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Flashcards by Daniel Cormack, updated more than 1 year ago
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Created by Daniel Cormack
almost 9 years ago
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| Question | Answer |
| Compare and contrast Socialist and Liberal ideas/ how they relate to theories of power, authority, legitimacy (This part is only applicable if the question specifically asks for their relation to power, authority and legitimacy) | - Political ideology - set of values and arguments which give an overall view of what society should be like. - Two of most prominent ideologies - Liberalism/Socialism. - (Power, authority and legitimacy vital to political theory; Steve Lukes and and Weber's 3 faces of power, Weber's 3 types of authority and Weber's classifications of legitimacy.) -Liberalism - has individualist ideas at its core as it aims to promote individual freedom and progress through supporting the organisation of society based on self development. - Socialism - has community values at its centre as human beings believed to have common humanity. Eg, a welfare system to alleviate poverty and deprivation. |
| Compare and contrast Socialist and Liberal ideas/ how they relate to theories of power, authority, legitimacy (This part is only applicable if the question specifically asks for their relation to power, authority and legitimacy) | Ideas of the state - Libs argue that there ought to be government and the rule of law, but the power given to reps has to be consensual, eg democratically elected. - Belief in democratically elected govts limited by constitutionalism to provide order and stability. - Although Socialists comply to an extent with this, there is still a clear contrast. - Eg, they view the rule of law as an unfair system under capitalist ideology - state is simply just a means of coercion where ruling class maintains its rule over majority of working class. - Socialists want a state that acts in the interests of the oppressed and exploited, so ruling class system should be overthrown and run for the workers. |
| Compare and contrast Socialist and Liberal ideas/ how they relate to theories of power, authority, legitimacy (This part is only applicable if the question specifically asks for their relation to power, authority and legitimacy) | Ideas about equality - Libs focus on idea of all individuals possessing skills and resources that are exclusively theirs so they can be exchanged in the free market. So individuals effectively in contracts with each other to allow their market to work. - The stance of John Locke is that individuals are more important than the collective and the only role of the state is to provide security and protection. - Adam Smith, key Capitalist, who promotes these values, argues social comes from people acting in a self-interested manner, not doing something for the good of the community. - Expanded by arguing individuals are driven to push for most effective means of promoting happiness of mankind so general welfare of all is increased significantly. |
| Compare and contrast Socialist and Liberal ideas/ how they relate to theories of power, authority, legitimacy (This part is only applicable if the question specifically asks for their relation to power, authority and legitimacy) | - However, socialists argue human inequality reflects unequal structure of society and don't accept view of John Locke that individuals are more imp than the collective. - Socialist's idea is that people work together cooperatively and harmoniously, in turn removing the resentment and division that social inequality presents. - Equality of outcome is advocated, rather than Liberalist's preference for equality of opportunity. - Equality of outcome seen as positive good and that causes of action such as redistribution of wealth are necessary. |
| Compare and contrast Socialist and Liberal ideas/ how they relate to theories of power, authority, legitimacy (This part is only applicable if the question specifically asks for their relation to power, authority and legitimacy) | Ideas on Ownership - Libs advocate private property and free market as it is seen to promote individual freedom and means govt does not have to intervene as much in individual's life. - John Locke - believed it allowed individuals to prosper as individuals by allowing them the opportunity to better themselves. - Socialists criticise this notion bc wealth should be created in the community and not just by by individual alone. - Belief that private ownership creates conditions for inequality. - Karl Marx - "Workers of the world unite! You have nothing to lose but your chains." - emphasises belief that private ownership led to dis-empowerment of WC and an uprising necessary to gain true equality. - Common ownership therefore a means of harnessing material resources for the common good so as to generate broader equality. |
| Compare and contrast Socialist and Liberal ideas/ (how they relate to theories of power, authority, legitimacy) | 2nd Part of Question How do these theories relate to ideas of power, legitimacy and authority? - Power - idea of power important because all politics about achieving and maintaining it. - Defined as a force of domination to force a person to obey another. - Steven Lukes - sees power in 3 diff faces - decision making, non-decision making and thought control. - Libs tend to associate with the decision making face of power because it focuses on who actually makes decisions and how power is exercised in accordance with the will of the people. - Links with idea of consent where it is accepted that govt are only in a position to make decisions and pass laws if they have been elected democratically. - However, Socialists focus on face of power relating to to thought control - these are based on favouritism of the state towards the middle and upper classes and their power through economy and politics. - They base a desire for proles to uprise based on unfairness of system of govt whereby people think life is only better with material goods. |
