Theme B

• What are political parties?

  Organizations that represent different political ideologies and compete for power in elections.
• What is the aim of a political party ?

  to win a general election and form a government
• What is a manifesto ?


  a list on what a party will do if they win the general election
• What are the principles of Labour?


  they represent the working class , believe in a the NHS , free education , believe in raising tax contribution from the very wealthy,believe in the government owning public services and running them
• What are the principles of the Liberal Democrat?

  formed to represnt the middle between conservative and labour ,believe in free education ,everyone should be taxed more to fund public services ,raising benefits for 19-21 year old
• What are the principles of the Conservatives?

  wishes to protect the British culture/traditions ,promote more private ownership of business ,create more selective schools to improve standards ,spend more on the NHS ,limiting welfare and government spending ,like to known as a low tax party]
• Who are eligible people to stand for as a candidate as a MP?

  if you are 18+,British citizen or a Commonwealth citizen ,nominated by 10 people in the constituency you live in ,paid £500
• Why do you have to pay £500 to stand as a candidate as an MP?

  its a deposit ,if you get over 5% of votes it is returned
• Who are not eligible to stand as a candidate for MP?

  if you are a civil servant ,police,armed forces,judge,peer in House of Lords,Bishop,prison for over a year
• What is the process on how candidates are elected ?

  join a political party

  Apply to stand as a candidate

  Canvass (By hustings) for support to stand

  Local political party vote for who they want to stand

  Winner is the one chosen to stand as an MP

  Then they have to win on their constituency at a general election
• What is democracy ?


  means the rule of people,so people get to vote for who rules their country
• What is representative democracy?

  A system of government where citizens elect representatives to make decisions on their behalf.
• What is direct democracy?


  a system of government where citizens directly participate in decision-making and policy-making processes.
• What are the strengths of representative democracy?


  every citizen gets a say in who represents them , parliament is more representative of what people want
• What are the weaknesses of representative democracy?

  elections only every 5 years , so most MPs will vote with their party even if its not what they agree on
• What are the strengths of direct democracy ?

  clear results are yes/no ,every vote is counted so everyone gets a say
• What are the weaknesses of direct democracy ?

  the issues in referendum are often complex and people may not understand
• How many constituency seats are there in the House of Commons?

  650 seats for MPs to grab and each seat is taken for 5 years,unless they are sacked or resign
• How often do general elections happen ?

  every 5 years unless there is a vote of no confidence in the government or 2/3 of the MPs vote for a general election
• Who can vote in general elections ?

  if your 18+,a UK or Commonwealth citizen ,your registered to vote ,MPs and candidates standing for elections
• Who can't vote in general elections ?

  peers in the house of lords ,migrants who do not have UK citizenship ,convicted prisoners ,people who have been found guilty of election coruption in the last 5 years
• What is a FOR argument for lowering the voting age to 16?

  elections take place every 5 years and 16 year old and education ,training etc are really effected and they should have a say in their future
• What are the AGAINST arguments for lowering the voting age to 16?

  some 16 year olds are not well informed ,too imature ,influenced by parents or peers
• How does First past the Post system work ?

  a candidate has to win outright their constituency and the winner then takes up the seats in the house of commons representing that constituency
• What are the strengths of FPTP?

  its is simple and easy to understand ,quick and results within 24 hours ,it does not allow extremist parties to have too much of a say ,
• What are the weaknesses of FPTP?

  winning candidate can be elected on little public support ,encourages tactical voting of voting against your least fav candidate
• How does proportional representation work ?


  everyone votes but the seats are allocated by the % the party gets (people vote for the party than the candidate )
• What are the strengths of proportional representation ?


  fewer wasted votes ,every vote counts ,its fairier to minority parties
• What are the weaknesses of proportional representation ?

  MPs may not be local to their constituency so they may not have a knowledge or interest in what is happening in their constituency
• How many seats must a party win to form a government ?

  326 or more seats
• What happens if a party doesnt get 326 seats ?

  the largest party might form a coalition with a small party in order for the government to run
• What happens if a party almost gets 326 seats ?

  they can make a informal agreement with another party where that smaller party agrees to vote them
• What happens when the party has enough seats to form a government ?

  the leader of the party goes to see the Monarch who asks if they can form a government ,if yes then the Monarch approves them as Prime Minister
• What is the role of the Black Rod?

  a ceremony where in the opening of Parliament taking place in the House of Lords,the Black Rod calls the MPs from the House of Commons to listen to the Monarch in the House of Lords and the door of Commons is slammed in Black rods face
• Why is the door slammed in Black Rods face?

  because Parliament is regarded as independent
• What happens after the door is slammed in Black Rods face?

  Black Rod then has to knock on the door with the rod in order to summon the MPs to the House of Lords to listen to the Monarch reading out the speech that the government has written
• What are the roles of a civil servant?

  they work for the government ,not MPs , their are 400,00 in the Uk that pay for benefits and penisons etc
• What else are the roles of a civil servant?

  they are politically neutral ,appointed officers ,they work for ministers ,they also advise and write policies
• What qualities should a civil servant have ?

  Integrity : putting the needs of the public above their own

  Honesty and objectivity : making decisions based on evidence rather opinions

  Impartiality : serve all government equally well
• What are the responsibilities of senior civil servants ?

  they have more responsibility e.g. preparing legislation (laws),finding answers to parliamentary questions ,managing policies and meeting representatives of other groups,their are 4000 senior civil servants