Democracy

Question 1

What is democracy

Answer 1

Democracy is a system of government in which people choose their rulers by voting for them in elections.

Question 2

How are governments elected

Answer 2

Through a system of voting

Question 3

What is freedom of speech

Answer 3

People are allowed to voice their opinion, including criticising the government

Question 4

What are examples of freedom of speech

Answer 4

protest in public spaces, join protest marches or go on social media to voice their opinion. Newspapers are free to support different political parties or causes.

Question 5

What is the difference between rights and responsibilities

Answer 5

A right is a freedom that is protected, such as the right to free speech and religion. A responsibility is a duty or something you should do, such as serving on a jury.

Question 6

Is voting a right or a responsibility

Answer 6

Both

Question 7

What is meant by devolved powers

Answer 7

It allows Scotland to be under control of certain powers

Question 8

What are 6 devolved powers

Answer 8

Health, education, law and order, Aspects of transport, Housing, Tourism

Question 9

What are reserved powers

Answer 9

Powers that the uk government must decide on as a whole not just Scotland

Question 10

What are the reserved powers

Answer 10

Defence, foreign policy, economic policy, social security and immigration

Question 11

What is an example of the uk using its reserved powers

Answer 11

In 2015, the UK Parliament passed the 2015 Counter Terrorism and Security Act which prevents individuals travelling abroad to engage in terrorist activities.

Question 12

What is the role of the first minister

Answer 12

The first minister leads and appoints the cabinet which is in charge of making decisions

Question 13

What are the responsibilities of the first minister

Answer 13

Deciding the priorities of the Scottish Government, Choosing Depute First Minister, cabinet secretaries and other ministers, Representing Scotland at home and abroad

Question 14

What is an example of a priority set by the first minister

Answer 14

One of Nicola sturgeon’s priorities when she was in charge was to lead the country out of the pandemic

Question 15

What is one example of the first minister choosing his cabinet

Answer 15

John skinny chose his deputy first minister and cabinet secretary for economy and Gaelic to be Kate Forbes

Question 16

What is one example of the first minister representing Scotland abroad

Answer 16

Humza yousaf met with rishi sunak in 2023 for a discussion about Sudan

Question 17

What are the roles of MSP’s

Answer 17

Role of MSPs
The Scottish Parliament is a collection of representatives (Members of the Scottish Parliament), who are elected are elected by the Scottish people to represent them and make decisions on matters devolved to the Scottish Parliament such as health and education.

Question 18

How are MSP’s elected

Answer 18

Every four or five years Scotland is divided into 73 constituencies each one elects on MSP by there are also an additional 56 regional MSP’s making 129 in total

Question 19

What work do MSP’s do in parliament

Answer 19

Debating issues raised in the Parliament, Challenging and questioning the actions of the government, Voting on decisions and new laws, Trying to deal with problems experienced by the people they represent, Sitting on Committees to consider proposed new laws (Bills) and scrutinising the work of government departments, Asking questions at First Minister’s Question time

Question 20

What type of work do MSP’s do outside of parliament

Answer 20

MSPs attend local meetings and events where they meet and discuss important issues with groups of constituents, MSPs respond to letters, emails and social media communications sent to their office by local people and organisations who want their support.

Question 21

What is the role of Comitees inside the Scottish parliament

Answer 21

Their main role is to, propose, discuss, and scrutinise legislation, review the work of the Scottish government and investigate issue or make recommendations.

Question 22

What are examples of representation inside parliament

Answer 22

In 2016 teh Scottish parliamentary election returned 129 MSP’s from which: 58 were women(45%), q0 openly identified as LGBT(7%) and 6 were form BAME communities(4.6%)

Question 23

What are five rights that a Scottish citizen should be able to enjoy

Answer 23

The right to life, the right to freedom of thought belief and religion, the right to freedom of expression, the right to protection from discrimination and the right to a fair trial.

