A*/A Uk Politics examplar essays for alevel politics students
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Uk Politics
Institution
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Evaluate the view that the current conservative party is divided internally
The two factions of the Current Conservative party; the New right and One nation
Conservatives vastly disagree with each other. Therefore this essay will argue that the
Current Conservative party is divided internally over Law and Order, the Economy and
Welfare.
The Strongest and most convincing argument that highlights how the current Conservative
party is divided internally is law and order. Certain members of the Conservative party,
particularly those from the far right want a tough approach to those who break the law. Many
Conservative members want Britain to leave the ECHR in order for harder anti-asylum laws
to be introduced. However, there are those in the Conservative party who want a less harsh
approach to criminality. For example, Rory Stewart who was a leadership candidate in 2019
believed in addressing the causes of crimes rather than addressing punishment. Also, when
David Cameron was prime minister he had his ‘hug a hoodie’ scheme which encouraged
softer attitudes towards criminals.There is an opposing viewpoint that the current
Conservative party is united on the issue of law and order. They may state that the
Conservative party largely presents themselves as the party of law and order when it comes
to election campaigns and that they are currently anti-immigration which is seen through the
Rwanda bill. However, this argument is limited as some Conservatives are against a harsh
come-down against crime and value compassion while other Conservatives want a less
humane approach when dealing with problems such as illegal immigration. Thus,it is clear
that the current Conservative party is divided, particularly on the issue of law and order.
An additional argument that underlines how the current Conservative party is divided
internally is welfare. One nation conservatives believe in ‘noblesse oblige’ and are
paternalistic, they see welfare as a moral obligation. This is seen during the Pandemic as the
party wrote off any debts hospitals had so they had a better chance of fighting Covid. On the
other hand, current prime minister Rishi Sunak pledged to reduce Nhs waiting times which is
a one nation conservative value but instead has focused his efforts and the country’s money
onto the Rwanda bill and cutting down inflation and taxes. Rishi Sunak also previously
pledged ‘I am a thatcherite and will govern as a thatcherite .On the other hand, it may be
argued that the Conservative party is united on their approach to welfare as the party
generally wants to reduce dependency on the state. A significant example of this was when
the party reduced universal credit by £20 per week in October 2021. They may say that the
goal of wanting to encourage self reliance keeps the party together no matter what the
political climate. However this argument is flawed as the Conservatives stance on welfare
depends on their political leader.This is evident when analysing Johnson’s premiership and
Sunak’s premiership as there was more effort put into welfare when Boris Johnson was
prime minister. Therefore, it is evident that the Conservative party are divided over the issue
of welfare as there is no general consensus between Conservatives on how they should
approach the issue of welfare.
A final argument that demonstrates how the current conservative party is divided internally is
the economy. The economy has been a recent source of contention for the current
Conservative party as there are new right members of the party who push for tax cuts. Liz
Truss, former prime minister, was a member of the new right and her cuts in 2022 caused
division and led to instability within the party. This is because another faction of the party, the
,One Nation Conservatives favoured a mixed economy with a bit more state intervention.
This highlights how the Conservative party is divided over the issue of the economy as there
are those in the party who have different ideas on how to manage the economy. However, it
could be argued that the current Conservative party is united on the economy because the
party is generally in favour of low taxation. The 2019 manifesto promised not to raise
national insurance contributions, VAT and income tax. However, this argument is limited as
members of the Conservative party still can not agree on the level of state intervention in the
economy. Thus, it is clear that the current conservative party is divided on the economy.
In conclusion, it is evident that the current conservative party is divided internally. This is
most clear when examining law and order as there are two clear differing opinions within the
party on how law and order should be managed. Through examining the economy and
welfare it is also clear that there is lack of unity within the party on those issues. Therefore, it
is clear that the current conservative party is divided internally.
Evaluate the view that the success of a party usually comes down to its leadership
There are numerous factors that can affect how well a political party does in an election.
There are those who argue that the success of a party usually comes down to its leadership,
however there is a stronger argument that the success of a party is down to the media.
Therefore this essay will argue that the media is the strongest factor in influencing the
success of a party.
