SQT Voting and Referendums 2010 2011[1]

8/6/2019 SQT Voting and Referendums 2010 2011[1]

1/37Question Time is a trade mark of the British Broadcasting Corporation

Challenge Guide

Voting and Referendums Toolkit


2/37

Voting and Referendums Toolkit

2

About Schools Question Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Topic 1 Introduction to Voting and Turnouts in Elections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Lesson Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Worksheet 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Topic 2 Electoral Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Lesson Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Worksheet 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Worksheet 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Topic 3 Introduction to Referendums . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Lesson Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Worksheet 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Worksheet 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Topic 4 First Past The Post Vs Alternative Vote . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Lesson Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Worksheet 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

Worksheet 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Topic 5 Thinking About What Government Does . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Worksheet 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Worksheet 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Topic 6 Different Types of Government . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Lesson Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Worksheet 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25Worksheet 11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Topic 7 Planning and Running a Campaign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

Worksheet 12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

Worksheet 13 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

Worksheet 14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Topic 8 Election Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

Worksheet 15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

Topic 9 Prime Minister For A Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

Worksheet 16 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

Schools Question Time Voting and Referendums Toolkit


3/37

About Schools Question Time

1

Schools QUESTION TIME is a Political Literacy and Citizenship Life Skills initiative supported

by Parliaments Education Service, the Institute for Citizenship and the BBC. The initiative is

designed to provide a unique chance for young people to participate in activities which will

encourage them to become active and informed citizens.

There are five specific resources to the initiative:

Voting and Referendums Toolkit - a free resource created especially for young people to

learn about voting and the planned Alternative Vote Referendum in 2011. The toolkit explores

the themes of Voting and Referendums and includes nine in-depth lesson plans for Key Stage

3 and 4 on topics from Different Types of Government to The Alternative Vote Vs First PastThe Post!

Politics & Parliament Toolkit - a free Political Literacy resource which can be used

independently from the Schools QUESTION TIME Challenge. The toolkit explores the themes

of Politics and Parliament and includes three in-depth lesson plans for Key Stage 3 and 4 on:

> People and Parliament

> Parliament and Government

> Voting.

Communication Skills Toolkit a free resource which can be used independently from the

Schools QUESTION TIME Challenge. It explores the value and characteristics of good debate

for informed citizenship. The Toolkit is made up of a set of teachers notes, seven lesson

plans and resource sheets for six different types of debate. It has been developed with the

help of teachers and educators to help both you and your students explore:

> The value of discussion and debates

> The interpersonal communication skills that enable quality dialogue> Different models that can be used

> The relationship between effective communication and citizenship.

Event Planning Guide (launching Nov 2010) a free resource which can be used by

students to help plan a Schools QUESTION TIME event or an independent event. The guide

will provide students with the support to put on an event to bring their school and community

together. Through putting on their own event students will learn:> To communicate with other people more effectively

> To work both in teams and individually

> To evaluate their own work

> To plan more effectively by setting targets and problem solving

> Political literacy and 21st century citizenship skills.



4/37

About Schools Question Time

Challenge Guide a guide to entering the Schools QUESTION TIME Challenge. TheChallenge is a competition in which students put on a local QUESTION TIME event which is

judged across the UK. Delegates from the four winning teams go behind the scenes at a real

edition of BBC QUESTION TIME in July 2011. Entry is simple and full details are given in the

Challenge Guide initial entry is by answering three simple questions.

The 15 schools with the best entries will receive:

> an exciting full day workshop focusing on Political Literacy and Communication Skills

delivered by Parliaments Education Service. All workshops focus on active learning and

participation

> an award to the value of250 from the Institute for Citizenship supported by Parliaments

Education Service to run a local Schools QUESTION TIME event.

2

Question Time is a trade mark of the British Broadcasting Corporation


Enter the Schools QUESTION TIME Challenge and your students could win

the opportunity to shadow a real edition of the BBCs QUESTION TIME

with David Dimbleby and the regular TV production team!

Entries close on 7 November 2010.

www.schoolsquestiontime.org


5/37

Introduction

3

Active citizens in the 21st century now need an understanding about the complex processes

that surround them. The importance of understanding, and interacting with, processes thatgovern us has never been more important.

The issues surrounding Voting and Referendums have often been seen as challenging topics

to teach as part of Citizenship and PSHE classes. These lessons are vital for informing young

citizens about how they shape the decisions that affect them, but can be hard to teach.

This years free Schools QUESTION TIME resources try to help teachers to tackle complex

and challenging topics in a fun and informative way.

This resource has been developed with the input of teachers and educational experts to help

you and your students explore:

> The different processes of Voting and Referendums

> The differences between electoral systems and how they can change electoral outcomes

> Their voting rights and the reasons why people do or do not vote

> The main differences between the Alternative Vote and First Past The Post.

The resource comprises:

> Nine in-depth lesson plans aimed at guiding teachers and students through all the major

facts and issues

> Discussion points to expand lessons and the learning outcomes.

This Toolkit has been produced by the Institute for Citizenship as part of Schools QUESTIONTIME, a Political Literacy and Citizenship Life Skills initiative supported by ParliamentsEducation Service, the Institute for Citizenship and the BBC. It uses the format of the BBCsQUESTION TIME programme as a springboard for thinking about being active and informedcitizens.

You can also download a FREE Schools QUESTION TIME Politics and Parliament Toolkit,which is designed for secondary students and will help them to explore the themes of Peopleand Parliament, Parliament and Government and Voting. For this and a host of otherCitizenship resources visit: www.citizen.org.uk and www.parliament.uk/education.



6/37

1a. Introduction to Voting and Turnout in Elections

4

RELUCTANT VOTERS

In 1950, 84% of registered electors voted. Since

then, turnouts have declined overall, with thedrop from the 1992 (77.7%) to 1997 (71.4%)

General Election eclipsed only by the drop fromthe 1997 (71.4%) to the 2001 (59.4%) General

Election, the lowest turnout since the end of theSecond World War. More tellingly, the gap

between the numbers of young people who voteand the rest of the population has grown. Only

39% of those aged between 18 and 25 in the2001 General Election chose to vote, compared

to 75% of those over the age of 65.

NON-REGISTRATION

These turnout figures may be even worse thanthey seem, because non-registration has been

gradually increasing, particularly among thosegroups probably least likely to vote: young people

and especially young men, ethnic minorities andthose in private rented accommodation in inner

cities. Official estimates suggest that non-registration nationally was approximately 5% in

the early 1990s - partly through attempts to avoidpaying the local government poll tax then in

operation. In some areas of Inner London andother big cities it may have been approaching

20%. Despite campaigns by the National Union ofStudents and others to encourage registration by

young people, the situation is unlikely to haveimproved greatly.

COMPULSORY VOTING?

Various countries - Australia, Belgium, Greece,

Cyprus, plus several in Latin America - havecompulsory voting for at least some of theirelections, with non-appearance punishable

usually by a fine. It would undoubtedly increaseturnout here. But it would be controversial, and

could be said to be attacking the symptom, ratherthan the cause.

THE PROBLEM OF VOTER MOTIVATION

Critics of all these innovations argue that the realreason more people dont vote is not inertia but

demotivation. Alienated from our mainstreampolitical institutions - parties, Parliament, MPs,

local councillors - they feel their vote is unlikely tochange anything. Some would argue thatchanging the whole electoral system could be

part of the answer.

ELECTIONS IN A PARLIAMENTARYDEMOCRACY

Britain is a parliamentary democracy, and thegovernment is normally formed from the party

with the most seats in the House of Commons. Ina General Election, therefore, we are voting

directly for our own constituency MPs and onlyindirectly for a government.

