In this episode, we debate which branch is stronger, examining a range of tools that each one has to control the other. It all comes down to circumstances.

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A Level Politics could easily be renamed A Level current affairs. It’s a live subject and as Politics students you need to use updated examples and explain their significance. This can be hard, especially around revision time when you have got your heads in your books, and class notes going back 18 months, visiting examples that perhaps were current at the time, only to be told by someone somewhere that your examples are out of date. Likewise, you might get news alerts on your phone about this minister or that scandal or that protest, but the sheer number of moving parts can seem overwhelming at times, especially in these febrile times. 

Don’t worry though, The Level Politics  Show is here to help, with the release of E.G.4Me. I’m hoping that about once a week, I’ll release a brief episode of no more than five minutes long (I promise it won’t be more than that!) going through a specific UK or US news story that has recently broken. Each EG4Me episode will explain what happened, what does it all mean, and, most importantly, how you use the example for different essay questions.

I'm giving away this first episode for free. If you like what you hear, then why not subscribe the Plus Plus Plus! For just £1.99 per month, you will receive access to the full back catalogue of A Level Politics Show podcasts. Oh, and of course, every future release of E.G.4Me! Furthermore, you can cancel anytime - no obligations and no hidden costs. Just lots of learning. Click⁠⁠⁠ here⁠⁠⁠ to get started.

On today's E.G.4Me: Housing campaigners welcome ban on no-fault evictions. For more about Acorn, the pressure group detailed in this show, click here.

In this episode, we use recent examples to assess the benefits of pressure groups. We focus on the functions of pressure groups, the theories of pluralism and elitism, and the all important role of lobbying. And yes, Matt Hancock makes another appearance.

Enjoy the podcast, then why not subscribe to PLUS PLUS PLUS!? For just £1.99 per month, you will receive TWO additional episodes per month that will automatically appear in your podcast feed as soon as they become available. You'll also get access to the full back catalogue of A Level Politics Show podcasts. Furthermore, you can cancel anytime - no obligations and no hidden costs. Just lots of learning. Click⁠⁠ here⁠⁠ to get started. If you like reading as well as listening, then you can also try my revision book, which can be purchased from ⁠⁠here⁠⁠.  Oh, and don't forget to leave a nice review wherever you listen to your podcasts, so that more people can find out about us. You can also ask follow up questions to each episode by clicking "reply" on the "Do you need any further" help section in the show notes (Spotify listeners only for moment) and take part in our episode by episode polls once you have finished listening. Also look out, Plus Plus Plus subscribers, for the all new E. G.4Me episodes, which takes you through a breaking news stories and attempts to make sense of it.

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Why not subscribe to PLUS PLUS PLUS? For just £1.99 per month, you will receive access to every episode and every transcript of the A Level Politics Show. That’s right, the full back catalogue for less than a price of a coffee. Also look out for bonus E. G.4Me episodes, which take you through breaking news stories and attempt to make sense of them. Oh, and those quiz pods - watch out for these from 2025 onwards.  If you listen through Spotify, you can ask follow-up questions to each episode by clicking on the comment section in the show notes. And why not take part in episode-by-episode polls once you have finished listening. Furthermore, you can cancel anytime – no obligations and no hidden costs. Click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to get started!  

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Happy listening, dear listener, and thanks for your support of the show. 

With three prime ministers in a year and multiple policy u-turns it is hard to see past the argument that the Tories are more divided than the Labour Party. Admittedly, perhaps favourable opinion polls for Labour hide the division in that party, and things can change pretty quickly if, say, there are a bad set of election results or a scandal. Yet the Conservatives are perpetually in conflict between their ideological beliefs on the one hand and the need for pragmatism and electoral viability on the other. It doesn't want to be a high tax party, but arguably Covid and its previous underfunding of public services have forced the Tories to become one. The EU referendum ripped the party apart, and just as it was putting some of those difficulties behind it, along came #partygate, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss' mini budget to add to the drama. Meanwhile, although the left remains the left inside the Labour Party, it appears willing to sleep until Starmer trips up, perhaps by underwhelming at the next general election and forcing him to require left wing votes. Until such a scenario, however, Labour looks the happier bunny.

In this episode, we examine in turn how devolution is working in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England. This pod is an update to episodes 35 and 60, which are still useful, since they deal with slightly different questions, including whether England ought to have its own Parliament and whether devolution has improved democracy. 

In this episode, I argue that most conservatives share similar views on economic matters. However, Neo-liberals are the ideological outliers. Their advocation of rational human nature, atomistic society (does one even exist?) and on a "miniarchist" state leads these kinds of conservatives to very different conclusions about the type of economy that they want.

While legal sovereignty has in part returned to the UK and to the Westminster parliament, political sovereignty still largely rests with the executive. Furthermore, there is the argument that the EU referendum was indeed the ultimate assertion of popular sovereignty, rather than parliamentary power. Meanwhile, the devolved bodies aren't going away and are willing to fight the UK government in the courts. Indeed, sovereignty post-Brexit is the same as it ever was... complicated. 

Is an election truly representative when so few seats change hands and most of the existing incumbents win? How important is social diversity? Does it matter if members of Congress vote solely along party lines? We explore all of these questions and assess the impact of the 2022 midterms on Congressional representation.