How this works. Each stem starts an analytical sentence. Finish it in one or two sentences with a named case, a date and a clear analytical point. Press the hint button if you stall.
Sentence 1Wright reforms
The Wright reforms of 2010 strengthened parliamentary scrutiny because
Hint: What did Wright change about how committee chairs are chosen — and how does this affect whip control?
Sentence 2Wright counter
However, the Wright reforms have NOT made Parliament fundamentally more effective because
Hint: What can committees recommend but not actually compel?
Sentence 3Urgent questions
The growth of urgent questions from 250 in 2010-15 to over 600 in 2019-24 shows
Hint: Bercow / Hoyle Speaker reform — what does the volume increase show?
Sentence 4Welfare 2025
The 2025 welfare retreat is the strongest View 1 evidence because
Hint: Who rebelled in 2025 and what did the rebellion actually force?
Sentence 5Welfare counter
However, the 2025 welfare retreat does not show structural improvement because
Hint: Think about how rare the conditions for the 2025 retreat actually were.
Sentence 6Cabinet Office growth
The growth of the Cabinet Office from around 1,500 staff in the 1970s to about 10,000 today shows
Hint: Compare the resources of the executive machine with those available to Parliament.
Sentence 7The Grid
The Cabinet Office Grid - invented by Alastair Campbell in 1997 and kept by every PM since - matters because
Hint: The Grid centralises something the executive used to handle department-by-department — what?
Sentence 8Whip system
Around 99% of three-line whip votes pass under a government with a majority because
Hint: What career incentives do whips control to enforce votes?
Sentence 9Truss fall
Liz Truss was forced out of office in October 2022 by
Hint: Who/what was the proximate cause of Truss falling — was it Parliament?
Sentence 10Johnson fall
Boris Johnson was forced out of office in July 2022 by
Hint: Cabinet, not Parliament, on 5 July 2022 — who resigned first?
Sentence 11No fence-sitting
On this question I commit to View 2, which means
Hint: State the View 2 line: visible activity vs structural dominance.
Sentence 12Source-question rule
In a 30-mark source question, you can bring in outside evidence as long as
Hint: Source-question rule: outside evidence must develop a point already in the source.