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO WIN AN ELECTION?

In 1997 for example, the Labour Party won

because in the May 1st elections its candidateswon 419 of the Commons 659 seats. This gave

Labour a massive 179 overall majority. But if welook more closely, only 71.2% of registered

electors actually voted, and only 43.2% of thosevoted Labour. Multiply those figures together and

we see Labours landslide victory in 1997 restedon barely 30% of the registered electorate - a far

smaller proportion than when Labour was losingelections throughout the 1950s.

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO FORM AGOVERNMENT?

In 1974 and 2010 no party won an overall

majority. In 2010, the Conservatives won 36.1%of the popular vote resulting in 307 seats - 19

seats short of an overall majority of 326 seats.The Conservative party then formed a Coalition

Government with the Liberal Democrats, whocame third in the General Election registering

23% of the popular vote with just 57 seats.Together the two parties had enough seats to

form an overall majority and work in coalition.

A THREE-PARTY SYSTEM?

Until the 1970s the then Liberals rarely won morethan 10% of the vote or had more than a dozen

MPs in Parliament. Since 1983, as the Allianceand now the Liberal Democrats, they have

averaged nearly 20% of the vote and in 2005won 62 seats. Declining class allegiance to

parties and increased voter mobility betweenparties have also led to other parties gaining

support. In 2005, Scottish and Welsh Nationalistswon 9 seats in Parliament and the UK

Independence Party gained 2.2% of the nationalvote, despite winning no seats.



7/37

5

claim to represent the majority of people.

EXTENSION ACTIVITIES

Students could focus on specific groups who

are unlikely to vote, and research the reasons

for this.

Students could end this activity with some

group work trying to promote higher voter

turnout. This could be a general campaign,

stressing the importance of voting or it could beaimed at specific groups. Operation Black Vote

have a website which might be helpful to aid

further research in this area www.obv.org.uk

DISCUSSION POINTS

If students had the chance would they vote in

the next election?

FURTHER REFERENCES

The website of the UK Parliament:

http://www.parliament.uk

The website of the Electoral Commission:

http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk

The website of the Welsh Assembly:

http://www.wales.gov.uk

The website of the Scottish Parliament:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk

ACTIVITIES

1 x 45 minutes.

AIM

Understand the different patterns of voter

turnout and speculate on the likely reasons for

them.

OBJECTIVES

Use skills of interpreting statistics.

Recognise that different elections have

different levels of turnout.

Think about their own motivation for voting.

Think about arguments surrounding non

participation.

RESOURCES

Introduction to Voting and Turnout in Elections

Student Worksheet 1a, Voter Turnout Student

Worksheet 1c.

TASKS

1 Using the worksheet ask students to work

through the first five questions individually, to

give them a chance to focus on the table and

think about what it shows.

2 The discussion points could then be looked at

in small groups before discussing the issues as

a whole class.

3 During feedback and discussion, the teacher

will have to feed in information from theintroduction notes, especially to encourage

students to think about the implications of low

turnouts for the legitimacy of government or its

1b. Voting and Turnout in Elections: Lesson Plan



8/37

1c. Voting and Turnout: Worksheet 1

6

QUESTIONS

1. What is the highest turn out for any election since 1987?

2. Which elections encourage the most voters to turn out?

3. Which elections encourage the least voters to turn out?

4. Why do you think this might be the case?

5. Can you see any patterns in turn out over time?

DISCUSSION POINTS

1. Who do you think is most / least likely to vote?

Give reasons for your answer

Do others agree or disagree with you?

2. What can governments do to encourage more people to vote?

Should people be forced to vote, and fined if they dont? (this happens in Australia)

How would you feel if you were forced to vote?

What reasons might you have for choosing not to vote?

3. What arguments would you use to try to convince someone that they should vote?

Election Year General

Election

European

Election

Welsh

Assembly

Election

Scottish

Parliament

Election

1987 75.3

1989 36.4

1992 77.7

1994 36.4

1997 71.4

1999 24 46.3 59.1

2001 59.4

2003 38.2 49.4

2004 38.5

2005 61.4

2007 43.7 51.82009 34.7

2010 65.1

Voting Turnout (Percentage)

Schools Question Time Challenge GuideSchools Question Time Voting and Referenda Toolkit


9/37

2a. Introduction to Electoral Systems

7

member constituencies, but would rank-order the

list of candidates: 1,2,3 etc. The winner wouldneed over 50% of the vote. If, after the first count,

no candidate has a majority, the lowest candidateor candidates are eliminated and second

preferences redistributed until a majority isachieved.

NOTHING TO DO WITH PROPORTIONALITY

It should be noted that no election since 1970

has produced a Government with more than 45%of the vote nationally. In 2005, taking the

electorate as a whole, the proportion of eligiblepeople who cast a vote to return the current

Labour Government was only 21.6%, or 9.6million out of an electorate of 44.4 million.

PROPORTIONAL SYSTEMS

Proportional representation is not an electoralsystem itself; it is the goal of many different

systems. The most common in Western Europeare party list systems in multi-member

constituencies. Votes are cast for parties, rather

than candidates, and seats allocated to eachparty according to proportions of votes won.

THE SINGLE TRANSFERABLE VOTE (STV)

Long favoured by the Liberal Democrats, STV,also in multi-member constituencies, is perhaps

the most voter friendly system. As with AV, voterscan rank-order candidates, but they can also

choose between several candidates from thesame party. Ballot papers are longer and counting

more complicated than with AV, but eliminated

candidates second preferences are redistributedin the same way until the constituencys quota ofseats is filled. With both open list and STV

systems, women and ethnic minorities may standa better chance of election, as parties will try toselect as diverse a slate of candidates as

possible.

ADDITIONAL MEMBER SYSTEMS (AMS)

The Additional Member System is used by theScottish Parliament and the Welsh and Greater

London Assemblies. Voters cast two votes: onefor a candidate in a single member constituency,

the other for a party list. The list seats top upparties constituency representation if it falls short

of the proportion to which their party vote entitlesthem.

OUR SIMPLE ELECTORAL SYSTEM

Britains electoral system for the Westminster

Parliament is about the simplest imaginable.Termed first-past-the-post (FPTP), it works

because the candidate who is first-past-the-post(gets the most votes), wins. No majority (50% +

1) is required. Voters are offered one candidateper party and may put a cross against one only.

No ranking of candidates is permitted. In aGeneral Election there is a vote in 650

constituencies (areas) across the country,whoever wins each vote takes a seat on the

green benches of the House of Commons.

SOME ARGUMENTS FOR FPTP

FPTP is a simple system that gives us all ourown MP to represent us and our particular

constituency. The system also tends to producesingle-party and therefore relatively stable,

governments, pledged to implement theirmanifesto policies. This supports mainstream

parties and makes it hard for extreme parties togain seats. The system also allows for a

straightforward and simple election processleading to orderly transfers of power.

SOME ARGUMENTS AGAINST FPTP

Critics see things differently. FPTP exaggeratesthe parliamentary representation of the leading

party. It does produce single-party majorities - inParliament and in local councils - even from

minority votes. It also under-represents smallernationwide parties, like the Liberal Democrats.

Whilst this can be interpreted as producing

strong governments it can also increase theprobability that governments will beuncompromising. FPTP can also produce a

disincentive to vote, if your constituency is onethat rarely, if ever, changes party hands. If you

support the winning party, your individual vote isprobably unnecessary. If you support another

party you may feel your vote is wasted, and youmay not feel personally represented by an MP

whose election you opposed.