| Compare and contrast Socialist and Liberal ideas/ how they relate to theories of power, authority, legitimacy (This part is only applicable if the question specifically asks for their relation to power, authority and legitimacy) | Authority - Different form of power through which the right to give orders and influence behaviours of other is achieved. - Weber - three ways of describing authority - traditional, charismatic, rational-legal. - Liberals - authority is necessary and should come from below through consent of the governed. - Prefer rational-legal type of power, defined as depending on a formal set of rules which give those who hold authority the right to take decisions on other people's behalf. - Relates to John Locke's idea of a social contract - in exchange for benefits of living in an organised society, people give up rights to obey laws passed by govt. - Socialists argue that authority is manufactured to mask the rule by the ruling classes and this ties in with the traditional view of authority based on established traditions. This sort of authority is seen to undermine proletariats. |
| Compare and contrast Socialist and Liberal ideas/ how they relate to theories of power, authority, legitimacy (This part is only applicable if the question specifically asks for their relation to power, authority and legitimacy) | Legitimacy - links power, authority through justifying use of power. - Liberals - believed there was a moral right to rule. - By looking at social contract theory, it can be ascertained people consent to be governed because if there is a formal constitutional arrangement, then legitimacy is evident. - Social contract further emphasises legitimacy as it protects citizens and promotes rights and freedoms. Socialism - Weber argues legitimacy is the right to rule and as long as people are prepared to comply, a system of rule can be described as legitimate. - Relating to socialism, it can be seen a Marxist state would act in the interest of proletariat and a state would take action on their behalf. |
| Compare and contrast the nature and status of the UK constitution with the American constitution. | Context - UK constitution - derived from range of sources, namely the rule of law and supremacy of parliament. - US constitution - developed my a constitutional convention and established fundamental laws. - Differences? Codification of each document, flexibility of each system etc. - Similarities? Processes of change and convention element. |
| Compare and contrast the nature and status of the UK constitution with the American constitution. | Nature of Constitutions - differences - Based on different philosophical principles - UK is conservative by nature and US constitution is primarily a Liberal document. - Constitution in UK viewed as part of a changing society and culture - reflects need for change. So, system in UK is more flexible as fundamental change is easier to achieve in UK than in USA. |
| Compare and contrast the nature and status of the UK constitution with the American constitution. | Status of Constitutions - differences - US Constitution - supreme, meaning all laws and acts of govt are seen as inferior to the constitution, eg, when there is conflict, constitution always comes out on top. - It must be noted that in UK - constitutional principles which are laid down are extremely important so can not be subordinated to wishes of parl - as parl sovereignty establishes supremacy of parl over all other forms of institutional power. - US - more emphasis on limited govt and separation of powers. Eg, principles underpinning separation of powers are not new and have a large historical pedigree. - Exemplified through framers of US constitution developing ideas in an attempt to design system where each of 3 branches of govt have a clear constitutional independence from each other. (Branches relatively independent from interference.) |
| Compare and contrast the nature and status of the UK constitution with the American constitution. | - The USA has a codified constitution contained within one written document. The US constitution was written by the Founding Fathers after America gained independence and sets out the federal system of government and the rights US citizens have. - Article Four of the US constitution outlines the relation between the states and the federal government. It gives each of the 50 states particular powers eg in education which cannot be taken away by the federal Government. - The UK constitution is uncodified and does not have a single document called the constitution, the UK’s constitution is derived from a number of sources. - The UK constitution has evolved over hundreds of years and is based on sources such as common law, statute law, EU treaties etc. - For example, the Scotland Act 1997 changed the constitutional arrangements in the UK by creating the Scottish Parliament. - As a result, statute law changed the constitutional arrangements of the UK and powers were devolved to the Scottish Parliament. |
