01 Democracy and Participation Flashcards by Matthew Wharldall

Arguments to suggest that further reforms to democracy are necessary?

compulsory voting (legitimacy to govt)
reducing the voting age to 16 (improve education among younger generations)
use of referendums (direct democracy, grants legitimacy to decisions)

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Arguments to suggest that further reforms to democracy aren’t necessary?

compulsory voting (spoil the ballot paper)
reducing voting age to 16 (don’t know anything bout politics)
use of referendums (decisive)

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Evidence to suggest that compulsory voting grants legitimacy to incoming governments?

Australian voter turnout is 96%

—legitimacy, democratic

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Evidence to suggest that lowering the voting age to 16 is a bad thing?

53% of 18 to 24 year olds came out to vote in the 2019 general election

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Evidence to suggest that lowering the voting age to 16 is a good thing?

Will encourage political education which creates a better society
19, 500 applied to take A Level Politics in 2018, up nearly 10%

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Evidence to suggest that compulsory voting shouldn’t be applied?

violation of civil Liberty
large amounts of public expenditure
people will spoil the ballot paper

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Evidence to suggest that referendums should be increased in use?

Has granted legitimacy to decisions (Brexit referendum 2016)

Has unified parties somewhat (Tory party 2019 onwards and Labour Party 1975 onwards).

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Evidence to suggest that referendums shouldn’t be used

Has had a great political and social impact 
Social impact, has created a divide between working class and middle class and geographical areas. Scotland voted to remain. England leave 
Political = political turmoil under May’s government. Ruined the political career of remain politicians such as Cameron and Osborne

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Arguments to suggest that participation is in crisis?

voting turnout

- party membership

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Evidence to suggest that voting turnout is low?

1979 - 1997 = 74%
1997 - 2019 = 64%
Low point of 54% in 2001

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Evidence to suggest that voter turnout isn’t bad or is improving?

Low point of 59% in 2001

Has improved to 67% in 2019

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Evidence to suggest that party membership is on the decline?

In 1970, the Conservatives had a party membership size of 3.1%, in 2019 this fell to 0.5%

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Evidence to suggest that party membership is not bad or is rising?

SNP party membership has increased from 25,000 in 2013 to 125,000 in 2020 (this represents 3.0% of the Scottish Electorate)

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Arguments to suggest that collective groups are influential

pressure groups
lobbyists
think tanks

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Evidence to suggest pressure groups are influential?

Action on Health and Smoking 
-founded in 1967
-insider group 
-reduced tobacco consumption, reduced advertisements and issues health warnings
(Link to factors that affect success)

Liberty
Howard League for Penal Reform

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Evidence to suggest pressure groups are not influential?

The Care Provider Alliance issued guidance to the government wanting them not to discharge elderly patients into care homes.
They didn’t listen, 25,000 patients were discharged into care homes without a test. 1/20 were thought to be COVID19 positive

Link to factors, CPA was an insider group but potentially lacked ideological compatability with govt and didn’t have public mood as knowledge of COVID was scarce

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Evidence to suggest lobbyists have had influence?

In October 2019, David Cameron lobbied Matt Hancock to introduce a finance system to the NHS from Lex Greensil.
In December 2019, such system was introduced into the NHS

In April 2020, Priti Patel wrote to Michael Gove to secure a £20m PPE contract for her friend

Evidence to suggest that think tanks are influential

The Adam Smith Institute
-centre right promoting neo liberal ideas and was the brains behind the marketisation and privatisation of the 1980s. The Educational Reform Act 1988.
(Factors - ideologically compatible)

Evidence to suggest that think tanks are not influential

The Royal Institute of International Affairs campaigned for the oversees aid budget not to be scrapped. It was scrapped by £500m in early 2021. Furthermore, aid to Central African refugees was cut by 40% in May, leaving 500,000 women and children at risk

Evaluate the view that factors are critical to a pressure groups success

ideological compatibility
type of pressure group (insider group)
resources

Evidence to suggest ideological compatibility led to a pressure groups success

Action on Health and Smoking

founded in 1967
driving force in reduction in tobacco consumption
now only 14% of adults smoke

Evidence to suggest that ideological compatibility didn’t lead to a pressure groups success

Stop the War Coalition

2003
biggest demonstration in British history with over 1 million attendants

Evidence to suggest that insider groups have led to a pressure groups success?

