Modern studies- democracy

• Three ways people participate in election campaigns.

  Leaflets:Explain - people will place leaflets and posters around their local area to showcase supportExample - Glasgow Cathcart has leaflets in support of James Dornan to retain his SNP seat Canvassing:Explain - door to door Example - Green Party in the Gorbals constituency looked for support by canvassing for the 2016 Scottish Parliamentary elections.Public support:Explain - this is when a member of the public campaigns for an MSP in the hope that they can persuade others to vote with them.Example - in the Glasgow Cathcart constituency Cars with speakers urged eligible voters to vote for James Dornan I
• How can people participate in politics

  Voting:Explain -people having a say in elected representatives Example - may 2016, 129 MSPs elected to the Scottish Parliament based on votes Joining a political party:Explain - shape party policy, requires a monthly/annual fee Example - SNP have 120,000 members as of June 2016Petitions:Explain - this is when someone wishes to get an issue noticed or addressed by the government and in turn, MSPs.Example - an recent example of petitions being used is the petition to review the "stay put" policy that the government has imposed as a fire safety strategy in high rise buildings, of which closing comments must be submitted before the 8th of May 2019
• What are the roles of a MSP

  Ask questions:Explain - This is when an MSP will question fellow MSPs, party leaders and the first minister who holds question time every Thursday. Example - for example at FMQs Ruth Davidson leader of the Conservative party asked the FM on tax rises on the 2018 budget proposals Motions:Explain - A proposal for Parliament to do something or express an opinion or on an issue - common way to start a debateExample - MSP Douglas Ross held a motion calling the government to repeal the offensive behaviour at football act which passed 64 to 63.Vote:Explain - this means MSP have the opportunity to vote on Parliamentary business. Electronic voting is used in parliament so results can be seen instantly Example - voting was used when the Scottish government decided to pass their 2019/2020 budget
• Roles of an MSP in their local constituency

  Appear in local media:Explain - this is useful for both MSP is to keep in contact with their constituents and to keep a high profile.Example - in March 2018 James Dornan appeared in the daily record to discuss their offensive behaviour at football act (OBFA) and the abuse he was reviving on Twitter for supporting it.Hold surgeries:Explain - this is done normally between Tuesday and Thursday is outside of Parliament visits in which local people can highlight their issues.Example - James Dornan the constituency MSP for Glasgow Cathcart has a surgery in mount Florida at a fixed time once every week.Attend local events:Explain - this is useful as it allows an MSP to integrate themselves with a community and get their opinion of voters and their area.Example - This could be things such as a local football team.
• What are some devolved powers of the Scottish Parliament

  Health:Explain - this means the Scottish government has responsibility to improve the health of Scotland and can implement policies and laws in order to do so.Example - The minimum unit pricing of alcohol which was passed in 2012 with the expectation of making alcohol more expensive, thus making it less accessible.Education:Explain - this means that Scottish government is responsible for improving and making decisions on education policies. John Swinney is the current education secretary for Scotland.Example - all schools in Scotland have been allocated money to close their attainment gap this attainment gap fund aims to reduce gaps between learning of pupils from different backgroundsFire and police services:Explain - this means the government has complete control over the decisions about the direction of the police force and Fire Brigade in Scotland. First structural changes came into effect in 2012Example - The Scottish police force was split into eight separate police forces and is now known as police Scotland
• State some of the roles of committees in the Scottish Parliament (2)

  Consider petitions:Explain - There is a public petitions committee who consider the petitions which Are sent to the Scottish Parliament, only one signature is needed for the public petitions committee to consider it.Example - There was a petition to review the governments 'stay put' policy regarding fires in high height residential buildings of which final comments to be submitted by the 8th of May 2019.Conduct inquires to investigate issues:Explain- there are 15 different committees in the Scottish parliament, one of which being transport with Hamza Yusuf being the transport minister for Scotland.Example - The transport committee conducted an enquiry related to Scotrail's disruptions and delays to its services in 2017.
• Why is it important for people to use their right to vote (2)

  Voting age lowered to 16 to encourage participation:Explain - this is the case because of the relatively low voter turnout in Scottish parliament and local council elections many politicians believe voting is a right that 16-year-olds should be entitled to. Example - voter turnout was over 85% in the Scottish independence referendum with the majority of 16 and 17 year olds voting.Out of respect for those who died to give these rights to us:Explain - this means that we disrespect and are disrespecting the memory of those who struggle to get the vote. Many people including women did not have the right to vote in the last century resulting in campaigns to be allowed a say.Example- Women were first given the right to vote in 1918
• What are the advantages of the AMS voting system

