POLITICS AT ST PETER'S

STUDYING POLITICS

What is Politics?

• Politics is about how power is distributed n our society.

• The decisions taken by politicians affect the lives of every.

• Politicians are meant to represent the people, but how far do their decisions truly reflect the will of the voters?

• Who really exercises power in our society?

• Which ideas and values shape the lives of ordinary people and whose ideas and values are they?

• Is there anything that ordinary people can do to influence those who govern our country?

These are the questions that Politics asks, but why should they matter to you?

• Many people in Britain regard politics as something that doesn’t affect them, but they would be very wrong!

• Few people vote in local council elections, yet the bulk of our taxes are spent by local councilors. Gloucester spends more money in a year than the country of Mauritania!

• The Government in London and the European Government in Brussels affect our lives through countless regulations that organise almost every aspect of our work and play.

• People who understand the political system can make things work out to their own advantage; in business, knowledge is power.

• People study Politics in order to understand how Britain and The United States of America are organised and how they function.

How can Politics help you in your university studies and in your career?

• Politics ranks alongside History as one of the most respected A Level qualifications, because it proves that you have excellent skills in research, analysis, learning and argument.

• Students may go on to study Politics, International Relations, American Studies, European Studies, International Development, Public Administration, Business, Law, History, Sociology or Public Policy.

• Equally, they may be looking to broaden their Science courses or to acquire the study skills in communication, ICT and research that colleges now demand from all students.

• Politics is particularly relevant to careers in business, government and the civil service, the police, Law, charities, pressure groups and journalism. The course would also benefit those hoping to work in European Union or in the United States of America.

• There is no specific entry requirement for Politics, other than that required for Sixth Form College entry.

• None of our students will have studied the subject before.

Would I be any good at it? Politics may be a subject that is new to you, but the skills that it requires are not.

• You have to be inquisitive. You have to be interested in what’s going on around you. You have to be concerned about the conflict, suffering and inequality that we see everyday on the news and you have to want to do something about it….even if that only means trying to make sense of it and arriving at your own opinion about what ought to be done.

• You need to be able to carry out research, to investigate issues and to understand them. This involves learning new terms and breaking down complicated problems into their key features.

• Every Politics examination question is an argument. You have to be someone with a mind of their own, but it’s not enough simply to have an opinion – Sun readers have opinions, even if they do not know where they got them from. Good Politics students can argue their case in clear, concise and persuasive language. ‘I think this because…..’

Who teaches Politics?

• Mr Dave Croft: Head of Faculty of Social Sciences

• Mr Denis Coughlan: Leadership Team

• Mr Andrew Copestake: Head of History

• Mrs Jackie Fennel: Teacher of Politics and Sociology

• Mr Anthony Lax: Head of Year

How is the course structured?

AQA A Level Government and Politics is divided into four examination modules:

• The Year 12 AS Paper:

  • Gov 1: Politics of the UK – Parties, ideas and democracy in the UK.

  • Gov 2: The Constitution of the UK – How government works.

• The Year 13 A2 Paper:

  • Gov 3: The Politics of the USA – Politics across the pond.

  • Gov 4: The Constitution of the USA – The US system of government.

How do you become confident in a new subject?

We rely on a programme of feedback; what we call, ‘Assessment for learning’:

• An initial research task in Year 12 will help you to decide whether Politics is for you. It should be completed in the first two weeks of term. It is designed to introduce you to the demands of studying Politics at Advanced Level. The topic for 2010 is:

‘Why does the Coalition Government believe that deep cuts are necessary in public spending and why are these cuts opposed by opposition politicians, pressure groups and trade unions?’

• You will be asked to prepare topics for upcoming lessons, to learn key facts for tests and to answer practice examination questions, as part of your normal class work.

• Students keep a current affairs diary for political events and crises. These are best kept simple. A brief summary in your own words works well; there is no advantage in cutting and pasting long articles that you will never read again.

• Each term there will be an individual research assignment, to be completed over the term. These encourage you to investigate current affairs for yourself and become familiar with the important people and issues.

• At the end of each there is a written examination. There are no surprises here: the questions are set out below. If you do the work and do the learning you will do well and you will begin to feel confident in your own abilities.

• We cover the course in four terms. The fifth term [what we used to call the 2nd half of the Spring Term] is given over to revision and examination practice, in preparation for the first full mock examination at Easter.

