Government and Politics

Some ideas for studying Politics during the lockdown/getting ready to study A Level Politics

Idea 1: Why not do some reading about UK politics? At Pocklington in Lower Sixth you will be learning all about UK Government and Politics. The big topics you will be exploring next year are:

● democracy and participation

● political parties

● electoral systems

● voting behaviour and the media.

● the constitution 

● parliament 

● Prime Minister and executive 

The study notes from Tutor2U are an accessible starting point for some of the above: https://www.tutor2u.net/politics/collections/uk-politics-study-notes-for-a-level-politics

Download the BBC News App: you can build your own preferences on there so make sure that you add politics.  Then ensure you read two or three stories a day on there.

Idea 2: Why not research some UK political history online? Some good websites to look at are:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zbtg87h/revision/1

https://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/british-politics/

https://www.britpolitics.co.uk/british-political-history/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_history_of_the_United_Kingdom_(1945%E2%80%93present)

https://www.gov.uk/government/history

If you want a challenge you could also have a browse of the library’s electronic resources, playing around with the search functions on things like JSTOR, which contains a treasure trove of academic articles. These articles can be quite tough though so don’t worry if you’re finding them a bit of a challenge.

Idea 3: Why not sit down and enjoy some introductory UK politics videos on YouTube? The video below is the first of a series of short videos. Watch all 13 on their YouTube channel for a great snapshot of the Lower Sixth course:

And the below is the first of a series of videos from the Learning Academy covering UK Politics for A Level.  There are 24 others on their YouTube channel.  However, just be aware that we do a different exam board (Pearson) so ignore any references to essay skills, etc.  Taking some notes on these would be very helpful for you:


Idea 4: Why not listen to some podcasts? If you want to focus on broadening your political knowledge, then there are lots of excellent politics based or linked podcasts out there. Try these for starters:

  • The Red Box Politics Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-red-box-politics-podcast/id660638948: Join Red Box editor Matt Chorley as he sits down with Times columnists to give their insight on the big stories of the day. It may be dealing with complex political issues but funny anecdotes and Westminster gossip breaks up the needed analysis. If you prefer to read your news, we suggest also signing up to their newsletter. Also called Red Box, it’s one of the best out there and will give you exclusive comment and analysis daily.
  • Ways To Change The World https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/ways-to-change-the-world-with-krishnan-guru-murthy/id1359195562: Channel 4’s Krishnan Guru-Murthy hosts “Ways to Change the World”. It’s an exploration of interview subjects’ beliefs on the issues of the day. Crucially for this list, those interview subjects include a lot of prominent politicians. Past guests have included Jacob Rees-Mogg, Ken Clarke, Michael Heseltine, David Lammie and Jess Phillips. The hour-long format offers a lot more than the usual five minutes the interviewees would normally be granted on TV or radio, and it leads to some revealing sentiments.
  • Reasons To Be Cheerful https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/reasons-to-be-cheerful-with-ed-miliband-and-geoff-lloyd/id1287081706: It’s not directly related to politics as such, but its remit of exploring “big ideas” and Miliband’s main job as an MP means it can’t help but frequently stray into that space. The very first episodes discusses the benefits of a universal basic income and tech’s monopolies, which are the big political ideas that are only just getting a belated airing in Westminster.
  • The New Statesman Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-new-statesman-podcast/id630596898: Fair, insightful analysis in a breezy conversational style is the order of the day, and despite the brand being firmly on the left of centre, it manages to avoid the traps of partisanship pretty effectively. It even manages to raise a couple of laughs, which is no mean feat in the current climate.
  • The Spectator Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-spectator-podcast/id1436994451: If you prefer your politics with a centre-right twist, The Spectator Podcast makes a solid accompaniment. As with The New Statesman’s effort, you usually get a similar analysis of the week’s parliamentary developments in a slightly more formal style, but there’s usually some wider cultural content to give you a break from the relentless Westminster chat.
  • Not strictly a political podcast but Malcolm Gladwell’s Revisionist History http://revisionisthistory.com/ is always a fascinating listen. Anyone familiar with Gladwell’s work will know that he re-examines stories – mostly from the past – and asks whether we have really got them right. It is a journey through the overlooked and misunderstood. It will hopefully inspire you to challenge the orthodoxy and look at things in new ways. Recent episodes include ‘The Obscure Virus Club’ (sounds topical) and ‘The Queen of Cuba’.


Idea 5: Why not read some award-winning politics books? Trawl through the Baillie Gifford prize shortlists for non-fiction book of the year searching for any politics books that have been nominated https://thebailliegiffordprize.co.uk/. The Guardian's Politics Book review and comment page is also a great starting point too: https://www.theguardian.com/books/politics.


Idea 6: Why not watch some excellent documentaries? Here are some links to a wealth of documentaries covering all sorts of fascinating areas:

FRONTLINE PBS: A range of high quality short and long documentaries on a huge variety of global topics and areas. Here is one from last year on trade tensions between the USA and China but do go to their YouTube channel main page to see many more.


A collation of UK focused documentaries. Here is the first video with links to over 100 others on this channel:


41 of the best documentaries in general available now in the UK: https://www.wired.co.uk/article/best-documentaries

America’s Diplomats goes inside the Foreign Service and behind the scenes of American foreign policy, uncovering the origins of the Foreign Service and the dangers diplomats face far from home:


Inside Putin's Russia: Correspondent Nick Schifrin and producer Zach Fannin take us inside Vladimir Putin's Russia, with an in-depth look at the resurgent national identity, the government's propaganda machine, the risk of being a Kremlin critic and much more.

Idea 7: Why not watch a lecture? Or attend a webinar? Gresham College (https://www.youtube.com/user/GreshamCollege/videos) has filmed a veritable treasure trove of excellent public lectures that are all freely available.


Idea 8: Why not watch a politically based film or TV series critically? Definitely one that will bring out your inner pedant! Watch a film or a series like Designated Survivor on Netflix and then watch a lecture or read an article or book that relates directly to it. Consider how accurate they were, what liberties they took (and why), and what you would have done differently. Here are a few film and TV series to consider:

TV: The West Wing; House of Cards; VEEP; The Thick of It; Yes Minister; The Wire; Homeland

Films: All the President's Men; JFK; Lincoln; Frost/Nixon; Primary Colors; Argo; The Ides of March


Overall, try to get a good mix between reading/watching/preparing for the A Level content alongside taking this unique opportunity to enjoy much wider politics or political history too. The politics department will arrange some drop-in zoom chats with you all to see how you are getting on and what areas of politics you have been researching/enjoying.