Hello, I'm Mrs. Barry, and I'm going to be your Citizenship teacher today.

We've got a really interesting lesson practising some learning that we've already done.

If any of this is new to you, that's okay because we'll recap it and I'll be able to explain any new concepts or ideas to you.

So when you're ready to practise, we can make a start.

Today's lesson comes from the unit, "Practising What We've Learned." Today's lesson is called, "Where does Power and Influence Lie?" Our outcome for today is to explain who has the power in the UK and who has influence in society.

During our lesson, there'll be a range of keywords that we use.

So let's have a look at these together now.

Firstly, power is having control or authority over something or someone.

Influence, which is the power to affect or change someone's thoughts, actions, or decisions.

And parliamentary sovereignty, the principle that Parliament is the supreme legal authority in the UK.

Only Parliament can create or end any UK law.

Our lesson has two parts in it today.

Firstly, who has power in the UK, and then who has influence in our society.

So we're gonna start with who has power in the UK.

This lesson will help you revise key concepts for GCSE Citizenship Studies.

Sam asks, "What do we mean by power?" Power relates to being able to make decisions, control resources, or lead a certain area.

Power is an important concept in Citizenship, and it links to many other concepts such as politics, law, and rights.

There are many different types of power that exist in society, but who has the most power causes debate.

Is it the government, parliament, charities, non-governmental organisations, leaders, local government, the media, devolved governments, or even us as citizens of the UK? There are different types of power within the UK, including political power, legal power, and media power.

The government is very powerful due to several key areas.

Their mandate, which is essentially where they've been elected to run the country.

Parliamentary sovereignty, which we'll talk about in a moment.

Law and policy, and societal influence.

And we can see here in the image where King Charles III is meeting Keir Starmer to become Prime Minister.

This supports the country's mandate for Keir Starmer's party to rule.

Political power is a key element of the British Constitution.

It is referred to as parliamentary sovereignty.

This means that in the UK, Parliament can create or amend laws, including common law made by judges.

This is because we have an uncodified constitution.

Once these laws are made, everyone must follow them.

Laws cannot be made or amended through any other means.

Citizens vote for people to represent them in Parliament.

Then Parliament has the power to make laws, acting for all citizens.

And then once more laws are made, they must be followed by everyone, including members of Parliament.

So can you fill in the missing words from the options below? What is a key element of the what; it is referred to as what? So political power is a key element of the British Constitution.

It is referred to as parliamentary sovereignty.

Well done if you managed that.

Andeep here has a question.

"What do we mean by legal power?" Laws come with great power as all citizens must follow them.

If laws are broken, there are clear sanctions.

Although it is Parliament who make laws, there are other key people like the police and judges who ensure legal power is implemented.

Parliament uses its power, parliamentary sovereignty, to make laws.

The police have police powers, which means they can arrest citizens who are suspected of breaking the law.

And if the Crown Prosecution Service decides the case should go to court, judges have legal power to interpret the law and decide on sentencing.

Let's check if you know these.

Match the source of power with its description.

So we've got Parliament number one, judges number two, and police number three, and you need to match these with the descriptions here.

So A, interpret law; B, enforce laws; or C, creates laws.

So Parliament creates laws, judges interpret the law, and police enforce laws.

Well done if you managed to match those all up.

Laws and policies made by the Government are powerful as they shape day-to-day life for all citizens at all stages of life.

For example, National Minimum Wage Act 1998, Human Rights Act 1998, Equality Act 2010, Data Protection Act 2018, Anti-Terrorism Laws, Brexit, COVID-19 lockdown laws, school leaving age and school curriculum and assessment.

Which of these has supreme legal authority in the UK? So A, Government? B, Parliament? or C, police? So it's Parliament that has supreme legal authority in the UK.

Laura asks us a question here.

She says, "What do we mean by media power?" According to Ofcom, over 95% of citizens in the UK regularly consume some form of media.

This could be traditional media, such as newspapers or radio, broadcast media, such as the televised news, or new media such as streaming videos, websites, or social media.

With such high audiences comes power.

Many citizens rely on the media for information so they can make important decisions and reflect on the world around them.