THE ALTERNATIVE VOTEIn the EU, only Britain uses FPTP. Othercountries systems are more inclusive, more

proportionally representative, or both. The systemrequiring least change for the UK would be the

alternative vote (AV). It would keep single-



10/37

8

second page. Stress the differences in the

result here are NOT due to voting but to howthose same votes are counted. (It should be

clear that no party would dominate the House of

Commons if this result were replicated across

the country. House Party may have more

representatives than No Change and the

Radicals, but if No Change and the Radicals

joined forces, they could prevent House Party

from getting legislation passed. What is more, if

the Radicals joined with House Party theywould become a part of the government, a

complete turnaround from their result in the first

example, when the Radicals were left without

any elected representatives).


Find out the arguments used by politicians and

campaigners for and against these two electoral

systems. Examine other more complicated types of

voting systems. These could include different

ways of counting the same votes or different

ways of voting. In the former category students

could divide the grid into blocks of four to make

bigger constituencies with four members, each

of these could then be recalculated to see how

the representatives would be divided up in each

region (e.g. London elections with a SingleTransferable Vote).

Look at elections where other electoral methods

have been used around the UK, what have

been the implications of these.

DISCUSSION POINTS

Is there one fair way to hold an election, which

everyone will agree on?

What is more important - strong government or

representative government? Are the two

mutually exclusive?

ACTIVITIES

1 x 45 minutes.

AIM

Understand the workings of different electoral

systems and their wider implications.

OBJECTIVES

Understand what is meant by First Past The

Post, Alternative Vote and Proportional Listsystems.

Calculate election outcome according to

different systems.

Think about the advantages and disadvantages

of each of the systems.

Begin to develop a personal response about

preferred electoral systems.

RESOURCES

Introduction to Electionoral Systems 2a,

Electoral Systems Lesson Plan 2b, Electoral

Systems Student Worksheet 2c, Electoral

Systems Student Worksheet 2d.

TASKS

1 Go through the table making sure that students

are clear that each of the boxes in the grid

represents a different constituency, and that

House Party, No Change and Radicals are

names of political parties.

2 Ask students to calculate the results of the

election according to the First Past The Post

System. Check that everyone has the same

results and agrees that House Party wins the

election with a clear majority. Stress also that

the Radicals fail to have any MPs elected at all.

3 Next, talk through the concept of proportional

representation with the students to make sure

they all understand the principle. Recalculate

the result using the simple formula on the

2b. Electoral Systems: Lesson Plan



11/37

2c. Electoral Systems: Worksheet 2

9

We vote in small geographical areas, called wards. In local elections each ward can elect its own

representative. In general elections the areas are larger, they include about 100,000 people. These areas

are called constituencies, and each one elects an MP. The boxes above represent the fictional election

results of 16 constituencies for each of the three political parties. There are several ways in which the votes

can be used to work out who should form the government. In this exercise you will think about two methods

of electing governments.

FIRST PAST THE POST

This is the system we use at the moment for general elections and most local elections. Each area elects

the person with the most votes, but they do not need to get a majority.

In Schoolshire, the results were as follows House Party 10%, No Change Alliance 46%, Radicals 44%. The

MP for that area would be from the No Change Alliance, even though 54% of local voters chose other

people.

Use the following chart to record how many representatives each of the parties would have as result of this

election if you were using this system:

Ladchester

House Party 80%

No Change 10%

Radicals 10%

Girlville

House Party 70%

No Change 20%

Radicals 10%

Boss County

House Party 60%

No Change 30%

Radicals 10%

Cheesenham

House Party 50%

No Change 40%

Radicals 10%

Pottershire

House Party 40%

No Change 50%

Radicals 10%

Hill Valley

House Party 30%

No Change 60%

Radicals 10%

Kidland

House Party 20%

No Change 70%

Radicals 10%

Wheaten Rye

House Party 10%

No Change 80%

Radicals 10%

Still Town

House Party 80%

No Change 10%

Radicals 10%

Down Town

House Party 70%

No Change 20%

Radicals 10%

Dairy Leigh

House Party 60%

No Change 30%

Radicals 10%

Lesson End

House Party 70%

No Change 20%

Radicals 10%

Up Creek

House Party 80%

No Change 10%

Radicals 10%

New Town

House Party 60%

No Change 20%

Radicals 20%

Schoolshire

House Party 10%

No Change 46%

Radicals 44%

Class Ridge

House Party 10%

No Change 80%

Radicals 10%

Number of representatives for House Party

Number of representatives for No Change

Alliance

Number of representatives for Radicals

Using this method which party would form the

next government?

Schools Question Time Challenge GuideSchools Question Time Voting and Referendums Toolkit


12/37

2d. Electoral Systems: Worksheet 3

10

THE PROPORTIONAL LIST SYSTEM

Some people argue that the First Past The Post system is unfair because it doesnt reflect the votes of

everyone. For example, how would you feel if you voted for the Radicals? Other ways for counting votes

aim to make sure everyone feels that their vote makes a difference and that Parliament reflects the diversity

of voters preferences. They want a government which is proportional to the votes cast, this means if 10% of

people vote for the Radicals, they should have a 10% share of the parliament or council. One of the simplest

ways to make an election proportional is to draw up a list of all the candidates in all the parties and to work

down the list until the right proportion is met. In the above example, every party might put 16 numbers on its

list, if House Party wins 25% of the vote, this would mean that they send the top 4 names on their list to the

parliament or council (25% of 16 = 4 representatives). This way Parliament actually reflects the way thateveryone voted.

1. Can you think of any drawbacks to this system?

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

2. Recalculate the above election according to the proportional list system:

Total for each party

House Party Total/100 = _________ representatives

No Change Alliance Total/100 = _________ representatives

Radicals Total/100 = _________ representatives

3. Who would form the next government from this example?

________________________________________________________________________

4. Which system do you think would be fairest?________________________________________________________________________

5. Which system do you think would produce the best government?

________________________________________________________________________

= Number of representatives

100



13/37

3a. Introduction to Referendums

11

WHY HAVE A REFERENDUM?

There are several reasons why a policy is

subjected to a referendum rather than being made

by Government representatives. If the change is

constitutional and will significantly affect the

relationship between citizens and the state, many

feel it is a citizens right to decide on the change.

Or if the issue cuts across party lines and may

split political parties, referendums can be a useful

political tool.

SOME ARGUMENTS FOR REFERENDUMS

Referendums give citizens a greater say in the

governing of their country and record their views

directly. This is a purer, less complex form of

democracy, and can prevent cynicism about

politics as people will directly see the contribution

of their vote. Also, referendums can serve to

motivate people to learn about political issues as

they will have the responsibility to vote on the

issue.

SOME ARGUMENTS AGAINST REFERENDUMS

Referendums are time consuming and people may

not have the time to become informed enough to

adequately make a decision, or may not want to.

The legitimacy of the outcome of a referendum

may be drastically reduced by low turnout. InBritain any referendum can also be ignored by the

Government as sovereignty (power) resides with

Parliament and referendums are not binding.

INTRODUCTION

Britain is a Parliamentary Democracy. This means

power to enact laws and make decisions resides

with Parliament. Referendums are a form of

democracy that directly consults the electorate on

issues instead, through a vote. This is a form of

direct rather than representative democracy.

There are a number of arguments for and against

using this form of democracy.

REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY

The system used for most elections is not direct

democracy but representative democracy. In this

system voters choose a candidate to represent

and make decisions on their behalf. General

Elections are an exercise in representative

democracy.

DIRECT DEMOCRACY

Direct democracy is when all voters can vote on a

specific policy through a referendum. This was

the system used in Ancient Athens when all

(eligible) citizens would debate and vote on how

the city was run. Referendums on specific issues

are a form of direct democracy.

