How have referendums been used in the UK, and why do different electoral systems produce different politics?
Component 3.2 to 3.3: how referendums have been used since 1997 and the case for and against them, and the analysis of why different electoral systems are used and their impact on government, party representation and voter choice.
An Edexcel A-Level Politics Component 1 answer on referendums and electoral system analysis, covering how referendums have been used in the UK since 1997, the case for and against them in a representative democracy, and how different electoral systems affect the type of government, party representation and voter choice.
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What this dot point is asking
Edexcel wants you to explain how referendums have been used in the UK and their impact since 1997, the case for and against referendums in a representative democracy, and to analyse why different electoral systems are used and how they affect the type of government, party representation and voter choice. This is examined through the 30-mark source and essay questions.
How referendums have been used since 1997
Edexcel expects precise examples of UK referendums and their impact:
- 1997 devolution referendums in Scotland and Wales, which led to the Scotland Act 1998 and the creation of the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly.
- 2011 Alternative Vote referendum, in which voters rejected changing the Westminster voting system by around 68 to 32 per cent, settling the issue for a generation.
- 2014 Scottish independence referendum, in which Scotland voted to remain in the UK by 55 to 45 per cent on a remarkable 84.6 per cent turnout, but which transformed Scottish politics and fuelled further devolution.
- 2016 EU membership referendum, in which the UK voted to leave by 51.9 to 48.1 per cent, the most consequential referendum in modern British history, leading to Brexit.
Their impact has been to settle (or reopen) major constitutional questions, to entrench devolution, and to demonstrate both the legitimising power and the divisiveness of direct democracy.
The case for and against referendums
This is the examined evaluation, so hold both sides clearly.
The case for referendums: they give the strongest legitimacy and consent for fundamental constitutional change; they boost participation and political education (the 2014 turnout); they entrench reforms so a future government cannot easily reverse them; and they provide a clear popular mandate on a single issue that a general election cannot give.
The case against: they bypass parliamentary sovereignty and representative deliberation; they reduce complex issues to a binary that ignores nuance; they can produce narrow, divisive results (the 2016 vote); turnout can be low in local referendums; and voters may be swayed by misinformation or by factors unrelated to the question.
Electoral system analysis
The specification asks you to analyse why different systems are used and their effects.
Different bodies use different systems by design: Westminster keeps FPTP to preserve strong single-party government and the constituency link; the devolved bodies use AMS or STV to give proportional, broadly consensual government suited to their plural societies (STV supports power-sharing in Northern Ireland). The choice is partly historical and partly a deliberate matching of system to the purpose of the body.
The effects are the analytical heart of the topic:
- Type of government. Majoritarian FPTP tends to produce single-party majority government; proportional systems tend to produce coalition or minority government (the SNP in Scotland, power-sharing in Northern Ireland).
- Party representation. Proportional systems give smaller parties seats and bargaining power; FPTP squeezes them, so the same party can be powerful under AMS and marginal under FPTP.
- Voter choice. STV and AMS widen choice (ranking, two votes, choice within a party), while FPTP allows only a single X and can leave voters with no realistic local option.
Examples in context
- The 2016 EU referendum (51.9 to 48.1 per cent), the headline example of a consequential and divisive referendum.
- The 2014 Scottish referendum (84.6 per cent turnout), the strongest evidence for the participation and legitimacy case.
- The 2011 AV referendum, which settled the Westminster voting system for a generation.
- Scotland under AMS, showing how a proportional system produces minority and coalition government rather than single-party majorities.
Try this
Q1. Explain and analyse three arguments in favour of using referendums in the UK. [9 marks]
- Cue. Legitimacy on constitutional questions, higher participation, and entrenchment of reform, each developed with an example.
