Democracy - Scotland

• What is a political party in Scottish Politics?

  SNP- Currently in power most MSPS in paraliament. Believe in Independence from Scotland. Humza Yousaf is their leader. For example Yes/No referendum on independence was 2014 and No won 51.49
• How is the First Minister very powerful?

  Leader of the Scottish Government- Make the final decisions on what each department of government does and can approve or reject policies. For example Nicola Sturgeon approved the government responses on Covid 19
• Why is the First Mininster not powerful?

  Sometimes have to agree deals to pass bills- Government does not have majority of MSPS in Scottish Paraliament the first minister has to agree deals with smaller parties. For example agree a deal with greens so that their budget passed each year in 2016
• What is one government response to alcohol related crime?

  Reduce Alcohol consumptio- government hoped people would drink less alcohol if it was more expensive which would reduce crimes committed. For example introduced the Road Traffic Act in 2014 which reduced the amount someone can drink and drive
• What is a method used to campaign in an election?

  Take part in debates- A representative of the party will take part in a public debate against people from opposite party. For example Leaders Debates on BBC, STV with the Nicola Sturgeon against the other leaders.
• What is a method used to campaign in an election?

  Manifesto- Collection of policies that a party has. Like a promise to voters. For example SNP said in 2021 that all students should have a laptop/ primary school free meals
• What is one method of media that is influential?

  Targeted adds- Media companies like twitter, facebook use the data they learn about to target you with adverts. For example younger voters more often see videos of youngest SNP MP Mhan Black and older see videos of Boris Johnson
• What is another method of media that is influential?

  Running debates- Broadcasters have to balance in their reporting they will organise leadership debates so that people at home can hear the views and make up their minds. For example Nicola Sturgeon took part in Leaders debate on BBC, Channel 4 in 2022
• What is another method of media that is influential?

  Front page headlines- print media is allowed to be biased it will often use its front covers to express opinions in a sensationalist way to encourage the reader to join its point of view. For example run up to 2021 Scottish Election the Daily Mail ran headlines warning voters of SNP while the National made fun of conservatives and Boris Johnson
• What is one role of political parties?

  Recruit and promote campaigns- Scotlands Democracy each of the parties have to recruit people to stand and represent them/ recruit most popular voters to be more successfu. For example all parties introduced to promote more female in winnable seats in 2021
• Why do people decide to vote?

  Some people are members of a party, others support their policies. Makes them want to go out and vote to show their support. For example people who care about the environment may be members of the Scottish Green Party
• How can people participate in Scotland? (Paraliament)

  The right to protest- They can form pre organised march to show their opinions and use placards with slogans. For example there were anti-independence marches in the lead up to the independence referendum in 2014
• Why might people not decide to vote?

  Feel their vote is wasted- Supporters of small parties who can’t win the election might just not bother, as they don’t see much point in it. For example in 2015 General Election, UKIP got 3.8 million votes and only one seat, whilst the SNP got 1.3 million votes and 56 seats
• How can people participate in Scotland (Paraliament) ?

  The right to join a pressure group- This shows how much support they have and in order to try and influence decision making. For example join friends of Earth Scotland if your a person who cares about the environment
• How do MSPS vote?

  To vote the presiding officer is will ask MSPS a question they can answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ or ‘abstain’. In the chamber MSPS usually vote at Decision Time on the issues. For example some things MSPS can vote on are changes to bills or if they agree with a debate.
• What is one effective method used by pressure groups?

  Letter writing- To write to the government or companies to get support/ shows someone like MSP how much support people get to not lose votes. For example Surfers Against Sewage organised a letter writing about bottle deposit
• Why might people decide not to vote?

  Voter Apathy- A lot of people arent interested in politics or don’t care what party forms the government. They may also have lack of trust of politicians. For example Derek Mackay claimed almost £10,000 in expenses despite not attending Holyrood during his final year as an MSP in the 2021 election
• How can the first minister represent his country?

