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• Identity


  Our sense of who we are and how we see ourselves
• Factors that make up identity

  • Religion
  • Culture
  • Ethnic or national origin
  • Accent and dialect
  • Sexuality, gender and lifestyle choices
  • Socio-economic status
  • Cuisine and dietary choice
  • Subculture, media and musical preferences
  • Political views
  • Profession
• British Isles


  Geographical description of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Isle of Wight, and several smaller islands
• Great Britain


  The single large land mass of England, Wales, and Scotland
• United Kingdom


  Our nation state composed of the four constituent nations of Northern Ireland, Scotland, England, and Wales
• Constituent nations of the UK

  • England
  • Wales
  • Scotland
  • Northern Ireland
• Immigration


  The act of moving to and settling in another country
• Emigration


  The act of leaving a country with the intention of settling elsewhere
• Factors causing migration


  • Standards of living
  • Peace and political stability
  • Human rights and freedoms
  • Economic factors
• Waves of migration into the UK

  • 1950s and '60s from the West Indies and Caribbean (Windrush Generation)
  • 1970s and '80s from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh
  • 1990s and 2000s from Poland and other parts of Eastern Europe
• Diversity in the UK population

  • Religions (Christianity, Islam, Judaism, non-religious)
  • Sexualities (heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, asexual)
  • Gender identities (transgender, gender-fluid)
• The UK population is increasingly urban and decreasingly rural
• The UK population is slowly increasingly aging, with the average age increasing slowly
• The general trend of population change in the UK is to increase diversity
• Key principles and values underpinning life in the UK

  • Democracy
  • Tolerance of others
  • Diversity of the population
  • Rule of law
  • Secularism
  • Constitutional monarchy
• Human rights in the UK

  • Right to life
  • Right to freedom of religion
  • Right to freedom of association
  • Right to freedom from torture
• Political rights in the UK

  • Right to vote
  • Right for vote to be secret
  • Right to free speech
  • Right to freedom of conscience
• Moral rights in the UK

  • Right to an education
  • Right to freedom of thought and expression
  • Right to be credited for work which is yours
• Legal rights in the UK

  • Right to a fair trial
  • Equality before the law
  • Innocent until proven guilty
  • Right to representation
• The UN Universal Declaration on Human Rights in 1948 set out basic and universal fundamental human rights
• The European Convention on Human Rights in 1953 established basic human rights in Europe and set up the European Court of Human Rights
• The UN Convention on the Rights of a Child in 1989 set out basic and universal fundamental human rights specific to children
• Local government


  Elected in local elections, deals with smaller issues in a specific local area
• Devolved governments


  Rule over a constituent nation of the United Kingdom, elected by individuals in those nations, have powers over most matters in that area
• Requirements to stand for election in the UK

  • Over 18 years of age
  • British, Irish or Commonwealth citizen
  • Nominated by a party or independent candidate
  • Not in a disqualifying profession
  • Not otherwise disqualified
• Candidate selection


  1. Only one candidate per party can stand in each constituency

  2. Larger parties carry out interviews to select a candidate

  3. Existing MPs get to stand for their party by default

  4. Candidate receiving most votes becomes that constituency's MP

  5. Candidates receiving under 5% of the vote lose their £500 deposit
• Requirements to vote in elections in the UK

  • 18 or over
  • British, Irish, or Commonwealth citizen
  • Registered to vote
  • Resident at a UK address or living abroad with British citizenship
  • Not legally excluded from voting
• Arguments for reducing the voting age to 16 include that young people are affected by elections, they pay some taxes, and it would encourage young people to be more interested and involved in politics and current affairs
• Arguments against reducing the voting age to 16 include that there are many things which cannot be done at 16, young people have less life experience and do not always have the maturity to make an informed decision when voting
• Voter turnout


  The number of people who do vote in a constituency, compared to all of those who can
• Factors affecting voter turnout

  • Weather
  • Date of election
  • Big issues on the day
  • Voter apathy and disengagement
  • Average age of electorate
  • How close the election is
• Ways taxes are raised

  • National Insurance
  • Income Tax
  • VAT
  • Corporation Tax
  • Fines and penalties
  • Sales
• Ways government spending is allocated

  • Social security and welfare
  • Health
  • Education
  • Defense
  • Interest payments
  • Public order and safety
  • Environment and transport
• Traditional right-wing view on taxation and spending

  Taxes and spending should both be low, people should keep more of their wages but public services should be more limited and people should be more self-reliant
• Traditional left-wing view on taxation and spending

  Taxes and spending should both be higher, people should contribute more but public services should be better funded and more should be provided by the government
• First past the post electoral system

  The United Kingdom is divided into 650 constituencies, each electing a single MP, the candidate receiving the most votes wins
• Advantages of first past the post

  • Tends to result in strong and stable governments
  • Simple and relatively easy to understand
  • Each MP is linked to their constituents
• Disadvantages of first past the post

  • Smaller parties are greatly disadvantaged
  • Elections can be won by way less than 50% of the vote
  • Millions of votes may be irrelevant
  • Elections are decided by a small number of swing constituencies
• Alternatives to first past the post

  • Proportional representation
  • Alternative vote system
  • List system
• Parts of government


  • Executive (Prime Minister and Cabinet)
  • Legislature (Parliament)
  • Judiciary (Courts)