1. Democracy and Participation - 1.1. Representative democracy and direct democracy Flashcards
DEMOCRACY
What are the features of a ‘liberal democracy’?
- free and fair elections
- belief in human rights and civic rights
e. g. freedom of speech and expression - extended right to vote
- greater transparency
- representation
- accountability
- power dispersal
- legitimacy
- education
DEMOCRACY
What, essentially, is a democracy?
rule by the people
DEMOCRACY
What is a direct democracy?
a system where decisions are made directly by the people
DEMOCRACY
What are the features of a direct democracy?
- participation is continuous and perpetual
- direct participation where citizens make the decisions/policies themselves
- no formal distinction between people and the government
DEMOCRACY
What examples are there of direct democracy?
Switzerland
has incorporated elements of direct democracy into its political system
e. g. citizens vote directly on important issues at the annual Landesgemeinde
e. g. Swiss constitution requires a frequent use of referenda
DEMOCRACY
What is a representative democracy?
where people elect representatives who take decisions on their behalf
DEMOCRACY
What are the features of a representative democracy?
- participation is indirect and infrequent
- professionals act on behalf of the public
- regular, free, fair elections
- universal suffrage
- representatives are accountable
- political parties representing differing policies
- parliament in the heart of majority decision making
- representatives use their own judgement
DEMOCRACY
What are 6 advantages of direct democracy?
- more democratic
- citizens views, will and preferences are not distorted by middleman
- enhances political participation
- enhances political education
- may increase levels of satisfaction and support for political system
- citizens can vote on a single issue
DEMOCRACY
Advantages of direct democracy:
View 1: How is it more democratic?
power remains in hands of people
policies are precise and true to view of people
communities have control over important affairs that directly affect their lives
DEMOCRACY
Advantages of direct democracy:
View 2: How are views NOT distorted?
GM crops example:
Switzerland - people voted for 2005 ban on use of GM corps
UK - gov decided for the people that Gm crops should be given go ahead despite popular opposition
DEMOCRACY
Advantages of direct democracy:
View 3: How does it enhance political participation?
people encouraged to participate in political because citizens are constantly expected to take important decisions and govern the country
DEMOCRACY
Advantages of direct democracy:
View 4: How does it enhance political education?
citizens are less likely to be ignorant/apathetic since they are regularly consulted on issues that affect them
having to participate in decision making encourages citizens to learn more about political issues
DEMOCRACY
Advantages of direct democracy:
View 5: How does it increase levels of satisfaction and support?
when people have a say they are more likely to support the system
they feel influential
increases legitimacy and stability
e.g. the UK is currently in a time of extreme distrust of political (since expenses scandal of 2009 and Brexit), DD would remove this
DEMOCRACY
What are 5 weaknesses of direct democracy?
- impractial/utopian
- most citizens lack sufficient political and technical knowledge to govern wisely
- may produce ‘tyranny of the majority’
- constant participation may over-strain public desire for participation
- in the UK, DD may undermine parliamentary sovereignty
DEMOCRACY
Weaknesses of direct democracy
View 1: How is it impractical/utopian?
impractical in bigger communities
mass societies of millions with sustained involvement in decision making is almost impossible
decisions would be very slow to react to situations that need swift action
e.g. referendums are time-consuming
e.g. DD may have worked in 40,000 citizens in ancient Athens
it is unlikely to work in modern Britain with almost 45 million citizens eligible to vote
DEMOCRACY
Weaknesses of direct democracy
View 2: How do citizens lack sufficient political and technical knowledge?
they insufficiently informed to vote on issues
this limits ability to take informed vote on issues
govern in their own interest
e.g. can UK public provide an informed decision on the economic benefits of the Euro?
DEMOCRACY
Weaknesses of direct democracy
View 3: How may it produce ‘tyranny of the majority’? What is the CA to this?
TotM - where minorities are placed at a disadvantage with either discrimination or possible restriction on their freedom
insufficiently responsible ot protect minorities
California, 2008:
heterosexual majority decided to outlaw gay marriage
Switzerland, 2009:
Roman Catholic majority banned construction of new minarets
CA - some insist that people can actually be trusted to care about minority rights
Maine, Maryland, Washington, 2012:
approved same-sex marriages
Ireland, 2015: legalised same-sex marriages through referendum
Ireland, 2018: legalised abortion through referendum
HOWEVER, THIS IS NOT INEVITABLE SO TOTM IS STILL A LARGE POSSIBILITY
DEMOCRACY
Weaknesses of direct democracy
View 4: How may constant participation over-strain the public’s desire for political participation?
places heavy burden on ordinary citizens
could lead to apathy and ‘voter fatigue’ instead of greater interest
people do have the time
Switzerland: low turnouts in referendums and elections
UK: low turnouts in 2012 mayoral referendums
DEMOCRACY
Weaknesses of direct democracy
View 5: How might DD undermine UK parliamentary sovereignty?
