Unit 7: Elections & Referendums Flashcards

Question

Features of rational choice theory?

Answer 1

-Voters make a rational or logical judgment based on their owns interests -Voters are fully informed about the various options and choose the best for them - assuming that the voter will analyse the options based on positives and negatives and choose the best -Thus, the winning verdict reflects what’s best for all society

Answer 2

-Voters place one issue above all others and cast their voted based on it -They judge a party or candidate based on their position on the issues -Thus, voters pick who is most aligned with their opinion on the issues - they may vote for a candidate who would damage their life based on their other opinions

Answer 3

-Voters share a common preference or opinion so no one votes against a candidate who wants to deliver on this preference -Thus, votes are made based on who is they think is better able to deliver or solve the issues - governing competency - means that if they fail to deliver, they will be punished at the polls or will be rewarded if they do deliver

Answer 4

1. Policies 2. Key issues 3. Performance in office 4. Leadership 5. Image and media 6. Tactical voting

Answer 5

-Voters consider the policies presented in the party manifestos and make a decision based on which set of policies suits them best -This is rational choice theory in action

Answer 6

-Party campaigns increasingly focus on a clear message about one issue they think will win them the election because voters increasingly cast their vote based on the issue that is most important to them

Answer 7

-Using the valence issues theory, voters tend to simplify the election into a referendum on the current government -If the economy does well, the government is rewarded with another term and vice versa

Answer 8

-The role of the leader has become increasingly important since Harold Wilson's time in office -voters often take the view that they are selecting a prime minister rather than voting for a party or an MP -leaders must convince voters that they can be trusted to deliver and are capable of running the country through a likable and engaging media presence -starmers approval rating was 29% in 2025 local elections leading to a loss of 187 councillors

Answer 9

-voters will make their choice based on their perception of the party's image - connected to issue voting

Answer 10

-Due to FPTP, voters use tactical voting to determine their choice -If their preferred candidate is unlikely to win the seat, the voter will vote for their next favoured candidate if they think they have more chance of success -This is done to try to prevent the candidate of the least favoured party from winning the seat -especially done in 1997 and 2024

Answer 11

Used to but this has decreased over time 1970 GE - combined vote of cons and lab was 91.7% 2010 GE - combined vote of cons and lab was 65% 2017 GE - combined vote of cons and lab was 82% (outlier) 2024 GE - combined vote of cons and lab was 57.4%

Answer 12

1. 1979 2. 1997 3. 2017

Answer 13

-Labour gov from 1974 faced difficulty economic circumstances due to inflation and unemployment at post war levels -Jim Callaghan replaced Wilson as the PM having had experience in the foregin office and the home office as the Secretary of State too -PMship ended with the winter of discontent where unions defied his attempt to initiate a pay policy of keeping public sector pay claims under 5% as he was unable to deal with them - a vote of no confidence was held on the SNP motion on devolution leading to a genny lec

Answer 14

-Blamed the labour govenrment for the winter of discontent -Although Labour promised tax cuts, the public thought that the cons were more likely to be able to do so -The conservative manifesto 1979 promised to keep the unions in check and control inflation -Some supported the cons as a result of thatcher being a women, attracting the vote of left wingers such as Wilsons (exPMs) wife

Answer 15

-Cons were concerned with thatcher as leader as she was more unpopular than Callaghan -The nation blamed Callaghan for the handling of the economy

Answer 16

-Thatcher refused to appear on weekend world with Callaghan and Steel -All three parties held morning press conferences with cameras -Thatcher provided photo opportunities presenting her as a normal woman e.g. drinking tea or cuddling a calf -Steel (leader of libs) was accused of manipulating photos to make it seems as though he had more support than he did -The Sun published an article ‘crisis? What crisis’ critiquing Callaghan for refusing to acknowledge that there was a crisis in british politics

Answer 17

-Thatcher won a majority of 43 seats, becoming the first female PM -Cons won 339 seats comapred to 269 as a result of the largest swing to conservatives since 1945 with 5.2% -Liberals lost 2 seats and their vote share dropped by 5.3% -Scottish and welsh nationalists lost 10 seats

Answer 18

Gender: men more likely to vote Labour compared to women (40% compared to 35%) women more likely to vote cons (46% not 42%) Age: little data on this but the young until 24 yrs voted Labour comapred to those aged 25-34 (41% to 38%) those 55+ voted 38% labour Class: working class voted Labour and less so cons for the unskilled but the skilled was equal (41%)

Answer 19

-Blair was popular and so was new labour - Blair relaunched the party and ditched policies that he saw made Labour unelectable such as nationalisation and the strong links with unions -Labour was out of power for 18yrs -Cons were more divided than Labour due to Mandelsons tight control over the election and cons had internal divisions over Europe and Cons had a minority gov -Major called the election early which meant the report by the commissioner sir Gordon Downey into the cash for questions affair wasn’t published