Therefore, the media is a very powerful thing.

The media is also very powerful because it can reach a large audience, shape public opinion, hold the Government to account, and spread misinformation.

The media can shape what citizens are exposed to and influence public discussions.

As some media organisations have political bias, they can carefully curate the media to encourage citizens to think in a certain way.

Traditional media has the power to decide what to publish and broadcast, and what to run as headline news or on the front cover of newspapers.

Digital media, such as social media platforms, has the ability to make certain news stories go viral, for example, through the use of hashtags.

Citizens can like, comment on, and share information quickly and at any time of the day, ensuring the information reaches large audiences.

Andeep here asks, "How does the media hold the Government to account?" Investigative journalism can expose political scandals to the nation, for example, the MP expensive scandal in 2009 or the partygate scandal during COVID-19 lockdown in 2020.

Live media interviews can also be used to challenge the Government if they are not actioning their manifesto as promised.

For example, during BBC Question Time in 2015, then Prime Minister David Cameron was heavily questioned regarding potential cuts to child benefits, which went against what was pledged in the Conservatives' manifesto.

Power also lies at the hands of the devolved nations.

So here we have UK Parliament and some powers are given out to different nations.

So we have the Scottish Parliament, Senedd or Welsh Parliament, and the Northern Ireland Assembly.

It's not just devolve governments where devolution occurs; power can also be devolve to local and regional governments.

We can see that here in this diagram where the UK Parliament devolves powers to other areas.

Through devolution, the central Government has transferred some powers to the constituent parts of the United Kingdom.

Devolved governments now have powers previously held in Westminster.

For example, health and education are now devolved powers.

Other areas, such as defence, are not.

You can see that in this image here where UK Parliament controls anything to do with defence, but there are some devolved powers in this purple circle of education and health, for example.

Some people believe the Government does not hold the most power, and it is, in fact, the media, public, devolved or local governments that hold the power.

This is because the Government only has power if it remains popular with the electorate.

It can be removed.

The Government is still held to account by the opposition ,Parliament, media, and the citizens.

Courts can rule that government actions are unlawful through judicial review.

For example, the Supreme Court stopping Boris Johnson's attempt to suspend Parliament in 2019.

And devolution means that Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have their own government, meaning the national government does not control everything.

What are the missing words here? The Government can also lack power due to: the what not voting for them in the next election, being held to what, judicial what, and what in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

So the electorate not voting for them in the next election, being held to account, judicial reviews, and devolution in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland shows how the Government can lack power.

There are two different types of power demonstrated by different governmental actions.

Hard power is when a country uses force or threats to get what it wants.

Hard power includes military action, economic pressure, like sanctions or trade restrictions.

For example, a country send its army to invade another country.

The second type of power is soft power.

Soft power is when a country tries to influence others peacefully through culture, media, education, or diplomacy, talking and making deals.

For example, the United Nations having peace talks with two countries at war.

Can you match these words with their definitions? So one, power; two, soft power; and three, hard power.

And the options for the definitions are A, when a country tries to influence others peacefully; B, when a country uses force or threats to get what it wants; and C, having control or authority over something or someone.

So power is having control or authority over something or someone.

Soft power is when a country tries to influence others peacefully.

And hard power is when a country uses force or threats to get what it wants.

Let's bring this all together now and practise what we've learned.

So I'd like to write an opposing argument to Alex.

Alex says, "I don't think the UK Government is particularly powerful.

It is held to account by many different people and can be voted out during an election." Your answer could refer to government mandate, parliamentary sovereignty, law and policy, and societal influence.

So pause the video here, give that task a go, and when you've completed it, come back and we can have a look at what you might have put together.

Well done for giving that a go, and I asked you to write an opposing argument to Alex stating why the Government is powerful.

So you might have included something like this.

The Government is powerful because it has the mandate to make decisions after winning elections, meaning it can introduce laws and policies that affect everyone.

It has authority over parliament, which has sovereignty, enabling it to pass or change laws as necessary.

For example, legislation like the 2004 Civil Partnership Act and the 2013 Marriage Act demonstrated the Government's ability to alter the legal recognition of relationships.

