Edexcel Government & Politics - Unit 1 06/06/16
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That was awful... I ran out of time and what I wrote was just abismal 
Democracy 25 marker
Affects:
- Devolution allows for greater representation of local issues (affects positively)
- Devolution allows for the power to be taken away from the unrepresentative demographic of MP's (affects positively)
- EU allows for unelected commissioners to govern us (affects negatively)
Does not affect (counters):
-Devolved assemblies dont have enough power to represent local views well
- devolved assemblies are still demographically unrepresentative
- We can elect MEP's so EU is not governing unrepresentatively
Can someone tell me if this is okay. Such a s*** question
Affects:
- Devolution allows for greater representation of local issues (affects positively)
- Devolution allows for the power to be taken away from the unrepresentative demographic of MP's (affects positively)
- EU allows for unelected commissioners to govern us (affects negatively)
Does not affect (counters):
-Devolved assemblies dont have enough power to represent local views well
- devolved assemblies are still demographically unrepresentative
- We can elect MEP's so EU is not governing unrepresentatively
Can someone tell me if this is okay. Such a s*** question
Original post by Babs Posh
That was awful... I ran out of time and what I wrote was just abismal
I'm sure you did better than you think!
Which topics did you go for?
hey guys, what points did you make for the 25 marker on pressure groups? (to what extent has influence and power of pressure groups changed in the recent yrs)
Can someone help me on the 25 Marker Democracy question to see if what I wrote is right??
Paragraph 1: Devolution is good gives power to Scots Welsh and NI improves Legitimacy which in turn improves RD However undemocratic beacuse England Doesn't have a local parlament wrote in more depth
Paragraph 2: EU is good stops Government tyranny e.g Human rights act however undermines sovereignty of parliament wrote in more depth
Paragraph 3 : EU is not good as they are unelected judges whereas parliament are voted in and I gave deportation laws as an example of eu stepping on parlament sovereignty as both citizens and government want to deport foreign criminals
Paragraph 1: Devolution is good gives power to Scots Welsh and NI improves Legitimacy which in turn improves RD However undemocratic beacuse England Doesn't have a local parlament wrote in more depth
Paragraph 2: EU is good stops Government tyranny e.g Human rights act however undermines sovereignty of parliament wrote in more depth
Paragraph 3 : EU is not good as they are unelected judges whereas parliament are voted in and I gave deportation laws as an example of eu stepping on parlament sovereignty as both citizens and government want to deport foreign criminals
For the democracy 25 marker, I put the fact that devolution in the past 5 years has encouraged more referendums (Welsh devo extended, Scottish independence because many people believe that was initated by devo in the first place) so this would affect representative democracy as direct democracy is being enforced more and representatives aren't making such big decisions. Is this a valid pont?
Has anyone made a unit 2 thread?
For the pressure groups question I wrote about New social movements and gave examples: I.e the Anti Poll tax federation and The Fuel Lobby
E petitions and how they give access to the centre of government
Pressure groups are becoming more important due to Partisan de alignment and the need to represent minority interests (John Stuart Mill - political philosopher) 'tyranny of majority'
Media campaigns give rise to large numbers being mobilised and media campaigns are often emotive to capture public attention, RSPCA etc
However if the policies do not fit govt agenda, irrespective of celebrity involvement or public support, they met fail, Stop the War campaign and NUS
New social media advances may alienate the elderly
Does this sound goo anyone? Thought the paper was really nice.
E petitions and how they give access to the centre of government
Pressure groups are becoming more important due to Partisan de alignment and the need to represent minority interests (John Stuart Mill - political philosopher) 'tyranny of majority'
Media campaigns give rise to large numbers being mobilised and media campaigns are often emotive to capture public attention, RSPCA etc
However if the policies do not fit govt agenda, irrespective of celebrity involvement or public support, they met fail, Stop the War campaign and NUS
New social media advances may alienate the elderly
Does this sound goo anyone? Thought the paper was really nice.