Answer 20

-You can only be sure with the conservatives - conservatives manifesto - promised tax breaks for married couples where one partner stayed home and established a basic tax rate of 20p and pledge the privatisation of the London Underground - tried to highlight a weakening of the union with devolution -New Labour because Britain deserves better - Labour manifesto - welfare to work proposals, punishment of young offenders, reducing NHS waiting lists, reducing class sizes and nursery places for 3 and 4 year olds and promised to not increase income tax and promised to introduce Scottish devolution and a Welsh assembly - said tories would remove the state pension

Answer 21

-Major said that one of the MPs involved in the affair (Neil Hamilton) was innocent until proven guilty - called a sleaze as a result of the cash for questions affair -Blair seen as a chicken after refusing to accept the cons format of debates

Answer 22

-The sun even though its a conservative newspaper backed new labour with ‘give change a chance’ -The Sun humiliated the cons when pictures of piers merchant weee published after his affair with a 17 year old - further MP resigned which meant that unwanted publicity was generated and damaged the image of the cons in the election -one of the most aggressive campaigns

Answer 23

-Labour won with a 10% swing and 419 seats (majority of 170) -Tories had no MPs outside of England - many cabinet members also lost seats e.g. Roger freeman and Neil Hamilton ultimately lost his seat too - this was mainly due to tactical voting -Cons only had 165 MPs (lowest since 1906) -Lib Dems increased to 46 seats -SNP increased to six seats and Plaid Cymru still had four -120 female MPs with the first Muslim

Answer 24

Gender: men more likely to vote Labour compared to women (45% compared to 44%) women more likely to vote cons (32% not 31%) Age: the young until 24 yrs voted Labour comapred to those aged 35-44 (49% to 48%) those 55+ voted 41% labour - most number of cons voters was 55+ and least was 18-24 with 27%, highest lab voters was 18-34 with 49% and lowest was 55-64 with 39% Class: significant changes, only 21% of DE voted cons and 59% voted Labour but C1 was equal (37%), AB 41% cons 31% lab

Answer 25

-Cabinet frightened of her in private and public, didn’t want to speak out against her - she was ahead in opinion polls -Media respected and appreciated May -She was never elected as a PM and many gave her confidence through the media as well as pressure from leaving eu minister (David Davis) wanted elected to get own mandate -She had a tiny majority -Corbyn was seen as a weak candidate -Mays budget with Phillip Hammond could never be implemented with a tax rise that was ruled out in the manifesto of Cameron of which they were elected upon - agaisnt their mandate

Answer 26

-Linton Crosby (election strategist) wanted the campaign to be about May as she was the asset, she needed to play it safe as Corbyn was doomed - even though May did not enjoy projecting herself and was less confident so refused to talk about herself, instead she prided herself on the manifesto -Most radical Tory manifesto since 1979 - against Thatcherism even though this was not explained why - it also somewhat targeted the elderly -Labour manifesto pledged to abolish tuition fees, pledge to intervene in housing and nationalisation - led to narrowing of polls and Labour began to dominate the polls

Answer 27

-Corbyn and Labour were seen as doomed but turned out to be a great campaigner and authentic - he was seen as an ordinary person -May wanted to be seen as a strong, reliable figure even though she was generally shy, awkward and less confident

Answer 28

-Most newspapers were pro May and anti Corbyn - only the daily mirror somewhat backed Labour, the guardian suggested anti Tory and anti Brexit tactical voting through voting for Lib Dem’s or greens -Daily mail included 13 pages of personal attacks on Corbyn in one edition - main criticism was that he was seen as a terrorist sympatheiser after Manchester bombing but this actually increased his support in contrast to previous elections where criticised Labour leaders lost popularity - highlighted inconsistencies with Corbyn’s personal oppotioj to nuclear weapons but party support in manifesto -Some criticism on the BBC for being biased -Social media helped Labour

Answer 29

-coms lost majority - largest party in hung parl- got a similar number of votes as thatcher did in 1979 but fewer seats -There are 262 seats for Labour - up 30 seats -35 seats for the SNP, a loss of 21 seats & Lib Dems are up four to 12 seats -Plaid Cymru on four seats, the Greens on one, and none for UKIP -The SDLP and the UUP lost all - DUP and Sinn Féin replaced -Voter turnout is up by 2% to 69% - the highest since 1997 -The vote share is Conservative 42%, Labour 40%, Lib Dems 7%, UKIP 2% and the Greens 2%.