Year 12 AS Government and Politics

There are two modules:

• Gov 1: The Politics of the UK

• Gov 2: The Constitution of the UK

Students must keep their own summary of key events in British Politics, as they go through the year. We call this your ‘political diary’. Essays will be set as and when topics are completed. These require careful planning and revision and will usually be written under examination conditions.

In addition we ask students to undertake their own individual research tasks, with one title set for each term . Students who are absent, for any reason, can use their time valuably by working on these assignments. The due-dates will be confirmed by tutors, but would normally be towards the end of the term concerned. [Please note that half-terms are now counted sequentially as separate terms. So term 3 refers to the second half of the Spring Term]

Resources for the political diary and your own research:

• Google News gives you access to a vast selection of articles on British politics and events.

• The BBC Politics site has links, blogs and video. Also see its News site. The in house ethos of the BBC is left of centre.

• Sky News links to several blog sites and to its excellent political news section.

• National newspapers all have sites, although a few have become pay as you read. The Guardian has a huge website on all aspects of government and social policy; it is centre left The Telegraph is a free site and the in house newspaper of the Conservatives. The Economist is a hugely respected weekly magazine and much of it is available online.

• Politics Review [copy in the library or order your own] is essential reading. It is designed for sixth formers, it is written by the examiners and most of your exam will have come up in it over the previous year!

• Online TV repeats, like I-Player etc., include many weekly programmes reviewing ‘the week in politics’.

British Politics websites:

http://www.tutor2u.net/ [Select Politics for student support]

http://www.gov.uk [Links to all government sites and government departments.]

http://www.number-10.gov.uk

http://www.parliament.uk/

http://www.Politics.co.uk [Covers every aspect of British political life]

http://www.psr.keele.ac.uk [Best gateway]

http://www.conservative.party.org.uk

http://www.libdems.org.uk

http://www.labour.org.uk

http://www.Parliament.uk

http://www.localgov.uk

http://www.europa.eu.int/index-een.htm [EU]

http://www.Scotland.gov.uk [Scot. Parliament]

http://www.cymru.uk [Welsh Assembly]

http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk

http://www.nio.gov.uk [Northern Ireland]

http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/quangos/

http://www.ombudsman.org.uk

 

Gov 1 UK Politics: Assignments:

Term 1 Gov 1: UK Politics – Participation and Voting Behaviour

End of term test:

‘8% of the electorate belong to an ethnic minority. They are clustered in inner city constituencies, where their numbers could be the deciding factor in an election. Traditionally they have voted Labour, but the Iraq war angered many Muslims. Did this change voting patterns, between 2001 and 2005?

This table shows the % change in the voting share of the parties in 3 inner city constituencies with large numbers of Muslim voters.’

Constituency:	Muslim voters:	Con	Lab	Lib-Dem
A	48%	-2%	-21%	+7%
B	37%	-5%	-8%	+12%
C	40%	-10%	-16%	-4%
D	30%	-3%	-19%	+4%
E	30%	-1%	-18%	+24%

1. Explain the term electorate. – 5 marks

2. Using your own knowledge and the extract above, discuss the relationship between ethnicity and voting behaviour. 10 marks

3. ‘Electoral turnout is not the only measure of political participation. Discuss. – 25 marks

All extracts have been adapted from AQA 2010 to respect copyright.. The actual questions will be from the past paper and the wording and content will be significantly different

Research task: Has the formation of a coalition government in the UK meant that the distinctive political ideologies or beliefs of the parties have become less important?

Term 2 Gov 1: UK Politics: Electoral Systems

End of term test:

‘Some referenda [plural of referendum] have been approved by parliament from time to time. The UK has no codified constitution, so there are no formal circumstances, in which one must be held, nor need parliament be bound by one that was held, but it has been long accepted that referenda can help to provide a clear mandate for important changes. Voters were promised a referendum on the EU Constitution and many expected there to be one on the 2007 Lisbon Treaty that took its place. Of 27 EU states only Ireland held a referendum over the Lisbon Treaty; 54% of Irish voters rejected the treaty in 2008’

1. Explain the key word ‘mandate’. – 5

2. Using your own knowledge and the extract, describe when and why UK governments have held referenda. - 10

3. How far do the advantages of the first-past-the-post electoral system outweigh its disadvantages? ’ Discuss - 25

Research task: How far were the leadership debates responsible for the outcome of the 2010 election result?