| Compare and contrast the nature and status of the UK constitution with the American constitution. | Processes of change - key area of similarity - Ability to formally amend in USA is more difficult than in UK - but similar to U because of more informal processes, such as judicial reviews which can be carried by Court of Appeal in same way Supreme Court in USA can. - Allows challenges to be made so both countries have power to set aside govt decisions. - Also provides opportunity to allow constitution to be interpreted and reinterpreted depending on certain circumstances. - Both systems clearly rely heavily on judges to ensure systems remain up to date - as they are seen to be above and beyond party politics by some. |
| Compare and contrast the nature and status of the UK constitution with the American constitution. | - In conclusion, there are big differences between the nature and the status of the constitutions of the US and the UK. In the US the constitution is supreme. In the USA the Supreme Court can override legislation passed by congress by declaring it unconstitutional. - The Supreme Court, through its power to interpret the constitution, has frequently intervened to block the will of the President and Congress. The ability of the judiciary to interpret the constitution is one of the few ways that the constitution can be altered other than through the difficult formal amendment process. - Overall, the US constitution is relatively inflexible. |
| Compare and contrast the nature and status of the UK constitution with the American constitution. | - However, the judiciary in the UK cannot invalidate an Act of Parliament. In the UK the judiciary does not have power of judicial review. - In the UK, one of the key principles of the constitution is that Parliament is supreme and this is one area where there is a clear difference between the UK and the US where the constitution is supreme. The ability of parliament to pass legislation such as the Scotland Act which alters the constitutional arrangements shows that in the UK the constitution is more flexible and can be more easily altered. - Therefore, the US constitution has a different nature and much higher status than the UK’s constitution. |
| Impact of ideas of a political party on its electoral performance | Context - The Labour Party's dominant ideas, namely New Labour, can be examined to assess its impact on its electoral performance. - New Labour arguably changed pol landscape of UK, as Labour in its original format had failed to topple Thatcher and Major previously - needed something new to beat Tories. - The 3rd way was created - Labour changed stance on many policies, including welfare and the removal of clause IV, and moved to centre ground in order to allow them to appeal more to the middle classes. |
| Impact of ideas of a political party on its electoral performance | - A key principle of Tony Blair, the leader of the Labour Party taking forward the New Labour movement, was to remove Clause IV of the party constitution. - This part of the const refers to what is seen to be the party's commitment to socialism, as it advocated the notion of common ownership. - However, Tony Blair wished for New Labour to move away from public ownership and nationalised industries, in order to move towards acceptance of free markets and competition. |
| Impact of ideas of a political party on its electoral performance | - A special Labour conference was held and Blair was successful in scrapping the old Clause IV and replacing it with his new idea - seen as attempt to prove economic credibility of the party because it was an attempt to attract middle and new working class voters that the party needed to attract, as a lot of support had been lost in the past due to the association with high public spending and inefficient nationalised industries. - A new section of society came about for Labour to win votes from as there was a growth of the skilled working class and an increase in home ownership, with a decrease in trade union membership. - As a result of the change to Clause IV, Labour gained an increase in support in opinion polls. It surpassed Tories in public rating on economic competence and this undoubtedly played a role in landslide victory of 1997. - Labour beat Tories in C1 category of voters (middle class) and in C2 category (new working class). |
| Impact of ideas of a political party on its electoral performance | Education - Another key idea from the New Labour movement, which can be examined to assess its effectiveness on electoral performance, was its stance on education. - New Labour put education at the heart of its manifesto and had the aim of creating state schools which would match the private sector, so children could attain their best. - There was also an aim to increase the number of children going to university, with the aim being 50% of young people going after leaving school. - These policies were seen as an attempt to appeal to middle class mothers who could not afford private education for their children, but wanted them to have the best opportunity to succeed. - This was a group which Labour targeted and women's votes were so crucial to electoral success - middle class and well-educated women with children under 11 were viewed as more likely to vote Labour than a similar man after significant policy changes under New Labour. |
| Impact of ideas of a political party on its electoral performance | Crime - Tony Blair recognised that there was an issue with Labour's response to crime being viewed as too soft, and so he sought to change this in order to win over more voters. - New Labour implemented policies to show the party was now tough on crime; such as the introduction of the ABSO in response to anti-social behaviour; more severe sentences; and the building of new prisons. - This appealed to all sections of society and meant Labour could now be viewed as a party that would tackle those not obeying the law head on. Electoral performance cannot really be judge on social class, but it is clear that issue voting played a role in New Labour's 1997 and beyond election wins due to the move away from more left-wing approaches to crime. |
