Politics — Year 12

In this unit students will cover the following content.

1.1 Current systems of representative democracy and direct democracy.

• The features of direct democracy and representative democracy.

• The similarities and differences between direct democracy and representative democracy. Advantages and disadvantages of direct democracy and representative democracy and consideration of the case for reform.

1.2 A wider franchise and debates over suffrage.

• Key milestones in the widening of the franchise in relation to class, gender, ethnicity and age, including the 1832 Great Reform Act and the 1918, 1928 and 1969 Representation of the People Acts.

• The work of the suffragists/suffragettes to extend the franchise. The work of a current movement to extend the franchise.

1.3 Pressure groups and other influences.

• How different pressure groups exert influence and how their methods and influence vary in contemporary politics.

• Case studies of two different pressure groups, highlighting examples of how their methods and influence vary.

• Other collective organisations and groups including think tanks, lobbyists and corporations, and their influence on government and Parliament.

1.4 Rights in context.

• Major milestones in their development, including the significance of Magna Carta and more recent developments, including the Human Rights Act 1998 and Equality Act 2010.

• Debates on the extent, limits and tensions within the UK’s rights-based culture, including consideration of how individual and collective right may conflict, the contributions from civil liberties pressure groups – including the work of two contemporary civil liberties pressure groups.

In this unit students will cover the following content.

2.1 Political parties.

• The functions and features of political parties in the UK’s representative democracy.

• How parties are currently funded and debates on the consequences of the current funding system.

2.2 Established political parties.

• The origins and historical development of the Conservative Party, the Labour Party and Liberal Democrat Party, and how this has shaped their ideas and current policies on the economy, law and order, welfare and foreign affairs.

2.3 Emerging and minor UK political parties.

• The importance of other parties in the UK.

• The ideas and policies of two other minor parties.

2.4 UK political parties in context.

• The development of a multi-party system and its implications for government.

• Various factors that affect party success – explanations of why political parties have succeeded or failed, including debates on the influence of the media.

In this unit students will cover the following content.

3.1 Different electoral systems.

• First-past-the-post (FPTP), Additional Member System (AMS), Single Transferable Vote (STV), and Supplementary Vote (SV).

• The advantages and disadvantages of these different systems.

• Comparison of first-past-the-post (FPTP) to a different electoral system in a devolved parliament/assembly.

3.2 Referendums and how they are used.

• How referendums have been used in the UK and their impact on UK political life since 1997.

• The case for and against referendums in a representative democracy.

3.3 Electoral system analysis.

• Debates on why different electoral systems are used in the UK.

• The impact of the electoral system on the government or type of government appointed.

• The impact of different systems on party representation and of electoral systems on voter choice.

In this unit students will cover the following content.

4.1 Case studies of three key general elections.

• Case studies of three elections (one from the period 1945–92, the 1997 election, and one since 1997), the results and their impact on parties and government.

• The factors that explain the outcomes of these elections, including:

o the reasons for and impact of party policies and manifestos, techniques used in their election campaigns, and the wider political context of the elections

o class-based voting and other factors influencing voting patterns, such as partisanship and voting attachment

o gender, age, ethnicity and region as factors in influencing voting behaviour, turnout and trends.

• Analysis of the national voting-behaviour patterns for these elections, revealed by national data sources and how and why they vary.

4.2 The influence of the media.

• The Assessment of the role and impact of the media on politics – both during and between key general elections, including the importance and relevance of opinion polls, media bias and persuasion.

In this unit students will cover the following content.

1.1 The nature and sources of the UK Constitution, including:

• an overview of the development of the Constitution through key historical documents: Magna Carta (1215); Bill of Rights (1689); Act of Settlement (1701); Acts of Union (1707); Parliament Acts (1911 and 1949); European Communities Act (1972)

• the nature of the UK Constitution: unentrenched, uncodified and unitary, and the ‘twin pillars’ of parliamentary sovereignty and the rule of law

• the five main sources of the UK Constitution: statute law; common law; conventions; authoritative works, and treaties (including European Union law).

1.2 How the constitution has changed since 1997.

• Under Labour 1997–2010: House of Lords reforms, electoral reform; devolution; Human Rights Act 1998; and the Supreme Court.

• Under the Coalition 2010–15: Fixed Term Parliaments, Act 2011; further devolution to Wales.

• Any major reforms undertaken by governments since 2015, including further devolution to Scotland (in the context of the Scottish Referendum).