WHAT IS A REFERENDUM?A referendum is a form of direct democracy. It is

an election over a single issue where voters show

their approval or disapproval, usually between

only two options. Some countries such as

Switzerland have referendums regularly, whereas

in the UK referendums are rarely used. The last

UK-wide referendum was on entry to the

European Community (the forerunner to the EU).

A referendum has been proposed on the votingsystem, scheduled for May 2011.


Key Words

- Referendum

- Direct Democracy

- Representative Democracy


14/37

3b. Introduction to Referendums (Lesson Plan)


Stage a debate over whether there should be

more or less referendums/over a popular issue

mentioned in answering Q3 on worksheet 3d.

Select or encourage students to volunteer to be

the proposer and oposer in the debate,

with two debaters on each side. Let the

proposer speak first, then the first opposition,

then the second proposition, and finally the

second opposition. After this, ask the class for

two questions for each side.

At the end stage a simple referendum by asking

pupils for a show of hands to say if they agree or

disagree with the proposition.

Extension Tasks

Ask students to consider if online referendums or

referendums by text would work.

Ask pupils to do a case study similar to 3b for

another referendum, which, if set as

homework, they could present to the class.

Discussion Points

Do politicians really express our views or

should we have more of a direct say?

Would we want to spend more time voting

on issues as they do in Switzerland?

How much control do pupils feel like they have

over issues?

Aim

To give students a thorough knowledge of how

referendums work and get them thinking about

their rights and responsibilities as citizens in a

democracy.

Objectives

Understand why referendums are used and how

they operate.

Have knowledge of previous referendums

and why they were used.

Encourage pupils to consider the

advantages and disadvantages of using

referendums.

Familiarise pupils with political argument

and debate.

Tasks

Introduction of concepts, explanation then

discussion (10 minutes)

Explain the differences between direct and

representative democracy and how

referendums work as set out in sheet 3a.

Ask pupils to think of reasons why

referendums would be used and see if any

pupils can think of examples of referendums

in the past.

Individual work and debate on the advantages

and disadvantages of referendums (30 minutes)

Distribute Worksheet 3b and 3d and ask

students to answer the questions on Worksheet

3d.

12


15/37

3c. Introduction to Referendums: Worksheet 4

Case Study: Referendum to Remain in the

European Economic Community

What was the Referendum about?

Britain became a member of the EEC (now the

European Union) under the Conservative

Government of Edward Heath in 1972, having

previously been denied entry in 1963 and 1967.

By joining the EEC, Britain was entering into a

common market with other European Countries.

Why was there a Referendum?

One reason why there was a referendum was

because joining the EEC was viewed as a major

constitutional change. It was argued that this

required the direct consent of citizens. Another

reason, was that support and opposition to

membership of the EEC did not follow party lines.

In other words, there were supporters and

opponents in both the governing Labour Party and

opposing Conservative Party. By having areferendum the Labour Party prevented internal

arguments by letting the electorate decide instead.

What Happened?

On the 5th June 1975 the referendum asked the

question: '"Do you think the UK should stay in the

European Community (Common Market)?" The

result was a victory for the yes campaign by

67.2% to 32.8%, with 17,300,000 voting in favour

and 8,400,000 voting against.

Main Reasons for Referendums

1. To address major constitutional changes

that will affect how people vote or change

the nature of the relationship between

citizens and the state.

2. Certain issues cut across party political

lines, and a referendum offers an

opportunity for political parties to avoid

splits and rise above division.

3. If an issue is controversial to the point that

a parliamentary vote would cause a

reaction amongst the public, referendums

can divert anger or passion about the issue

by making it an obvious direct democratic

outcome.

Previous Referendums in the UK

1973 Northern Ireland

1975 Membership of the European

Economic Community (EEC)

1979 Welsh Devolution

1979 Scottish Devolution

1997 Scottish Devolution

1997 Welsh Devolution

1998 Greater London Authority

Year Country / State Referendum Questions Outcome

2010 Iceland Should Iceland repay the debt of the

Icelandic Bank Icesave to the Netherlands

and United Kingdom

Debt not repaid with only

2% voting to repay the

debt

2008 California, USA Should gay marriage be allowed Gay marriage outlawed2005 Iraq Iraqi referendum over new Constitution Constitution accepted

1999 Australia Whether Australia should become a

republic and replace the Monarchy with a

president

The Monarchy was

retained

Other Referendums Around the World


13


16/37

3d. Introduction to Referendums: Worksheet 5


1. Would we prefer it if Referendums were used more often or not at all?Should Britain have gone to war in Iraq? Should we change the voting system? Should we have votes

at 16? Should we have a monarchy? Should we bring back the death penalty? These are all issues

that many citizens have opinions about. The question is: should all citizens decide rather than

politicians? Would we like it if our opinions were directly translated into government policies, or would

constant voting become a tiresome obligation?

2. The two Routes: Which is the best way to create policies?

3. Questions

1. What are the top five issues that you would like to vote on?

2. Do you think representatives (MPs, Councillers, MEPs) should vote on more or less issues?3. Would you make more effort to learn about issues if you could directly vote on them?

British Citizens

Route 2:

Voting for a

representative in

General Elections

Parliament

- MPs vote in House of Commons

- Lords vote in the House of Lords

Route 1:

Voting through a

referendum

Policies Enacted

- Tuition Fees School Reform Voting Reform

- Military Action Criminal Justice The Environment The Health Service

14


17/37

4a. First Past the Post Vs Alternative Vote

It under represents smaller nationwide parties,

like the Liberal Democrats. For example, the

Liberal Democrats received 23% of the vote but

only 9% of seats.

It encourages some people to vote strategically

to avoid their vote being wasted.

It results in a large number of safe seats where

one party always wins, which can make voters

feel like they cannot change anything.

FOUR ARGUMENTS FOR AV Voters will not have to vote strategically for the

candidate they think has the best chance.

Instead, they can vote for their favoured

candidate but still help the candidate with the

best chance.

It more accurately represents the views of the

voters by giving voters the opportunity to

express more of their political opinions.

Ensures all MPs have the support of 50% of theconstituents: with FPTP George Galloway

(Respect Party) became MP in 2005 with less

than 27% of the vote.

Due to the need to gather second and third

preferences it provides an incentive for

politicians to reach out far beyond their core

constituency.

FOUR ARGUMENTS AGAINST AV

The alternative vote is no more proportional than

FPTP and can be less proportional.

In a three-way vote, if the candidate with most

overall preferences comes third in the first round,

then they are knocked out, so the system might

not favour the least disliked candidate.

It is more complicated than FPTP, and takes

longer to administer and declare the result.

It gives power to the second preference

supporters of small, often extreme parties. As

Winston Churchill once argued, it allows

democracy to be determined by the most

worthless votes given for the most worthless

candidates.

WHAT IS FIRST PAST THE POST (FPTP)

First-past-the-post is the voting system currently

used in general elections which determine the

make-up of the House of Commons. The

Commons has 650 MPs each of which represents

a geographical area (a constituency). Each MP is

elected by having simply the most votes in their

constituency, with votes being an X on the ballot

paper next to the voters preferred candidate.

WHAT IS THE ALTERNATIVE VOTE (AV)

The alternative vote is very similar to FPTP. The

difference is that instead of placing a X on the

ballot paper, voters list the candidates in order of

preference 1, 2, 3 etc. These preferences are

then distributed through a number of rounds until

a candidate has received 50%+ of the vote.

FOUR ARGUMENTS FOR FPTP:

The system gives each constituency its ownMP which makes that person a direct

representative of that area.

The system is very simple: the candidate who

gets the most votes wins.