Original post by elchapo97
hey guys, what points did you make for the 25 marker on pressure groups? (to what extent has influence and power of pressure groups changed in the recent yrs)
Talked about reasons why more powerful
+ Growth of promotional groups
+ More access points to influence
+ Media and E campaign
However, less influence and powerful
- Meaningless participation
- New social movements opted for
- Parliament sovereignty to ignore wishes of pressure groups
briefly the points i talked about
Original post by elchapo97
hey guys, what points did you make for the 25 marker on pressure groups? (to what extent has influence and power of pressure groups changed in the recent yrs)
Power/Influence has changed in recent years:
- Membership of pressure groups increasing, thus representing a larger group of society. (E.g. RSPB has twice as many members as the Conservatives, Labour and Lib Dems combined)
- Pressure groups taking a more prominent role in democratic & policy issues. (E.g. Vote Leave & Britain Stronger in Europe leading the EU Referendum debate)
- New forms of democratic participation like E-Petitions (Government set up a page for petitions due to the increasing popularity)
Power/Influence hasn't changed/has declined:
- Some pressure groups have been ineffective in achieving their objectives. (E.g. Stop the War Coalition, UK Uncut, NUS)
- Political parties still dominant/important in elections, as they are the ones seeking to gain office/government, whereas pressure groups aren't.
One I didn't mention but I should've because I'm silly: The fall of corporatism meaning that trade unions are no longer as powerful as they once were.
I didn't write as much as I'd wanted to, nor in as much depth, mainly due to the timing of the exam and my own bad organisation (getting bogged down with others)
Original post by Liam230899
For the democracy 25 marker, I put the fact that devolution in the past 5 years has encouraged more referendums (Welsh devo extended, Scottish independence because many people believe that was initated by devo in the first place) so this would affect representative democracy as direct democracy is being enforced more and representatives aren't making such big decisions. Is this a valid pont?
I talked about increased referendums caused by the EU as well. Surely it's gotta be a good point?
That exam was alright really, considering!
My answers (from what I remember):
Participation and democracy:
A) - one feature of a parliamentary democracy = parliament is sovereign and has the highest level of power. I gave an example when this has been highlighted.
- a second feature is that government is drawn from parliament, and therefore each member of government also sits in either the commons or lords also. Gave the example of George obsourne.
B) - one reason why voting should be compulsory is to increase levels of turnout, gave example of 2015 GE turnout and said that compulsory voting would help improve this.
- another reason is because it would increase the legitimacy of the government as higher voting levels would lead to a stronger mandate (gave example of Australia where levels never go below 90%)
- a third reason is to improve the amount of informed voters. Said that the compulsory vote would be likely to encourage people to get involved in becoming educated, for example reading party manifestos. Will lead to an overall more informed decision made when voting.
C) - intro
- said about membership of EU improving democracy because it led to the eventual incorporation of ECHR into British law in the form of the HRA in 1998. Better aided people in defending their rights. However, people criticise this because of the lack of entrenchment and so argue that the Act can be repealed or amended if we were to leave the EU.
- said that EU membership could harm democracy because upon joining we accept that certain EU laws are considered higher than UK law. Gave example of the Factortame Case were this became evident. However, some counter this point saying that the power that has been delegated can be easily restored to parliament if we were to leave the EU.
- devolution has enhanced representative democracy because it opened up new access points to pressure groups (gave example of single use carrier bags charge) and then said this shows that smaller groups with perhaps less resources can have a better chance at influencing legislation. However, some would argue that those groups that already have significant wealth and resources can have an unfair advantage over those who rely on access points and therefore may drown them out.
- concluded the points and added to the part about entrenchment of human rights that the liberal democrats support a codified constitution.
PRESSURE GROUPS:
A) one function of a pressure group is to raise profile/publicity for their cause (gave example of greenpeace and destroying GM crops)
Another function is to influence the implementation of legislation. Gave example of BMA influencing the NHS Reforms Bill in 2011-12 in order to secure conditions of a Public Health Service.
B) - one reason why PGs may result to illegal action is to raise profile for their issue. Gave example of greenpeace, said that it will gain publicity and media coverage which can pressure government.
- another reason is outsider status potentially due to lack of resources and the feeling that they can only make an impact with illegal action. Gave example of Fathers For Justice in 2004
- another reason is because their views conflict significantly with the governments. Gave example of Iraq war march in 2003 due to a Labour gov that supported military intervention and then the recent anti-austerity protests that turned violent in opposition to a conservative government.
