Summary Notes and Essay Plans for Politics Paper 1,2,3
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Course
UK Politics
Institution
PEARSON (PEARSON)
Notes and Essay Plans for Politics Paper 1,2,3.
Concise notes and essay plans for everything you need to know for Edexcel A Level Politics.
Upto date contemporary evidence to support your knowledge on politicians and case studies.
● There are two types of democracy: Direct and Representative
● Direct Democracy: Individuals express their opinion themselves. This comes in
the form of Referendums
● Advantages of Direct Democracy: Voice of the people. Decisions made by the
people have more authority. Can educate the people about political issues
● Representative Democracy: An individual selects a person to act on their
behalf to exercise political choice. This comes in the form of First Past The Post.
● Advantages of Representative Democracy: Elected representatives may have
better judgement than many people. Elected representatives are more rational.
Protect the interests of the minorities. Representatives are better informed than
the public
● Constituencies: Geographical region. Voters vote for a representative in the
specific region. For example, Rushunara Ali is the MP for the constituency of
Bethnal Green and Bow, and she is from the Labour Party.
● Political parties: Unified by a set of core beliefs and principles at the heart of the
party. Parties have members who share the same beliefs and policies.
Conservatism is adopted by the Conservative Party whereas the Labour Party
have the ideology of socialism
● Is the UK in need of democratic reform?
1)Replace the House of Lords with an elected chamber: Removes an
unelected chamber of Parliament. However, the expertise in the Lords could
potentially be replaced by career politicians
2)Replace FPTP: Removes negative features of FPTP such as safe seats,
minority constituencies and unfair representation. However, removing FPTP
increases the likelihood of coalitions which are weak and unstable. Other
systems are more complex
3)Introduce state party funding: Allows politicians to focus on their own job
rather than fundraising. Removes the need to acquire money from powerful
groups and rich donors. However, the process of fundraising helps to keep
politicians and parties connected to voters. Also, it depends how parties will
receive the money for example through taxpayer money. Many people will object
to this
● Suffrage: the ability/right to vote in public elections
● Second Reform Act 1867: Extended the franchise to about 2 million.
● Third Reform Act 1884: Franchise extended to most working men. About 60%
of adults have the right to vote
,● Representation of the People Act 1918: Most adult men are given the right to
vote, and women over 30 given the vote. This is because they will most likely be
married so their vote will be influenced by their husband
● Representation of the People Act 1928: Extends the franchise to all adults
over 21, including women
● Pressure Groups: Membership based association whose aim is to influence
policy making without seeking power
● Functions of Pressure Groups:1) Represent and promote the interests of those
in the group who feel they are not fully represented by parties and Parliament. 2)
Protect the interests of minority groups. 3)To inform and educate the public about
key political issues
● There are two types of pressure groups: Cause groups and Sectional Groups
● Causal Groups: Seek to promote a particular clause like environmental or
human rights. Examples of cause groups are: Greenpeace, Liberty, Friends of
the Earth
● Sectional Groups: Groups who represent a particular community in society. For
example, teachers join the NEU, TfL workers join the RMT Union
● Features of Cause Groups: They are altruistic(selfless) in that they serve the
whole community. Seek widespread support. Direct action like public
demonstrations, internet campaigns
● Features of Sectional Groups: Formal membership. They are largely self
interested in that they serve the interests of their members and supporters.
● Successes and Failures of Pressure Groups:
● 1)Size of Membership: The more supporters a group has the more pressure it
delivers on decision makers. Groups that are smaller can be overlooked by
campaigns of larger groups, and may not seem very influential. These groups will
have less funding and support, so it will be harder to achieve their goals
● 2)Finance: Wealthy groups can afford campaigns, employ lobbyists and sponsor
political parties. Less funded parties cannot afford many campaigns and may not
be able to employ lobbyists
● 3)Public Mood: Strong campaigning and public support are successful in
bringing an issue to attention in Parliament. However, public mood can turn
politicians against certain groups as methods used could alienate public opinion
● Do pressure groups enhance or threaten democracy?
● Enhance:
● 1)Helps to disperse power and influence more widely
● 2)Educate the public about important political issues
● 3)Give more opportunities to participate in politics without having to sacrifice too
much time and attention
● 4)Can promote and protect the interests and rights of minorities
, ● Threaten:
● 1)Groups may concentrate power into few hands
● 2)Distort information to their own interests
● 3)Internally undemocratic and may not accurately represent the views of their
members and supporters
● 4)Finance: Different groups have different amounts of funding which can lead to
a disproportionate amount of influence
● Think Tanks: Public policy research organisations. The main role for think tanks
is that they carry out research and develop policy ideas which are then adopted
by political parties and the government. Funded by wealthy patrons or
businesses, or could be funded through public donations such as universities.
● Advantages and disadvantages:
● Advantages: Gives time for politicians to spend time in other areas if think tanks
provide evidence and details on specific topics
● Policies can be considered and developed away from public scrutiny and can be
tested before a party adopts the policy
● Disadvantages: Some think tanks produce research to a particular point of view
that is not of public interest..
● Think tanks produce research to help support the demands of the donor
● An example of a think tank like this is the Institute for Economic Affairs (IEA).
This think tank is closely linked to the Conservative Party so they will produce
research to support them, which may not be of public interest.
● Examples of Left Wing Think Tanks: Fabian Society, which raise concerns over
social justice and equality
● Right wing Think Tanks: Adam Smith Institute, which promotes free market
solutions to economic issues
● Lobbyists: Organisations or individuals who try to influence MPs or government.
Lobbyists are paid by people so they may persuade the interests of the donor,
not what is of public interest.
● Lobbyists gain access and help their clients achieve their goals. However, they
may not always be successful.
● Some lobbyists can improve legislation by offering advice and amendments to
legislation.
● On the contrary, lobbyists benefit those with money, because they are hired by
clients who are rich, and their ideas are most likely to not be in the interest of
most of the public.
● Rights in Context:
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