Examine the case for electoral reform.

Politics Essay By Chris Armstrong Examine the case for electoral reform The electoral system; the ways and means of electing a party or candidate to power. Elections are at the forefront of democracy being that they represent the peoples choice over indifference and dictatorship, put crudely a consensus of the majority view. But how fair are the different systems of voting, of which there are over three hundred, either actually in existence or potentially available? And is the current method of voting in the UK fair to all political parties, or does it favour some more than others? This question asks us in part, to evaluate our current electoral system, First Past The Post, which is a majoritarian approach and proportional representation, an aim not an electoral system. First past the post, based on single member constituencies, requires the winning candidate to gain a simple majority of votes in their constituency. Then the party with an absolute majority of seats forms a government in the House of Commons. First Past The Post is used in local, national and European elections in the United Kingdom. This voting system is one of the many single member systems that are available along with the Supplementary Vote and the Alternative vote system. Overall all voting systems can be organised into three categories; 'Single member systems', 'multi-member systems' and 'mixed

  • Word count: 1442
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Politics
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In what ways did the Treaty of Versailles pose a threat to the Weimar Constitution?

In what ways did the Treaty of Versailles pose a threat to the Weimar Constitution? The Treaty of Versailles was signed in June 1919 resulting in Germany loosing 13% of land, 12% of its population and 48% of its iron ore. The terms of the treaty also meant that Germany's military troops were reduced immensely with only 100,000 men in the army and 15,000 men in the navy. Germany was not allowed an air force nor allowed to import arms or ammunition. On top of these terms Germany had to accept responsibility for the First World War and pay reparation fees. All these terms posed a huge threat to the Weimar Constitution as a barely established government was faced with massive social discontent and economic problems. The first threat to the constitution was due to the rage of the population against the so-called 'traitors' who signed the treaty, thus taking responsibility for the war. This reinforced the 'stab in the back' theory that was sparked after the armistice, as some believed the German defeat was due to the civilian population betraying the military. People were not going to support a new and inexperienced government that was responsible for the end of the war and the signing of the treaty and this posed a threat to its survival. Erzberger's choice to introduce a progressive system of taxation left him unpopular and government leaders were accused of working in the

  • Word count: 1199
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Politics
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British Electors are turning out to vote in declining numbers. Discuss the factors that may affect turnout."

"British Electors are turning out to vote in declining numbers. Discuss the factors that may affect turnout." Turnout is declining, in 2001 the turnout was 75% yet in 2005, a mere 4 years later, the turnout had decreased to %9.4% a huge drop. This could be due to many reasons; one of these reasons could be the rise of apathy in politics in the UK. Voters may be satisfied by the government & the economy & may think that the existing government shall win the election yet again so may not come out to vote, it could also be the other way around, voters may think that the government is so appalling that its defeat is inevitable & voters foresee a new government coming into power. The turnout may be declining because voters have looked at the parties & their policies & think that two parties views are very similar & that they cannot decide which party to vote for. Voters may have looked at the parties & policies & realised that none of the parties have policies or issues that they are relate to, For Example: the Conservatives main policy may be about Pensions, & if an 18 year old student looks at their policies & decides that the policies have nothing to do with them & may not vote, either for the Conservatives or not at all. The electoral system is also old fashioned & voters may not understand how you have to register or vote. Other people may not vote due to class

  • Word count: 559
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Politics
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Self Supported Study Into The British Political Parties. The labour party Historic overview of the party

Laura Dawson Self Supported Study Into The British Political Parties. The labour party Historic overview of the party The labour party was formed from the trade unionist and socialist movements in the 1900s. it begun as a pressure group movement but soon developed into a political party. It won its first seats in 1906 and the first government was 1924-1931. The won the post second worlds war elections on the policy to promote change form the conditions of the 1930s promising to remove want, squalor, disease, ignorance and unemployment. In the government that followed they created the national health service. After they were removed from government they became more liberal embracing the more radical ideas. They were next elected to government in 1964-70. In 1974 they won a 'wrong way round' election where they have more seats than the conservatives yet received more voted. They were again removed from power by a land slide victory in 1979. The structure of the party The party has a strict constitution that is the base of the party structure and organisation as well as conduct. The party can amend this constitution to its choice. Also the labour parties is a broad group of people and unlike the conservative party has many functions and interests, outside the house of commons. Election of the leader This system of one member one vote means that every member of the

  • Word count: 2977
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Politics
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How important was the opposition of other countries in bringing apartheid in South Africa to an end?

Gemma Illsley 11Y Coursework Assignment How important was the opposition of other countries in bringing apartheid in South Africa to an end? I do agree that international opposition to apartheid was one of the factors in bringing it to an end. However I think there are other causes, both long and short term, that led to the end of apartheid in South Africa. People all over the world were shocked to see the violence in events like the Soweto riots and the Sharpeville and Langa shootings. They also saw the events occurring between the South African government and extremist groups like the ANC, which appeared during Verwoerd's apartheid. These events were short-term causes that brought about the end of apartheid, but they had a large effect on international opinion, which was a long-term cause. However to the rest of the world, what actually happened in South Africa might have appeared different to the reality. This is because often, different interpretations were given by historians, and the people involved. This would have been fairly confusing for people outside South Africa, and they may not have ever really understood completely what was happening. Therefore many people would not think that apartheid was as bad for the blacks as it was in reality, because of the different interpretations given to the rest of the world. This may have led to little international

  • Word count: 992
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Politics
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What factors do Prime Ministers take into account when choosing their cabinets?

