Participation and political parties LI: To develop knowledge of political parties in Scotland and how people can participate in politics

Hand in N4 AVU to me by Friday – you have had long enough to make these corrections! I still need copies from the following people

Remember you have stuff on why it is important to use your vote – this falls under participation section.

Ways in which we can participate

Voting in Elections One of the most obvious ways that people can participate is by voting. In the UK, most people over the age of 18 can vote. What can we vote for? When citizens in the UK vote, they are normally voting for a candidate to represent them in some kind of decision making body.

For example, we can vote in UK General Elections. This voting decides who becomes our MP to represent us in Westminster. We can also vote in Scottish Parliament elections. This decides who becomes our MSP in Holyrood. We can vote on Local Councillors who represent our ward and Local Council.

As the UK is a member of the European Union, we can also vote in European Parliament elections. These elections let us choose the party that we want to represent us with MEPs in Brussels/Strasbourg.

Joining a Political Party Individuals can join the party which they support. To be a member of a party, you have to pay an annual fee – this money goes towards helping the party. Being a member of a party allows you to be involved in the biggest decisions it makes. For example, members can vote on who they want to be party leader. They can also attend the party conference where they might be able to discuss and vote on what policies the party should pursue. For example, the SNP had their conference in Aberdeen earlier this month.

A petition is a document which is sets out what an individual or group wants to happen/wants the Parliament to do. Signatures are gathered by as many people as possible and it is sent to the Scottish Parliament to be considered by the Public Petitions Committee. For example, more than 1600 people have signed a petition backing the Assisted Suicide Bill before it was voted on at Holyrood. Signing Petitions

Becoming a Candidate In theory, most people in Britain could choose to become a candidate for election. If they won this would allow them to have a direct say in politics. People could stand as a councilor or even an MP/MSP. In reality though, the hard work and expense of becoming a candidate means that this isn’t an option for most people.

Joining a Pressure Group Finally, individuals could join a pressure group. This is an organisation which attempts to put pressure on the government to make certain decisions. Lending support to a pressure group is a good way of participating in politics.

Examples of Pressure groups include Greenpeace and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND)

Participation Task: Describe, in detail, ways in which people can participate in politics. (8 Marks) Use pages of course notes book help you, as well as this PPT.

Describe, in detail, ways in which people can participate in politics. Example P One way that people can participate in politics is by being part of a pressure group E Pressure groups attempt to influence decision making in parliament so being part of one allows individuals to have a role in this. E An individual could join a pressure group such as the CND and join the protest against nuclear weapons at Faslane..

One way that people can participate is by voting. (1) This means that you can have a say in selecting your elected representatives. For example, in Scottish Parliamentary elections, you can vote for your local constituency MSP and for the party of your choice because the AMS system gives the two choices(2). In my area, people voted for Alex Salmond as the constituency MSP and seven other list MSPs. (3)

People can join a political party such as Labour or the SNP (1). As a party member, you can attend party meetings, express your opinions and help to shape party policy.(2) You can help the candidates in an election campaign or perhaps be chosen as a candidate yourself in the future. (3)

Political Parties LI: To develop knowledge about political parties in Scotland

Political parties in Scotland Once elected, the MSP is expected to abide by the rules of that political party However, it is possible to be an independent MSP Parties introduce policies before an election to try and get elected. These will be contained within their manifesto.

KEY POLICIES SNP – Sturgeon is leader. Currently have the most seats in parliament. Maintain free tuition for Scottish students in Scotland. Opposes Nuclear weapons. Labour – Kezia Dugdale is leader. Consider the introduction of fees for Scottish students. Want to increase Modern Apprenticeships. Conservatives – Ruth Davidson is leader – Maintain Scotland’s nuclear deterrent. Want to introduce tougher jail sentences. Liberal Democrats – Willie Rennie is leader – do not want more nuclear power plants in Scotland. Campaign for increased powers for Scotland.

Task Read pages of course notes textbook to help you answer the following questions: 1. Name the main political parties in Scotland 2. What do the parties believe in?

Elections and Campaigning LI: LI- To understand campaign methods and analyse their effectiveness.

Elections are crucial times for political parties, it is their chance to show the public what their priorities are

How are candidates chosen? Political parties will select candidates to run in the election. Local parties will select people who will represent and focus on issues specific to their area, for example agriculture and farming issues in rural areas in Aberdeenshire. The chosen candidate will then complete against other parties and their candidates in the election.

Elections and campaigning The election campaign is where political parties try to gain voters support for individual candidates and the party in the lead up to an election. General election campaigns usually last about three weeks The election campaign takes place on two levels:- Local campaign- takes place in each constituency to gain support from local voters. National campaign- takes place across Britain, highly organised

Each party and candidate must organise an effective campaign Every candidate has an election agent. The election agent’s task is to organise a really effective campaign so that the candidate gets lots of publicity and becomes well known. Hopefully this should ensure victory! The election agent, the candidate and the party workers use a number of campaign methods to get as much publicity and votes as possible!

Campaigning In the run up to elections, all parties and candidates will campaign to try and get more votes. Individuals can help out with this by distributing leaflets, going door-to-door or by holding campaign stalls (think back to your work on independence).

Deliver leaflets with the policies The Election Campaign Put up posters in the constituency Go around the doors asking for people’s support Use loudspeakers to get their point across Arrange an interview with a local paper Advertise on TV, radio and the internet

Safe seats vs. marginal seats of the 650 seats in Britain are considered safe seats! For example- a rural constituency in the South of England is likely to be a safe seat for the Conservative Party as there are many loyal Conservative voters seats are considered marginal seats in which two or more parties have a chance of winning! Parties target the marginal seats they have the best chance of winning This makes marginal seats very important as whoever wins the most marginal seats will win the election! 1997, 2001 and 2005 Labour won due to marginal seats!

Task Use democracy in Scotland booklet to answer the following question: Describe, in detail, the methods used by political parties in election campaigns (6)

Question Describe, in detail, the methods used by political parties in election campaigns (6) PointExplain Attending debates with other prospective candidates This mean that if you were standing as a candidate for election you would attend several debates to publicise your manifesto policies For example, an SNP candidate would attend debates with other candidates from the Labour, SNP and Green party with the hope of being re-elected Party political broadcastThis means every party produces a short clip to be shown on television with their manifesto promises included to gain extra support For example the labour party have created party political broadcasts to help publicise their policies on education by filming in a school. Visit schools/hospitalsThis means that in order to gain extra votes candidates and helpers can visit local schools and hospitals on the run up to election day to encourage people to vote. For example, Gillian Martin could attend Turriff Academy to gain extra votes for the 2016 election. CanvassingProspective MSPs and Local Councillor can visit constituents in their homes to gain extra support For example, Nicola Sturgeon visited constituents in the Kinning Park area of Glasgow in the run up to the 2011 election.

What have we learned… Political parties will select candidates to run in the election who will represent local needs. Many people join political parties because they feel connected to beliefs and principles. Election campaigns will often include material which will include the party logo, name and main party policies. Social media has taken the world by storm in recent years – especially facebook and twitter. This was heavily used in Scottish Parliament election campaign.