Answer 30

Gender: women more likely to vote Labour compared to men (42% compared to 40%) men more likely to vote cons (44% not 43%) Age: the young until 24 yrs voted Labour comapred to those aged 35+ (62% to 49-25%) those 65+ voted 25% labour - most number of cons voters was 65+ and least was 18-34 with 27%, highest lab voters was 18-24 with 62% and lowest was 65+ with 25% Class: significant changes, 38% of DE voted cons and 47% voted Labour, AB 47% cons 37% lab - each social class voted more cons except from DE

Answer 31

-Traditional Media 1. voters rely on newspapers to form political opinions - they have a clear political bias (e.g. The Sun typically supports the Conservatives, The Guardian leans towards Labour) but this usually makes people sceptical - e.g. The Sun’s 1992 headline “It’s The Sun Wot Won It” after John Major’s Conservative victory highlights perceived media influence. 2. TV remains politically neutral (regulated by Ofcom) with many debates and interviews can significantly impact public perception e.g. 2010 debates increased Nick Clegg’s visibility, boosting the Liberal Democrat vote share -Social Media e.g. Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube have allowed parties to reach younger and wider audience e.g. Labour’s 2017 online campaign under Jeremy Corbyn attracted a large youth following and outperformed expectations - allows for populism e.g. Johnsons peoples PMQs on facebook -Agenda-Setting and Framing - Media can influence what issues voters consider most important (agenda-setting) - The way issues or politicians are presented (framing) can sway opinion

Answer 32

An example of direct democracy where the public has a direct say in the policy a government will enact on a single issue - different to elections as you dont elect representatives - they mark a shift towards popular sovereignty

Answer 33

Elections -They are a feature of representative democracy - citizens choose representatives to make decisions on their behalf -They determine who holds political office and, in the case of a general election, who forms the government -Citizens vote for candidates who stand in geographical constituencies. -An election campaign covers many issues of public policy -They are required by law and must take place at a specified time Referendums -They are an example of direct cemocracy - citizens make the decisions themselves -A referendum is a one-off vote on a specific issue of public policy -The choice offered to voters is normally a simple 'yes' or 'no' in response to a proposal. -The decision to hold a referendum in the UK is taken by the government

Answer 34

1. 1998 Good Friday Agreement 2. 2014 Scottish Independence 3. 2016 Brexit

Answer 35

First one was in 1975 and in 1997, they were popularised It took so long as a result of parliamentary sovereignty not popular sovereignty and because there was no codified constitution, there were no ways to run a referendum

Answer 36

-due to the Troubles where there was a split between unionists and nationalists who became increasingly prominent after the 1960s with the IRA and the Ulster Volunteer Force who were both armed groups that carried out bombings and shootings -It lasted 30 years and 3500 died -It meant that there was an agreement made between unionists, nationalists and the UK gov to prevent this from continuing and the Irish had to agree to it

Answer 37

-The result: 71% in favour with the RoI having a greater majority in favour than NI -The impact of the referendum was that armed groups disposed of their weapons and people who were involved in violence were released from prison and the use of the british military was scaled back - it enabled peace in NI

Answer 38

-the referendum happened because the Scottish gov run by the SNP who want independence and other pro independence campaigners said that there was a democratic deficit in Scotland as the UK was unitary with no codified constitution -The unelected House of Lords was an affront to democracy

Answer 39

-The result: 55% against with a turnout of 85% -The impact of the referendum was that Scotland stayed as part of the UK and further powers were given to scotland in the 2016 act as the main parties promised further powers if they remained (called the vow). Smith Commission was set up to investigate further devolution which gave powers over income tax and VAT etc.

Answer 40

-Internal Conservative Party Divisions -Rise of UKIP and Euroscepticism -UKIP’s growing support (especially after 2014 European elections and got over 3 million votes in 2015 election) reflected wider public discontent with the EU -Cameron’s 2015 Election Pledge and his belief that remain would win -pressure for Democratic Legitimacy

Answer 41

-The result: 52% in favour with a turnout of 72% of the UK -The impact was the the UK left the EU and ECJ

Answer 42

-Constitutional significance: Issues that change the structure of the UK or its powers e.g. devolution, independence and membership in international bodies -Political legitimacy: Politicians sometimes call referendums to: Gain public backing for controversial policies or resolve internal divisions within a party or Parliament -Public pressure: If an issue is highly contested or widely debated, leaders might call a referendum to appear democratic or responsive

Answer 43

-Enhance direct democracy -Increase political participation -Provide clear legitimacy for major decisions -Government decisions backed by a public mandate are harder to challenge -Seen as more democratic than party-driven policies -Can resolve internal party or national disputes -Promotes debate and public awareness of key issues, e.g. sovereignty in the EU vote

Answer 44

-Undermine representative democracy -Risks populism over deliberation -Voters may lack necessary understanding -Complex issues reduced to a simple Yes/No question -Can produce divisive outcomes -Tyranny of the majority -Campaigns may be misleading or emotional

Answer 45

Voting behaviour - trends in how certain demographics vote Manifesto - a set of policies that a party will campaign on compiled into one published document Campaign - the actions taken before an election to increase how likely a certain candidate can win an election

Answer 46

Referendums - an exmaple of direct democracy, where the gov asks a question to the public and they answer it in a vote Election - a key aspect of a representative democracy where representatives are elected by constituents on a local and national level

Unit 7: Elections & Referendums Flashcards

(70 cards)