The system mostly produces single-party, and

therefore relatively stable, Governments who

have pledged to implement their manifesto

policies on which voters can later hold them to

account. The system makes it hard for extremist parties

to get elected as a party needs to have a

majority in a constituency to be elected.

FOUR ARGUMENTS AGAINST FPTP:

FPTP exaggerates the amount of seats in

Parliament in relation to the proportion of votes

they receive. This means a party can win a

large majority with a minority of votes. For

example, in the 2010 general election the

Conservative party received 36% of the vote but

took 47% of the seats in the House of

Commons.


15


18/37

4b. First Past the Post Vs Alternative Vote: Lesson Plan


Whilst the votes are being counted (by you or

the pupils) ask pupils to sit in groups of 4-5

and consider the arguments for and against the

two systems. Ask one member of each group to

be the scribe who writes down the points the

group thinks of on worksheet 4d.

After this announce the results for AV and FPTP

and discuss what this shows.

Using the arguments that each group has

thought of, replicate worksheet 4d on the board.

Extension Tasks

Conduct a debate with five students arguing for

FPTP and five for AV and the rest of the class

asking questions.

Ask the pupils to write a page long answer to the

question: Which Electoral System should be

used, FPTP or the Alternative Vote?.

Discussion Points

What do we want from our electoral system?

Is the Alternative Vote too hard to understand?

Do we have preferences or just have a favourite

candidate?

Does strategic voting prevent people from voting

and make them feel powerless?

Are there other forms of voting system that

pupils think would be more suitable?

Activities

1 x 30 minutes (discussion and group work) and

1 x 10 minutes (voting)

Aim

Understand how the current electoral system

(FPTP) and the proposed Alternative Vote

system work and encourage pupils to think

about how democracy works.

Objectives

Learn how each system works so they

understand how their vote works.

Identify the similarities and differences between

the two systems.

Understand that each voting system has

advantages and disadvantages, and that most

voting systems have positive and negativeelements.

Begin to form and articulate opinions about the

two electoral systems.

Resources

Background to FPTP and AV (Worksheet 4a),

ballots ( Worksheet 4c), and advantages and

disadvantages table (Worksheet 4d).

Tasks

Explain what the two systems are to the class

using worksheet 4a.

Discuss how the systems can be used for

different subjects (e.g. voting for MPs, Lords, or

biscuits).

16


19/37


4c. First Past the Post Vs Alternative Vote: Worksheet 6

FPTP AV

Digestive

Hobnob

Ginger Nut

Jammy Dodger

FPTP AV

Digestive

Hobnob

Ginger Nut

Jammy Dodger

FPTP AV

Digestive

Hobnob

Ginger Nut

Jammy Dodger

FPTP AV

Digestive

Hobnob

Ginger Nut

Jammy Dodger

FPTP AV

Digestive

Hobnob

Ginger Nut

Jammy Dodger

FPTP AV

Digestive

Hobnob

Ginger Nut

Jammy Dodger

FPTP AV

Digestive

Hobnob

Ginger Nut

Jammy Dodger

FPTP AV

Digestive

Hobnob

Ginger Nut

Jammy Dodger

FPTP AV

Digestive

Hobnob

Ginger Nut

Jammy Dodger

FPTP AV

Digestive

Hobnob

Ginger Nut

Jammy Dodger

FPTP AV

Digestive

Hobnob

Ginger Nut

Jammy Dodger

FPTP AV

Digestive

Hobnob

Ginger Nut

Jammy Dodger

FPTP AV

Digestive

Hobnob

Ginger Nut

Jammy Dodger

FPTP AV

Digestive

Hobnob

Ginger Nut

Jammy Dodger

FPTP AV

Digestive

Hobnob

Ginger Nut

Jammy Dodger

FPTP AV

Digestive

Hobnob

Ginger Nut

Jammy Dodger

FPTP AV

Digestive

Hobnob

Ginger Nut

Jammy Dodger

FPTP AV

Digestive

Hobnob

Ginger Nut

Jammy Dodger

FPTP AV

Digestive

Hobnob

Ginger Nut

Jammy Dodger

FPTP AV

Digestive

Hobnob

Ginger Nut

Jammy Dodger

FPTP AV

Digestive

Hobnob

Ginger Nut

Jammy Dodger

FPTP AV

Digestive

Hobnob

Ginger Nut

Jammy Dodger

FPTP AV

Digestive

Hobnob

Ginger Nut

Jammy Dodger

FPTP AV

Digestive

Hobnob

Ginger Nut

Jammy Dodger

17


20/37


4d. First Past the Post Vs Alternative Vote: Worksheet 7

Advantages and Disadvantages of both Systems

Advantages of Fast-past-the-post Disadvantages of Fast-past-the-post

Advantages of the Alternative Vote Disadvantages of the Alternative Vote

18


21/37

5a. Thinking About What Government Does (LP)

19

placed upon each department by the government

at the time.

1 (i) Students sort through the different cards

identifying any terms they are unfamiliar with.

The class can then feedback these terms and

can agree upon definitions (which might be fed

into an ongoing glossary of terms and phrases).

(ii) Students now choose which areas of

government they consider to be the most

important. The cards should be ranked by

students in order of importance, finishing with

the card representing the area they consider to

be the least important. Working in pairs could

help students with this part of the task, as it will

force them to justify their choices to their

partner.

(iii) Students can now feedback their rank

orders to the teacher and the rest of the class

who can compare them: are there differences?

How great are the differences? Why do thesedifferences exist? What common opinions are

there? Why do these exist? Encourage students

to justify their choices.

2 (i) Students separate the 3 cards they consider

to be the most important areas of government

and put rest to one side.

(ii) Having decided upon the 3 areas that they

consider to be the most important, students

must now decide how they would improvegovernment services in those areas. Students

may benefit from being put into groups with

others who chose the same areas to

brainstorm possible actions.

3 (i) Students now examine the manifestos from

as diverse a range of political parties as

possible, deciding whether any of them are

close to their own ideas. If there is a party

whose ideas are similar, then students shouldrecord it on their worksheet in the space

provided.

BACKGROUND

This lesson provides a brief introduction to the

major areas of government activity. This will help

to focus students on the kinds of policy areas

political parties cover in their manifestos. Using

real manifestos will help students understand the

range of proposals offered under each of the

main areas.

Key words: political party, manifesto.

ACTIVITIES

2 x 30 minutes.

AIM

To make students aware of how political parties

appeal to voters by focusing on particular

issues.

OBJECTIVES

Students to develop a greater understanding of

the roles of different government departments.

Students to become aware that different

political parties place different emphases on the

various areas of government.

Students to begin to understand that the

different political parties are trying to attract

voters by promising to make changes which

they believe the voters want, and that suchpromises appear in the parties manifestos.

RESOURCES

Student Card Set 5b Thinking About What

Government Does

Selection of manifestos 5c from political parties.

TASKS

The tasks are designed to be progressive in

nature. Students start by examining the budgets

and roles of the major government departments.

It should be stressed that the allocation of funds

represents to some extent the relative importance



22/37

Lesson Plan (continued)

20

(ii) If there is not a party with similar ideas then the

students will just have to start one of their own!

This new party needs a name that reflects the

beliefs and ideas of its founder. This name should

be limited to just 5 words or less to encourage

students to think hard about the partys name.

Once decided upon the name should be recorded

on the worksheet in the space provided, along with

an appropriate logo.


After sorting through the cards in Task 1, and

recording their own rank order, students could

be asked to rank the areas of government based

upon the viewpoints of several hypothetical

characters (a farmer who has lost cattle to BSE,

also known as mad cow disease, an unemployed

bricklayer or an elderly pensioner, for example).