C) - intro talking about how post WWII = butskellite consensus over state intervention = more interest in politics = arguably led to creation of many pressure groups and interest for participation in later years. But others argue that power and influence is in decline.
- in decline: declining size of TUs. Gave statistics from 1970s compared to 2015. Said that some argue that trade unions therefore have less influence now than they used to.
- not in decline: devolution = more access points (example: single use carrier bags charge passed as a result of effective lobbying). Therefore this shows that PGs still have significant influence over legislation.
- in decline: levels of participation in decline (example of 2015 GE turnout level). Shows that there's a decline in interest that may have been present in the Butskellite era but is now long gone.
- not in decline: only a decrease in FORMAL participation as PGs are fresh, attractive and current. For example, Fathers For Justice views may have been ignored in the past due to being drowned out by radical feminist movements but have now gained representation under a pressure group. Therefore,bid parties are becoming less attractive then this gives PGs more opportunities to further their cause(s).
in decline: 'gagging law' passed during 2010 coalition gov. Restricted spending powers of groups during N elections by up to 60%. Said that this disadvantages groups who rely on gov funding be will of many out of action or will have reduced their influence
not in decline: many groups still exist with a large following and influence who do not rely on gov funding. Gave example of green peace and highlighted a success they had in 2010 preventing a third runway at heathrow.
- conclusion
My answers (from what I remember):
Participation and democracy:
A) - one feature of a parliamentary democracy = parliament is sovereign and has the highest level of power. I gave an example when this has been highlighted.
- a second feature is that government is drawn from parliament, and therefore each member of government also sits in either the commons or lords also. Gave the example of George obsourne.
B) - one reason why voting should be compulsory is to increase levels of turnout, gave example of 2015 GE turnout and said that compulsory voting would help improve this.
- another reason is because it would increase the legitimacy of the government as higher voting levels would lead to a stronger mandate (gave example of Australia where levels never go below 90%)
- a third reason is to improve the amount of informed voters. Said that the compulsory vote would be likely to encourage people to get involved in becoming educated, for example reading party manifestos. Will lead to an overall more informed decision made when voting.
C) - intro
- said about membership of EU improving democracy because it led to the eventual incorporation of ECHR into British law in the form of the HRA in 1998. Better aided people in defending their rights. However, people criticise this because of the lack of entrenchment and so argue that the Act can be repealed or amended if we were to leave the EU.
- said that EU membership could harm democracy because upon joining we accept that certain EU laws are considered higher than UK law. Gave example of the Factortame Case were this became evident. However, some counter this point saying that the power that has been delegated can be easily restored to parliament if we were to leave the EU.
- devolution has enhanced representative democracy because it opened up new access points to pressure groups (gave example of single use carrier bags charge) and then said this shows that smaller groups with perhaps less resources can have a better chance at influencing legislation. However, some would argue that those groups that already have significant wealth and resources can have an unfair advantage over those who rely on access points and therefore may drown them out.
- concluded the points and added to the part about entrenchment of human rights that the liberal democrats support a codified constitution.
PRESSURE GROUPS:
A) one function of a pressure group is to raise profile/publicity for their cause (gave example of greenpeace and destroying GM crops)
Another function is to influence the implementation of legislation. Gave example of BMA influencing the NHS Reforms Bill in 2011-12 in order to secure conditions of a Public Health Service.
B) - one reason why PGs may result to illegal action is to raise profile for their issue. Gave example of greenpeace, said that it will gain publicity and media coverage which can pressure government.
- another reason is outsider status potentially due to lack of resources and the feeling that they can only make an impact with illegal action. Gave example of Fathers For Justice in 2004
- another reason is because their views conflict significantly with the governments. Gave example of Iraq war march in 2003 due to a Labour gov that supported military intervention and then the recent anti-austerity protests that turned violent in opposition to a conservative government.
C) - intro talking about how post WWII = butskellite consensus over state intervention = more interest in politics = arguably led to creation of many pressure groups and interest for participation in later years. But others argue that power and influence is in decline.
- in decline: declining size of TUs. Gave statistics from 1970s compared to 2015. Said that some argue that trade unions therefore have less influence now than they used to.
- not in decline: devolution = more access points (example: single use carrier bags charge passed as a result of effective lobbying). Therefore this shows that PGs still have significant influence over legislation.
