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

• Do manifestos win and lose elections?
• Do demographics (age/class/ethnicity/gender/region) determine political allegiance?
• How important are opinion polls to election results?
• How important are campaigns to election results?
• Does the media determine election results?

Core Political Ideas: Conservatism

• Do conservatives agree on the economy?
• Do conservatives agree on human nature?
• Do conservatives agree on society?
• Do conservatives agree on the state?
• Do conservatives agree with paternalism?
• Do conservatives agree on the pragmatism?
• Is the New Right a conservative ideology?

Core Political Ideas: Liberalism

• Do liberals agree on the economy?
• Do liberals agree on human nature?
• Do liberals agree on society?
• Do liberals agree on the state?
• Do liberals agree on equality?
• Do liberals agree on freedom?
• Is modern liberalism a liberal ideology?

Core Political Ideas: Socialism

• Do socialists agree on the economy?
• Do socialists agree on human nature?
• Do socialists agree on society?
• Do socialists agree on the state?
• Do socialists agree with collectivism?
• Do socialists agree with revolution?
• Is the Third Way a socialist ideology?

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

• What is the most important function of the executive?
• Which power strengthens the executive the most?
• Does individual ministerial responsibility still exist?
• Does collective ministerial responsibility still exist?
• Is the Cabinet still a powerful influence within the executive?
• Are Prime Ministers increasingly presidential in style?

The Relationship between the Branches of the Government

• Is the Supreme Court a powerful body?
• Is the Supreme Court sufficiently independent and neutral?
• Is Parliament an effective check and balance against the executive?
• Has the European Union met its aims?
• Has leaving the European Union restored political sovereignty?
• Where does sovereignty lie in the UK constitutional arrangement?

Non-Core Political Ideas: Feminism

• Do feminists agree on the economy?
• Do feminists agree on human nature?
• Do feminists agree on society?
• Do feminists agree on the state?
• Do feminists agree on gender and sex?
• Do feminists agree with essentialism?
• Do feminists agree that the personal is political?
• Do feminists agree on the importance of patriarchy?
• Is post-modern feminism a feminist ideology?

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?

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