Term 3 Gov 1: UK Politics: Political Parties:

End of term test:

‘The New Tories 2008:

David Cameron’s main aim is to make the Party more electable, to give it a modern image. The Tories in the latter quarter of the 20th Century were socially divisive; Cameron wants a catch-all-party. The new Conservatives will be a third way, somewhere between Labour and the old Conservatives, yet still different again from Tony Blair’s New Labour version of a ‘Third Way’ in British politics.

So what would this new Conservative approach include? Cameron agrees with Thatcher on ‘rolling back the frontiers of the state’, but differs from her in thinking that there is a role for society in supporting individual and private sector initiatives to tackle social problems. Blair’s ‘Third Way’ just meant that Labour had to move to the right over crime and free enterprise; Cameron’s Third Way may simply mean that to get elected the Conservatives have to adopt a more caring and human face. ‘

1. Explain the term ‘catch-all-party’. – 5

2. How has Conservative Party policy changed since the 1990’s? – 10

3. Evaluate the part played by parties in the UK political system. - 25
   

Research task: How do the main political parties make their decisions? Analyse the view that power inside both the Conservative and Labour parties is now concentrated in their respective leaderships.

Term 4 Gov 1: UK Politics: Pressure Groups and the Media

End of term test:

‘The ability of pressure groups to use mass media in order to excite public interest works best over important and heart-rending stories, like animal rights, GM crops, hunting animals or going to war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Make Poverty History successfully highlighted the plight of the hungrier parts of Africa a few years back.

Smaller groups, like Fathers for Justice, have also become skilled at staging media friendly outrages that have headlined the evening news. Such events work well when there is prior contact with the media and the stunts are flagged up on the internet. Providing good footage for the press can result in a follow up documentary.’

1. Explain the term mass media. – 5

2. Using your own knowledge and the passage, explore two ways in which pressure groups exploit the media. – 10

3. Despite widespread interest in what they get up to, pressure groups hardly ever have any real impact on government policy. Discuss. - 25

Research task: Assess the impact of direct political action on the decision making process in the UK, since 1979? Your answer should consider the roles of trade unions, pressure groups, lobbyists and the media.

Term 5: Revision for a final mock after Easter.

Gov 2: UK Constitution: Assignments

Term 1 Gov 2: UK Constitution: Constitutional framework

End of term test:

‘Parts of the British constitution are written down, in various forms, but it is not fully codified. Many believe that there is now a strong case for creating a codified, written constitution. It would clarify the separation of powers between the executive, the legislature and the judiciary. The present constitution may be flexible and it may be able to adapt easily to new conditions, but it leaves its citizens without solid constitutional guarantees of their liberties. If the Human Rights Act was part of a codified constitution, then it could not be ignored and it could only be amended with a lot more effort than it takes to rush through some government emergency bill.’

1. Explain the concept of a judiciary. – 5

2. Using your own knowledge and the quotation, explain why it is said that the UK constitution can easily respond to new conditions. – 10

3. The government has too much power because there is no clear separation between the powers of its different branches. Discuss. - 25

Research Task:

Research any recent decision by the UK Supreme Court that has implications for human rights. The details of the case need to be set into context. Describe the influence that the case might have on the UK’s systems of law, government policy and social values.

Term 2 Gov 2: UK Constitution: Parliament

End of term test:

‘Unlike the Commons, where defeat is unusual, governments are often knocked backwards by the Lords. It has happened over 399 times since 1996. The House of Lords cannot veto a Commons Bill, but it can make the government think again and it can embarrass it.

PM Blair’s reform of the Lords gave it greater credibility, by removing most inherited peerages. Appointments to life peerages have been broadly proportionate to support for the parties, so there is no overall majority for any one party. Crossbenchers, bishops and government rebels can join with the main opposition parties to have a real influence over decision making. It may be an unelected chamber, but it seems to have a vital role to play in the British constitution.’

1. Explain the key word backbenchers. – 5

2. Use your own information and that above, to support the view that the reform of the House of Lords has made it stronger and more accepted. -10

3. The job of Parliament is to represent the people. How well does it function in this role? – 25

Research Task:

How far is parliamentary scrutiny and oversight been replaced by back-room deals in coalition Britain? Are the parliamentary committees and the Upper Chamber doing their job and has the ‘sleaze factor’ in British politics been firmly dealt with?

