Essay plans and smaller question plans for PAPER 1 UK Politics
I am predicted an A* in A-level Politics and have consistently been getting As and A*s using these plans
Evaluate the view that minor parties have had an increasingly significant impact on
British politics in recent years
P1:two-party system
-in the 1950s-60s there were no significant minor parties in the UK, Labour +
Conservatives had a combined 90% of the vote
-in 2015 SNP won 56 seats in Westminster - increased representation for Scottish
people, thus more impact
-but the main parties have continued to dominate with only Labour and
Conservatives likely to form govt
-FPTP disadvantages minor parties and arguably pushes a two-party system
-the Green Party have only had 1 seat since 2010
-despite this the vote for the 2 main parties has been in decline - 1951=97% -
2010=65%
P2: devolution (Scotland)
-the use Additional Members System (AMS)
-the proportional system allowed SNP to gain seats and become the opposition to
Labour
-SNP won nearly all Scottish seats in 2015
-proportional systems help minor parties find their footing
P3: devolution (London and Wales)
-AMS in Wales has allowed Plaid Cymru to gain influence - they are the main
opposition to Wales in the Welsh Parliament
-the London Assembly has seen the Green Party win 2 or 3 seats
-minor parties are gaining impact in devolved elections
P4:2010 coalition
-2010 = Conservatives had to form a coalition with Lib Dems as they didn't have
enough votes to form govt
-this led to Lib Dems having an increased impact on politics as they had a voice in
the cabinet
-this led the Lib Dems to go against some of their promises in the name of
compromise with Conservatives, which raises questions whether they had gained
more impact or they were just a means to an end
-e.g. in their manifesto they pledged to not raise uni fees but the coalition did - this
made the Lib Dems lose support and lose the 2015 election
-2017 and 2019 saw a return to two-party dominance
P5:single issue parties
-minor parties can be influential due to the clarity of their position on single issues
-voters may support such parties ad they consider the core ideas of the party of vital
importance
-they can also shape public opinion
-UKIP focused on anti-EU policies and a pro-Brexit campaign, their growth in support
arguably made them a catalyst for the Brexit referendum in 2016 and the victory of
the "leave" vote
-minor party ideology has impacted the main parties who are conscious of electoral
success
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