Garner, Ferdinand & Lawson: Introduction to Politics 
Expanded case studies from the book
Chapter summariesGarner, Ferdinand & Lawson: Introduction to Politics
Scenario 2
You are in a group of 300 people aboard a plane. During the flight you start talking to your fellow-passengers, and discover that you are all passionate football supporters travelling to watch the same match in a distant country. However, the passengers are divided equally in their support for the rival teams. A row breaks out on the plane, causing it to crash-land.
Miraculously, no-one is injured in the landing. But you have no idea where you are and nobody can communicate with the outside world. After a while the rival supporters split up to search the island. Food is fairly plentiful, but there is no sign of other inhabitants. You and your fellow-supporters are fortunate enough to search the more fertile parts of the island. The others can just about eke out a living, but they can only do so by working very hard.
Gradually people begin to accept that they might be marooned indefinitely. One day the rival supporters arrive in your part of the island, and start to break into your fields. You and your friends launch a counter-attack. But just as the first blood is shed, another group arrives. You have no idea where they came from, but they clearly intend to kill everyone. For the moment, you forget your grievances against your fellow-passengers and everyone joins in to repel the attack. The intruders are defeated, thanks largely to one of your fellow football-fans who happens to be a senior policeman and body-builder. But even though they are forced to retreat, no-one imagines that the threat is over.
After the battle all of the passengers decide that they must have a meeting to decide on a form of government. You are very frightened by the sudden assault, but you have a degree in politics so you feel that you will have to speak out at the meeting. What will you say?
Helpful hints:
Before tackling this question you might consult pages 37-8, which deal with the social contract theory of Thomas Hobbes.
Key points to bear in mind include: 1) You do not particularly like half of the passengers; 2) The toughest of the people on your side in the fight against the intruders support the same football team as you; 3) Nevertheless, you need the support of the rival fans; otherwise they might side with the enemy and take all of your land.
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