This would highlight the variety of opinions held

within a nation. Students might be asked to write a

brief paragraph explaining why they have chosen

that order for that particular character.

In Task 2, once students have decided upon the

changes they would make, they could decide

where any additional funding required would

come from. Students would need to decide

roughly how much extra funding would be

needed and then determine which departments

would be cut back to provide it. Some students

might even create imaginative new ways of

generating extra funding.

DISCUSSION POINTS

Why do we have political parties?

Is there a political party for everybodys point of

view?

How do political parties choose who they aregoing to try to appeal to?

Are there any groups of people that political

parties might consider it less important to

appeal to? Why?



23/37

5b. Thinking about What Government Does

Student Card Set: Worksheet 8

21

Total public spending for the 2009-2010 financial year was around 671.4 billion. This equates to

around 10,900 for every man, woman and child in the UK. Current cutbacks are taking place in

2010-2011 across Government and will be announced soon. Source: HM Treasury 2009-10 near

cash projections.

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

[Budget 6.9 billion]

This department is responsible for

Government policy on the arts, sport, the

National Lottery, tourism, libraries, museumsand galleries, broadcasting, creative

industries including film and the music

industry, press freedom and regulation,

licensing, gambling and the historic

environment. It is also responsible for the

2012 Olympic Games & Paralympic Games.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

[Budget 7.47 Billion]

The Department for International

Development is responsible for leading the

Governments efforts to promote internationaldevelopment and eliminate global poverty.

DEFENCE

[Budget 38 billion]

This department is responsible for running thearmy, navy and airforce. Its budget also

covers counter-terrorism initiatives, the

commissioning of new defence programmes

and equipment and the running of the Secret

Service (MI5, MI6).

ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL

AFFAIRS

[Budget 3.94 Billion]The Department for Environment, Food and

Rural Affairs (DEFRA) is responsible for

environmental protection, food production and

standards, agricultural and fisheries issues

and rural communities in the UK.

EDUCATION

[Budget 88 billion]

This covers funding for primary and

secondary school pupil education, university

funding and teacher salaries.

FOREIGN OFFICE

[Budget 2.3 billion]

This department is responsible for overseas

relations and foreign affairs. It has

headquarters in London and Embassies, High

Commissions and Consulates throughout the

world.

HEALTH

[Budget 119 billion]

This department is responsible for running the

National Health Service. As well as helping us

when we are sick it also tries to promote

healthy lifestyles to help us keep well.

TRANSPORT

[23 Billion]

This department maintains the UK transport

network, through both repair and expansion of

the UKs transport infrastructure. It also aims

to contribute to road transport safety through

reducing the risk of death and injury resulting

from dangerous driving.



24/37

5c. Thinking about What Government Does

Student Card Set: Worksheet 9

22

1. Read through the set of cards (about different areas of the government) and rank

them in order of which seem to do the most important job (there is no right or

wrong answer, make your own decisions).

2. Now, take your top 3 choices and put the other cards to one side.

3. Complete the following table:

4. Look at the main political parties manifestoes to see if there is one party that

comes close to your ideas. If you have found one, make a note of it here:

________________________________________________________________________

5. If there is not a party to match your opinions, make up a suitable name to

represent your ideas and record it here:

________________________________________________________________________

6. Political parties try to make themselves

recognisable by having a logo or a symbol.

Sketch your logo in the box. If you made

up your own party name you will have tomake up a logo too.

Area you have chosen What change would you make?

1)

2)

3)



25/37

6a. Different Types of Government

MINORITY GOVERNMENT

If a party fails to get 326 seats but is the largest

party in the Commons it can form a minority

government. To govern as a minority there needs

to be a confidence and supply agreement

between the governing party and others. This

means the Government needs to get the support

of other parties in votes of confidence and

budgeting that are needed to pass laws. The last

time there was a minority Government in the UK

was in Harold Wilsons 1974 Labour Government.

COALITION GOVERNMENT

If no party gains a majority in a General Election

there needs to be an arrangement to ensure that

laws can be passed, as laws require a majority. A

formal coalition agreement is a way to achieve a

stable government that can legislate on a wide-

range of policies, without depending on precarious

policy-by-policy agreements. In the case of the

coalition between the Liberal Democrats and

Conservatives (2010), this includes an agreed

policy-agenda for Government, the coalition

agreement, and a share of cabinet and ministerial

positions between the two parties.

HOW ARE GOVERNMENTS FORMED

In Britain, the party most likely to be able to form

a majority of seats in the House of Commons is

asked by the Queen to form a Government. This

may be the party with the most seats or be the

result of an arrangement of other parties in a

coalition. There are three types of national

Government in Britain: majority, minority and

coalition.

MAJORITY GOVERNMENT

The most common form of government in Britain

is for one party to have a majority. There are very

few governments that have not had majorities -

the 2010 coalition is the first since the Second

World War. This means that out of the 650 seats

in the House of Commons, a party needs 326

seats for it to be able to form a majority

government. This is because all votes in the

Commons require a majority of one, and a

government that can command 326 votes or more

can pass legislation without the support of other

political parties.


PREVIOUS HUNG PARLIAMENTS AND COALITIONS

1923 - 24In December 1923, the Conservatives received four more seats than Labour but could not gain

an agreement with other parties. This meant that for the first time, Labour came to power with

the Liberals. However, it lasted less than a year, ending October 1924.

1940 - 1945In the Second World War, the Liberals, Conservatives and Labour formed a national

government under Prime Minister Winston Churchill. This had members of all parties in the

War Cabinet and allowed for all energies to be directed towards the war effort.

1974

In February 1974, the Conservative Government led by Edward Heath received four less votesthan the Labour Party. Heath tried to form an agreement with the Liberal leader Jeremy Thorpe,

but talks failed. After he informed the Queen that he was unable to form a Government, the

Queen asked the Labour leader Harold Wilson to form a minority government. This lasted until

October, when Wilson called another election and won a slim majority.23


26/37

6b. Different Types of Government (Lesson Plans)

results show. They should show that a number

of outcomes can emerge from the same

discussion.

Extra Tasks

- Discuss whether politicians negotiating to form

governments is a bad thing (because it is

secretive, less clear for voters etc.) or a good

thing (because politicians are working together

rather than apart and representing more of the

population together).

- Ask the class to imagine a different outcome of

the negotiations that happened after the election,

and write a counter-factual article of what

happened. For example, they could write an

article describing how Labour and the

Conservatives decided to form a grand

coalition.

Discussion Points

- What is a coalition government?

- What happened at the General Election in May

2010?

- Are coalitions a good way to govern?

- Would it be better to have another election if

results are not straight forward and decisive?

Activities

1 x Explanation and Discussion (20 minutes)

1 x Coalition Negotiations Game (20 minutes)

Objectives

- Learn about the different types of national

government that can be formed.

- Understand the context of negotiations and past

examples.

- Have the knowledge and understanding of how

the Liberal Democrat and Conservative

Coalition was agreed in May 2010.

- Have an appreciation of how elections are

about competing sets of policies and results,

not straight forward winners and losers.

Resources

Introduction to Types of Government (6a), Lesson

Plan (6b), The Coalition Negotiations Game

Instructions (6c), What Happened in the May

2010 General Election (6d) and The Coalition

Negotiations Game Instructions (6e)

Tasks

- Using 6a, explain to the class that there are

three possible formations of nationalGovernment.

- Give the examples of 1923-24 and 1974.

- Ask what peoples memories were of the 2010

General Election, and then give out worksheet

6c.