DEMOCRACY
What are 6 advantages of representative democracy?
- more practical
- representatives have better knowledge, education and experience
- politicians may be more rational than the emotional majority
- representatives can provide protection of minority groups
- relieves public burden
- still ensures some level of participation
- ensures high level of public accountability
- pragmatic and can accommodation elements of DD within it
DEMOCRACY
Advantages of representative democracy
View 1: How is it practical?
works in mass societies
because political participation in infrequent
decisions can be taken swiftly
USA:
has a eligible population of 220 million citizens who can vote
yet the democratic process is manageable
DEMOCRACY
Advantages of representative democracy
View 2: How do representatives have better knowledge, education and experience?
government is of experts and specialists
government posts are filled with people who possess detailed knowledge int eh areas o law, finance, medicine and economics
DEMOCRACY
Advantages of representative democracy
View 3: How may politicians be more rational than the emotional majority? What is the CA to this?
they are less likely to be swayed by the media
they may make anti-humanitarian decisions or undermine civil liberties
Majority of population supported the death penalty, complete halt to immigration and restriction gay rights
CA - MPs voted in 1960s to legalise abortions, same-sex relations and abolish death penalty
DEMOCRACY
Advantages of representative democracy
View 4: How many representatives provide better protection of minorities?
they may weigh up demands of minorities against the majority
they may prevent ToTM
UK, 2014:
the UK parliament legislated in 2014 to allow same-sex marriage
Slovenia, 2015:
Parliament passed marriage equality
however when the matter went to referendum, the Slovenian people vote to reject same-sex marriage
DEMOCRACY
Advantages of representative democracy
View 5: How does it relieve the burden on the public?
the representatives have to deal with the day-to-day decision making
they are professional and have more time to deal with it
they can devote much of their time to learn about policies, problems and alternatives
Switzerland:
frequent referenda have caused fatigue across some of the population
DEMOCRACY
Advantages of representative democracy
View 6: How does it ensure some level of participation?
regular elections referendums pressure groups and protests all take part in framework of RD it enables significant levels of participation
DEMOCRACY
Advantages of representative democracy
View 7: How does it enable high levels of public accountability?
they can hold representatives to account who fail to represent the will of the people properly
this is through elections and free speech
Labour premiership, 2010:
UK public held Labour to account
it was replaced as electorate was dissatisfied
Lib Dem, 2015:
made to pay for having let some of their voters down
DEMOCRACY
Advantages of representative democracy
View 8: How is it pragmatic?
it can include some forms/elements of DD within it
UK:
adapted to use of referendums
could easily adapt to use of initiatives and power of recall of representatives
DEMOCRACY
What are 6 weaknesses of representative democracy?
- levels of participation are low
- power is taken away from citizens
- can rarely vote on single issues
- party discipline compromises will of the people
- does not necessarily guarantee against authoritarianism
- representatives rarely reflect the social make up of the population
DEMOCRACY
Weaknesses of representative democracy
View 1: How are levels of participation low?
citizens are encouraged to vote once every 4-5 years only
even if turnouts are high (they are not) such participation is not as frequent and as meaningful as one finds in DD
this calls into question the legitimacy of the system
DEMOCRACY
Advantages of representative democracy
View 2: How is power transferred/taken away from citizens?
citizens relinquish their power shortly after the election become dis-empowered
they do not make decisions
this could frustrate or anger citizens
could lead to apathy or growing appeal of radical/populist parties
UK:
the UK public seemed opposed to the Iraq war (2003), the Lisbon Treaty (2009) and dramatic increase in university tuition fees (2010)
DEMOCRACY
Advantages of representative democracy
View 3: How does it mean citizens can rarely vote on single issues?
they vote for a package of many policies
UK:
people may want a say on direct issues such as immigration, taxation, austerity and privatisation and international affairs
however, in UK’s representative democracy, all they can do is vote for a party and accept its entire manifesto
DEMOCRACY
Advantages of representative democracy
View 4: How does party discipline compromise the will of the people?
MPs are committed to their party’s leadership rather than teh people who put them in power
they must toe the party-line
it is party eladership that controls their promotion, demotion or re-election
Lib Dem:
many MPs voted for a substantial increase of university tuition fees because their party, not their voters, expected them to do so
Labour:
many Labour MPs voted for the Iraq war against the will of the constituents due to party discipline
Conservative:
many have been forced to vote for austerity measures despite own personal preferences
DEMOCRACY
Advantages of representative democracy
View 5: How does RD not necessarily guarantee against authoritarianism?
it does not guarantee the protection of civil liberties
elected representatives may support an undemocratic leader or regime
UK, 2007:
the majority of MPs voted to extend detention without charge to 42 days
DEMOCRACY
Advantages of representative democracy
View 6: How do representatives rarely reflect the social makeup of the population?
representatives rarely reflect the societal makeup of gender, class, ethnic and age composition they tend to be white, middle-class and middle-age men
UK:
most MPs and cabinet members in UK parliament are white, middle class, middle aged, highly educated men
DEMOCRACY
Is DD or RD more advantageous?
