component 1 uk politics Flashcards
what is the uks claim to being a democracy largely based on? [4]
nature of electoral system:
-universal adult suffrage
-one person, one vote
-secret ballot
-competition between candidates+parties
what are the main elections citizens can particpate in, in the uk? [3]
-general elections
-devolved assembly elections
-local elections
describe a general election?
what is the fixed term parliament act(2011)?
example of elections only 2yrs apart?
-parliamentary election>all 650 seats in the house of commons come up for re-election
-fixed term parliament act(2011)>generally every 5yrs
(sometime more often 2017/2019)
describe devolved assembly elections?
-fixed term/4yrs
-NI assembly (~1998)
-scottish par/welsh senedd (~1999)
describe local elections?
3 types of council?
-fixed term/4/5yrs
-district/borough/county councils
-london assembly/LDN mayor/metro or city mayors
what are the 4 main functions of elections?
-form (+ help remove unwanted) govts.
-ensure representation
-enable participationand consequently ensure legitimacy
-help educate the electorate
what 4 paragraphs could you inc. in ‘do elections enhance or hinder uk democ’?
-form govt/help remove unwanted govt
-ensure representation
-enable participation and consequently ensure legitimacy
-help educate the electorate
FOR: elections enhance democ
-forming govts/removing unwated govts
general elections transfer power from one govt. to the next in a peacful and stable way
-govt often formed by leading members of majority party in house of comms
>results usually clear>govt. formed day after election w head of majority
party becoming PM
-v effective in removing ‘unwanted’ govts.
>1979:tories (maggie thatcher) ousted the incumbent lab. govt (james
callahan) w a parliamentary majority of 44 seats
>1997: hoverning Con party (john major) defeated in landslide by
labour (tony blair)-179 seat majority
(examples effectiveness gen.elec removing unwanted parties)
when and which party ousted labour (leader james callahan)?
what majority did they win?
what (major event) happened in 1997?
what majority was won?
> 1979:tories (maggie thatcher) ousted the incumbent lab. govt (james
callahan) w a parliamentary majority of 44 seats
>1997: hoverning Con party (john major) defeated in landslide by
labour (tony blair)-179 seat majority
AGAINST: elections enhance democ (they hinder it)
forming govts
may not always be successful in forming (one party) govts.
-FPTP is less sucessful at enabling single ‘winning’ party to emerge
>may 2010=hung par. (no party able to command majority in HoC)
conseravtives (d.cameron PM) formed coalition w libdems (nick clegg
deputy PM)
>govts formed through deals negotiated among 2+ parties after the
election. may take days (2010=5days of mounting uncertainty and
speculation) or potentially weeks=periods of instability
-although FPTP can remove unwanted govts (1979/97) can sometimes remove ‘wanted’ govts
>1970 more people voted for Heaths Con party but FPTP provided
labour w more seats
>samein 1951
(examples against elections enhancing democ)
-give a recent time when FPTP has meant that a govt. was not formed?
what could this lead to?
> may 2010=hung par. (no party able to command majority in HoC)
conseravtives (d.cameron PM) formed coalition w libdems (nick clegg
deputy PM)
>govts formed through deals negotiated among 2+ parties after the
election. may take days (2010=5days of mounting uncertainty and
speculation) or potentially weeks=periods of instability
in terms of representation how doelections enhance democ?
FOR:
-what vital channel do elections provide?
what does the link between reps and constituents ensure?
politicians are made publically______ and ultimately _____ by elections
>this makes elections a tool of?
how much choice does the avg constituency have?
-elections=vital chanell for communication between govt and the ppl by linking elected polititians and their constituents
>this helps ensure constituents views are properly articulated and
addressed
>make politicians publically accountable + ultimatley removable
>elections can be a tool to express dissatisfaction w govt. (dismissal of
the conservative govt 1979)
>offer electorate choice between many different parties (most costituencies have at least 4 candidates)
in terms of representation how doelections enhance democ?
AGAINST:
what have doubts been raised about?
example of stats surrounding % voters in constituencys?
role of choice in representation by elections?
how can elections lead to a lack of trust in reps? 2010 example?
doubts also raised surrounding effectivness of elections ensuring representation
>general elections under huger critisism bc of FPTP
>govts often elected on less than 50% of the vote (2019 229/650 (35%) MPs elected w support of less than 50% of their constituents)
>limit choice>constituents have little to no say over which candidates stand
in their constituency
> citizens who live in safe seats (incumbent has considerable majority
over nearest rival>mostly immune to sways) have a practically
worthless vote
-in representative democ. elections can lead to lack of trust in representative process as there is no guarantee elected candidate \\9or even party) will abide by their mandate
>(lib dems 2010 gen election campaign consited of promises to abolish
tuition fees however they subsequently became part of a coalition
govt who raised them)
(against: elections enhance democ)
in 2019 what proportion of MPs were voted for by less than 50% of their constituencys?
example for how lections lead to lack of trust in representative process as there is no guarantee elected candidate (or even party) will abide by their mandate?
-govts often elected on less than 50% of the vote (2019 229/650 (35%) MPs elected w support of less than 50% of their constituents)
lib dems 2010 gen election campaign consited of promises to abolish
tuition fees however they subsequently became part of a coalition
govt who raised them