- Give out Policy Cards and using Instruction

Sheet The Coalition Negotiation Game 6e,

explain the rules of the game and start

negotiations.

- Whilst they are playing put up the table figure 1

(6e), when the negotiations are finished, collect

the results on the board and discuss what the


24


27/37


6. Different Types of Government: Worksheet 10

C. What Happened in the May 2010 Election?

Who Won?

In the British parliamentary system, a party can get more votes and win more seats, but not gain

power. In the 2010 Election the Conservatives won the most seats, but not a majority. This means that

other political parties could have formed a government. In short, no one won.

What was the Result?

The Conservative Party received 36.1% of the vote and 306 seats, leaving them 20 seats short of a

majority. The Labour Party received 29% of the vote with 258 seats, leaving them 68 short of a

majority. The Liberal Democrat Party received 23% of the vote with 57 seats.

What did the Results Mean?

These results meant:

1. The Conservative Party did not have enough seats to form a majority government.

2. Labour and the Liberal Democrats together were 11 seats short of being able to form a coalition.

3. A coalition between Labour, the Liberal Democrats and other smaller parties such as the Northern

Irish Social Democratic Labour Party, Greens, Plaid Cymru and the Independent Northern Irish MP

Naomi Long would amount to 320 MPs. Given that Sinn Fein do not take up their five seats

this would provide a theoretically governable majority.

So what were the Possible Governments?

1. A CONSERVATIVE MINORITY GOVERNMENT: Conservatives in power either with an ad hoc

agreement with other parties to support certain legislation or as an entirely independent Government.

2. A FORMAL COALITION BETWEEN CONSERVATIVES AND THE LIBERAL-DEMOCRATS: This is

what happened. There was a formal agreement, including an agreed agenda for Government, and

ministers from both parties formed the executive.

3. A RAINBOW COALITION: A coalition of Labour, the Lib-Dems and smaller parties resulting in a

small overall majority.

4. A NATIONAL GOVERNMENT: An agreement between Labour and the Conservatives. Usually this

happens only in times of crisis, such as war.

D. The Coalition Negotiation Game: Instructions

1. The Situation: To form a Government a coalition needs 100 seats.

- There has been an election. The results were: Party A 80, Party B 75, Party C 20, Party D 15.

- The Blue Party can take control of parliament with an agreement with the Yellow or Red Party.

- The Red Party can form a Government but only in coalition with the C and D Parties.

2. The Game

- Everyone in the class should be given a Party Policy Card, and in groups of four, each with a

different Party Card, should begin coalition negotiations.

- The aim of each party is to secure as many of their parties policies.

3. Let the Negotiations Begin...

- Each party should trade with the other parties to come up with an arrangement.

- They should do this by making offers to other political parties of policies they could give up for a

coalition to happen.25


28/37

6e. Different Types of Government: Worksheet 11


Coalition Negotiation Game Tools

PARTY A80 Seats

Key Issues

Environment

Health

Military

Education

Voting Reform

Party A or B

Coalition

Environment Health Military Education Voting

Reform

G1

G2

G3

G4

G5

PARTY B75 Seats

Key Issues

Environment

Health

Military

Education

Voting Reform

PARTY D15 Seats

Key Issues

Environment

Health

Military

Education

Voting Reform

PARTY C20 Seats

Key Issues

Environment

Health

Military

Education

Voting Reform

26


29/37

7a. Planning and Running a Campaign (LP)

extremely important, as a successful campaign

needs good, realistic issues that will appeal tothe voters.

(ii) Each group needs to decide for themselves

how they will resolve disputes. The final

arbitrator should be the candidate when one has

been decided upon.

2 (i) The next important task is for each group to

assign jobs based upon the skills of the group

members.

(ii) Each group then works independently toproduce their own campaign. Encourage

students to research their issues rather than just

write down the first idea that comes into their

head.

(iii) Although the tasks within the group might

seem separate, it should be stressed to students

that they are working as part of a team and

should therefore exchange ideas wherever

appropriate. The points made must be coherent

across the whole campaign - students should

agree key points and may even decide on sound

bites to incorporate.


All candidates could take part in a live debate

hosted by the teacher with questions from the

audience (the rest of the class).

The groups could also prepare a party political

broadcast for television (which should not be the

candidate delivering his or her speech) which

they could act out for the class or videotape.

The press officer, together with the poster

designer, could produce a website for the party.

ICT can be used to help produce manifestos or

posters. Compare real examples of campaign

material to discuss what is effective.

DISCUSSION POINTS

What makes a good or bad campaign?

What should you think about to get your

message across in a campaign?

What makes an ideal candidate?

BACKGROUND

This activity follows on from identifying the key

issues that a government deals with. Students

identify the processes in a campaign and the

ways each party, in the run-up to an election, tries

to persuade and attract the voting public.

Key words: candidates, campaign, policies.

ACTIVITIES

2 x 30 minutes (and homework).

AIM

For students to create their own parties and

then plan and run an electoral campaign in the

classroom.

OBJECTIVES

Students to understand some of the key issues

in an election. To develop understanding of the campaign

process.

To encourage students to co-operate in small

groups to achieve a common goal.

To give students an opportunity to practice oral

and written communication skills.

To help students to develop presentation skills.

RESOURCES Student Worksheet 7b, Information Sheet (1).

Student Worksheet 7c, Instruction Cards (2).

Student Worksheet 7d,Press Release (3).

Paper, coloured pens etc.

TASKS

Students will be expected to undertake individual

tasks which contribute to a coherent campaign.

Stress the importance of group planning anddiscussion time before their individual work starts.

1 (i) Divide class into groups of four; explain the

task briefly, as it is set out on the information

sheet. Remind them that the first task is


27


30/37

7b. Planning and Running a CampaignInformation: Worksheet 12

28

INTRODUCTIONIn this exercise you will be working as a group to produce an election campaign for a political party. Working effectively

as a team will be very important. It would not look good to the voters if your party campaign organisers were seen to be

arguing amongst themselves once the campaign has started! You may base your campaign on a real party, or make up

your own, the following steps will help you to get organised.

SETTING UP THE PARTY

1. Select 4-5 issues.

You need to select the issues your party wants to address. Choose one issue that you, as a party, will have as your

most important campaign issue. This will be the foundation of your campaign. Now see if you can come up with 3-4

other issues that your party also thinks are important. All the issues need to be potential vote winners and so will need

to appeal to a broad section of the voting public, but remember you must also be realistic in what can be achieved. You

also have to stay true to the beliefs of your party.

2. Decide on your partys policies.

Now that you know which issues your party is targeting you need to decide what your partys policy is on those issues.

If you get into power what are you going to do in those areas to make things better? Dont forget to make a note of

your policies!

3. Name your party.Make sure the name of your party is catchy, easy to remember and is relevant to the issues your party thinks are

important. You will also need to decide on a logo and symbol for your party. Remember not to make it too complicated:

look at the manifestos of real political parties to see what they use.

4. Select your candidate.

This should be somebody your group feels can represent the views of your party. Decide first what sort of qualities your

candidate should have in order to appeal to as wide a range of voters as possible. Decide as a group who comes

closest to having all those qualities. Your candidate will also have the final say in how the campaign is run so choose

carefully!

RUNNING YOUR CAMPAIGN

To win votes you will need to use the talents and skills of your campaign team and work together. If you have any ideas

that you think might be useful to another member of your team then dont forget to share them. Decide which person in

your group will do each job (try to use each persons talents and skills).

1. Manifesto writer.

Needs to be good with words and well organised.

2. Speech writer.

The candidate should do this job themselves with help from the rest of the group.

3. Poster Designer.

Should be artistic enough to produce an eye-catching design.