  Wider representation:Explain - EMS well broadly reflect how people voted as in PR systems the percentage number of seats a party wins will roughly be proportional to the percentage number of votes received in the election.Example - In the 2016 Scottish Parliament election the SNP received around 44% of the vote and 49% of their overall seats in parliament. Therefore, an advantage of AMS is that the election broadly reflects how people voted.It retains the link between the voter and representative via the FPTP constituency vote:Explain - this is useful as each voter has an accountable single constituency representative under FPTP which is retained under AMS.Example - there are 73 constituency MSPS elected under FPTP and Scottish Parliament elections and they are directly accountable to voters in their constituency; the constituency MSP for Glasgow Cathcart is James Dornan of the SNP party. Therefore, an advantage of AMS is that it keeps the link between voters and their elected representative.Reduces tactical voting:Explain - this is when you believe your party will not win so you decide you will vote for the most popular closest political party to your own to prevent an opposing, completely different political party winning.Example - in Scotland many people may be Conservative voters and do not like the SNP, further they feel that perhaps the Labour Party has a bigger chance of winning so they may change votes so that the SNP cannot win, effectively giving labour a false vote.Smaller parties more chance:Explain - on the first paper many people would side with their main or the bigger political parties, however on the second paper they have another list of parties which they may decide to vote for a smaller party.Example - The Green party in the 2003 election gained seven seats in the Scottish parliament under AMS, something that would have been incredibly unlikely without AMS and with a system such as FTTP.
• What are the disadvantages of the AMS voting system

  To complicated for voters to understand:Explain - this is because their are two votes; one for constituency MSP and one regional list section. Some may believe you need to vote for the same party on both votes which is not the case. As the system is more complicated it resulted in a lower voter turn out.Example - turnout for the 2016 Scottish Parliament election using AMS was on 55% compared to the 2015 general election where FPTP is used which saw an over 65% turnout.Creates conflict between the two different types of MSP's: Explain - this is because the vote creates two types of MSP - one being constituency and 7 regional without a 'base' as such. The regional MSP's are not directly accountable to constituents as they have no direct constituency, only to their party.Example - this division and rivalry of the 'classes' of MSP from different parties but responsible for the same area results in a form of 'turf' war/area war. there are 9 constituency MSP's in Glasgow all from the SNP and a further 7 regional MSP's from other political parties.To much influence to minority parties:Explain - these small pockets of MSP's can create a stir in Parliament with parties turning to them for support offering an insensitive.Example - The Green Party in 2017 was approached by the minority SNP government for support on the budget, the SNP was forced to change its budget proposals in return for the greens support. The greens only revived 163,000 votes compared to the 1.9M votes for the SNP.
• State some of the roles of the Scottish Parliament

  Represent the Scottish people in government:Explain - this means that MSP's must try to represent the views of their constituency or region Example - some MSP's in the Scottish parliament have called for a second referendum following the U.K.'s vote to leave the European Union which the majority of Scotland voted to stay apart of. Though their is no definitive proof that independence will come out of Brexit or if the majority of Scottish people want it.Passing laws on devolved matters:Explain - this means the Scottish Parliament will pass laws related to health to improve the health of Scotland which is referred to as "the sick man of Europe".Example - in 2015, further laws were passed relating to smoking in Scotland, with a ban on smoking on NHS grounds being implemented as a further way to tackle poor health in Scotland.Power to alter rates of income tax:Explain-
• State reasons why some people participate in pressure groups

  Because they feel strongly on an issue:Explain - this means they can join with others who have similar interests and opinions to them and with their collective strength express that opinion.Example - CND who are an anti nuclear weapon group has many members, some of which traditionally campaign and others who take it to the extreme of stopping nuclear convoys.Collective action is more effective than that of an individual:Explain - mumsnet is a parenting site where parents can discuss dilemmas or issues they may be having related to parenting, the sight is very popular with over 12 million unique users.Example - The website was success in its campaign to conceal the visibility of 'lads mags' in shops pressuring the government into producing legislation to make it illegal for shops to display them in clear sight.Media pay more attention to organised groups:Explain - this is the case as the media can easily get information on what the group stands for either by phone call to a PR representative of the group or an official website or social media and because the group has considerable following.Example - Friends of earth staged a peaceful protest against Donald Trump outside the Scottish Parliament in 2012 as Trump was against a wind farm being built close to one of his golf resorts in Aberdeenshire. The media quickly picked up this story and published the protest to an even wider audience.
• What methods do pressure groups use to influence decision makers