  He can talk about the country on the news to promote Scotland. It will help with relations with countries for trade and tourism. For example Nicola Sturgeon went on the Daily Mail show in 2015 promoting Fringe Festival
• What are reserved matters?

  Social Security

  Immigration

  Foreign Affairs

  Data Protection
• What is a devolved power in Scotland? 


  Law and Order- This is when in Scotland courts there is guilty, not guilty and unproven in some countries it’s different. For example unlike England, Scotland doesnt have a legal age limit for botox and fillers.
• What are devolved matters?

  Education

  Housing

  Local government

  Social Work
• What does Humza Yousaf do as the First Minister?

  One of his roles is to shuffle the cabinet. This is when he chooses 9 other MSPS who are to become responsible for advising him on important decisions. For example he choose a new cabinet when he took over as First Minister in March 2023
• What is one effective method used by pressure groups?

  Lobbying- Involves meeting directly with decision makers like MSPS to persuade them to support the groups cause shown in the media. For example the TIE campaign won year campaign for their success to have the first LGBT+ and education system
• Why would some people join a pressure group?

  Because they support aims

  They know they can be effective

  To express their political rights
• What is a devolved matter?

  Health- Making sure people of Scotland are healthy and have services and treatments to healthcare. For example Nicola sturgeon as First Minister set up the Louisa Jordan Hospital in Glasgow
• What is one role of the media?

  Educate Us- help educate the public on party policies, new laws and complex issues. For example in 2016 election all the political parties used twitter to share election manifestos to educate voters
• What is another role of the media?

  Inform Us- keep the public updated on any breaking news and current affairs. For example in the Covid 19 Pandemic the First Minister gave a daily brief on the BBC to make sure people knew the rules and stayed safe
• What is another role of the media?

  Influence Us- make us think in a particular way and encourage us to vote for a party. For example in 2021 Scottish election the Daily Mail ran headlines warning voters of SNP and supported Conservatives while the National ran headlines making fun of Conservatives and Boris Johnson.
• What is an AMS advantage?

  It is fair as no. of votes should represent no. of seats. This results in fewer wasted votes and better turnout as a chance for seats is higher. For example last election in 2021 was 55% voter turn out
• What is another AMS advantage?

  Helps minor parties, it reduces monoply of large parties to gain seats. Helps smaller parties gain seats in the Paraliament. For example in 2021 Green Party gained 7 seats in the Scottish Paraliament
• What is an AMS disadvantage?

  Harder to understand, due to the multiple choices on offer people were confused with the system so more of a chance of it being wrong. For example this resulted in 1.85% of ballots rejected in 2021 election
• What is another AMS disadvantage?

  Confusion over MSPS, Scottish voters have 8 MSPS this can cause confusion who seek and responsible for what. For example Mid Scotland and Fife Regional MSP Murdo Fraser is one of 8 MSPS in a consituents area such as Perth-South
• What is the purpose of a committee?

  To conduct inquiries- the committees will gather evidence on an issue, learn any important lessons and make recommendations for the future. For example in 2020 the Education and Skills committee opened an enquiry into why some schools are not teaching modern studies.
• What does a committee work to do?

  It works to scrutinise government proposals and conduct inquiries into specific matters. Each committee is given a particular area to examine. For example Education and Culture Committee considers and reports matters relating to school and pre-school education as welk as culture and arts.
• What is a disadvantage of the FIRST PAST THE POST?

  Many votes do not make a differenc, especially in consituencies where a candidate wins with a large majority. This can lead to voter apathy. For example in 2016 election the turnout was only 55%
• What is an advantage of the FIRST PAST THE POST?

  An easy system for voters to understand it as its a fair system as the candidate with the most votes wins. For example in 2016 Tavish Scott (Liberal Democrat’s) won the Shetland Islands seat with 67.4% of the vote.
• What is one role of an individual?

  Informed during the campaign- Pay attention to the campaigns so they understand the issues, make their minds up. For example watching the Leaders Debates or Party Political Broadcasts