4. Press officer.

Will have to write the press release given to the newspapers and help the candidate with press conferences.



31/37

7b. Planning and Running a CampaignInstruction Cards: Worksheet 13

(1)

THE MANIFESTO

The manifesto should discuss the issues

you have identified and then explain how

your party is going to deal with them. Make

sure that the manifesto is not too

complicated, is easy to read and is not too

long. Think carefully about how the

pamphlet should be laid out, and folded, andwhether it should include images such as

the party logo or a photograph of the

candidate. What information other than your

partys policies should the manifesto

contain? Remember you want to appeal to

the voters not scare them away so dont use

too much writing and put your partys

policies over as clearly and simply as you

can.

(2)

THE SPEECH

The speech needs to outline all your partys

policies and explain your plan for dealing

with them. You need to convince the voters

that you as the candidate, and your party

are the best suited to run the country. As the

candidate you need to show that you really

care about the issues you are talking about.You will need to decide when to use humour

and when to be serious and whether to be

critical of the opposition or to concentrate on

the strengths of your own party instead. You

may want to use short, easily remembered

phrases (sound bites) and consider what, if

any visual aids you want to use. Your

speech is only going to be three minutes

long so get your points across clearly and

practise it once it is written. You may beasked to answer questions from journalists,

so are you prepared on every issue?

(3)

THE PARTY POSTER

The party poster is another important tool

used to attract voters. You need to tell the

voters what your partys policies are in an

exciting, eye-catching way. Try not to use

too many words, but include all the

information that you think is important.

Decide carefully on what images to use: you

might want to include the partys logo or

symbol for example. You will need to think

about which voters you are appealing to with

the poster, and where the posters will be

displayed. Remember that the heading at

the top of the poster is the first thing that

people will read: does it give the right

message about your party?

(4)

THE PRESS RELEASE

The press release needs to have a clear

message about your party. It should have a

short but attention grabbing headline to

attract the reader and hold their attention.

You could include surveys and statistics to

support your campaign and maybe some

quotations from famous people who will vote

for you, explaining their reasons. You need

to also think about who the audience will be

and which newspapers it will feature in.

Above all the press release needs to

highlight what your party considers to be the

most important issue in the election. The

press release should be around 100-150

words long.

29



32/37

7b. Planning and Running a CampaignPress Release: Worksheet 14

30

BIG

PLANSFOR THE FUTURELocal candidate _______________________________ promises that the future will be

better if elected to represent the area. Speaking to an enthusiastic group of students at

_______________________________, the candidate presented an impressive

platform of promises. If _______________________________ is elected the future will

be better because:

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

In a straw poll conducted by Gallup, 95% of those surveyed said they would like to see

a candidate win who they could trust to build a better future. Jane Smith, Headteacher

of Brookmore Secondary School, said, I want to vote for someone who is going to

make this place even better. Thats why I am voting for

_______________________________ .

For more information about the campaign to elect ____________________________

contact Joe Smith on 020 8192 192.

Notes to Editors

Candidate _______________________________ is a committed local citizen.

_______________________________ previously served as a school governor, a

borough councillor and as trustee of an NHS Trust.



33/37

8a. Election Day (Lesson Plan)

31

1 Students to decide on the form that the election

should take by considering and discussing the

following series of questions. Students will then

arrive at a procedure for the election:

- What system of election would be best:

Proportional Representation or First Past The

Post? It will be interesting to note the opinions of

different parties here: will the confident ones

want First Past The Post, for example?

- Who should oversee the election? What

qualities should they have? Should it be just oneperson?

- Who should be allowed in the room when votes

are being cast or counted?

- What should happen if a candidate is away on

the day of the election? Or if voters are away?

- Who should count the votes? Do they need to

be double-checked?

- What should be done if it is unclear from a

ballot paper who has been voted for?- What should be done if there is a draw?

2 On the pre-prepared ballot sheets students cast

their votes. The votes are then counted in line

with the pre-agreed system and a winner

announced. NB It will be important to be

absolutely clear about the appropriate markings

for the right hand column, depending on the type

of election the students have selected. Will

people have multiple choices or just one?3 Class discussion on the issues raised by the

election. Did the voting procedure work

smoothly? Is there anything that could be

improved or needs changing?


Vote twice! Students could vote once under a

Proportional Representation system and once

under a First Past The Post system. This wouldlead to some interesting discussion on how it

affected voting behaviour and outcome.

Extended writing on the voting process to

consolidate class discussion.

BACKGROUND

Deciding on the system of voting could just as

easily be done before the campaigning starts.

Unfortunately this lesson has the potential to be

seen by many students as merely a question of

winning and losing. It is intended, however, to do

much more than just resolve the winner of the

mock elections. It builds on the work carried out

in the beginning of this resource pack and is

designed to get students to think about the whole

voting process.

ACTIVITIES

1 x 30 minutes.

AIM

Students to formulate and run a simulated

election in the classroom.

OBJECTIVES To understand the importance of voting.

To become more aware of how voting can be

organised differently, and the issues involved in

deciding upon a voting system.

RESOURCES

Student Worksheet 8b: Ballot paper, which

should be filled out with candidates names and

photocopied prior to the election. Ballot box, screens etc.

TASKS

The first part of the task is a structured class

discussion intended to arrive at the form the

voting should take. Alternatively, the teacher could

pre-select the election method which mirrors the

election being studied, before moving on to the

second part of the task - the election itself andsubsequent analysis.



34/37

8b. Election DayBallot Paper: Worksheet 15

32

Ballot Paper

Party Candidate Name Vote



35/37

9a. Prime Minister For A Day (Lesson Plan)

33

- Students choose their first spending priority and

label it 1.

- Students then proceed to label their choices

based on priority.

4 Having decided how to spend their budgets

students then write a brief speech presenting

their spending plans. In doing so students need

to explain their choices whilst rejecting other

proposals.

5 Students make their speeches to the rest of the

class who should be encouraged to ask

searching questions of each Prime Minister. For

assessment the class could give each Prime

Minister a rating out of 10 based upon pre-

agreed criteria. This would give students a

greater incentive to ask questions and help them

focus more clearly on the speeches.


To engender in students the idea that

Government Department Ministers are fighting

for funding for their departments the class could

be divided into groups of 6 - a Prime Minister

and 5 department Ministers. The ministers try to

persuade the PM to provide funding for their

projects, help write the speech and may even

help field questions on their departmental areas.

DISCUSSION POINTS

Was there any agreement between Prime

Ministers on which issues were important or

unimportant? Would everybody in the country

agree that these issues were important or

unimportant?

What was more important: the proposals or how

they were presented? What impact does this

have on the way we view political speeches?

What was learnt about the decision making

process: was it easy or hard to agree on

spending? Was negotiation and compromise

needed?

BACKGROUND

This lesson is intended to simulate the complex

political decision making process undergone by a

Prime Minister when deciding on how to allocate

public spending. It reminds students that

promises in manifestos have to be delivered on

and that this often involves some difficult

decisions.

ACTIVITIES

2 x 30 minutes (can be extended- see notes).

AIM

For students to get a feel of the decision making

process and justify their decisions.

OBJECTIVES

To understand the principles of political

budgeting.

To begin to get a feel for the difficult decisions

made by government.

To realise the difference between manifesto

promises and financial realities.

To practice presenting the results of difficult

decision making processes as favourably as

possible.

RESOURCES

Student Worksheet 9b, Prime Minister for a Day.

TASKS

Students may need some help understanding the

terms used in some of the areas.

1 Individually students read through the

worksheet noting any words or phrases that

they have difficulty und

Documents

SQT Voting and Referendums 2010 2011[1]