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?

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?

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?

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