Q2. Evaluate the view that the type of government in the UK is determined mainly by the electoral system. [30 marks]
- What the marker wants. A two-sided AO1 to AO3 essay weighing the system's effect on government type against the distribution of party support, reaching a justified judgement.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of Pearson Edexcel exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
Edexcel 202020 marksEvaluate the view that referendums undermine representative democracy in the UK. Reworded from a 30-mark essay to fit the schema; argue both sides and reach a judgement.Show worked answer →
A Section A 30-mark essay (shown as 20) on AO1, AO2 and AO3. Build two-sided arguments around referendums and parliamentary sovereignty.
Undermine: referendums bypass elected representatives and parliamentary sovereignty, reduce complex issues to a binary, can deliver narrow results that divide the country (the 2016 EU referendum, 51.9 to 48.1 per cent), and are vulnerable to misinformation and low turnout.
Do not undermine: referendums enhance legitimacy and consent on major constitutional questions, increase participation (the 2014 Scottish referendum reached 84.6 per cent turnout), and in the UK remain advisory, so Parliament retains the final say.
A Level 5 answer judges, for example, that referendums complement rather than undermine representative democracy when reserved for fundamental constitutional change, then sustains that line.
Edexcel 202220 marksExplain and analyse three ways in which the choice of electoral system affects the type of government that results. Edexcel 9-mark 'explain and analyse' style; develop each point.Show worked answer →
An "explain and analyse three" question is AO1 and AO2 only. Choose three distinct effects and develop each.
One: majoritarian systems such as FPTP tend to produce single-party majority government, as at Westminster. Two: proportional systems such as AMS and STV tend to produce coalition or minority government, as in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Three: the system shapes which parties gain representation, so proportional systems give smaller parties seats and bargaining power that FPTP denies them.
Markers reward three accurate, distinct effects, each developed with a UK example and a clear analytical link from system to government type.
Related dot points
- Component 3.1: the features, advantages and disadvantages of FPTP, AMS, STV and SV, and the comparison of first-past-the-post with a proportional system used in a devolved body.
An Edexcel A-Level Politics Component 1 answer on electoral systems, covering how first-past-the-post, the Additional Member System, the Single Transferable Vote and the Supplementary Vote work, their advantages and disadvantages, and a comparison of FPTP with the proportional systems used in the devolved bodies.
- Component 1.1 to 1.2: representative and direct democracy, the widening of the franchise and debates over suffrage, the participation crisis and the case for reform.
An Edexcel A-Level Politics Component 1 answer on democracy and participation, covering the features of representative and direct democracy, the widening of the franchise from the 1832 Great Reform Act to the 1969 Representation of the People Act, the participation crisis and democratic deficit, and the case for reform.
- Component 4.1 to 4.2: case studies of three key general elections, the factors explaining their outcomes (class, partisanship, age, gender, ethnicity, region, valence), and the role and impact of the media.
An Edexcel A-Level Politics Component 1 answer on voting behaviour and the media, covering case studies of three key general elections, the factors that explain outcomes including class and partisan dealignment, valence and demographic factors, and the role and impact of the media including opinion polls and bias.
- Component 1.2 to 1.4: how the constitution has changed since 1997 under Labour, the Coalition and later governments, the role and impact of devolution, and the debates on further reform.
An Edexcel A-Level Politics Component 2 answer on devolution and constitutional reform, covering the changes since 1997 under Labour, the Coalition and later governments, the powers and impact of the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish devolved bodies, devolution in England, and the debates over further reform.
- Component 1.1: the nature of the UK constitution (unentrenched, uncodified, unitary), the twin pillars of parliamentary sovereignty and the rule of law, the five main sources, and the debate over codification.
An Edexcel A-Level Politics Component 2 answer on the UK constitution, covering its uncodified, unentrenched and unitary nature, the twin pillars of parliamentary sovereignty and the rule of law, the five main sources (statute, common law, conventions, authoritative works and treaties), and the debate over codification.
Sources & how we know this
- Pearson Edexcel A-Level Politics (9PL0) specification — Pearson Edexcel (2017)