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The Politics Shed- A Free Text Book for all students of Politics.
Questions
Questions
Key themes – How healthy is UK democracy? Is there a participation crisis? What is the role of pressure groups in democracy and what makes one successful? Are rights protected well enough in the UK?
To what extent is representative democracy superior to direct democracy?
2. Is the UK experiencing a democratic deficit?
3. Is the UK experiencing a participation crisis?
4. Should voting be made compulsory?
5. Should the voting age be lowered to 16?
6. Do pressure groups promote democracy and participation?
7. To what extent is pressure group success down to large membership?
8. Does the UK now have a ‘rights- based’ culture?
9. Rights are not sufficiently protected in the UK. Discuss. Political parties:
Key themes – What do the parties stand for and how have they changed? How important are the minor and major parties? Should party funding be reformed? What makes a party successful?
1. Should parties be state funded?
2. To what extent is the Labour Party true to its core policies and ideas?
3. To what extent is the Conservative Party true to its core policies and ideas?
4. To what extent is the Liberal Democrat Party true to its core policies and ideas?
5. To what extent is the Labour Party united?
6. To what extent is the Conservative Party united?
7. To what extent is the UK a multi- party system?
8. To what extent are the minor parties becoming more powerful in the UK?
9. To what extent do political parties still dominate UK politics?
10. To what extent is the influence of the media the most important factor in determining the success or failure of political party?
Electoral systems:
Key themes – What are the advantages and disadvantages of the different voting systems and how are they used? Would more referendums be good for democracy?
1. Do the advantages of the FPTP outweigh the disadvantages?
2. Should the FPTP system for Westminster be replaced by STV?
3. Do the positives of the alternative electoral systems in the UK outweigh the negatives?
4. Do referendums create more problems than solutions?
5. Do referendums improve democracy in the UK? Voting
Behaviour and the Media:
Key themes – What makes people vote the way they do? How influential is the media? Knowledge of at least 3 elections
1. Evaluate the view that the newspaper press has major impact on voting behaviour? 2. Evaluate the view that class is no longer important in determining voting behaviour? 3. Evaluate the view that social factors are crucial in determining elections?
4. Evaluate the view that elections are won on wider political events rather than party manifestos?
5. Evaluate the extent to which general elections in the UK are lost by the government rather than won by the opposition.
6. Evaluate the extent to which social factors determine voting behaviour.
7. Evaluate the extent to which ‘new’ forms of media changed voting behaviour?
Conservatism
1. To what extent do conservatives agree about paternalism?
2. To what extent do conservatives agree about liberty?
3. To what extent do conservatives agree about human nature?
4. To what extent do conservatives agree about the state?
5. To what extent do conservatives agree about the economy?
6. To what extent do conservatives agree about society?
Liberalism
1. To what extent do liberals agree about freedom?
2. To what extent do liberals agree about human nature? 3. To what extent do liberals agree about the state?
4. To what extent do liberals agree about the economy? 5. To what extent do liberals agree about society?
6. Is modern liberalism a continuation of classical liberalism?
Socialism
1. To what extent do socialists agree about collectivism?
2. To what extent do socialists agree about equality?
3. To what extent do socialists agree about common ownership? 4. To what extent do socialists agree about human nature?
5. To what extent do socialists agree about the state?
6. To what extent do socialists agree about the economy?
7. To what extent do socialists agree about how to achieve socialism?
8. Is the Third Way socialist?
Democracy and participation
Define representative and direct democracy
Describe core features of representative and direct democracy
Know examples of representative and direct democracy
Assess advantages and disadvantages of representative and direct democracy
Describe democratic features of UK system with examples Describe undemocratic features of UK system with examples
Assess the state of democracy (democratic deficit) in the UK
Give examples of good participation in UK
Give examples of lack of participation in UK
Assess whether there is a participation crisis
Assess whether compulsory voting should be introduced (know arguments)
Assess whether voting should be lowered (know arguments)
Be able to describe history of the franchise in the UK
Describe sectional, cause pressure groups and social movements
Describe difference between insider and outsider groups with examples
Describe different methods used by different groups and how effective they are.
