*FLASH SALE*2024/25 UPDATED* A-Level Politics UK Main Exam Questions Essay Plans
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Course
Unit 1 GOVP1 - People, Politics and Participation
Institution
AQA
This document contains essay plans for all the possible main exam questions that AQA or Edexcel could ask on the UK Politics Paper. This document was curated and all essay plans achieve top band answers, but it is no way conclusive as the exams could throw a question that has never popped up in pas...
UK POLITICS MAIN
EXAM QUESTIONS
1. To what extent has the location of sovereignty in the UK changed in recent years?
2. To what extent does parliament remain sovereign?
3. The UK constitution is no longer fit for purpose?
4. Case for/against codification?
5. Parliament is able to check the power of the executive?
6. Effectiveness of the House of Commons/House of Lords?
7. Extent to which the PM is effectively a president?
8. Unfinished Business?
ALL OF THE ESSAY PLANS HAVE BEEN CURATED AND REFINED TO ACHIEVE FULL MARKS.
, To what extent has the location of sovereignty in the UK changed in recent years?
Introduction: Define political and legal sovereignty, this is the most important aspect of the
constitution.
Para 1: Legal sovereignty of parliament is mainly challenged by the EU, as EU law takes primacy over
UK law e.g. on agriculture.
- The most notable case is when the ECJ struck down on an Act of Parliament during the
Factor tame Case (1990) whereby a Spanish fishing company was successful in arguing they
were being illegally denied access to UK waters
The powers of the EU have been further extended by the use of Qualified Majority Voting, thus
other nations have more influence, due to population size, meaning that sovereignty has been
further eroded since most decisions are made by the unelected bureaucrats in the EU.
- However: The fact that the ECJ and EU have these powers does not mean that the UK has
lost is sovereignty. Brexit vote means that Parliament is in the process of currently recalling
its sovereignty by for example, repealing the 1972 European Communities Act. With Brexit
we are renegotiating treaties with a possible removal from the ECHR.
Para 2: Referendums have shifted the location of political sovereignty in the UK. With the increase
use of referendums, more political sovereignty is transferred. For example, before 1997 the UK had
used a referendum only 4 times and since we have had over 8 national referendums with many
more regional ones. These popular votes take decision making out the hands of parliamentarians
and put into the hands of the people. It has become a constitutional convention to follow the results
of referendums, as they have been granted legitimacy via popular mandate. This way, popular
sovereignty is placed higher than parliamentary sovereignty.
- However: popular sovereignty is not supreme as parliament could ignore the outcome of a
referendum if it was decided by a narrow majority or there was low turnout. It is for this
reason that many major constitutional changes have been made without the use of
referendum, House of Lords Reform Act (1999).
Para 3: Devolution is another way that there has been a transfer of sovereignty to sub-national
governments and there has been various legislations emanating from the sub-national governments.
E.g. Wales and Scotland Tuition fees. Nationalism is on the rise in these sub-national regions and
could lead to independence in these regions. In de facto terms, changes to the location of political
, sovereignty has resulted in a quasi-federal system where policy differences continue to increase
throughout the devolved bodies and Westminster.
- However, the status of these devolved bodies is never guaranteed as the UK retains its
unitary constitution, not federal since these spheres of authority are not legally enshrined.
Thus, if Westminster desired it could recall the transfer and this was done several times with
the Northern Irish Assembly and the complete abolition of the Metropolitan Councils in
1980, even though these were not strictly devolved.
To what extent does parliament remain sovereign?
Para 1: Legal sovereignty of parliament is mainly challenged by the EU, as EU law takes primacy over
UK law e.g. on agriculture.
- The most notable case is when the ECJ struck down on an Act of Parliament during the
Factor tame Case (1990) whereby a Spanish fishing company was successful in arguing they
were being illegally denied access to UK waters
The powers of the EU have been further extended by the use of Qualified Majority Voting, thus
other nations have more influence, due to population size, meaning that sovereignty has been
further eroded since most decisions are made by the unelected bureaucrats in the EU.
- However: The fact that the ECJ and EU have these powers does not mean that the UK has
lost is sovereignty. Brexit vote means that Parliament is in the process of currently recalling
its sovereignty by for example, repealing the 1972 European Communities Act. With Brexit
we are renegotiating treaties with a possible removal from the ECHR.
Para 2: Referendums have shifted the location of political sovereignty in the UK. With the increase
use of referendums, more political sovereignty is transferred. For example, before 1997 the UK had
used a referendum only 4 times and since we have had over 8 national referendums with many
more regional ones. These popular votes take decision making out the hands of parliamentarians
and put into the hands of the people. It has become a constitutional convention to follow the results
of referendums, as they have been granted legitimacy via popular mandate. This way, popular
sovereignty is placed higher than parliamentary sovereignty.
- However: popular sovereignty is not supreme as parliament could ignore the outcome of a
referendum if it was decided by a narrow majority or there was low turnout. It is for this
reason that many major constitutional changes have been made without the use of
referendum, House of Lords Reform Act (1999).
Para 3: Devolution is another way that there has been a transfer of sovereignty to sub-national
governments and there has been various legislations emanating from the sub-national governments.
E.g. Wales and Scotland Tuition fees. Nationalism is on the rise in these sub-national regions and
could lead to independence in these parties. In de facto terms, changes to the location of political
sovereignty has resulted in a quasi-federal system where policy differences continue to increase
throughout the devolved bodies and Westminster.
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