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GCE MAY 2008 A2, 2 Module 6: UK and the USA, Module 7: UK and the Republic of Ireland -Revised

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ADVANCED General Certificate of Education 2008 Government and Politics Assessment Unit A2 2 Module 6: The Government and Politics of the United Kingdom and the USA (Comparative) Module 7: The Government and Politics of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland (Comparative) A2Q21 assessing [A2Q21] FRIDAY 23 MAY, MORNING TIME 1 hour 30 minutes. INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES Write your Centre Number and Candidate Number on the Answer Booklet provided. Answer either Section A on Module 6 or Section B on Module 7. Answer all questions from your chosen section. INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES The total mark for this paper is 40. Quality of written communication will be assessed in questions 3 and 4. Figures in brackets printed down the right-hand side of pages indicate the marks awarded to each question or part question. ADVICE TO CANDIDATES You are advised to take approximately 20 minutes to study the source material before attempting to answer the questions. You are advised to take account of the marks for each part question in allocating the available examination time. A2Q2S8 3585 You should answer all questions from either Section A or Section B. Section A Module 6: The Government and Politics of the United Kingdom and the USA (Comparative) Source A Committees in Parliament Much of the work of the House of Commons and the House of Lords takes place in committees, made up of around 10 25 MPs or Lords. These committees examine issues in detail, from government policy and proposed new laws, to wider topics like the economy. Source: Adapted from: www.parliament.uk Source B Supreme Court Challenges Bush s Policy The Supreme Court ruling on Guantanamo puts the brakes on what has been a sharp expansion of executive powers and raises fresh questions about other aspects of President Bush s war-on-terror policy. The 5-3 decision was a frontal assault on Bush s tactics and a reaffirmation of the court s own role in a system where power is shared among three branches of government and where the effectiveness of Congress s scrutiny role has been questioned. The Court ruled on Thursday that Bush overstepped his authority in setting up military tribunals for war-crimes trials at the U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The justices cited violations of U.S. and international standards on prisoner rights. They also rejected an effort by Congress to strip the court of jurisdiction over habeas corpus appeals by Guantanamo detainees. Legal and presidential scholars saw the decision as a check on the president s assertion of expanded wartime powers. Adapted from: Analysis: Wartime Powers faces Scrutiny by Tom Raum, the Associated Press, 29 June 2008 A2Q2S8 3585 2 Source C The Legislative Function The chief function of Congress is the making of laws. The legislative process comprises a number of steps. Any member of the House of Representatives may introduce a bill at any time while the House is in session by placing it with the Clerk in the House Chamber. The sponsor s signature must appear on the bill. A public bill may have an unlimited number of co-sponsoring Members. An important phase of the legislative process is the action taken by committees. It is during committee action that the most intense consideration is given to the proposed measures; this is also the time when people are given their opportunity to be heard. Source: Adapted from: www.house.gov/house Source D The Powers of the P.M. There are limits to the powers of a Prime Minister despite what would appear to be their exalted position within British Politics. The Prime Minister does have many powers but probably the one great limit to these powers comes from the party he represents. If a Prime Minister loses the support from his party s back-benchers, his position becomes very weak. This happened to both Margaret Thatcher and John Major. In one speech made in the House of Commons, Geoffrey Howe, a former Cabinet colleague of Thatcher s, started the process that led to an effective revolt against her style of leadership and her ultimate resignation as Prime Minister in 1990. John Major also experienced a revolt over his support for Britain developing greater links with Europe. He is alleged to have been highly critical of those Cabinet colleagues who did not support his stance on Europe. By 1997, when Major called a general election, the party was in such disarray that it suffered its biggest electoral defeat in recent history. Source: Adapted from: www.historylearningsite.co.uk A2Q2S8 3585 3 [Turn over 1 With reference to Source A and any other information you have studied, identify and explain two types of committee in the British parliamentary system. [6] 2 With reference to Source B and any other information you have studied, explain the meaning of the term scrutiny. [7] 3 With reference to Sources A and C, and any other information you have studied, compare and contrast the legislative powers of MPs and members of the House of Representatives. [12] 4 With reference to Sources B and D, and any other information you have studied, assess the view that US Presidents have fewer limitations on the exercise of their power than UK Prime Ministers. [15] A2Q2S8 3585 4 Section B Module 7: The Government and Politics of the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (Comparative) Source A Bertie Ahern: Still the Teflon Taoiseach? The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, defended himself in the Dail yesterday against opposition charges that he had been at fault in accepting money from a dozen business figures more than a decade ago. Attempting to defuse the crisis which is proving one of the most serious in his political career, he insisted he had done nothing wrong in the affair. While his coalition partners, the Progressive Democrats, often present themselves as keeping Fianna Fail honest and maintaining the highest standards, they will be most reluctant to walk out of government and force an early election. Source: The Independent. 27/11/2006 Source B Strip peer powers from leaders, urges Benn The government should restore voters confidence in politics by stripping party leaders of the right to nominate candidates for the House of Lords, a cabinet minister said yesterday. The proposal by Hilary Benn, the International Development secretary, and a deputy leadership candidate, would prevent future controversies about donors being rewarded with places in the upper chamber. His remarks came as the loans for peerages investigation dogging Labour drew closer to its conclusion, after the police briefed that they will forward a file on the case to the Crown Prosecution Service in January. That indicates that detectives are likely to interview the Prime Minister within weeks. Adapted from an article by Tania Branigan in The Guardian Newspaper, 20 November 2006 Copyright Guardian News & Media Ltd 2006 A2Q2S8 3585 5 [Turn over Source C The Blair Premiership A widely-levelled criticism of Blair and his subordinates is that they make use of spin to such an extent that his government has fundamentally lost credibility with the British public. It is also claimed that the Government has on occasions crossed the line between selective presentation of information and deliberate misleading. Blair is perceived by many as an excessively autocratic leader, paying insufficient attention both to the views of his own Cabinet colleagues and to those of the House of Commons. His style is sometimes compared not to that of a prime minister and head of government, which he is, but more to a president and head of state, which he is not. Blair has consistently supported the police and sought to increase police powers. While this policy initially attracted widespread support, the government s legislative response to the threat of militant Islamism has been regarded by some as authoritarian. Source: Adapted from: www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Blair Source D Bunreacht na hEireann Article 18 Seanad Eireann shall be composed of sixty members, of whom eleven shall be nominated members and forty-nine shall be elected members. The nominated members of Seanad Eireann shall be nominated . . . by the Taoiseach who is appointed next after the re-assembly of Dail Eireann. Every election of the elected members of Seanad Eireann shall be held on the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote, and by secret postal ballot. Source: Adapted from: Bunreacht na hEireann 1937 A2Q2S8 3585 6 1 With reference to Source B, and any other information you have studied, identify and explain two types of peers in the House of Lords. [6] 2 With reference to Source C, and any other information you have studied, explain what is meant by the term spin . [7] 3 With reference to Sources B and D, and any other information you have studied, compare and contrast how effective the House of Lords and the Seanad are as checks on the executive. [12] 4 With reference to Sources A and C, and any other information you have studied, compare and contrast how completely the Prime Minister and Taoiseach dominate their respective legislatures. [15] THIS IS THE END OF THE QUESTION PAPER A2Q2S8 3585 7 Permission to reproduce all copyright material has been applied for. In some cases, efforts to contact copyright holders may have been unsuccessful and CCEA will be happy to rectify any omissions of acknowledgement in future if notified. SP (NF) T50093/3

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