Aqa As Government And Politics Unit One

Front 1

Define 'class dealignment'

Back 1

A situation where members of a social class stop aligning themselves in terms of class and believe they no longer belong to a certain class. An example of this would be in the working class began to view themselves as lower middle class

Front 2

When did class dealignment take place in Britain?

Back 2

After the 1960s, many people were more likely to pursue higher education, have professional jobs which made them more affluent.

Front 3

Define 'partisan dealignment'

Back 3

The process of people no longer voting according to their social class. These people lose their traditional class loyalties to a particular party.

Front 4

Provide an example of 'partisan dealignment' in the UK.

Back 4

The Barking and Dagenham 2006 local election results showed partisan dealignment from the traditional Labour identification to the extreme right British National Party

Front 5

What is a multi-party system?

Back 5

A political system in which more than two parties exist and contest elections with a realistic prospect of achieving political power. (Multiparty systems usually operate under proportional representation systems and result in coalitions.)

Front 6

List two advantages of multi-party systems.

Back 6

Voters have a wide choice. Voters are more likely to vote for a party that reflects their view, If a coalition is necessary, the ruling parties will have to compromise to achieve power.

Front 7

List two disadvantages of multi-party systems.

Back 7

Small parties can wield disproportionate influence in forming coalition governments. The withdrawal of small parties can cause the coalition to collapse.

Front 8

Is the UK becoming a multi-party system?

Back 8

The share of the vote of the two main parties has delcined from 90% or more in the 1950s to 65% in the 2010 general election. The Liberal Democrats were in coalition after the general election. (The absence of PR for Westminster elections means genuine multi-party politics is unlikely)

Front 9

Argue the case that the UK has a two-party system

Back 9

Between 1945 and 2010 Conservative and Labour have alternated in government, so in terms of winning elections there was a two-party system.

Front 10

Present the case that the UK has a three-party system

Back 10

Three parties share most of the votes cast at general elections, and after the 2010 general election the Liberal Democrats went into government with the Conservatives.

Front 11

Argue the case that the UK has a dominant-party system.

Back 11

The Conservatives were in power from 1979 to 1997 and Labour from 1997 to 2010.

Front 12

Which system best describes the UK at present?

Back 12

A dominant-party system best describes the UK between 1979 and 2010, with a period of Conservative dominance followed by a period of New Labour dominance

Front 13

How democratic is the process by which the main UK political parties elect their leaders?

Back 13

All three parties involve their members. The Liberal Democratic leader is elected under one member, one vote (OMOV). The Conservative Party does use OMOV, but only after the party's have finalised a choice of two candidates. Labour also uses OMOV but its members only constitute one-third of the electoral college that selects the leader.

Front 14

Is the way in which the main parties select their candidates for parliamentary election best sees as 'top-down' or 'bottom-up'?

Back 14

Ostensibly, all choice candidates locally, but those selected must be taken from lists of centrally approved candidates. The Labour Party allows the central party to impose a candidate upon a constituency.

Front 15

Which of the three main UK political parties formulates its policies in the most democratic way?

Back 15

The Liberal Democrats. Their annual national conference remains the party's sovereign policy-making party

Front 16

What ideological positions were traditionally associated with the Conservative Party and the Labour Party?

Back 16

The Labour Party was formed by trade unions and socialist societies, so it has been regarded as a socialist party for most of its existence. The Conservative Party traditionally favoured pragmatism and believed in gradual improvements founded on experience and existing institutions, rather than a prior reasoning and radical change.

Front 17

In what respect have these parties shifted from their traditional ideological positions?

Back 17

Labour distanced itself from socialism under Tony Blair, e.g. redrafting Clause IV. Margaret Thatcher abandoned a traditional conservative approach by adopting a radical neo-liberal agenda. More recently, David Cameron tried to re-brand the Conservative party by focusing on environmental policy and social exclusion.

Front 18

Why do some commentators refer to an 'end of ideology'?

Back 18

The two main political parties are no longer ideologically distinct. they appear to be arguing over the tone and presentation of policy rather than its substance.

Front 19

Identify some of the different kinds of minor parties that operate in the UK

Back 19

Regional (e.g. Plaid Cymru); single-issue (e.g. UKIP); ideological (e.g. BNP)

Front 20

Identify one reason why minor parties have traditionally found it difficult to achieve electoral success in the UK

Back 20

The first-past-the-post electoral system, employed in virtually all elections before 1997, made it difficult for smaller parties as they had to win a large proportion of the vote in a constituency before they had any chance of winning.

Front 21

Give reasons why minor parties have become more popular in recent years

Back 21

The tendency of the big parties to move towards the centre ground has forced many who would previously have supported such parties into the arms of minor parties. The adoption of proportional or hybrid electoral systems in some UK elections has also benefitted such parties.