1.3 The role and powers of devolved bodies in the UK, and the impact of this devolution on the UK.

• Devolution in England.

• Scottish Parliament and Government.

• Welsh Assembly and Government.

• Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive.

1.4 Debates on further reform.

• An overview of the extent to which the individual reforms since 1997 listed in section 1.2 above should be taken further.

• The extent to which devolution should be extended in England.

• Whether the UK constitution should be changed to be entrenched and codified, including a bill of rights.

2.1 The structure and role of the House of Commons and House of Lords.

• The selection of members of the House of Commons and House of Lords, including the different types of Peers.

• The main functions of the House of Commons and House of Lords and the extent to which these functions are fulfilled.

2.2 The comparative powers of the House of Commons and House of Lords.

• The exclusive powers of the House of Commons.

• The main powers of the House of Lords.

• Debates about the relative power of the two Houses.

2.3 The legislative process.

• The different stages a bill must go through to become law.

• The interaction between the Commons and the Lords during the legislative process, including the Salisbury

Convention.

2.4 The ways in which Parliament interacts with the Executive.

• The role and significance of backbenchers in both Houses, including the importance of parliamentary privilege.

• The work of select committees.

• The role and significance of the opposition.

• The purpose and nature of ministerial question time, including Prime Minister’s Questions.

In this unit students will cover the following content.

3.1 The structure, role, and powers of the Executive.

• Its structure, including Prime Minister, the Cabinet, junior ministers and government departments.

• Its main roles, including proposing legislation, proposing a budget, and making policy decisions within laws and budget.

• The main powers of the Executive, including Royal Prerogative powers, initiation of legislation and secondary legislative power.

3.2 The concept of ministerial responsibility.

• The concept of individual ministerial responsibility.

• The concept of collective ministerial responsibility.

3.3 The Prime Minister and the Cabinet.

3.3.1 The power of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet.

• The factors governing the Prime Minister’s selection of ministers.

• The factors that affect the relationship between the Cabinet and the Prime Minister, and the ways they have changed, and the balance of power between the Prime Minister and the

Cabinet.

3.3.2 The powers of the Prime Minster and the Cabinet to dictate events and determine policy.

• Students must study the influence of one Prime Minister from 1945 to 1997 and one post-1997 Prime Minister.

• Students may choose any pre-1997 and any post-1997 Prime Minister, provided that they study them in an equivalent level of detail, covering both events and policy, with examples that illustrate both control and a lack of control.

In this unit students will cover the following content.

4.1 The Supreme Court and its interactions with, and influence over, the legislative and policy-making processes.

• The role and composition of the Supreme Court.

• The key operating principles of the Supreme Court, including judicial neutrality and judicial independence and their extent.

• The degree to which the Supreme Court influences both the Executive and Parliament, including the doctrine of ultra vires and judicial review.

4.2 The relationship between the Executive and Parliament.

• The influence and effectiveness of Parliament in holding the Executive to account.

• The influence and effectiveness of the Executive in attempting to exercise dominance over Parliament.

• The extent to which the balance of power between Parliament and the Executive has changed.

4.3 The aims, role and impact of the European Union (EU) on the UK government.

• The aims of the EU, including the ‘four freedoms’ of the single market, social policy, and political and economic union, and the extent to which these have been achieved.

• The role of the EU in policy making.

• The impact of the EU, including the main effects of at least two EU policies and their impact on the UK political system and UK policy making.

4.4 The location of sovereignty in the UK political system.

• The distinction between legal sovereignty and political sovereignty.

• The extent to which sovereignty has moved between different branches of government.

• Where sovereignty can now be said to lie in the UK.

In this unit students will study a non-core political ideology which makes up the final part of the Component 2: UK Government and Non-core Political Ideas paper.

The non-core ideology will be one of the following options;

* Feminism

* Anarchism

* Nationalism

Students will explore the approach of the ideology in relation to human nature, society, the economy and the state. Students will study in detail five key thinkers associated with the ideology, as well as other individuals of influence and examples of the implementation of the ideology in political events.

In this unit students will study three core political ideologies, which makes up the final part of the Component 1: UK Politics and Core Political Ideas paper.

The core ideologies are;

* Liberalism

* Conservatism

* Socialism

Students will examine the origins and approach of each ideology in relation to human nature, society, the economy and the state. Students will study in detail the key thinkers associated with each ideology, as well as other individuals of influence and examples of the implementation and evolution of these ideologies in relation to political leaders and events.