This ability to change policy and law shows how the government can shape society and influence what people learn.

The Government also decides on policies that affect daily life, proving that it has a huge impact and power over all citizens.

Well done for giving that task a go.

And if your answer was similar to that, that's really well done.

Onto part two of our lesson now, and that is all about who has influence in our society.

Although there may be certain positions of power that decision makers hold, we can all influence the people who make decisions.

There are different types of influence, including political influence, legal influence, media influence, social influence, and many people have influence in our society and they can use this influence to change their minds or actions of those in power.

Izzy asks, "What does influence mean and how is it different to power?" The two terms have lots of similarities and are often used together.

However, there is also a difference.

Power is the ability to make decisions, control resources, or lead a certain area because of some type of authority.

Can do it regardless.

Influence is the ability to persuade or inspire someone to change their behaviour, are able to do it through communication and persuasion.

Political influence is when citizens are able to shape government decisions and policies.

They may do this individually or at an organisational level.

Pressure groups are groups of people who put pressure on the Government to action a specific change.

For example, the UK branch of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is a pressure group that works to persuade Parliament to strengthen laws that protect animals.

The Taxpayers' Alliance is another example of a pressure group which aims to influence Parliament to lower taxes for working people and have more clarity as to how taxes are spent.

So which of these is a pressure group? Is it A, judges? B, Members of Parliament? Or C, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals? Mould done if you remembered it's C, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

Although Parliament has parliamentary sovereignty, it has been elected to represent us, the electorate, and acts on behalf of all citizens.

Citizens can therefore influence the Government or wider Parliament to action certain things or consider certain issues.

Citizens can write to their MPs, email them, or even visit them in their surgeries.

They can inform them about local and national concerns they might have and urge their MP to do something about these.

They might get involved in lobbying, campaigning, or demonstrating.

Campaigning can take many forms. Most campaigns involve a variety of different methods to influence those in power.

For example, June Eric-Udorie began campaigning as a teenager.

She wanted feminism to be part of the school curriculum in England.

Instead of using just one method, she used several, which made her campaign more powerful.

For example, June wrote blog posts and articles to explain why feminism mattered in schools.

She organised an online petition and met with Members of Parliament and education officials to influence them.

June's methods became more influential because she mixed storytelling with policy arguments, showing both emotional and logical reasons for change.

June's campaign worked because it got national attention, gained public support, and led to conversations in Parliament, which resulted in the power to change policies.

The success of June's campaign was seen in 2016.

The A-level Politics syllabus was updated to include feminist thinkers like Simone de Beauvior.

This is what June had campaigned for and proves that with determination and the right selection of campaign methods, real influence is possible.

This example helps us evaluate how combining emotional appeal, facts, and formal routes to power and influence can lead to campaign success and a change in policy.

This paragraph contains five mistakes.

So let's have a look together.

I'd like you to identify the mistakes and correct them.

June Eric-Udorie led a company to add feminism to the Politics timetable.

She met with chefs to argue her case.

Her campaign was successful because she used facts and paintings.

As a result, she influenced changes that were made to the A-level cooking syllabus.

Okay, so hopefully you've spotted the mistakes here.

June Eric-Udorie led a campaign to add feminism to the Politics curriculum.

She met with MPs to argue her case.

Her campaign was successful because she used facts and storytelling.

As a result, she influenced changes that were made to the A -level Politics syllabus.

While done if you spotted all five of those mistakes.

The media, both traditional and new media, for example, social media, is also influential due to its large audience.

It is used to inform citizens of factual information, which can then influence important decisions.

For example, providing information in the lead-up to an election, which can influence voting behaviour.

It can also influence how people perceive issues by the way in which information is presented.

This can be seen with traditionally left-leaning media influencing people to think one thing, and right-leaning media influencing people to think the opposite.

Is this true or false? The media is very influential.

So that statement is true.

Well done if you spotted that.

The media is used to inform citizens of factual information, which can then influence important decisions and can also influence how people perceive issues by the way in which information is presented.

The media can also be used as a vehicle to bring campaigns to people's attention and influence them to act.