Term 3 Gov 2: UK Constitution: The Core Executive

End of term test:

‘Alastair Campbell, PM Blair’s special advisor back in the days of the Iraq War of 2003, kept notes on Cabinet meetings. He records that Robin Cook and Clare Short both threatened to resign, in the run-up to the war. Short raised her worries in Cabinet. She later spoke to the media, claiming that she would resign if Blair went ahead with a war against Saddam that was not backed by a new UN resolution. When she told Campbell this, he replied that she should speak out in Cabinet and resign if she did not agree with its decisions. At the next Cabinet meeting it emerged that Cook had already resigned. Cook felt it would be dishonest to stay in the Cabinet and appear to support a war in which he did not believe. Short on the other hand, according to Campbell, only said that she would ‘consider her position’, she did not resign. After a difficult Cabinet on 26th March 2003, Prescott and Blair had a bilateral. Prescott told Blair that Short’s behaviour in Cabinet had been intolerable and that she should be sacked.’

1. Explain the key word bilateral. – 5

2. Use the text and ideas of your own to think over the view that Cabinet ministers should resign if they find themselves disagreeing with Cabinet decisions. – 10

3. How far are the major policy decisions of government made by the Cabinet? - 25

Research Task:

How much power does Nick Clegg actually have as Deputy Prime Minister?

Term 4 Gov 2: UK Constitution: Multi-Level Governance & Devolved Powers

End of term test:

‘It is argued that power is increasingly being devolved across several different levels of government. New centres of political power, some below the level of Parliament and some further up the EU chain, have come into being. This has made it more difficult to work out who is accountable for what.

Local government controls the delivery of vitally important services. Some powers have been ceded to the EU and others have been devolved downwardly to new Assemblies. Devolution means that decision making has to be coordinated between ministers at each of the levels. How things have changed from the traditional ‘Westminster model’, which provided a strong central government with a parliament whose sovereignty could not be challenged from abroad and whose ministers were clearly accountable to the Queen in Parliament.’

1. Explain the term devolution. – 5

2. Use your own information and the paragraph to explain the statement that local government controls the delivery of vitally important public services. 10

3. How far does the devolution of power within a multi-level system of government give people more control over their government? - 25

Research Task:

Investigate one key department of state. Outline the relationship between its political leaders and its top civil servants. What new legislation or reforms has it been involved with? How has it handled the difficult task of making cuts in its budget?

Term 5: Revision for a final mock after Easter.

13 A2 Government and Politics

 

 

There are two modules:

• Gov 3 A : The Politics of the USA

• Gov 4 A : The Constitution of the USA

Essays will be set as and when topics are completed. These require careful planning and revision and will usually be written under examination conditions.

The students are expected to complete a political diary for events in US Politics. This needs to be sorted under 4 headings:

• The presidency

• The Congress

• The Supreme Court

• The Governors and the States

Resources for the diary of US political life:

‘realclearpolitics.com’ is the best introduction to everything that is going on.

Newspapers Online:

• The Wall Street Journal is the largest selling national newspaper. Its ethos is closer to the Republicans than to the Democrats.

• USA Today presents a reader’s digest or tabloid approach to the news.

• The New York Times is America’s paper of record. Most of its readers will be Democrat, but is an authoritative newspaper with high investigative standards.

• The Washington Post is the flagship of the Democratic Left, famous for its attack on the Republican president, Richard Nixon, over Watergate.

• The Los Angeles Times provides an insight into the view from the West Coast & California.

• The Chicago Tribune provides a Mid-West viewpoint. Illinois is Obama’s adoptive state. The ‘Trib’ has generally been warmer to Republicans yet it backed its ‘native son’ in 2008. Its values are usually a mix of racial diversity and Christian Right.

News Networks:

• ABC, CBS, Fox News and CNN provide online websites with video links. CNN and Fox are available on Sky Channels. Fox News is wonderfully Republican.

Google News:

• By changing the default setting for Google News from UK to US, on the drop-down, you can get a sample of US focused news stories. The Politics heading or the search facility will direct you to up to the minute stories on the President, Congress, the Supreme Court or the States. This is great for reading ‘small town newspaper’ reaction to national events or for dropping in on blog debates on current affairs in the USA. You will quickly pick up on which side of the fence they are coming from.