  Marches and demonstrations:Explain - this means people can protest as long as they give notice and do so peacefully. These protests can take the form of a march along city streets or a demonstration outside Parliament.Example - In 2017 people in Scotland protested against Donald Trump being the President of the USA Petitions:Explain - this is when a group of people get signatures in backing an issue they feel should be debated by the government. Only one signature is needed for the public petitions committee to consider it in the Scottish parliament.Example - over 750,000 people signed a petition to ban the private ownership of handguns after the Dunblane shooting in Scotland. The name of this pressure group was Snowdrop.Social media influence:Explain - larger pressure groups like Amnesty International create viral campaigns and use social media such as Facebook and Twitter to promote their cause Example - in 2017 Amnesty International had a 'Wright for rights' campaign to encourage people to write letters to those who have been denied their most basic human rights.
• Describe the rights and responsibilities of pressure groups (2)

  Actively recruit new members:Explain - this means a pressure group seek to have as many members as possible to promote their cause.The responsibility is that they cannot force people to join their pressure group and they cannot bully or intimidate those who oppose their aims.Example - The pressure group CND allows you to join and show support online with a payment of as little as £1 a month.To protest and to do so peacefully:Explain - this means that pressure groups have their democratic right to protest, demonstrate and March and cities to promote their cause. The responsibility is that the protests must be done peacefully.Example - the 'no' campaign for Scottish independence protested peacefully in their non-support for Scottish independence in 2014.
• Why may pressure groups use legal/illegal methods to influence decisions (2)

  To create disruption and gain media attention:Explain - some outsider pressure groups have climbed on top of important buildings as a way of gaining media attention for their cause, this is the case as the protest is not traditional.Example - fathers4justice on the 29th of November 2015 broke into Buckingham Palace and began protesting on the roof.Legal methods are more likely to influence decision makers:Explain - insider pressure groups often work directly with the government and use legal methods to influence decision makers. Decision makers also like insider groups as they are not seen to bend to anyone who breaks the law.Example - The British medical Association(BMA) often attends health committee meetings and works directly with the government as they have expert knowledge on health.
• State two different ways political parties campaign in elections


  Producing a party manifesto:Explain - this means their party published and promotes their manifesto to gain support in their run up to an election. The manifesto outlines what their party would do if they where to win the election.Example - The Scottish Conservatives said they would re-introduce prescription charges to raise £65 million for the NHS and their 2016 Scottish parliament manifesto.Taking part in TV debates:Explain - this is because many people get their political information from the media including TV and can be a change for their party to gain more votes.Example - Ruth Davidson (Scottish Conservatives) and Nicola Sturgeon (SNP) appeared on TV programs such as 'Scotland Tonight'.
• What are some of the roles of the first minister of Scotland

  To meet with international leaders to represent the views of Scotland:Explain - as part of the first ministers role she must be able to work effectively with other national and international leaders to represent Scotland best interests.example - in March 2017, the FM met with PM Theresa May to negotiate a deal for Scotland after Scotland voted to remain in the EU you and the UK as a whole voted to leave.Has the power to reshuffle the cabinet:Explain - The cabinet is made up of MSP's selected by the FM to run specific government departments.Example - John Swinney is the cabinet secretary for education.When The FM took over the Scottish parliament she re-shuffled the cabinet so it was 50% male, 50% female to tackle gender inequality Answer questions attending First Ministers questions:Explain - this takes place every Thursday at noon for 30 minutes and the FM is asked questions by the leaders by the other political parties. Question are prepared in advance so the first minister has the opportunity to prepare for answers in advance.
• State some of the political parties in Scotland

  SNP Party:Explain - The SNP is the largest party in Scotland with a total of 63 seats out of a possible 129. The leader of the SNP is Nicola sturgeon.Example - The SNP support independence for Scotland and plan to hold referendums for this and before the UK officially leaves the EU.Scottish Conservative party:Explain - The Scottish Conservatives are the largest second largest party in Scotland with 31 out of 129 seats, the party is led by Ruth Davidson. She is the opposition to the SNP government and aims to hold them to account. The policies of the Scottish Conservatives are that Scotland should remain a part of the UK.Example - in 2016 their manifesto pledge to fate attempts to drag Scotland back into another independence referendum.
• State some of the rights and responsibilities of the citizens of Scotland

