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Summary POLITICS A LEVEL PAPER 1 ESSAY PLANS (PEARSON EDEXCEL)
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All possible essay plans for politics paper 1 (Pearson edexcel) Excludes political ideas Written by 2 A* students (June 2024)
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CONTENTSEvaluate the view that participation in different forms of direct democracy has had a
positive impact on UK democracy.......................................................................................2
Evaluate the view that organised organisations and groups enhance democracy in the UK4
Evaluate the view that the UK is a nation with effective universal suffrage........................5
Evaluate the view that franchise reform is the most pressing democratic reform required in
the UK................................................................................................................................7
Evaluate the view that more direct democracy would enhance rather than hinder
representative democracy in the UK.................................................................................10
Evaluate the view that the UK has a democratic deficit....................................................11
Evaluate the view that the franchise in the UK should be extended further.......................13
Evaluate the view that the UK is suffering from a participation crisis................................15
Evaluate the view that lobbyists, pressure groups, and think-tanks are most effective when
they use the same tactics.................................................................................................17
Evaluate the view that the tactic pressure groups deploy is the reason for their success...19
Evaluate the view that think-tanks, lobbyists and pressure groups have little impact on
government decisions......................................................................................................20
Evaluate the view that rights have been effectively protected since 1997.........................22
Evaluate the view that neither individual nor collective rights are protected....................24
Evaluate the view that the actions of pressure groups have been more significant than
government legislation in defending and promoting rights in the UK...............................24
Evaluate the view that the Conservative party is more internally divided than the Labour
party................................................................................................................................26
Evaluate the view that political parties do not perform their functions effectively............29
Evaluate the view that leaders are the most important factor in explaining the success of
UK political parties ..........................................................................................................31
Evaluate that minor parties have little importance in UK politics......................................33
Evaluate the extent to which the Labour Party remains true to its traditional values and
principles.........................................................................................................................36
Evaluate the extent to which the Conservative Party remains true to Thatcherism...........38
Most significant benefit of FPTP is the legitimacy it gives to a party's manifesto..............40
Evaluate the extent to which the United Kingdom has become a multiparty democracy.. .41
Proportional representation would improve elections......................................................43
Evaluate the view that political parties should be funded by the state..............................44
Evaluate the view that referendums should be increased.................................................45
1
,Evaluate the view that the electoral systems used in the UK have created a multiparty
system..............................................................................................................................47
Referendums are more effective than electoral reforms for increasing participation in the
UK....................................................................................................................................48
Evaluate the view that FPTP should be replaced...............................................................49
Evaluate the view that FPTP is the most effective electoral system...................................52
Evaluate the view that the Conservative Party is internally divided..................................53
The influence of the media is the most important factor that determines the success or
failure of a political party.’ How far do you agree with this view of what determines the
success or failure of a political party?...............................................................................55
Evaluate the view that the impact of the media on UK politics is positive.........................57
Evaluate the view that elections have become increasingly unpredictable and uncertain.
You must consider this view and the alternative to this view in a balanced way. [30 marks]
........................................................................................................................................60
Evaluate the view that the campaigns of political parties are more important in
determining the result of a general election than the competence of the government......62
Evaluate the view that social factors remain the most important factor in explaining
election outcomes............................................................................................................63
Evaluate the view that the outcomes of elections are more determined by party policies
and manifestos than the media........................................................................................65
Evaluate the view that age has now replaced class as the most important factor in
determining the result of a general election.....................................................................66
Evaluate the extent to which class is no longer the most significant social factor in
determining the result of general elections......................................................................68
Evaluate the view that opinion polls benefit UK politics....................................................70
Evaluate the view that participation in different forms of
direct democracy has had a positive impact on UK
democracy.
Counterpoint: A key component of direct democracy is referendums, and they
can be misinformative and confusing.
- Misinformation, campaigns have been misleading
2
, - Some members of the public are uneducated on the issues of the
referendum
- 42% of leave voters in the UK believed that the UK would save 350 mil per
week in the NHS
- This weakens democracy as people do not know the fundamental
understanding of what they are voting for
Point: However, referendums increase the decision making that society gets and
increases legitimacy
- Referendums serve as a vital tool in limiting the power of government by
allowing citizens to directly influence decision making on crucial issues
(decisions not solely made by elected officials)
- By allowing individuals to vote on specific policies or initiatives,
referendums empower citizens to have a direct impact on the laws and
regulations that govern their lives (ownership and accountability)
- Referendums have a high turnout for example EU referendum 72.7%
shows public interests which improves democracy
- Legitimacy increases and this enhances trust in the democratic process
Counterpoint: Unfortunately, E-petitions have not represented the people
which ultimately reduces democracy
- 350 out of 30,000 E-petitions have been spoken about in parliament which
shows a lack of representation which is the key to democracy
- Public have been ultimately rejected and ignored by parliament and this is
shown as hundreds of thousands of signatures called for a second EU
referendum
Point: However, a key aspect of E-petitions is that the public can raise issues,
and this has helped aspects of society
- Allows the public to raise issues that they believe need resolving
- Keeps public engaged with their representatives
- Marcus Rashford and school free meals- e-petition signed by 1.1 million
people and consequently the gov announced it would provide a £120m
covid summer food fund for vulnerable families
- Prevent Donald Trump from making a state visit to the UK signed by 1.6
million and so his visit was downgraded from a state visit to a ‘working
visit’
Counterpoint: Despite the Recall of MPs Act of 2015 to empower voters the
thresholds for triggering a recall are rarely met
- The circumstances are quite extreme (MP sentenced to prison, suspended
from Commons for over 10 days or convicted of making false
parliamentary allowance claims)
- The thresholds are rarely met due to the power to initiate recall is not
given to the voters but parliamentarians
Point: However, the Recall of MPs Act of 2015 ensures accountability and
legitimacy which is crucial for democracy
- The Recall of MPs Act of 2015 allows voters to trigger a by election if 10%
of them sign a petition
- Peter Bone 2023 – sexual misconduct
3
, - Allowed to dramatically increase direct democracy in the UK political
system
- Sheffield Hallam 2019 launched the petition against MP Jared O’Mara
following his suspension from the Labour Party and declared his intention
not to re-election
- Even though a by election did not occur it highlighted the public demand
for accountability and Act’s role in facilitating direct democracy
- It may have persuaded Jared
- There have been at least 6 by-elections in the past year caused by the
resignation (or recall) of sitting MPs
Evaluate the view that organised organisations and
groups enhance democracy in the UK
Represents the minority
BLM gained awareness for ethnic minorities and the discrimination
they face, led to the welsh government ensuring that it is
mandatory for welsh schools to teach the history of 'black, asian and
minority ethnic people'
Gurkha justice campaign- extended the rights to live in Britain for all
retired Gurkhas
Petition was signed by 250,000 positive media coverage
o Can cause disobedience, BLM bronze statue pull down and
thrown into the river
o Racially motivated crimes increased by 12% in the wake of
BLM
Hold the government accountable
Marcus Rashford and school free meals- epetition signed by 1.1
million people and consequently the gov announced it would
provide a £120m covid summer food fund for vulnerable families.
Liberty- challenge injustice and expose discrimination and highlights
infringement of the human rights act
o E.g. challenged the government's controversial Investigatory
Powers Act (2016) in court, arguing that it violated human
rights by allowing excessive state surveillance.
o In 2018, the European Court of Human Rights ruled in
Liberty's favour, stating that the law violated privacy rights
77% of Junior doctors voted to strike in 23
o Even though stop HS2 was supported by several MPS and a
successful e-petition. The strong parliamentary support meant
the government could ignore the calls for it to be stopped
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