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Northern IrelandPolitics

AS 1: The Government and Politics of Northern Ireland

4 dot points across 4 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

Who are Northern Ireland's main parties, and how have they changed since 1998?

Northern Ireland political parties: the backgrounds, strategies and policies of the DUP, Sinn Fein, the UUP, the SDLP and the Alliance Party, their role in government, and how their fortunes and positions have changed since 1998.
A CCEA AS 1 guide to Northern Ireland's political parties. Covers the backgrounds, strategies and policies of the DUP, Sinn Fein, the UUP, the SDLP and Alliance, their role in the power-sharing government, and how the dominance shifted from the UUP and SDLP to the DUP and Sinn Fein since 1998.
16 min answer →

What did the 1998 Good Friday Agreement establish, and how did later agreements change it?

The principles, content and implementation of the Good Friday Agreement (1998) and the changes made by subsequent agreements, including St Andrews (2006), Hillsborough (2010), Stormont House (2014), Fresh Start (2015) and New Decade, New Approach (2020).
A CCEA AS 1 guide to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement and the agreements that followed it. Covers the three strands, consent, power sharing and decommissioning, and how St Andrews, Hillsborough, Stormont House, Fresh Start and New Decade, New Approach changed the original deal.
16 min answer →

How effectively does the Northern Ireland Assembly represent, legislate and scrutinise?

The Northern Ireland Assembly: its composition and election by single transferable vote, its three main functions of representation, legislation and scrutiny, cross-community voting and the petition of concern, the committee system, and its independence from the Executive.
A CCEA AS 1 guide to the Northern Ireland Assembly. Covers how MLAs are elected by single transferable vote, the three functions of representation, legislation and scrutiny, cross-community voting and the petition of concern, the statutory and standing committees, and how independent the Assembly is from the Executive.
16 min answer →

How is the Northern Ireland Executive formed, and how effectively does it govern?

The Northern Ireland Executive: the Executive Office and the joint First Minister and deputy First Minister, the allocation of departments by the d'Hondt formula, the special appointment of the Justice Minister, mandatory coalition and the weakness of collective responsibility.
A CCEA AS 1 guide to the Northern Ireland Executive. Covers the Executive Office and the joint First and deputy First Minister, how departments are shared out by the d'Hondt formula, the special election of the Justice Minister, mandatory coalition, and why collective responsibility is so weak.
16 min answer →