Week 4: MSPs, Scottish parliament Flashcards
Powers devolved to the scottish parliament?
Agriculture, forestry and fisheries Education and training Environment Health and social services Housing Land use planning Law and order Local government Sports and the arts Some forms of taxation Many aspects of transport Some benefits and social security
Scotland Act 2012
TheScotland Act 2012gave more powers to the Scottish Parliament or to Scottish Ministers, including the transfer of some significant financial powers.
The Act also formally changes the name of the Scottish Executive to the Scottish Government.
The new powers devolved to the Scottish Parliament include:
a new Scottish rate of income tax to be in place from April 2016
new borrowing powers for the Scottish Government
full control of stamp duty land tax and landfill tax from April 2015
the power to introduce new taxes, subject to agreement of the UK Government
the power to make laws on matters relating to air weapons
giving the Scottish Ministers powers relating to the misuse of drugs, the drink-drive limit, the national speed limit and the administration of elections to the Scottish Parliament
What are Scottish parliament bills?
A Bill is a draft law. Bills are either:
public - seeking to change the general law, or
private - seeking powers for a particular individual or organisation that are in excess of or in conflict with the general law
Public Bills can be introduced by:
a member of the Scottish Government (a “Government Bill”) an individual member of Parliament (a “Member’s Bill”), or a parliamentary committee (a “Committee Bill”).
Where a public bill includes provisions similar in nature to those of a private bill, it is referred to as a hybrid bill.
A hybrid bill may only be introduced by a member of the Scottish Government.
The bill process
The usual parliamentary process for a Scottish Parliament bill consists of three stages:
Stage 1- consideration of the general principles of the bill by parliamentary committee(s), and a debate and decision on these by the Parliament.
Stage 2- detailed consideration of the bill by parliamentary committee(s). Two days before a bill will be considered in committee, the clerks prepare a Marshalled List of amendments, which is posted on the bill’s web page.
Stage 3- final consideration of the bill by the Parliament and a decision whether it should be passed or rejected.
If passed, then it is sent to the Queen for Royal Assent.
How is the Scottish government cabinet made up?
12 Cabinet Secretaries
14 Ministers
The Lord Advocate and the Solicitor General also sit in the cabinet
First past the post
In the UK parliament there are 650 seats, so a party needs to get 326 seats to have a majority.
Voters will place an X beside the candidate of their choice at the ballot box
The candidate in each constituency who receives the most votes, wins the seat.
The party that wins the most seats in the country is the winner.
That party needs to get 326 seats or more to have a simple majority or they could go into coalition or make a pact with another party on a vote-by-vote basis deal.
Advantages of first past the post system?
Close MP-constituency relationship: One representative is elected for each constituency and this usually means there will be a strong constituency-MP relationship. It also means that if voters do not like their MP they can also vote to get rid of an individual person.
One party strong government: Usually one party wins the election which means the winning party gets five years to put its plans (given in its manifesto) into action. In 2015 it was the Conservative Party who won the General Election.
Simplicity: The FPTP system is easily understood and familiar. Voters were given the chance a few years ago to get rid of FPTP for UK parliament elections but they choose to keep it.
https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/guides/zcrsg82/revision/1
What voting systems are used for the following elections and how often do they take place?
a) UK General Election
b) Scottish Parliament election
c) Council elections
d) European elections
UK General Election – First Past the Post
Scottish Parliament election – Additional members system
Council elections – Single transferable vote
European elections – Regional closed list system – d’Hondt system which is a form or proportional representation
what is the ‘alternative vote’?
Alternative Vote (AV)– Instead ofjust voting for one candidate in your constituency, you can rank them in order of preference. If any candidate gets more than 50 per cent of the first choices, they win. If not, the second preferences are added into the mix – and so on, until a candidate reaches the threshold
Single transferable vote?
Single Transferable Vote (STV)– This is possibly the most complex system, but it is also the one moststrongly advocated by the Electoral Reform Society andis already used in certain elections in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Instead ofelecting one MP for each constituency, voters pool together to elect a small team of MPs torepresenta wider region.
Like with AV, voters rank the candidates in order of preference. To win, they must reach a pre-set quota. If no one reaches this quota level, thecandidate with the least votes is eliminated and their votes are redistributed, until someone reaches the quota.
Campaigners say this is the closest to true proportional representation of any voting system currently in use.
Outline the electoral system used for general elections.
Candidates should outline the key principles of first-past-the-post with single member constituencies where the successful candidate has to achieve a simple majority, which is one more vote than nearest rival.
Electors vote for the candidate by placing an X in a box next to candidate’s name.
The party with the most seats in the House of Commons usually forms the government.
Outline the Additional Member System.
Candidates should briefly explain that MSPs representing a constituency are elected by first-past-the-post is based in single member constituencies where the candidate with the largest number of votes wins.
This creates disproportionality, so electors have a second vote for a party.
The constituency MSPs are ‘topped up’ by candidates on party lists to ensure that for each region there is overall proportionality between votes cast and MSPs elected for each party.
What are the rules for voting in the UK general election?
You should outline the fact that those seeking to vote in a UK general election must be
18 years old (17 at the time they are registered),
a UK, Irish or qualifying Commonwealth citizen,
on the electoral roll for the constituency in which they intend to vote and not disqualified from voting.
Mention may be made of the reasons for disqualification from voting, for example,
serving prisoners,
recently convicted of corrupt or illegal election practice,
detained over a conviction under mental health legislation,
or are members of the House of Lords.
What are the rules for standing in an election?
You cannot stand for election if any of the following apply…
serving prisoners,
recently convicted of corrupt or illegal election practice,
detained over a conviction under mental health legislation,
or are members of the House of Lords.
not being undischarged bankrupts (due to financial problems, the person is not able to hold a position in public or private office).
A candidate may need to pay a deposit to stand. They will get that deposit back if they win a certain amount of votes
The following people can’t stand as a candidate in an election:
Members of the police forces
Members of the armed forces
Civil servants, judges and peers who sit and can vote in the House of Lords
People who are subject to a bankruptcy restrictions order or a debt relief restrictions order in England, Wales or Northern Ireland
People who have been adjudged bankrupt in Northern Ireland
People who have had their estate confiscated (sequestrated) in Scotland
https://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/elections/standing/
How is the Scottish Parliament made up?
Designed so that one party does not have a majority
Uses the additional members list voting system
129 MSPs – 73 are voted in through first past the post and 56 are voted in via the members list system
Chamber designed in a horse-shoe shape to avoid hostile debate as seen in the House of Commons
Presiding Officer chairs the debates in the main chamber
To get a majority, a party requires 65 MSPs (or 66 if the presiding officer is from the majority party)
