :( Promoting participation & turnout: in theory should boost turnout. However turnout for EU elections are historically low.
E.g. 2019 - 36.9%.
But turnout could be higher if used for general.

:( Strong & accountable govt: no party secured overall majority. Less straightforward. Disproportionate power. Coalition.
E.g. 2019 Brexit won by 29/73 seats.

:( Local links: representatives serve hundreds & thousands of constituencies so removes notion of MP serving all constituents.

:( Comprehensibility & transparency: less straightforward.

Question 40

Additional member system (AMS)

Answer 40

-Hybrid between FPTP & List PR.
-Used in Scottish, Welsh parliaments & London assembly.
-1st vote is for constituency MP (like FPTP).
-2nd vote is list of parties for regional election.

E.g. in Scotland, 73 MSPs elected through WM style & 56 by regional proportional list.

Question 41

Advantages & Disadvantages of AMS system

Answer 41

:) Proportionality & fair result: largely proportional result in Lothians region.
E.g. Conservatives won 25% seats & 4/16 total vote share.

:) Vote value: less chance of votes wasted for small parties.
E.g. Scottish Green Party gained 2 seats thanks to regional list MPs.

:( Promoting participation & turnout: no evidence that AMS boosts turnout.
E.g. Welsh turnout in 2019 general was 67% but 2016 AMS devolved assembly election was 45%.

:( Strong & accountable govt: almost inevitably produces minority govt.
E.g. Only once in 2011, SNP had majority.

:) Local links: offers local link not present with List PR. However, also creates potential to create a 2-tier system of elected represented & those elected at the top up regional list who lack direct mandate.

:( / :) Comprehensibility & transparency: more complicated than FPTP & uses 2 ballot papers. However relatively straightforward to count & calculate and there’s not multiple rounds.

Question 42

Single transferrable vote (STV)

Answer 42

-Used for Eu elections in NI & Scottish local council elections.
-On basis of multi member constituencies where voters rank choices in order of preference.
-Quota worked out on no. of seats + total no. of votes cast.
-Candidate who has more 1st preference votes is elected & then candidates with fewest votes are elected and their votes are transferred to 2nd preference.

Question 43

Advantages & Disadvantages of STV

Answer 43

:) Proportionality & fair result: accurately reflect overall share of votes. Preferred by Electoral reform society (ERS) as voters don’t have to worry and eliminates tactical voting.

:) Vote value: reduces potential for wasted votes. Even voting for minor parties can be effective on overall outcome as 1st preference votes r redistributed using voters’ 2nd preference votes.

:) / :( Turnout in NI 2019 for EU elections at 45% was higher than the rest of the UK but NI typically have high turnout rates.

:( Strong & accountable govt: almost inevitably produces coalition or multiparty govt. Supporters argue that it’s a small price to pay for ‘fairer votes’.

:) Local links: all elected members represent a geographical area & people can approach range of representatives with concerns.

:( Comprehensibility & transparency: shortcoming of STV. Hard to understand and time consuming to calculate.
E.g. Republic of Ireland took 2 full days before announcing results.

Question 44

Alternative vote (AV)

Answer 44

-Used for election of chairs to parliamentary select committee.
-Ranking of candidates.
-Majoritarian system.
-If 50% is not gained, then last candidate with lowest votes is eliminated & their 2nd preference votes are redistributed.
-2011 AV referendum.

Question 45

Advantages & Disadvantages of AV

Answer 45

:( Proportionality & fair result: not proportional. 2017 study predicted it would have a less proportionate result than FPTP. & Lib Dem’s & nationalist parties would end up with fewer MPs.
However, it requires at least 50%.

:) Vote value: no disincentive to vote for minor party or independent candidate. Votes are redistributed.

:( Promoting participation & turnout: theoretically would encourage however no country uses it.

:) Strong & accountable govt: AV is the system most likely to produce single party govt & gains 50%.

:) Local links: retains single member constituencies with 1 MP representing their constituents.

:) Comprehensibility & transparency: easy to understand with 1 MP per constituency.

Question 46

Advantages of Referendums

Answer 46

-engages voters in political debate & decision making. often increases turnout even more than general elections.
e.g. 84.6% Scottish independence vote.
-direct link betweeen policy making & national will.
-purer form of democracy.
-can absorb divisions within parties & enabled voters to ‘fine tune’ their policy preferences.
-can settle controversial arguments.
-provide a check on government.
-used more in other countries (Ireland).

Question 47

Disadvantages of Referendums

Answer 47

-blunt instrument & don’t allow voters to make finer decisions beyond yes/no.
-undermine representative democracy.
-complicated & may not be easily understood by voters. Can be swayed by campaign propaganda. Some remain supporters accused leave campaign of misleading voters by promising an additional £350 million a week to the NHS that was used to fund EU membership.
-bitter & divisive debates (Brexit & Scottish independence).
-controversial issues aren’t always decided ‘once & for all’ & some want a second vote.
-turnout can be low: 34% for London mayor & 42% for AV.

Question 48

Referendums: Importance

Answer 48

-first nationwide was in 1975 to decide on whether the UK should stay in the EEC.
-only for big constitutional changes.
-used in Ireland over social issues; divorce (1996), same sex marriages (2015), abortion (2018). 38 since 1937.
-local govt act 1972 allows voters to request that a parish council holds a referendum on a local issue.