| Evaluate the effectiveness of modern technology used by political parties during election campaigns | Context - Modern technology, including use of social media, voter targeting software and websites, has become more prevalent during election campaigns. - The SNP's used of such technology can be examined to determine whether it has been effective during their election campaigns. |
| Evaluate the effectiveness of modern technology used by political parties during election campaigns | Voter targeting software - Ought to be examined in order to assess effectiveness. - During 2011 Scot Parl election, SNP used new software to be at forefront of developments and keep ahead of competitors, so as to engaged with voters in the run up to the election. - They linked software, boasting name of Activate, to a smartphone app. This meant that the SNP could target certain factions of voters and particular groups could then be targeted by campaigners, meaning the party could save time by directing resources where they could improve the performance of SNP in the election. |
| Evaluate the effectiveness of modern technology used by political parties during election campaigns | - It provided a record of all 3.9 mil voters and showed which people had voted previously, and how they fitted into 44 consumer types identified by postcode, family type, income and age. The fact the database and app steered the activists in terms of who they should approach meant the SNP campaign could focus on particular demographic and allowed them to canvass more members of public in a week compared to conventional polls. - As a result, continued use of Activate proved to be beneficial to SNP in run up to 2011 Scot Parl election as newly introduced app for smartphones further enhanced its effectiveness as it enabled campaigners to target certain groups in society. |
| Evaluate the effectiveness of modern technology used by political parties during election campaigns | Social media - Party activists and candidates had a large online presence via Facebook and Twitter during 2011 parl election campaign. Use of social media arguably gave the SNP chance to target younger voters, where other parties such as Labour failed to. - Can be argued SNP's use of soc med eff during election campaign because SNP staff communicated with Twitter posters and were able to persuade them to voter for the party with links to SNP material and reasons to vote for them. - Eg, Paul Wheelhouse used Facebook during 2011 elections to connect with voters and answer any questions that they had. Whilst this was not enough for PW to win constituency vote, he gained a seatin parl through regional vote. |
| Evaluate the effectiveness of modern technology used by political parties during election campaigns | - However, when referring to 2015 GE, it must be considered that social media could be considered dangerous to a party. Mhairi Black's old posts from her Twitter account were used against her by media and other parties due to their perceived offensive nature. While may have shown her in bad light, did not affect her campaign as she went on to become MP for Paisley. - Thus, soc med eff in SNP campaign because allowed them to reach out to voters, in particular the young. |
| Evaluate the effectiveness of modern technology used by political parties during election campaigns | Website - One form of modern tech used by SNP was through websites. - Following Barack Obama's success of internet campaigning, the SNP sourced Nationbuilder to create their new and enhanced website which was deemed to be attractive to voters. - Prior to creation of new website, the SNP were trailing Labour by 15 points but eventually won a maj govt. - Arguably because few people read manifestos, and as the website contained SNP "mini manifestos", this increased the number of voters engaged with the SNP and made them more likely to vote for them. Mod tech eff in this case. |
| Evaluate the effectiveness of modern technology used by political parties during election campaigns | - In conclusion, mod tech such as soc med and websites have been very effective in SNP political campaigns. They have ensured SNP has increased their reach of people and have allowed them to connect with floating voters. Therefore, it can be stated mod tech has proven to be eff for the SNP during their election campaigns, primarily in 2011. |
| Sociological model - significance in influencing voting behaviour? | (Voting behaviour is defined as the way in which people tend to vote. Political organisations spend a vast sum of money analysing voting patterns and intentions to determine the outcome of an election and what makes people vote one way or another.) - Sociological model - prevalent - links vb to group membership, suggests electors tend to vote based on ec and soc position of group th which they belong. Such as social class, gender, age, location etc. |