The Howard League for Penal Reform made the government backtrack on its proposal to ban families from giving books

Evidence to suggest that insider groups has not led to a pressure groups success?

Again, the Howard League for Penal Reform. Hasn’t made the franchise available for prisoners even though it’s it main cause

Evidence to suggest that resources has led to a pressure groups success?

RSPCA has 16,000 followers in membership.

Evidence to suggest that resources haven’t led to a pressure groups success?

Stop HS2. Has set up events and campaigns which has just attracted 1300 people. Implies not a big issue

Arguments to suggest that collective groups are beneficial to democracy?

- increase participation outside the ballot box | - have a democratic way of achieving its means

Evidence to suggest that collective groups are beneficial to democracy as they increase participation outside the ballot box

-Stop the War Coaltion —1 million people, it was the biggest demonstration in British history -Institute for Economic Affairs —does regular comps for school age children therefore increasing poor turnout amongst low age groups

Evidence to suggest that collective groups are not beneficial to democracy as they do not increase participation outside the ballot box?

-Greensill Lobbying Scandal —David Cameron lobbied for Greensill to have access to COVID Loans and wanted Hancock to implement a computer system created by the company

Evidence to suggest that collective groups are beneficial to democracy as they achieve their means through democratic means

Outsider pressure group - Fare Share and Marcus Rashford - Black Lives Matter Protests

Evidence to suggest that collective groups are not beneficial to democracy as they do not achieve their means through democratic ways

Pressure Groups // insider groups -Confederation of British Businesses —registered with the Electoral Commision against Scottish Indepedence (politically neutral) Lobbyists -Owen Paterson —worked for Randox who received a £133 grant from the govt to produce testing kits

Arguments to suggest pressure groups are more significant than government legislation at promoting rights

- government legislation is brought in as a response to pressure groups - pressure groups force government to uphold rights via judicial review

Arguments to suggest that government legislation is more important in protecting rights than pressure groups?

- it is the government who passes the laws to protect rights - government can create institutions who's job it is to protect rights and interpret laws

Evidence to suggest that pressure groups are more successful in protecting rights than the government as pressure groups force govt into legislating

Pressure groups speak on behalf of the masses - -Howard League for Penal reform managed to reverse the banning of books in prisons - -Womens Liberation Movement managed to force govt into many acts

Evidence to suggest that pressure groups are not more successful in protecting rights than the government as it the government who passes laws to protect the masses

New Labour 1997 Constitutional Reforms --Human Rights Act enshrined the Euro Conv of HRights into UK law More recently -Equalities Act 2010

Evidence to suggest that pressure groups are more successful in protecting rights than the government as pressure groups force govt to uphold rights via judicial review

Gina Millar EU Case --Gina Millar (pressure group) forced the government into the court over David Davis claiming he had precedent to trigger Article 50, not the sovereign parliament

Evidence to suggest that pressure groups are more successful in protecting rights than the government as the govt creates institutions that actively protect rights

The Constitutional Reform Act 2005 create an new independent highest court of appeal: The Supreme Court --protected Windrush Generation by ruling Windrush Scandal was unlawful which will now mean that govt cannot refuse citizenship to Windrush Generation due to minor convictions in history

Arguments to suggest that our rights are protected in the U.K.?

- government/parliament | - pressure groups

Evidence to suggest that the government/parliament protect our rights effectively?

-New Labour brought in the Human Rights Act 1998. In 2006, overturned a bid to turn off a babies ventilator due to ‘intolerable life conditions’

Evidence to suggest that government/parliament doesn’t protect our rights effectively?

- Moves by the Conservative Government to introduce a British Bill of Rights. Theresa May and Dom Raab - Coronavirus Pandemic. Coronavirus Act 2020.

Evidence to suggest that pressure groups effectively protect our rights?

Howard League for Penal Reform —In 2014 overturned a ban of books being imported into Prison by the Conservative Government Liberty —10,500 members —brought to the attention issues with modern day slavery. Brought in Modern Slavery Act 2015

Evidence to suggest that pressure groups do not effectively protect our rights?

Howard League for Penal Reform —prisoners do not have the right to vote, disenfranchised section of society Liberty -campaigned against the Investigatory Powers Act. It was, however passed in November of 2016