Websites: The White House website will help you to track the President and cabinet. The official US Congress site has huge amounts of information on current legislation and the biographies of Representatives and Senators. The Supreme Court website will let you research the Justices and get details on their cases, decisions and voting patterns.

Politics Review: This also discusses the US options, which most schools opt for.

Gov 3A Politics of the USA: Assignments

Gov 3 asks you to answer two topics in 90 minutes. Each topic has two questions:

1. 10 marks, 10 minutes: an explanation of a key term or feature of the US Constitution

2. 30 marks, 30 minutes: a discussion of a major issue in US government.

Term 1 Gov 3 A: Elections & Direct Democracy

End of term test:

1. How important are the televised debates in presidential elections? 10 marks

2. In the selection of the two main party’s nominees for President, the use of primary elections has more advantages than disadvantages. Discuss. – 30 marks

Research Task:

Who are the likely front runners for the presidential election in 2012 and what level of support can they expect? What might be the key issues for the campaign?

Term 1 Gov 3 A: Parties

End of term test:

1. Minor parties in the US political system are more important than people might think. Why? – 10

2. The two main parties in the US have been criticised for being badly organised and for having few real ideological differences between them. How far are these criticisms fair? – 30

Research Task:

Research the Tea Party movement. How are they gaining support? What is their platform? Does the rise of the Tea Party signify the decline of political parties or does it show they are becoming more relevant again?

Term 3 Gov A: Voting Behaviour

End of term test:

1. How and why has the Hispanic vote become increasingly important in US elections? – 10

2. Why has ‘split-ticket’ voting become more common amongst the US electorate AND what impact has this had on US Politics? - 30

Research Task:

Look at the mid-term results for 3 different states. Analyse who has voted for the winner and discuss whether American politics has become more or less partisan.

Term 4 Gov 3A: Pressure Groups

End of term test:

1. Why have pressure groups in the US resorted at times to direct action, in a bid to achieve their goals? – 10

2. What are the main reasons why pressure groups have become so powerful in the US political system? – 30

Research Task:

Research the Jewish Lobby groups in America and answer the question: ‘Why are they so powerful?’ Focus on their location, funding, tactics and access to Washington.

Term 5: Revision for a Mock exam after Easter.

Gov 4 A: Constitution of the USA: Assiugnments

Gov 4 asks you to answer two topics in 90 minutes. Each topic has two questions: a 10 marks explanation of a key term or feature of the US Constitution [10 minutes] and a 30 marks discussion of a major issue in US government [30 minutes].

Term 1: Gove 4 A: Constitutional framework:

End of term test:

1: Explain the principle and practice of checks and balances in US government – 10

2: ‘Far from being rigid, the US constitution is surprisingly flexible’. Discuss. - 30

Research Task:

Research the history of the US health care reforms introduced by the Obama administration. How difficult was it to get the Bills through the Congress? How did Obama get the support of the Congress and what was the role of the Supreme Court?

Term 2: Gov 4 A: The Legislative

End of term test:

1: Explain the practice and importance of impeachment in the US. – 10

2: To what extent does the social and political composition of Congress prevent government in the United States from being truly representative? – 30

Research Task:

Prepare mini-biographies on 6 congressional ‘movers and shakers’, three each from the House and the Senate. Emphasise their voting record, their role in introducing legislation, their work on congressional hearings and their actions in the standing committees, in exercising scrutiny or oversight of administration policy.

Term 3: Gov 4 A: The Executive

End of term test:

1. Describe the operation and importance of the presidential veto. – 10

2. How far is the presidential power restricted to issues relating to foreign policy?- 30

Research task

Prepare a record of Obama’s approval ratings and opinion poll readings for his first two years in office. The try and relate its ups and downs to the key events of his presidency.

Term 4: Gov 4 A: The Judiciary

End of term test:

1. Outline the process for selecting Supreme Court judges in the US. - 10

2. How far has the Supreme Court moved away from judicial activism and towards the practice of judicial restraint? – 30

Research Task:

Prepare pen portraits of each of the nine members of the Supreme Court. What are their views on the key issues: issues like abortion, the commerce clause, gun-control, religion in schools or the anti-terror legislation? Their voting patterns, decisions on which they have led the Court’s response and their dissents from majority decisions are most important in this.

Term 5 Revision for a final Mock exam after Easter.