Question 24

What are the responsibilities of a Scottish citizen

Answer 24

Not to harm or endanger other people, To respect other people’s thoughts, beliefs and religions, To act within the laws of the country, Not to discriminate against others.

Question 25

What are 5 ways that a Scottish citizen could participate in democracy

Answer 25

Joining a political party, Attending political meetings and events,Helping a candidate during the campaign, Canvassing in the local area to gain more support for a candidate, Contributing financially to an election campaign

Question 26

What is a political party

Answer 26

An organised group of people who share the sam political ideology, or political views

Question 27

What are the main parties in Scotland

Answer 27

Scottish Conservatives, Scottish Green, Scottish Labour, Scottish Liberal Democrats, Scottish National Party

Question 28

What is a manifesto

Answer 28

A publication issued by a political party before a general election

Question 29

What do canvassing

Answer 29

Canvassing gives parties the opportunity to go door to door to speak with the public in an attempt to increase voter awareness of the party.

Question 30

What are 5 typical campaigning activities that political parties and their supporter engage in

Answer 30

Party supporters volunteer to distribute Eaglets to people’s homes, Candidates attend public meetings (hustings) within a constituency where local people question the candidates and hear the various arguments made by each, Candidates and volunteers from their party go door to door or position themselves in shopping centres to speak to voters directly about what they hope to do if elected, senior party figures take part in televised debates, where they each present their policies and debate political issues, Senior party figures may also use a ‘battle bus’ to travel around the country to publicise their party’s policies and lend support to local candidates

Question 31

What are 5 reason for the decline in voting

Answer 31

People have the right not to vote, some people do not vote as the don’t identify with any of the main political parties, Some people don’t vote if they believed that their candidate has little or no chance of winning, some people don’t vote as they have lost confidence or trust in politicians, some people believe there are better ways to make their voices heard

Question 33

How does first past the post wokr

Answer 33

Under First Past the Post voting, the voter puts a cross on the voting slip next to the name of the candidate they wish to represent them in parliament.

Question 34

How does the additional member system work

Answer 34

Voter get and additional vote on top of their constituency vote for a regional vote under which they don’t vote for an m so they vote for a political party and the political party of that region get to chose a msp to represent that extra seat

Question 35

What are the advantage sir AMS

Answer 35

Voters have more choice, AMS is fairer to all parties since it is more proportion to the view of voters, more representation, it keeps some element of FPTP, all votes count

Question 36

What are the disadvantages of AMS

Answer 36

More complicated, more difficult for parties to form a majority making coalitions more likely, it’s not the most proportional of systems, it’s unfair as the political party gets to chose the msp for the region not the voter

Question 37

What role does television play in Scottish politics

Answer 37

BBC and ITV is watched by millions of older viewers as source for their news on the election and debates are also streamed live

Question 38

What role does radio play in Scottish politics

Answer 38

It gives the same platform to politicians as Telivision just listening instead of watching

Question 39

What role do newspapers play in Scottish politics

Answer 39

Most newspapers support certain parties making other parties look worse or making their own party look better for example the national supports the SNP. They can also choose to withhold certain information to make their party look better

Question 40

What role does social media play in Scottish politics

Answer 40

Many parties have built up large audiences on social media platforms which are being seen more and more of a way to reach younger voters or even older voters if they’re using Facebook or twitter. Recently newspapers sales have fallen off and less people have been watching to as more people are getting information from social media.

Question 41

How can political parties use m did to gain support during an election campaign

Answer 41

Engage with younger voters via social media platforms, Deploy ‘attack’ advertising to discredit opposition, Create publicity for the campaign message via soundbites, Transmit party election broadcasts promote manifesto pledges to voters, Promote newspaper allegiance for campaigns at expense of other parties.

Question 42

What is a pressure group

Answer 42

an organised group that does not put up candidates for election but seeks to influence government policy or legislation.

Question 43

Give 5 examples of pressure groups

Answer 43

Scottish Campaign for Nuclear, Disarmament, Child Poverty Action Group, Animal Rights, Greenpeace, Extinction Rebellion