Outline the problems of the First Past the Post system and consider whether the Alternative Vote would provide a fairer system.
Coursework 2 British Politics Question: The Coalition Government has proposed that a referendum be held in May 2011. The question that will be asked is concerned with the changing of the electoral system used in British General Elections - the Simple Plurality System (FPTP) to the Alternative Vote. Outline the problems of the "First Past the Post" system and consider whether the Alternative Vote would provide a fairer system. Word count: 967 2/16/2010 Coursework In most of the modern societies an electoral process is an important symbol of a democracy that represents a concept of freedom of choice and fairness. The UK Coalition Government is now facing a need of reforming the process by choosing between FPTP and AV systems. As final decision can affect the whole society, it is crucial to carefully analyze advantages and disadvantages of both systems. FPTP allows a candidate to win by the majority of votes. It is a straightforward system that requires comparatively simplified procedures. In addition, it usually provides stable and strong one-party government. Also, elected party usually governs effectively and carries on the manifesto promises. Another advantage is a good-organized constituency link between MPs and their constituents. They can easily contact their MP to get support (Coxall et al. 2003, Jones and Norton 2010). Finally, FPTP tent to limit extremist
Functions of the House of Commons and how it makes Government accountable.
a) one function of the house of commons would be making government accountable. This is done in ministerial or prime ministerial question time, where the opposition questions the running of the country and new laws or mandates made by the government. This happens roughly once a month. Another function of the house of commons is scrutinizing the work og government. This is done by a specialist committee called select comittees. These usually have 12-14 members, done by representation in parliament. However these comittees cannot stop the government doing what they want to do as they do not have the power or authority to do so, they are just there to say if it is right or wrong. It is also the only section of parlament which can bring in outside experts to help scrutinize subjects of matter. b) One method in which the House of Commons can control the power of Government is through Prime Ministerial Question Time. What this does is subject him to examination and critisicm from the opposition. This controls the power of the Government as it means the Prime minister has got to justify every mandate or law that he wants to put through, as well as debating questions such as when to pass through the legal statements from the Hillsborough disaster. By doing this it controls the power of Government as representation from other parties apart from the ones in power are able to get
Explain the arguments for and against introducing a codified constitution
Explain the arguments for and against introducing a codified constitution. Discuss. Ursula Oliver 12RJ At present, the UK's constitution is uncodified or de facto; there is no single document though the majority of Britain's constitution lies in written form of acts, court judgments and treaties. The foundation of British constitution is the doctrine of Parliamentary Sovereignty where acts passed by Parliament are the UK's supreme and final source of law. Therefore, simply by passing an Act, Parliament has power to change the constitution. This has caused debate over whether this uncodified constitution is seen as flexible or a liability to the UK. Some people wish to recover the constitution by introducing a codified constitution which is entrenched, whereas others such as Conservative leader David Cameron believe a British Bill of Rights alongside or instead of the Human Rights Act is best whilst maintaining an uncodified constitution. Arguments for introducing a codified constitution usually suggest that the introduction would help to correct imbalances in the current political system. This refers mainly to the second chamber and considering the constitutional status the House of Lords holds, whilst also allowing a discussion over the relation between the executive and legislature. A constitution which is codified provides a counter-balance to the power of the executive,
Leadership styles
In this task I will describe leadership styles and their use in the uniformed public services. I will include examples of public service situations when each style may be used. I will also compare different leadership styles used in the uniformed public services, evaluate the effectiveness and draw conclusions about why this is the case and consider whether the styles make the team leader effective or not and why. Leadership Styles A leadership style is the manner and approach of providing direction for a team, implementing plans and motivating people to complete a task. There are several different leadership styles, each with advantages and disadvantages. The public services are constantly changing in response to changes in public expectations, the law and the current political environment and so the styles of leadership they use change and evolve too. Authoritarian leadership - is a very direct leadership style where the leader tells the team members what they must do. Sometimes this style is also described as autocratic. It is often considered a classic leadership style and is used when a leader wishes to retain as much power as possible and maintain control over the decision making process. It involves the leader telling the team members what they must do without any form of consultation or negotiation. Team members are expected to obey orders without receiving any
Assess the Criticisms of the Various Electoral Systems Used In the UK
Assess the Criticisms of the Various Electoral Systems Used In the UK There are a number of criticisms that can be placed against the various electoral systems that are used in the UK. The criticisms themselves vary with the electoral system against which they are alleged. One of the systems in question is first past the post. Ftpt is used in general elections. Specific criticisms of this system are that the election results do not necessarily reflect the views of the electorate as a whole. This is because the number of seats does not reflect the number of votes cast for them. There have been instances where the winning party has fewer national votes than that of the opposition. One example of this having occurred is in February 1974 in which Labour won with fewer votes overall but more than their opponents. No recent Government has had 50% or more of the votes cast. Those who criticise ftpt claim that the effect of the system is to over represent the winning party. This was shown in 1983 when the conservatives, with 42.4% of the votes, had 61% of the MPs elected in parliament. In 1997, Labour gained 43.2% of the votes which was considered a landslide victory and gave them 63.6% of seats in parliament. Critics also say that the system is very harsh on small parties, under representing them within parliament. An example of this was in May 2005 when the Liberal Democrats
To what extent is there a democratic deficit in the UK?
