It can be difficult working out exactly what parties stand for. They tend to put all their ideas in their Manifestos - their policy promises. This is a Superb BBC guide to all the parties in the UK General election and what their views are on particular issues. This may be useful for any young new voters.
The short answer is YES! There are a lot of areas that are very applicable to the exams:
Brexit continues to ravage through British politics in the run up to the supposed Brexit date and one of the biggest recent stories is the emergence of the new 'independent group of MP's. These MP's are entirely disillusioned by their parties stances - mostly on Brexit. Most of them are Labour MP's who are fed up with Jeremy Corbyn's leadership. Some are deeply opposed to his alleged reluctance to deal with anti Semitism in the party. In political terms it means that it is another clear sign that the traditional party allegiances and broad church parties are being deeply divided by Brexit in a way no other issue has ever divided them. This perhaps mirrors the country as a whole
It is quite a seismic shift in UK Politics which tends to be very party controlled - this small (and growing group) have also become the 4th largest 'party' in the UK. In a Parliament in which government teeters on a knife edge of support that is quite significant. HOW DOES THIS RELATE TO A LEVEL POLITICS STUDENTS? This is a very good example of party discipline being undermined ; The powers of MP's / backbenchers; The change of party control in the Commons ; The limitations to the power of the whip. This is an excellent piece of research by St Josephs in Derry - It clearly shows just what lengths the Government (Executive) will go to in order to control the legislature and in particular the Article 50 bill. This is a really good example of Executive control and Parliamentary limitations.
This video clearly demonstrates what a By Election is. We have just had two by-elections in the UK. One saw a Labour hold for Corbyn's Labour party at Stoke. The other saw a shock loss of Labour of the Copeland seat in Cumbria. The Conservative party won. This was a massive blow to Labour. They have held the seat for over 80 years! It is also the first loss of a seat to the governing party since 1981. By elections tend to be a good opportunity to punish a Government for their record. |
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AuthorMr John Wishart - |