What are the 3 roles/importance of the House of Lords
Scrutinising the government
Making Laws
Opposing the government
What is scrutinising the government
(Describe, in detail, two roles of the House of Lords)
(Explain in detail, two/three reasons why the House of lords is an important part of the Uk parliament)
One reason why the House of Lords is important is to Scrutinise the Government.
The lords can scrutinise the work of the government during debates and committees, and peers often have more time to do this than MPs as they don’t have constituency work. Many peers can also provide expert scrutiny as they have been appointed due to a significant contribution they have made in a particular area.
An example of this is a medical scientist Lord Winston.
What is making laws?
(Describe, in detail, two roles of the House of Lords)
(Explain in detail, two/three reasons why the House of lords is an important part of the Uk parliament)
One reason why the House of Lords is Important is to make new laws.
Most bills passed by the commons require approval of the lords before becoming a law, if the lords don’t support the law it is then delayed by a year. The lords can also make amendments to bills and can improve them.
An example of this is in 2023, the lords successfully amended the online safety bill to make it a crime to encourage another person to self harm.
What is opposing the government?
(Describe, in detail, two roles of the House of Lords)
(Explain in detail, two/three reasons why the House of lords is an important part of the Uk parliament)
One reason why the House of Lords is important is to oppose the government.
Unlike in the commons, the governing party does not had a majority of seats in the lords, therefore it can usually provide more effective opposition to the government.
An example of this is since 2019 the government has been defeated in over 500 votes in the lords.
What are the 2 roles/power of the prime minister?
(describe, in detail, two roles of the prime minister)
(Explain, in detail, two/three reasons why the Prime minister is very powerful)
Appointing the cabinet
cabinet chairperson
What is appointing the cabinet + example
(describe, in detail, two roles of the prime minister)
(Explain, in detail, two/three reasons why the Prime minister is very powerful)
One role/ one reason why the prime minister is powerful is because of appointing the cabinet.
The PM appoints the cabinet and can decide which government departments they will be responsable for running. They can sack any members if they are no longer wanted in the government.
This makes the PM powerful as they will usually appoint political allies who are more likely to be supportive of their policies.
An example of this is in 2024, keir starmer appointed John healey as defence secretary.
What is cabinet chairperson + example
(describe, in detail, two roles of the prime minister)
(Explain, in detail, two/three reasons why the Prime minister is very powerful)
One role/ one reason why the prime minister is powerful is Cabinet chairperson.
The pm chairs weekly meetings of the cabinet to discuss key government policies.
This can make the PM powerful as they decide what will be discussed and who can speak during meetings: and once decisions are made, members of the cabinet are bound by collective responsibility which means they must publicly support decisions or resign.
An example of this is in 2024, keir starmer called an emergency cabinet meeting to discuss how the government should respond to the riots in England.
What are the other 2 roles/power of the prime minister?
(describe, in detail, two roles of the prime minister)
(Explain, in detail, two/three reasons why the Prime minister is very powerful)
Royal prerogative
International role
What are the prerogative power + examples
(describe, in detail, two roles of the prime minister)
(Explain, in detail, two/three reasons why the Prime minister is very powerful)
One role/ one reason why the prime minister is powerful is Prerogative powers.
One prerogative power is appointing peers to the House of Lords. Each year the PM can replace those who have retired or died.
Ex: in 2020 boris Johnson made his own brother a peer
What is international role + example
(describe, in detail, two roles of the prime minister)
(Explain, in detail, two/three reasons why the Prime minister is very powerful)
One role/ one reason why the prime minister is powerful is International role.
The PM represents the Uk on the global stage by meeting with heads of government from around the world.
Ex: in November 2024, keir starmer will attend cop 29 to meet with other world leaders to reach international agreements.
What are the 3 advantages/ features of FPTP
(Describe, in detail, two features of FPTP)
(Explain, two/three advantages of FPTP)
Straightforward system,
keeps out extremist parties,
one party majority government
What is the straightforward system
(Describe, in detail, two features of FPTP)
(Explain, two/three advantages of FPTP)
One advantage/feature of first past the post is the straightforward system.
Voters are simply required to mark an ‘X’ next to their preferred candidate, and the candidate with the most votes is elected MP and wins the seat.
This makes it easy for all voters to understand, regardless of their political awareness and age, which may encourage more people to vote and lead to less spoilt ballots.
Ex: (could make something up about older people struggling with certain voting systems and how FTPT benefits them)
What is keeps out extremist parties + example
(Describe, in detail, two features of FPTP)
(Explain, two/three advantages of FPTP)
One advantage/feature of first past the post is that it keeps out extremist parties.
FPTP is winner takes all which means that votes for losing candidates in a constituency count for nothing and are essentially wasted votes.
This could be used as an advantage as it is harder for small parties with extreme or racist views to win seats, such as Britain’s first or BNP.