Know case studies of at least 2 groups (i.e. BMA and Occupy)
Assess why some groups have more influence than others and what this means for democracy
Describe think tanks, lobbyists and corporations with examples Describe some rights that we have in the UK
Describe the major milestones in development of rights (e.g. Magna Carta)
Describe how rights are protected in the UK
Examples of rights being well protected
Examples of rights not being well protected
Assessment of how well rights are protected in the UK
Political parties
Define political parties and how they differ from pressure groups
Describe core functions of political parties
Describe how funding of political parties works
Assess advantages and disadvantages of reforming funding of political parties
Describe the establishment and traditions of the Conservative party with policies
Describe Thatcherism with policies
Describe the current policies of the Conservative party and if they one nation or Thatcherite
Describe the establishment and traditions of the Labour party with policies
Describe New Labour with policies
Describe the current policies of the Labour party and if they are socialist or not
Describe the establishment and traditions of the Liberal party with policies
Describe the Lib Dem experience of the coalition government
Describe the current policies of the Liberal Democrats Describe the minor parties in the UK and what they stand for – SNP, Plaid Cymru, Green and UKIP
Assess arguments over whether minor parties are significant in UK politics
Assess whether we still have a two party system in the UK and how this effects government
Describe party systems in devolved assemblies
Assess the different factors that affect party success
Electoral systems
Describe the functions of electoral systems
Describe the criteria of a good electoral system (Jenkins Report) Understand the difference between plurality, majoritarian and proportional systems
Describe how FPTP works
Assess advantages and disadvantages of FPTP with examples Describe how AMS works
Assess advantages and disadvantages of AMS with examples Describe how STV works
Assess advantages and disadvantages of STV with examples Describe how SV works
Assess advantages and disadvantages of SV with examples Understand whether each system is plurality, majoritarian or proportional and be able to compare them
Be able to describe why the different electoral systems were chosen throughout the UK
Be able to describe why the different electoral systems were chosen throughout the UK
To be able to understand how an electoral system can affect government (example – coalitions)
Describe the effect of different systems on voter choice and party representation
What is a referendum and how are they conducted with examples
Describe the circumstances in which referendums are held
Assess the arguments for and against referendums
Voting behaviour and the media
Define the key words outlined in the specification (attached) To understand how class can effect voting behaviour with examples
To understand how age can effect voting behaviour with examples To understand how gender and ethnicity can effect voting behaviour with examples
To understand how media can effect voting behaviour with examples
To understand how government competency can effect voting behaviour with examples
To understand how region can effect voting behaviour with examples
To understand how policies can effect voting behaviour with examples
To understand how events can effect voting behaviour with examples
Describe and assess the importance of key factors influencing Three elections 1997 and two more.
Conservativism
Understand the historical context of emergence of conservativism
To understand how core principles of conservativism relate to: Pragmatism
Tradition
Human imperfection Organic society/ state Paternalism Libertarianism
To describe what traditional conservatives are with policies and examples
To describe what one nation conservatives are with policies and examples
To describe what new right conservatives are with policies and examples (including difference between neo-liberal and neo-conservative)
Know and apply the key principles of the work of Thomas Hobbes
Know and apply the key principles of the work of Edmund Burke
Know and apply the key principles of the work of Michael Oakeshott
Oakeshott
Know and apply the key principles of the work of Ayn Rand Know and apply the key principles of the work of Robert Nozick
To describe what unites all conservatives
To be able to apply differences across a range of questions and themes
Socialism
Understand the historical context of emergence of socialism To understand how core principles of conservativism relate to:
Collectivism
Common Humanity and human nature Equality
Social class Workers control Libertarianism
To describe what revolutionary socialists are with policies and examples
To describe what social democrats are with policies and examples
To describe what Third way socialists are with policies and examples
Know and apply the key principles of the work of Karl Marx Know and apply the key principles of the work of Beatrice Webb
Know and apply the key principles of the work of Rosa Luxemburg
Know and apply the key principles of the work of Anthony Crosland
Know and apply the key principles of the work of Anthony Giddens
To describe what unites all socialists
To be able to apply differences across a range of questions and themes
Liberalism
Understand the historical context of emergence of liberalism
To understand how core principles of liberalism relate to:
Individualism
Liberty
State
Rationalism
Equality and social justice
Liberal democracy
To describe what classical liberals are with policies and examples
To describe what modern liberals are with policies and examples
Know and apply the key principles of the work of John Locke
Know and apply the key principles of the work of Mary Wollstonecraft
Know and apply the key principles of the work of John Stuart Mill
Know and apply the key principles of the work of John Rawls
Know and apply the key principles of the work of Better Friedan
To describe what unites all liberals
To be able to apply differences across a range of questions and themes
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