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Summary Paper 1 A-level Politics
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Paper 1 A-Level edexcel politics notes
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Politics 1 Quick NotesDemocracy and Participation
‘People power’. Legitimacy – rightful use of power.
Direct democracy – take responsibility for own decision, equal weight to votes, popular participation,
community and debate. Impractical, open to manipulation, minority disregarded.
Representative democracy – practical, PG form, minority not overridden, election hold representatives to
account, politicians better informed. Reduced engagement, underrepresentation, corruption.
Britain democratic – opposition, referendums, parties, rights and liberties, free and fair election, limitation on
power, devolution, judiciary.
Britain undemocratic – low turnout, extreme PG, lack of bill of rights, FPTP, HoL, media controlled by wealthy.
Reform – 16-year-olds, compulsory voting.
1832 Great Reform Act. 1918 Representation of the People Act – let women vote over 30, requirements. 1928
Act extended suffrage to all women. 1969 Representation of the People – suffrage to people under 21.
Turnout 84% 1951 but 67% 2019. Disillusionment. Party differences narrowed. PG more significant. Content.
PG – sectional, cause, insider, outsider. Joanna Lumley Ghurkha Justice. Lobbying, access points.
Amnesty International (cause) – outsider, income $279m, 150 different countries.
BMA (sectional) – insider, strikes, media attention, 160,000 members. Important role as COVID-19 informant.
Public opinion highlighted, expertise, political participation, pluralist democracy, monitor govt, hold to
account. Extremist damage cause (Just Stop Oil halted M25), represent minority, success based on money, no
legal restrictions. Pluralist – PG beneficial, disperse power through society. Corporatists – PG for benefit of
manufacturing groups. New Right – not representative of larger society. Marxist – control exercised by ruling
economic group who make decisions to serve own interests.
Think tanks – Demos, Fabian Society. Expertise, more time, influence. Politically impractical ideas ignored.
Lobbyists – British American Tobacco. MPs subject to bribery. Employs 4000 spends £2b yearly.
Corporations – Apple, Google. Benefits companies and economy. Concerns for democracy. Benefits big
businesses. Business leaders have become MPs.
Rights – Bill of Rights 1689.ECHR 1953. European Court of Justice 1973. Data Protection Act 1984. HRA 1988.
Freedom of Info Act. Equality Act 2010. Demand for British Bill of Rights since Brexit.
Tension between individual rights and need to protect community.
2004 judges declared foreign terrorist suspects being held was discriminatory according to ECHR.
2010 SC homosexuality grounds for seeking asylum in the UK, if they were from a persecuted country.
Abu Qatada – deportation prevented as evidence obtained using torture. Violates HRA.
Hotel – SC appeal 2014. Refused to allow unmarried couple to stay. Owners lose appeal.
Cake – SC appeal in 2018. Catholic bakery refused to make cake. Bakery won.
Political parties
Opinion, knowledge, link individuals and system, source of opposition.
2017 Con promised balanced budget and orderly Brexit. Lab promised, tax increase, abolition tuition fees.
UKIP won most seats in 2014 EU parliament election. Helped debate EU on national level. Con lost 2MPs to
UKIP 2015. After Brexit lost council seats and have no MPs. Spoiler party – pressure for EU referendum.
SNP campaigned for Scottish parliament and independence referendum in 2014.
UK has a two-party system. Rare that a party fails to win outright. Most people vote for major parties. FPTP
winner takes all. Move towards centre-ground (catch-all parties. Compassionate Con, New Labour). Weakness
of 3rd parties. 1951 Con and Lab 98.6% vote. Stable govt, simplifies choice, govt accountable, clear mandate,
moderation encouraged. Restricts (voter apathy), adversary politics, growing dissatisfaction of main parties.
, Growth of 3rd parties. Decline in support for 2 main parties. Lab won 35% of vote 2005. 2010 Lab + Con 65%.
Funding – state funding, subscriptions, donations, contributions. Labour Party membership increased under
Corbyn growing by nearly 200,000. Membership fees to over £16m. Rise in income from TU under Corbyn -
£4.5m 2017. Step away from TU in more central Lab.
Conservative membership income decreased to under £1m in 2017. Cash for Qs – Bernie Ecclestone affair.
Cash for Honours – connection of political donations and awarding of life peerages.
Political parties’ election and referendums act 2000 limits spending to £30,000 per constituency in election.
Political parties and election act 2009 enable electoral commission to investigate parties who broke PPERA.
State funding – ensure democracy, reduces dependence on backers, Conservatives over benefit from more
affluent member contributions, limited resources and overstretched (elections more often), help minority
parties, opposition poorly funded, inconsistent public funding already. Institutional backing part of fair and
free society, politics voluntary, public money spent better, state funding leads to corruption, public money
could go to extremist groups, lack of funds suggests lack of popularity.
Labour – socialist organisations, formed to represent WC. Constitution written 1918. Clause 4. Decline in LW
ideas with fall of communism and rise of Thatcherism. Neil Kinnock attempted to modernise the party. Blair
reinvented the party into New Labour. Miliband won through TU support. Corbyn, Starmer.
Conservative – opposed to radical reform, supported tradition, belief in firm govt and law & order. One Nation
Conservatism, Economic Liberalism, Thatcherism, Thatcherite legacy. Cameron Compassionate Conservatism.
Repositioning ‘heir to Blair’. May focused on Brexit deal split party and cabinet. Snap election 2017 led to
confidence and supply deal with DUP.
Lib-Dem – 1988 merger of Liberal and SDP. Labour adopted liberal reforms. New Right adopted liberal
principles on economy. Pro-European. Adopted middle way politics. 2010 coalition govt.
Do parties matter? Single issue politics more relevant (Brexit), traditional parties tainted by sleaze,
globalisation, media undermined confidence - satire, alternative methods of influence. Representatives,
ensures competition, educate electorate, participation, hold govt to account. Form govt and opposition.
Voting behaviour
Class, age, gender, ethnicity, education, media, party policies, employment, party loyalty, economy, party
leaders, opinion polls, issues, geography, family, friends, prospects, campaigns, events.
Psephology – the study of voting trends in short and long term.
Class – up to 1970 influenced by social class. WC voted Labour – linked to TU and look after manual worker
interests. In final 1/3rd of 20th century class lost importance as class dealignment occurred. Families and
communities have less attachment to political parties – partisan dealignment.
- 1970s Con won Lab seats after Rivers of Blood speech. WC threatened by immigration.
- Thatcher launched campaign in Labour voting areas with focus of controlling inflation and TU. Blair
successful in broadening Labour appeal through New Labour.
- Highest classes still more likely to vote Con. Members of electorate who have more at stake are more
inclined to vote than the poor, who may believe that the system delivers little for them. 2010, 76% of
two highest classes voted 57% of two lowest.
Age – as people age they are more likely to be at the top of earning so more in favour of Con policies. 2015
47% of 65+ voted Tory. Younger voters less likely to vote. 2015 – 43% 18-24 but 78% 65+.
Ethnicity – ethnic minorities more likely to vote Labour. Shifted after Labour influence in Iraq. Ethnic minorities
more likely to experience lower income and higher unemployment so vote Labour due to social class. 2015 Lab
secured 65% of ethnic minority votes.
Gender – Lab show greater support of policies impacting women. Men often earn more and attracted to Con
low tax.
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