View source for Making Your Mind Up: Key Debates in A-Level Politics

==Instructions==
* Decide what your opinion is, have your reasons to justify your point of view, and do so well before the exam.   Also, pick a side: no fence-sitting!

==Key Debates in Paper 1==
===Democracy & Participation===
*Is direct democracy better than representative democracy or vice versa?
*Is our representative democracy in need of reform?
*Has the franchise been extended far enough?
*Do pressure groups or collective organisations (including think tanks, lobbyists and corporations) succeed in their attempts to influence policy makers?
*Are our rights sufficiently protected in the United Kingdom?
===Political Parties===
*Are political parties still fit for purpose?
*Does the party funding system need reform?
*What is needed for a political party to succeed?
*Is there a one-, two-, or multi-party system at play in the United Kingdom?
*Is there any difference between the political parties in the United Kingdom?
===Electoral Systems===
*Do the advantages of First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) / Additional Member System (AMS) / Single Transferable Vote (STV) / Supplementary Vote (SV) outweigh the disadvantages?
*Is the electoral system used by the devolved body in Scotland / Wales / Northern Ireland better than that deployed for Westminster elections?
*Do referenda have a place in a representative democracy?
*Should the United Kingdom use just one electoral system?
===Voting Behaviour & the Media===
===Core Political Ideas: Conservatism===
===Core Political Ideas: Liberalism===
===Core Political Ideas: Socialism===

==Key Debates in Paper 2==
===The Constitution===
*Has the reforms to Parliament gone far enough?
*Should the UK Constitution be codified?
*Does there need to be further devolution to Northern Ireland, Scotland, or Wales?
*Is there any need for an English Parliament or English regional assemblies?
*Would the UK be better off as a federal rather than a unitary state?

===Parliament===
*Does Parliament fulfil its functions?
*Is the House of Lords becoming more assertive?
*Is the legislative process in need of reform?
*Do backbenchers play a significant role in the 21st Century?
*Are Select Committees as effective scrutineers as they could be?
*Has Questions to the Prime Minister become a performance?
*How significant is Her Majesty's Official Opposition and the other opposition parties?

===The Prime Minister & the Executive===
===The Relationship between the Branches of the Government===
===Non-Core Political Ideas: Anarchism===

==Key Debates in Paper 3==
===The Constitution===
*How democratic are the provisions in the Constitution?
*Do the strengths of the Constitution outweigh the weaknesses?
*Are the checks and balances in the Constitution sufficient?
*Is the amendment process advantageous?
*Is the Federal Government a dominant influence over the States?

===Congress===
*How powerful is Congress?
*Does Congress resemble the American people?
*Do congressional elections lead to real change?
*Do Members of Congress vote according to party more than any other factor?
*Is the legislative process in need of reform?
*Has Congress achieved anything substantial in recent times?
*Has Congress managed to check and balance the power of the executive and judicial branches?
*Is partisanship in Congress increasing or decreasing?

===The Presidency===
*Are the formal or informal sources of presidential power more important?
*Are the limitations on presidential power impactful?
*Does the President or Congress have the upper hand?
*Is there presently an Imperial Presidency?
*Can the President act with impunity when it comes to foreign policy?
*Did your two chosen Presidents succeed in achieving their aims?

===The Supreme Court & Civil Rights===
*Is the appointments process in need of reform?
*Is the Supreme Court a political or judicial body?
*Should the Supreme Court practice judicial activism or restraint?
*How impactful has the Supreme Court been on public policy since 2005?
*How well-protected are civil liberties in the United States?
*Has the Supreme Court done enough to promote equality in recent times?
*Is the present state of race relations in the United States better or worse than it has been?

===Democracy & Participation===
*Is the Presidential Election Process in need of reform?
*How likely is an incumbent President to be re-elected?
*Is there any significant differences within and between the Democratic and Republican parties?
*Has campaign finance reform gone far enough?
*Are special interest groups too powerful?

==Return to "Politics"==
*[[Politics|Politics]]