a) What is Cabinet Government? 5 Cabinet Government is the view that cabinet have the main power throughout the whole of government, rather than all the members and MPs within the government. It means that all the major issues can be debated, as it will concern all sectors, and the topic maybe controversial. Cabinet allows policies to be discussed before coming to a collective agreement. b) What factors do Prime Ministers take into account when choosing their cabinets? 15 I think the most important attribute that a cabinet minister should have a variety of support. He should have this from three main sets of people. The first is from politicians and backbenchers. If a cabinet member is respected throughout his or her party and has the views of many MPs, it would be a good idea to have them in your cabinet. An excellent example of this is John Prescott, who is Deputy PM, and was voted to this position by the Labour party. This means that the party can have a better view of the publics' perception on topics, which will lead to it making more popular decisions. Another set of people cabinet must be supported by, is the public, showing that they seem relatively in touch with the electorate, i.e. young man with a family, not the typical old MP. The final set of people who need to encourage ministers, is the media. The influential body at elections can often swing the polls and

  • Word count: 1191
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Politics
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Power and Democracy in the UK.

Power and Democracy Coursework. Amareen10B A democracy is a form of government chosen by the people of the country in a free election. That allows differences in society to be resolved fairly and peacefully. They have a choice on how the country is run and this means that they are equal in the rights they have. There are two types of democracy; direct democracy is where all the people decide how the country is governed. An example of this was in Ancient Greek times; where this method was used in Greek city-states, though this is only useful in small communities. You could not use it in the UK where there are over 60 million citizens. The second type is representative democracy (indirect democracy), where people elect politicians to represent their views. It is based on the majority vote where a wide variety of views are openly expressed. An example of this would be Great Britain. In Great Britain you are eligible to vote over the age of 18 and a British subject. They must be a resident in the constituency (an area that elects an MP to represent them) and registered as an elector on the qualifying date i.e. the proceeding 10th October. In Great Britain there are three main political parties. Most parties can be put on a political scale from extreme left to extreme right. Labour, Liberal Democrats and Conservatives are the main political contenders. Labour who are

  • Word count: 3074
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Politics
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Discuss Gambling attitudes.

"Gambling is defined as risking money or something of value on the outcome of an event involving chance when probability of winning or losing is less than certain."i Over the past ten years, Ontario has undergone a dramatic change in gambling attitudes. Since the legalization of gambling in Ontario in 1994, there has been an explosion of gambling opportunities for the public. From commercial casinos to lottery tickets to off-track betting, it is easier to gamble today than ever before. While the government promotes the gambling industry to supplement tax revenues, it has not allocated sufficient funds nor taken adequate corrective measures for dealing with the social and financial consequences that are created by addictive gambling. While some people can gamble in a responsible manner, others have trouble controlling their gambling habit. A survey conducted in 2001 by Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse showed that approximately 340,000 people in Ontario were experiencing moderate to severe gambling addictions. ii As it begins to dominate their lives, a downward spiraling effect often leading to financial ruin and social demise ensues. Gambling addictions develop for various reasons. One reason may be that the person obsesses with the idea of winning the jackpot and financial freedom. Gambling can also be a form of escape from everyday life stresses and difficulties or can be

  • Word count: 925
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Politics
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"The Provisional Government was overthrown because it decided to continue fighting in World War 1" Do you agree? Give reasons.

"The Provisional Government was overthrown because it decided to continue fighting in World War 1" Do you agree? Give reasons. The provisional government was established after the March 1917 revolution. From the beginning it faced heavy opposition and was forced to make difficult decisions. The aim of the March revolution was to spread the idea of communism, however the provisional government failed to do this successfully. Peasants wanted more land than they were given, which caused a fall in fuel and food production. At the same time the provisional government had decided to keep participating in the war, but the armies discipline was breaking down. Along with these factors, the provisional government faced harsh opposition from the socialist revolutionists, which included the Bolsheviks who supported the April Theses in support of overthrowing the Provisional Government. Land was a large factor of the November Revolution. During the summer of 1917 peasants began to take control of the land on which they grew their food. They had been waiting since March for the provisional government to distribute the land, but they had failed to do so. As a result over 2000 far peasants killed their landlords and allocated the land among themselves. They also seized the land from the Church and Tsar. In an attempt to halt the uprising, Kerensky sent soldiers on 'punishment expeditions'

  • Word count: 733
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Politics
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What are the different forms of aid given by more economically developed countries? Explain how useful the aid is and evaluate why some aid is more successful than other aid.

What are the different forms of aid given by more economically developed countries? Explain how useful the aid is and evaluate why some aid is more successful than other aid. Aid is help given between More Economically Developed Countries (M.E.D.C's) and Less Economically Developed Countries (L.E.D.C's). This help is usually given after a disaster and is known as emergency aid; it comes in the form of food, clothing, shelter, money, medicine, and services, which their country might not have like doctors and teachers. Aid can also be given over a long period of time to help develop their country; this is known as development aid. This project is hoped to improve the living standard of the local people. L.E.D.C's need aid because they have high populations and little wealth; they would need development aid to help with this. There also seems to be more natural disasters and internal fighting, Rwanda for example has internal fighting and natural disasters. Lower living standards, poorer education and poorer health all lead to problems within the country which will eventually need aid from M.E.D.C's. In my assignment I am going to use evidence from two modules, Internet, news articles and news programs. I will also use evidence from Penny Forsyth's talk, videos and other research I will do. I am going to evaluate all the evidence and see which was successful and which

  • Word count: 1059
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Politics
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