  The right to vote:Explain - this usually takes part at a polling station which is open from 7 am to 10 pm. You must first register to be allowed to vote. Yes that's important as for example in the Scottish Parliament election you will get two votes on the ballot paper you put an X next to the favourite candidate and for your preferred party.Example - citizens inScotland exercised this right in may 2016 and the Scottish Parliament elections to collect MSPS.The right to protest:Explain - this means you can for example go out on the streets with a large group of people to show your support for cause or concerns depending on the issue. You must protest peacefully to protect your right.Example - in 2017,citizens Scotland protested against Donald Trump's travel ban he imposed in the USA. This took place in Buchanan street in Glasgow where thousands of people protested.For the media to report and cover events fairly:Explain - this is to protect the truth and minimise media bias although some newspapers are known for supporting a political party they cannot spread lies, father not all media companies support our political party or groupExample - The BBC are required to be impartial and give both sides of the story, sometimes however they are accused of being biased on certain issues.
• State the impact the media has on elections

  Voting in newspapers:Explain - this is because newspapers can back political parties the support during election campaigns. Though there as he continued to beat about whether newspapers really influence elections.Example - The SNP had support from the Sun newspaper in Scotland in 2011 and 2016 and went on to comfortably win both electionsTelevision debates:Explain - in the run-up to the UK general election in 2015, Nicola Sturgeon took part in a leaders debate. TV as often the main source of political information for people.Example - it was regarded that Nicola Sturgeon was the most successful politician during the televised debates. Following a TV debate, are you got of Paul and April 2015 for the times suggested that almost half of voters in Scotland with back the SNP in the general election. This was reflected in the SNP success gaining 56 out of 59 available seats.Internet:Explain - there has been a rise in new media such as Twitter and Facebook, these sites allow political parties to target certain areas which can be either seats they want to retain or seats they think they can tactically one by a targeted social media campaignExample - The Conservative party in 2015 spent the most out of any other party and won the election, The rise of new media is more prevalent as traditional media goes down in circulation with the Sun having 3.2 million papers in circulation in 2007 to only having 1.7 million papers in circulation in 2017.
• State how well women and ethnic minorities are represented in the Scottish Parliament (2)

  Women are under represented in the Scottish parliament:Explain - Women make up 51% of the Scottish population but only 35% of MSP's in the Scottish parliament are female.Example - accordingly, this means that only 45 of the 129 MSP's elected in 2016 where women.Ethnic minority's are under represented:Explain - ethnic minority groups make up around 4% of the Scottish population but only 1.5% of MSP's in the Scottish parliament.Example - accordingly, this means that there are only 2 MSP's From an ethnic minority the background, Hamza Yusuf (SNP) and Anas Sarwar (Labour).
• State some reasons why women and ethnic minority's are under-represented in the Scottish Parliament

  Family commitments will stop them becoming MSP's:Explain - Family commitments led to the under - representation of women in parliament because many women are their main carers and their family so living and working in Edinburgh during the week might not be practical for them.Example - only 45 of the 129 MSP's in the Scottish parliament are female despite making up over half the Scottish population. Therefore, women are under - represented in the Scottish parliament as they are often the primary care givers to children.(Ethnic minority's) They don't have many political role models to follow:Explain - individuals from ethnic minority is backgrounds are disengaged from politics because they do not feel that they have any influential political leaders to inspire them to get involved.Example - there are only 2 MSP's from ethnic minority back grounds in the Scottish parliament and this may reflect the lack of political participation by ethnic minorities.
• State how the Scottish Parliament has tried to improve the representation of women and ethnic minority's

  Working during normal business hours 9am till 5pm:Explain - conducting Parliamentary work during normal business hours increases representation amongst women because it allows women with families to establish a suitable work life balance and pursue a career in politics.Example - this might explain why there is a higher proportion of female MSP's in the Scottish parliament (35%) compared to female MP's in Westminster (32%) where there are no such restrictions on their working hours of Parliament.(Ethnic minority's)Through the regional list element of the voting system:Explain - The regional list element of the AMS voting system allows for greater representation of ethnic minority groups because it allows political parties to select candidates after the election has been held and avoids any chance of voters racially discriminating against a candidate.Example - In 2016 Labour MSP Anas Sarwar was elected courtesy of the regional List vote and is one of only two MSP's from an ethnic minority background in the Scottish parliament.