Chapter 1: Understanding British politics

Question 1

What are the main features of the Westminster Model of British politics? How have these been challenged in recent years?

Question 2

In what ways can the United Kingdom be viewed as an unusual example of a liberal democracy?

Chapter 2: Analysing British politics

Question 1

'Post-war British political history has been marked by continuity rather than change'. Discuss.

Question

What has been the effect on British politics since 1979 of the idea of a 'special relationship' with the USA?

Question 3

To what extent were UK governments before 1979 weakened by the attempt to do too much?

Chapter 3: UK government in context

Question 1

In view of its many divisions, does it really make much sense to talk about 'Britain' as a single entity?

Question 2

Can the UK government do much to influence social change?

Question 3

'The improvement in the status of women is the most important development in UK society since 1970'. Discuss.

Question 4

Is Britain a meritocracy?

Chapter 4: Economy and society

Question 1

Do British politicians tend to over-rate the influence of the media over the electorate? Discuss, with reference to theories of media influence and the Leveson inquiry.

Question 2

'Rupert Murdoch has been the most powerful person in British politics since 1979'. Discuss.

Question 3

Does the British media promote pluralism?

Chapter 5: The media and communications

Question 1

Examine the case for a codified constitution.

Question 2

How radical were the constitutional reforms introduced by New Labour between 1997 and 2010?

Question 3

Identify those areas of the constitution that require further reform. How might they be reformed, and what are the main obstacles to change?

Chapter 6: The constitution

Question 1

What are the main resources available to the Prime Minister? How significant are they?

Question 2

How and why did Tony Blair's authority wane during the last years of his premiership?

Question 3

Under what circumstances should ministers be required to resign?

Chapter 7: The core executive

Question 1

Does the UK electorate really gain anything from the constitutional convention that ministers should be Members of Parliament?

Question 2

'Before reforming the House of Lords, the House of Commons should have reformed itself'. Discuss.

Question 3

Has parliament re-asserted itself under the coalition government?

Chapter 8: Parliament

Question 1

'The main role of British judges is to correct Parliament's mistakes'. Discuss.

Question 2

Before Labour's reforms, was the office of Lord Chancellor really a serious defect of the UK constitution?

Question 3

Assess the impact of the Human Rights Act 1998 on British politics.

Chapter 9: The judiciary and the law

Question 1

What are the main differences between the era of 'government' and that of 'governance'?

Question 2

Identify the key advantages and disadvantages of quangos.

Question 3

What is globalisation? What impact has it had on the UK state?

Chapter 10: The changing State

Question 1

How many tiers of local government operate in your locality? What are the main functions of these local authorities?

Question 2

Are powerful local authorities required for healthy local democracy?

Question 3

Assess the pros and cons of directly elected mayors. Why are there so few of them?

Chapter 11: Local government to local governance

Question 1

Has devolution strengthened or weakened the Union?

Question 2

Assess the pros and cons of the following 'answers' to the 'English question':

1. elected regional assemblies
2. 'English votes for English laws' at Westminster; and
3. an English Parliament.

Question 3

Does the Good Friday Agreement provide the best prospect of peace and political stability in Northern Ireland?

Chapter 12: Devolution

Question 1

How powerful are national governments in EU policy-making?

Question 2

Why is Britain an 'awkward partner' in the European Union?

Question 3

To what extent has membership of the EU brought about significant change in:

1. policy-making; and
2. party competition in the UK?

Chapter 13: The UK and the European Union

Question 1

'The idea of a British two-party system is a myth which only serves the interests of the two main parties'. Discuss.

Question 2

Assess the impact of the simple plurality electoral system on the British party system.

Question 3

What has been the impact of devolution on party systems in the UK?

Chapter 14: UK party systems

Question 1

If mass parties are dead, what killed them?

Question 2

Does the behaviour of the main UK parties verify the 'Iron Law of Oligarchy'?

Question 3

'The election of Iain Duncan Smith as Conservative Party leader proves that this choice should never be left to ordinary party members'. Discuss.

Chapter 15: Party organisation

Question 1

How useful is the idea of 'consensus' in explaining contemporary British politics?

Question 2

Do the ideologies of conservatism and socialism have any relevance to politics in contemporary Britain?

Question 3

'The success of New Labour and Cameron's Conservatives prove that principles are a political handicap'. Discuss.

Chapter 16: Ideology and party competition

Question 1

How might turnout be improved in British elections?

Question 2

Assess the impact of new electoral systems on politics in the UK.

Question 3

Rank the following features of electoral systems in terms of their importance.

• Clear link between MP and constituents.
• Easy for voters to understand.
• Proportionality of outcome.
• Produces strong government.

Question 4

Use your ranking to judge which of the electoral systems used in the UK should be used for general elections.

Chapter 17: Elections and electoral systems

Question 1

Why has social class declined in utility as a predictor of voting behaviour?

Question 2

How accurate is the observation that 'opposition parties don't win elections, governments lose them'?

Question 3

'Labour certainly lost the 2010 general election, but no-one won it'. Discuss.

Chapter 18: Voting behaviour

Question 1

How healthy is contemporary British democracy?

Question 2

Assess the legacy of 'New' Labour in terms of the conduct of British government. Is its impact likely to prove lasting?

Chapter 19: Participation beyond elections

Question 1

How healthy is contemporary British democracy?

Question 2

Assess the legacy of 'New' Labour in terms of the conduct of British government. Is its impact likely to prove lasting?

Chapter 20: Governance and democracy in the UK

Democratic Audit site

The Democratic Audit site includes briefings on the health of British democracy and the Constitution Unit (www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit) has regular updates on constitutional reform.

BBC News website

The BBC News website is an excellent source of information on developments in British politics.

Epolitix

Epolitix is also recommended

New 'blogs' on British politics

New 'blogs' on British politics are emerging on a weekly basis, although the quality varies greatly. Among the most informative and entertaining are