This document comprises of an exhaustive compilation of essay plans for Edexcel politics paper 2 (using this scored me nearly full marks at an a* grade). Including:
- Unit 1: Constitution
- Unit 2: Parliament
- Unit 3: Prime Minister and the Executive
- Unit 4: Relations Between Branches
The e...
Contents 1
Template 3
Unit One: The Constitution 4
1.2 Evaluate the view that the constitutional reforms introduced from 1997-2005 had a significant impact on the UK constitution 4
1.2 Evaluate the view that the constitutional reforms introduced since 2010 had a significant impact on the UK constitution 6
1.3 Evaluate the view that devolution to Scotland has been successful 6
1.3 Evaluate the view that devolution has been good for Wales and Scotland but not for England and Northern Ireland 8
1.4 Evaluate the view that the constitution is fit for purpose 12
1.4 Evaluate the view that the constitution should be codified and entrenched 14
1.4 Evaluate the view that devolution reforms haven’t gone far enough 16
1.4 Evaluate the view that devolution could be seen as a success 18
1.4 Evaluate the view that there should be further devolution within England 20
Unit Two: Parliament 22
2.1 Evaluate the view that the House of Commons fulfils its functions effectively 22
2.1 Evaluate the view that the House of Lords fulfils its functions effectively 24
2.1 Evaluate the view that the Parliament fulfils its legislative function effectively 26
2.1 Evaluate the view that the Parliament fulfils its scrutinising function effectively 28
2.1 Evaluate the view that the Parliament fulfils its functions effectively 30
2.2 Evaluate the view that in practice the House of Lords exerts more power than the House of Commons 32
2.2 Evaluate the view that the roles and membership of the House of Lords require reform 34
2.4 Evaluate the view that backbenchers have become more relevant in scrutinising the government in recent years36
2.4 Evaluate the view that select committees are vital in scrutinising government actions 38
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, 2.4 Evaluate the view that Prime Minister’s Questions should be scrapped 40
2.4 Evaluate the view that the Opposition limits the executive’s dominance over parliament 41
2.4 Evaluate the view that changes to the constitution have limited the executive’s dominance over parliament 43
Unit Three: Executive 45
3.2 Evaluate the view that individual ministerial responsibility is no longer relevant 45
3.2 Evaluate the view that collective ministerial responsibility is no longer relevant 47
3.2 Evaluate the view that the concepts of individual ministerial responsibility and collective ministerial responsibility are both still
important 49
3.3 Evaluate the view that political loyalty is the most important governing prime ministers selection of ministers 51
3.3 Evaluate the view that the popularity of the prime minister is the most important factor in their ability to dominate cabinet 53
3.3 Evaluate the view that power lies mainly with the Prime Minister rather than Cabinet 55
3.3 Evaluate the view that the Prime Minister is a president all but in name 57
3.4 Using case studies, evaluate the view that prime ministers are free to follow the policies they want 59
Unit Four: Relations between Branches 61
4.1 Evaluate The View That The Supreme Court Operates With Sufficient Judicial Neutrality And Independence. 61
4.1 Evaluate the view that the Supreme court has too much influence over the executive and parliament 63
4.3 Evaluate the view that leaving the EU has significantly increased parliamentary sovereignty 65
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,Template
introduction here, defining key terms
Point Against essay position For essay position Evaluation
Evaluation
of each
point
3
, Unit One: The Constitution
1.2 Evaluate the view that the constitutional reforms introduced from 1997-2005 had a significant impact on the UK constitution
Elected in 1997 with a landslide victory, Tony Blair’s New Labour pursued a range of constitutional reforms which were more far-reaching than any previous governments.
Point Against essay position For essay position Evaluation
- House of Lords Act - removal of the majority hereditary peers Evaluation
Modernisation + - The House is no closer to being elected than it was before New modernised the House of Lords and made it a more legitimate and of each
Democratisation Labour, so without the introduction of ‘stage two’, it could be argued it professional body. The removal of hereditary peers also meant that no point
is still fully undemocratic. This is highlighted also by the fact that party party in the House would have a majority. This ensured a more
leaders still make political appointments to the House of Lords. democratic house, in partnership with the idea that life peerages
mean that peers don’t have to worry about election, or removal
- The Supreme Court is much weaker than its counterparts in most from office if they make an unpopular decision
other liberal democracies (with codified constitutions). It cannot strike
down primary legislation as that would weaken parliamentary - Separation of powers - there is now a clear separation of the 3
sovereignty, and instead can only give declarations of branches of government, with the judiciary being physically and
incompatibility and urge parliament to act lawfully. constitutionally separate from the executive and legislature. This
allows for greater legislative independence.
- EXAMPLE: The power of the judiciary has recently come
into question over the Rwanda Bill, where the Supreme - EXAMPLE: In 2019, the Supreme Court reinforced its
Court ruled unanimously that according to the ECHR, the independence and neutrality from government by ruling
government scheme to send asylum seekers to Rwanda that the governments decision to prorogue Parliament in
was unlawful, as it was an unsafe country. The September was done unlawfully.
government passed the Safety of Rwanda Bill, declaring
Rwanda a safe country and signed a new migration treaty
with Rwanda, overruling the Supreme Court.
Decentralisation it could be argued that devolution has fuelled support for independence, and In New Labours 1997 manifesto, Blair included policies of devolution - vowing to
increased nationalism, by showing that regional bodies can effectively govern offer a referendum in each of the proposed devolved authority jurisdictions. one
themselves. Sinn Fein, a hard Republican party, has recently come to power of the key aims of devolution has been to retain the unity of the UK. By
following the 2022 Northern Irish Assembly election. This has strained the granting significant autonomy to Scotland, powers to Wales and
relations between devolved bodies and the UK government, with a lack of establishing peace in Northern Ireland, it could be said that calls for
cooperation meaning that the unity of the state has been challenged. independence have been stifled. No nationalist movement has yet achieved
independence, perhaps because demands for self government have been
- EXAMPLE: Whilst support for the SNP has been weakening, this does satisfied. Therefore, devolution has ensured that the unitary state has been able
not necessarily mean that demand for independence has also. to survive in a more nuanced political climate.
Following the Supreme Court judgement of November 2022,
determining that the Scottish Government didn’t have the power to - EXAMPLE: In the Scottish Independence Referendum of 2014,
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