An example of this is Apple's "Creativity Goes On" campaign, which had a strong impact by showcasing real moments of resilience and creativity during the COVID-19 lockdowns.

Through emotional storytelling, the campaign offered comfort, inspiration, and a sense of connection to people during a time of isolation and uncertainty.

This aimed to influence people to improve community cohesion and creativity in a time when society needed it the most, showing the power and influence the media has across communities.

People can also be influenced by others.

This is referred to as social influence and can be divided into categories including conformity, people change their behaviour to fit in with a group.

For example, agreeing with friends' political opinions.

Compliance, individuals act in response to direct requests from others.

For example, signing petitions.

And obedience, people follow orders from authority figures.

For example, following rules during COVID-19 lockdowns.

Can you match these types of social influence with their descriptions? Let's give it a go.

So here we've got the types of social influence on the left: one, conformity; two, obedience; and three, compliance.

And the descriptions we have here are A, individuals act in response to direct requests from others; B, people change their behaviour to fit in with a group; or C, people follow orders from authority figures.

Give that a go.

Well done.

Let's have a look.

So one, conformity is people change their behaviour to fit in with a group.

Two, obedience is people follow orders from authority figures.

And three, compliance are individuals who act in response to direct requests from others.

Well done if you got those all right.

Some people see power and influence separately.

Here we have a list of power and a list of influence.

The Prime Minister, parliamentary sovereignty, devolved governments, local government, the media, and individuals all have power.

Changemakers, charities, non-governmental organisations, campaigns, the media, and community groups all have the ability to influence.

Other people say that many of the people with influence can also gain power through that influence.

Through many campaign methods, individuals, often referred to as changemakers, can bring lasting change to the local, national, or global community.

For example, signing or creating petitions, boycotting goods or services, demonstrations, marches, or lobbying, writing or visiting decision-makers, and peaceful protests.

Is this true or false? An individual does not have the ability to influence decision-makers.

Well done if you spotted that's false.

An individual can be influential.

For example, June Eric-Udorie's campaign to include feminist writers in the school curriculum.

A citizen can contact the MP to try and influence them to speak out about an issue.

They're called changemakers.

Let's bring that all together and practise what we've learned.

I'd like you to explain where power and influence lie in UK society.

And Aisha here says, "You should write two paragraphs, using examples as evidence to back up your points." So give that a go, and once you have, come back and we can have a look at what those paragraphs might look like together.

Okay, well done for giving that a go.

And I asked you to explain where power and influence lie in UK society.

Your answer might include: In UK society, significant power lies within the structure of the Government, particularly through parliamentary sovereignty, which means Parliament has the supreme legal authority to create or end any law.

This central power is balanced by devolved powers granted to Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, allowing them to control areas like health and education.

Local government also holds influence at a regional level, delivering key services such as housing and transport.

For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, devolved governments in Scotland and Wales made different public health decisions from Westminster, demonstrating their ability to exercise independent authority.

You might have continued with this.

Outside formal government, influence also lies with the media, charities, and campaign groups.

The media can shape public opinion and political decisions.

For example, intense coverage by newspapers and broadcasters has swayed national debates like Brexit.

Changemakers, including charities and non-governmental organisations like Greenpeace or Shelter, often drive social change through public engagement and lobbying.

Citizens also exert influence through campaigning, such as boycotting goods to protest unethical practises or signing petitions to demand change.

For example, petitions influence debates in Parliament or campaigns like the plastic bag charge driven by public pressure and environmental organisations.

Well done for giving that a go, and if your paragraph sounded similar to those, then that's really good.

During today's lesson, we have covered where does power and influence lie.

Power in UK society mainly lies with Parliament as parliamentary sovereignty gives it the authority to make or end any law.

Devolved governments in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland also have control over areas like health and education, giving them regional influence.

Local governments deliver services, such as housing and transport, shaping communities directly.

The media, charities, and campaigners also hold power by influencing public opinion and political decisions, such as through environmental campaigns or news coverage.

People can show their influence by boycotting products or signing petitions, which can lead to debates in Parliament and real policy changes.

Well done for working your way through this lesson with me today.

I look forward to seeing you in another Citizenship lesson soon.