| Sociological model - significance in influencing voting behaviour? | Social Class - Social class is a measure of person's position within society, eg takes account of individual's wealth etc. - Peter Pulzer "Class is the basis of British politics, all else is embellishment and detail." - Can be argued over the years there has been consistent pattern of class-based voting. North and South of the borders, voters in social classes D/E have been more likely to vote Labour, eg 2015 GE 41% D/E voted Labour, and 45% A/B voters voted Tory - Sociolog model there argued to play sig role in voting behaviour as Tory policies of low tax and low welfare support may appeal to wealthier group less reliant on state, whereas Labour's redistributive policies could be more favourable for D/E groups. - However, changing attitudes in society mean voters are less likely to vote according to class as in past, so model debatable. |
| Sociological model - significance in influencing voting behaviour? | Gender - Traditionally there does not tend to be a large gap in support between men and women. However, women have been argued as a key demographic as in some constituencies it is claimed that securing female vote is key to winning. Influence of gender can be seen in party's attempts to target women, eg Labour in 1997 stood female only candidates in some constituencies. - When examining results of 2015 election, clear there was little difference in voting between men and women. Labour vote saw 30% men voting and 33% of females; meaning only a 3% difference. - As a result, women are important, but there is no significant difference between male and females, so influence must not be exaggerated. Although, it must be noted women in social class AB are more likely to vote Tory, whereas women in DE were more likely to vote Labour, so social class plays a role more than gender. |
| Sociological model - significance in influencing voting behaviour? | Age - As people grow older, more likely to gain promotion and be at top of their earnings, so are more likely to favour traditional Conservative policies, such as lower taxes. - Viable - as in 2015 GE, 47% voters aged 65+ voted Tory, compared to 23% for Labour. Younger voters may be more concerned with issues like educational support/ youth unemployment, which are issues Labour and SNP keen to tackle. - Turnout is another element of age - 2015 GE - only 43% of voters between ages 18-24 voted, which was lowest of any age category. On other hand, highest turnout was among over 65s with 78% turnout, arguably remains major obstacle with only 66% of voters turning out in last election. |
| Sociological model - significance in influencing voting behaviour? | Location - Results from UK election shows further North and West voters live, less likely they are to vote Conservative; this pattern increases as an area becomes urban. - The 2015 election clearly highlighted geographical differences in voting behaviour with the SNP dominating in Scotland; albeit at expense of Labour and not Tories. Important as results show Tories dominated SOuth of England, whereas Labour was more popular in North. Thus, this emphasises sociological theory in action. - Main reasons to explain North and South divide - employment, income, wealth, rise of nationalism - this in turn relates to social class; due to people in South tending to be more better off as employment rates and income are higher than average - more likely to vote Tory. However, people in Borth typically suffer from poorer incomes and employment levels; this could be seen to explain why people in these parts of Uk are more likely to vote for parties other than Tories. |
| Rational Choice model | - (Voting behaviour is defined as the way in which people tend to vote. Political organisations spend a vast sum of money analysing voting patterns and intentions to determine the outcome of an election and what makes people vote one way or another.) - Rational Choice model refers to way in which voters vote according to their views on current issues and policies, which means support can change from election to election. Main ones being leadership, policies and campaigns. |
| Rational Choice Model | Issues voting - This describes way in which voters act according to party policies. Voters support the party which they believe will handle economic climate the best. Also, a large majority of the electorate review party's main policies in each manifesto when deciding who to vote for, for example, in 2010 39% of voters believed Tories had best economic policy, whilst only 23% felt Labour did. - Proves that many voters believe policies are most imp factor to consider when voting, reinforced by fact Tories won most seats in 2010 and 2015 election through economic message to voters. |
| Rational Choice Model | Leadership Over recent years, leadership has grown in importance, with 2010 leaders debates emphasis this. This is because an increasing number of voters judge political parties by leaders, and personalise the election by scrutinising their ability to lead the country. - EG, 29% thought David Cameron would be a capable Prime Minister, whereas Gordon Brown had only 12% saying the same. - As well as this, leadership and policies tied in importance to the public in a poll carried out, when previously there was a 10% gap - this proves leadership is an increasingly more important issue as it has personalised the campaign system. |
| Rational Choice Model | Campaigns Deemed to have an influence over voting behaviour. The way in which political parties conduct themselves throughout the campaign can impact their popularity both positively and negatively. - Voters tend to support party they relate to and believe can help public more. - Again referring to leadership debates 2010 - broadcasting these debates enabled public to weight up pros and cons of each party and form solid support from electorate. - Similarly, door to door campaigning is effective in gaining support as voters can engage in discussion and ask questions. Therefore, clear in this sense that campaign strategies have an impact as they are clearly useful in drawing in more support and persuading voters who haven't made up their minds as to who to vote for. |