It could be argued that the success of a party usually comes down to its leadership. This
may be argued as leaders can have a significant influence on a party's success. Usually
parties that enjoy electoral success have a charismatic leader that is popular with the
electorate and within the party. For example UKIP, Nigel Farage was the face of UKIP and
the party has not seen the same amount of success since he stepped down. Another
example is the 1979 election as Tony Blair was seen as charismatic and youthful which
appealed to voters.Some may say this underlines how important party leadership is to a
party’s success. However, this argument is flawed as both Farage and Blair were presented
well in the media which contributed to their parties success. For example, Tony Blair had his
‘spin doctors’ Alistair Campbell and Peter Mendelson which helped him ameliorate how he
was portrayed in the media. Therefore, it is clear that the success of a political party usually
comes down to the media.
However, the media has a more significant influence on the success of the party. This is
because it is almost impossible for a political party to fare well in an election if the media is
against them. A significant example of this was the 2019 election. Corbyn was portrayed
negatively in the media compared to Boris Johson and this had a negative effect on the
Labour party’s electoral success. After the election, the Labour accused the press of having
‘an anti-corbyn agenda’ and said that this hindered them in the elections. This highlights just
how powerful the media is in swinging elections. Also, the media can help political parties to
win elections regardless of their leader. This was seen in the 1992 election. John Major was
seen as a bland figure, and it was almost certain Labour would win, that was until the Sun
switched their support from Labour to the Tories last minute. The Conservative party then
went on to win the 1992 election, this highlights the effect of the media in determining a
, political party's success. Thus, it is evident that the success of political parties usually comes
down to the Media.
There is an opposing viewpoint that the success of a political party usually comes down to
how united/or divided a party is. There is some strength to this argument as voters in the Uk
tend to vote for united parties. A notable example of this is when the Conservative party lost
the 1997 election, partially due to their clear divisions over Europe membership.Some may
say this shows how it is of utmost importance for a party to appear united to the electorate in
order to be successful. However this argument is flawed as it is actually the media that has
the most control as the media chooses how to portray the different parties. In recent times,
voters are being informed about politics through the media, particularly social media.
Therefore, it is critical that the media portrays a political party as united in order for them to
gain success. Thus, it is clear that the success of a political party usually comes down to the
media.
In conclusion, it is clear that the success of a political party usually comes down to the
Media’s support. This is most clear when examining the 1992 election as the media
influenced the result of the election more than party leadership. While there are others that
argue that the success of the party is down to leadership or how united and divided a party
is, this argument is limited as the media is more of a significant factor.Therefore, it is evident
that the success of a political party usually comes down to the Media.
Evaluate the view that neither individual rights nor collective rights in the UK are
adequately protected and guaranteed.
Since the introduction of the Human Rights act in 1998, some people have argued that the
Uk has a ‘rights based culture’. However neither individual nor collective rights in the UK are
adequately protected and guaranteed. This will be demonstrated through the factors of the
Supreme Court, pressure groups and the government.
The strongest and most convincing factor that shows neither individual or collective rights in
the UK are adequately protected is the Supreme Court. The Supreme court was established
as part of the Constitutional reform act of 2005. The supreme court does not adequately
protect or guarantee individual or collective rights in the UK as the power of the Supreme
Court is too limited and is not able to strike down legislation. It is theoretically possible that
Parliament could ignore the Supreme Court’s declaration of incompatibility. Additionally , the
entrenchment of the UK constitution means that the Supreme court could be abolished with
a single act of Parliament. However, it can be incorrectly argued that the Supreme court has
adequately protected and guaranteed individual and collective rights. They may reference
the Supreme Court’s recent decision to declare the government’s Rwanda policy
unconstitutional, protecting the collective rights of refugees and pushing Parliament to
reconsider the plan. This argument is limited as while the Supreme Court can attempt to hold
the government to account it does not guarantee any type of rights as Parliament doesn’t
have to abide by the court’s rulings.
Another factor that highlights the fact that neither individual or collective rights are
adequately protected and guaranteed in the UK is Pressure Groups. Pressure groups are
groups that can be divided into two groups.Those that campaign for the advancement of a
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