To what extent is there a democratic deficit in the UK The democratic deficit states that there is a lack of democracy in the UK and the opinions of citizens has less power than before. Some may see that there has been a huge decline in democratic deficit, the developmental perspective would argue that this is a bad thing because for democracy to be sustainable it needs to engage citizens on an active basis this expresses citizenship and values informed and tolerant exchange between people. Another reason for why the UK could suffer from democratic deficit could be because of unelected institutions such as the House of Lords, some may argue that because the members of the House of Lords are not elected they do not represent the views of the public. Also the UK voting system could also be criticised, it can be seen as undemocratic because the UK uses a voting system called ‘FPTP’ (First past the post) this results in unequal value of votes, evidence of this is shown from recent votes where it takes 115,000 votes to be elected for a liberal democrat MP whereas for a labour or conservative only 35,000 votes is needed to become elected, this disadvantages small parties. The reason for this being undemocratic is because in a true democracy all minorities should be given an equal voice. Another effect of the FPTP is that it can lead to un-proportional seats in the House of
To what extent does the prime minister control the cabinet?
To what extent does the prime minister control the cabinet? The extent to way in which the prime minister controls cabinet varies, and can vary greatly, as Prime ministers have great amounts of scope in which they can manage and control the cabinet and the system surrounding it. The cabinet itself refers to the collective decision making process in British Politics. Cabinet fuses executive and legislative branches of government, as its members head government departments but are also drawn from Parliament and is the senior executive organ - which controls policy-making process and makes all major government decisions. Collective collegiality adds strength to the government as a whole and makes the governing party in parliament more united and therefore stronger. One of the key aspects of control over the cabinet stems from collective collegiality. The main reasons for the control the Prime Minister has over Cabinet are due to the powers he/she has over the Cabinet itself. The first is that the Prime Minister chairs cabinet meetings, and manages the agendas, as well as summing up the decisions at the end. This means that the PM has a great deal of control over the meetings, and can direct them in a course that suits what the PM wants. Combine this with the fact that the Prime Minister convenes cabinet meetings and decides when they are called and sets their length - it
The introduction of some form of proportional representation would give voters more choice and better representation than first past the post does, discuss.
The introduction of some form of PR would give voters more choice and better representation than FPTP does, discuss. Aimée Bremner First past the post (FPTP) is the system we in the UK use for our general elections. It is a system that elects the candidate who in the end has the highest number of votes but not necessarily the majority. It can be argued that FPTP is not a democratic system due to the fact that it is not always representative of the majority's choice as shown in the 2005 UK general election when Tony Blair won with merely 40.7% of the vote, not even half of the total votes cast. And now the remaining 59.3% of Britain were not represented. In cases such as these there is indeed need of some kind of new system that would represent more of the county, the majority of the country. However, for some FPTP is in fact a fair system because it means that the winning candidate did get more votes than any of the others and therefore a fair result. Some say that it is easier to understand as it only entails ticking or crossing the box beside the name of your choice and some might not know the four names that you would need to remember under the STV system or the two you would need under the Additional Member System (AMS). It can also be said that FPTP has, unlike either AMS or STV, been tried and tested over many years and has led to stable government. Therefore a new
To what extent does Parliament hold the executive to account?
Roz Cresswell To what extent does the parliament hold the executive to account? Parliament does not govern, but its role is to check or constrain the government of the day. Many therefore argue that parliament's most important function is to 'call the government to account'', there by forcing the members to explain their actions and justify their policies. There are three groups within the UK parliament, the House of Commons, the House of Lords, and the Monarchy. The HoC consists of 646 MP's and each MP is elected in a local constituency to gain a seat in parliament. The House of Lords consists of 721 peers, there are approximately 600 life peers where as there are only 92 hereditary peers. The Lords spiritual are the second smallest group of the Lords. They are bishops and archbishops of the Church of England, and now only 26 remain. Law lords are the final group to make up the House of Lords. There are only 12 of these, and they focus on judicial work, which is carried out through the Appellate Committee of the House of Lords. The final group that can hold the government to account is the monarchy. The monarch is often ignored as part of parliament, which is understandable as the Queen is normally entirely ceremonial and symbolic. As a non-executive head of state, the monarchy symbolizes the authority of the crown. Parliament holds the government to account by scrutinising
Do We Have a Cabinet Government or Prime Ministerial Government?
DO WE HAVE CABINET GOVERNMENT OR PRIME MINISTERIAL GOVERNMENT? In society today people think that the most powerful person in the British government system is the Prime Minister, Tony Blair. However, to what extent does he have power and authority? The Prime Minister doesn't govern the country alone; the Cabinet as a whole discuss most matters. You could then say that we have Cabinet government- they do supposedly collectively make decisions on matters! The position however of power in one government may differ from that of another, Margaret Thatcher for example rarely used Cabinet at all, John Major on the other hand used it regularly and considered there opinions vital in the decision making process. But what type of government do we have at present and why? Cabinet government can operate in a number of ways, depending on the approach of the particular Prime Minister, the complexion of government, the nature of the policy issues under consideration and the prevailing political circumstances. The traditional view is that the Cabinet is the seat of power in terms of policy initiation and decision-making. Cabinet doesn't just decide all-important issues; it also controls government policy as a whole. Walter Bagehot regarded the Cabinet "as the crucial institution of government" describing it as the "efficient secret". The assumption behind the traditional view is that Cabinet