| Concept of power with ref to Steven Lukes | Context - Power is defined as the ability to influence the behaviour of others. Steven Lukes, author of Power: A Radical View, described powers as three faces, or types. |
| Concept of power with ref to Steven Lukes | First face of power - open face - This is the power which can be seen to be used, making it easy to acknowledge who is exercising this type of power, as the people involved are usually appointed through legal procedures. - This type of power exists in UK today in form of govt making decisions on behalf of the people - eg the smoking ban 2006 which made it illegal to smoke in public in Scotland. Legislation had to be debated and decision had to be reached before it was enforced. - This was a decision made on behalf of non-smokers, so their health would not deteriorate due to passive smoking. Therefore, this type of power is still relevant today in UK, as all acts of parliament are made on behalf of public and once the public understand new legislation, they react to it accordingly and behaviour changes. |
| Concept of power with ref to Steven Lukes | 2nd face of power - secretive face - This is not only the abilit to make decisions, but also the ability to limit decisions available to others. - EG, David Cameron sets the agenda for cabinet meetings. He is able to decide what will and will not be discussed - as there may be topics he is not ready to debate or are simply not a concern, even if other cabinet members think the issue is highly relevant. - The PM appoints members to cabinet and so they will rarely disagree with his agenda. - Example of this was issue of Scottish devolution. Tory govt never allowed it to be debated in HOC as they were opposed to it, however Labour made this one of their main policies in 97 election and when they won a referendum was held for the establishment of a SP. - This exemplifies 2nd face of power and shows it is still highly relevant as the issue of devolution is still a political issue prevalent in Scotland. |
| Concept of power with ref to Steven Lukes | 3rd face - manipulative face - Lukes argued that powerful people coud persuade others into believing decisions were being made in their best interests, and the desires of public could be shaped or manipulated. - Eg, many feminists assert that women are being discouraged from breaking the stereotyped norm of housewivery and from pursuing a career. Many believe the media manipulates the desires of women. - In addition, another exemplification of this face is the argument that Alex Salmond manipulated the desires of millions of Scots during referendum by promoting nationalism. |
| Executive and limit on powers | - UK PM viewed to have much less limits on power than US Pres. However, can still be argued that US Pres is still more powerful due to status on the world stage. |
| Executive and limit on powers | - As David Cameron is an MP, this allows him to vote on any new legislation and influence his majority govt to vote in same way so legislation is passed. This means UK Executive can pass legislation without approval of any other house. Eg, David Cameron was influential in gay marriage law being passed due to his ability to vote on it. - However, in Cameron's previous term he asked for approval of HOC to send troops to Syria, but MPs rejected this idea and this meant troops could not be sent as he did not have parliament's approval. - However, US pres is not a member of any house in pol system, so does not have a vote in passing of legislation. - Eg, Obama's new legislation of healthcare, he could not vote to approve this but only convince others to pass it for him. Therefore, the president needs 2/3 of senate approval for legislation to pass through house, whereas PM only needs maj vote from Government. SO, exec in UK is less limited than US. |
| Executive and limit on powers | - UK exec arguably less limited by committees than US exec when passing legislation. This is because UK committees can only scrutinise made by govt, eg bedroom tax, but they do not have ability to overturn legislation. - Whereas committees in US have ability to both scrutinise and block new legislation by voting it down, therefore making US exec more limited in its power than the UK. Influence of Supreme COurt plays a role though, as it must pass any new legislation before it is allowed, unlike the UK Supreme COurt who only deals with secondary legislation. - This would also be case when amending constitution. Pres Obama would need 2.3 of senate's approval and supreme courts approval to modify written constitution. Eg, Obama was not allowed to intervene in new gun laws as it violated written constitution for US civilians to bear arms. Therefore, US more limited than UK when exercising powers. |
| Executive and limit on powers | Power of veto - US president has ability to veto any legislation he disagrees on. Although this veto can be overturned by a 2/3 senate vote, the President can use a limited pocket veto which blocks any legislation he strongly disagrees with. This is beneficial to a "lame duck" president. Eg George Bush used his to block leg on stem cell research due to his Christian values. - Uk executive does not have power of a veto but can still vote on legislation. Therefore, US PRes has some advantage of power but does not make him less limited than UK executive. |
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