- in decline: levels of participation in decline (example of 2015 GE turnout level). Shows that there's a decline in interest that may have been present in the Butskellite era but is now long gone.
- not in decline: only a decrease in FORMAL participation as PGs are fresh, attractive and current. For example, Fathers For Justice views may have been ignored in the past due to being drowned out by radical feminist movements but have now gained representation under a pressure group. Therefore,bid parties are becoming less attractive then this gives PGs more opportunities to further their cause(s).
in decline: 'gagging law' passed during 2010 coalition gov. Restricted spending powers of groups during N elections by up to 60%. Said that this disadvantages groups who rely on gov funding be will of many out of action or will have reduced their influence
not in decline: many groups still exist with a large following and influence who do not rely on gov funding. Gave example of green peace and highlighted a success they had in 2010 preventing a third runway at heathrow.
- conclusion
Is there an unoffical mark scheme? Or can someone predict one? (Grade boundaries included?)
I did the parties 10 marker on Conservatives a little differently to others, it appears. Either a bad thing or a good thing. The question was on how different ideological traditions have influenced the policies of the Conservative Party. My first paragraph was on how one-nation conservatism influenced Conservative policies during the social democratic consensus. My second paragraph was on how classical liberalism influenced Conservative policies during the Thatcher era, creating Thatcherism. My third paragraph was on how both one-nation conservatism and classical liberalism have influenced current Conservative policies under David Cameron. May still get marks, just a different approach and layout.
Original post by AhsanIqbal14
I found it alright but feel like i may have rushed things and not expanded enough, how did you find it?
I found the elections and political parties great. But I didn't do so well in elections because I ran out of time.
Original post by AhsanIqbal14
For 25 mark democracy I put roughly something like...
EU and Devolution have positively effected representative democracy by...
Devolution allows flexibility to different regions allowing them to act accordingly to their own needs like Scotland has no tuition
Eu has MEP allowing representatives torepresent in EU Parliament
Negative affect
EU controls certain aspects of society with its control in some areas of the uk like agriculture excluding those involved in that area in the UK
Devloved institutions have no say over national security which is in representative
Are these points relevant?
EU and Devolution have positively effected representative democracy by...
Devolution allows flexibility to different regions allowing them to act accordingly to their own needs like Scotland has no tuition
Eu has MEP allowing representatives torepresent in EU Parliament
Negative affect
EU controls certain aspects of society with its control in some areas of the uk like agriculture excluding those involved in that area in the UK
Devloved institutions have no say over national security which is in representative
Are these points relevant?
Yeah they're relevent, I spoke about the west Lothian question too and how we don't have a British Parliament yet devolved nations are allowed to have an opinion in Westminster when we don't really have a say in their own parliaments?
And about pooled sovereignty and how eh laws that dicate our society make our laws inferior which restricts us...but yeah I agree with your points!!😁
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Cam anyone remember the exact wording of the democracy 5 marker
Shall I set up a Unit 2 discussion thread?
Original post by Qmwnebrv
Democracy 25 marker
Affects:
- Devolution allows for greater representation of local issues (affects positively)
- Devolution allows for the power to be taken away from the unrepresentative demographic of MP's (affects positively)
- EU allows for unelected commissioners to govern us (affects negatively)
Does not affect (counters):
-Devolved assemblies dont have enough power to represent local views well
- devolved assemblies are still demographically unrepresentative
- We can elect MEP's so EU is not governing unrepresentatively
Can someone tell me if this is okay. Such a s*** question
Affects:
- Devolution allows for greater representation of local issues (affects positively)
- Devolution allows for the power to be taken away from the unrepresentative demographic of MP's (affects positively)
- EU allows for unelected commissioners to govern us (affects negatively)
Does not affect (counters):
-Devolved assemblies dont have enough power to represent local views well
- devolved assemblies are still demographically unrepresentative
- We can elect MEP's so EU is not governing unrepresentatively
Can someone tell me if this is okay. Such a s*** question
I agree with ya man I mentioned the west Lothian question for the devolved nation bit and a bit about how eu laws succeed uk laws limiting us and pooled sovereignty but that's really more relevant in unit 2..but good work!!😁👌🏻
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Original post by alevelpain
Has anyone made a unit 2 thread?
There's already a unit 1 and unit 2 one as one thread
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