Ex: unlike European countries with proportional electoral systems, no extremist parties have managed to win seats in the House of Commons, therefore denying them a platform in parliament to put forward extreme views.
What is one party majority government + example
(Describe, in detail, two features of FPTP)
(Explain, two/three advantages of FPTP)
One advantage/feature of first past the post is that it is a one party majority government.
FPTP usually produces a one party majority government despite receiving a minority of votes.
This could be viewed as an advantage as it provides a stronger government that can effectively make tough decisions compared with coalition or minority government that occurs when there is a hung parliament.
Ex: in 2020, it may have been harder for the Uk government to quickly introduce tough measures to address the COVID 19 pandemic if they hadn’t had a majority.
What are the 3 disadvantages/features of FPTP?
(Describe, in detail, two features of FPTP)
(Explain, two/three disadvantages of FPTP)
Tactical voting,
one party majority government , disproportional representation
What is tactical voting + example
(Describe, in detail, two features of FPTP)
(Explain, two/three disadvantages of FPTP)
One disadvantage/feature of first past the post is tactical voting.
Most constituencies are either a ‘safe seat’ where the same party wins at successive elections or are a ‘Two horse race’ but rarely do three or more parties in a constituency have a realistic chance of winning the seat, which can lead to tactical voting.
This is when voters think their proffered party will be a wasted vote so instead vote for a party with better chances of winning; which means the result doesn’t reflect the voters true preferences.
Ex: in 2024, 22% of voters said they voted tactically.
What is one party majority government + example
(Describe, in detail, two features of FPTP)
(Explain, two/three disadvantages of FPTP)
One disadvantage/feature of first past the post is one party majority government.
FPTP usually produces a one party majority government despite receiving a minority of votes.
This is arguably unfair was they can easily pass new laws despite most people voting against them.
Ex: 19 of the 22 post war Uk GEs have produced a one party majority government but in none of those did the winning party win a majority of votes.
What is disproportional representation + example
(Describe, in detail, two features of FPTP)
(Explain, two/three disadvantages of FPTP)
One feature/disadvantage of FPTP is disproportional representation.
The % of seats a party wins is disproportional to is % of votes. This is because FPTP is ‘winner takes all’ which means that voted for losing candidates in a constituency count for nothing and are essentially wasted votes.
This can be seen as unfair as it tends to benefit larger parties and disadvantage smaller parties who struggle to concentrate enough votes to win seats therefore many votes are wasted.
Ex: In 2024, reform received 14% of votes but less than 1% of the seats.
What are the three reasons why women are under- represented in the Uk parliament?
(Explain, three reasons why women are under-represented in the Uk parliament)
Culture of the west minister,
caring responsibilities,
media abuse/scruting
What is Culture of the west minister + example
(Explain, three reasons why women are under-represented in the Uk parliament)
One reason why women are under-represented in the Uk parliament is Culture of the westminister)
Many women may be put off standing as a candidate remaining as an MP due to the perception that westminister has a misogynistic(sexist) culture. In recent years there have been several allegations of sexist bullying and sexual misconduct
Ex: in 2022, an MP was caught watching porn in the House of Commons
What is caring responsibilities + example
(Explain, three reasons why women are under-represented in the Uk parliament)
One reason why women are under-represented in the Uk parliament is caring responsibilities
Women may be put off standing as a candidate or remaining as an MP because they are more likely to be responsible for caring for children and working hours of the Uk parliament may be unsuitable for those with young families.
Ex: debates can sometimes go on as late as 10pm. Furthermore, MPs are required to be in the House of Commons from Monday to Thursday which means MPs, including all of the Scottish MPs, need to live in London for the week.
What is Media abuse/scruting + example
(Explain, three reasons why women are under-represented in the Uk parliament)
One reason why women are under-represented in the Uk parliament is media abuse/scruting
Many women may be put off standing as a candidate or remaining as an MP because of the abuse received by some female female MPs on social media. The media often scrutinises the appearance of female politicians rather than their policies which they usually do not do to male politicians.
Example: In 2024, mhairi Black stood down as an MP due to the horrific abuse she experiences online
Or
Example: In 2017, the daily mail had a front page picture of Theresa may and Nicola sturgeon with the headline who won legs it.
What are the 3 reasons why ethnic minority are under represented in the Uk parliament
Culture of westminister, media abuse/scruting, role models
What is Culture of the west minister + example
(Explain, three reasons why ethnic minority are under-represented in the Uk parliament)
One reason why ethnic minority are under-represented in the Uk parliament is Culture of the westminister)
Many ethnic minority people may be put off standing as a candidate or remaining as an MP due to several allegations of racist bullying and misconduct in recent years.
Ex: in 2022, an MP was suspended for Making racist comments in one of the bars in parliament.