Representative democracy is mroe advantageous
this is because, while DD provides a more precise version of democracy with increased participation, it is utopian and cannot be applied to any modern day country.
Representative democracy provides the vest system for a large population who do not have time for constant participation.
REFERENDUMS
What was the first national referendum in recent history? What was the outcome? What was the turnout?
1975 - Should UK remain a member of the European Community?
67% YES
33% NO
64.5% turnout
REFERENDUMS
What are the 2 other national referendums, with outcome and turnout?
- 2011 - Should the UK adopt the alternative vote system for general elections?
32% YES
68% NO
42% turnout - 2016 - Should the EU remain a member of the EU?
45% YES
55% NO
84% turnout
REFERENDUMS
What were the 2 Scottish referendums, with outcome and turnout?
- 1997 - Should additional powers be devolved to Scotland and a Scottish Parliament established?
72% YES
26% NO
60% turnout - 2014 - Should Scotland become a completely independent country?
45% YES
55% NO
85% turnout
REFERENDUMS
What was the Ireland referendum?
1998 - Should the Belfast Agreement be implemented?
71% YES
29% NO
81% turnout
REFERENDUMS
What was the Wales referendum?
1997 - Should additional powers be devolved to Wales and a Welsh assembly established?
50.3% YES
49.7% NO
50% turnout
REFERENDUMS
What was the Edinburgh referendum?
2005 - Should a ‘congestion change’ zone be introduced in Edinburgh?
25% YES
75% NO
62% turnout
REFERENDUMS
What was the north-east England referendum?
2004 - Should additional powers be devolved to northeast England and a regional assembly established?
22% YES
78% NO
48% turnout
REFERENDUMS
What are the features of referendums?
- popular vote where citizens are asked to determine an issue of policy
- device or form of direct democracy
- can be on 1 question or more (e.g. Scottish devolution referendum)
- held at discretion of the governments and Parliament
- answer is always either ‘Yes’ or ‘No’
- in UK they are advisory due to Parliamentary Sovereignty
REFERENDUMS
What are 6 reasons referendums may be called?
- to resolve issues of major constitutional reforms
- to resolve major political disputes or political deadlocks
- to weaken to opposition by demonstrating that their policies are not supported
- governments call referendums when they are confident of winning
- to overcome internal disputes within party/government
- in undemocratic regimes, the government may use referendums to legitimise their power
REFERENDUMS
Examples of referendums being used to resolve ISSUES OF CONSTITUTIONAL IMPORTANCE
- devolution in Wales and Scotland
- 1998, London: new Mayor and Assembly
- 2016 EU membership
REFERENDUMS
Examples of referendums being used to RESOLVE MAJOR POLITICAL DISPUTES
- 1975: should UK remain in EEC?
- Ireland, 2015: same-sex marriage
- Ireland, 2018: legalise abortion
REFERENDUMS
Examples of referendums being used to WEAKEN OPPOSITION
- devolution in Scotland and Wales
this was opposed by Conservatives, but they were silenced following the resounding ‘Yes’ vote in Scotland
REFERENDUMS
Examples of referendums being used by GOVERNMENTS WHEN THEY ARE CONFIDENT OF WINNING
- Scottish devolution
Labour was certain the people will support this idea
REFERENDUMS
Examples of referendums being used to OVERCOME INTERNAL DISPUTES
- 1975 EEC membership
Labour party was divided over the question of Europe - 2011 voting system
supported by Lib Dem and opposed by Conservatives
REFERENDUMS
Examples of referendums being used by UNDEMOCRATIC REGIMES TO LEGITIMISE THEIR POWER
Egypt
Chile under General Pinochet
REFERENDUMS
What are 5 arguments FOR referendums?
- more democratic
- direct democracy
- increase participation
- check the power of the government
- legitimacy
- resolve big constitutional and moral issues
- educate the public
- vote on a particular issue
- prevent governments from making unpopular decisions
REFERENDUMS
Arguments FOR referendum
View 1: How is it more democratic?
- direct democracy
- increase participation
Scottish referendum may have left a long term legacy of participation as 2015 general elections were 71% (average was 66%) - check the power of the government
government controls Parliament through elective dictatorship
referendums can ensure a government does not act unaccountably
Ireland, 2013: people defied the government and voted to keep the 2nd chamber (Senate) - legitimacy in face of a problematic voting system
FPTP means a government can be elected on a minority vote - doubting its legitimacy and mandate
referendums can change this at a local and national level - can essentially entrench a policy
REFERENDUMS
Arguments FOR referendum
View 2: How can they resolve big constitutional and moral issues?
some issues are so important, they require popular support/consent
can unite and heal party divisions
REFERENDUMS
Arguments FOR referendum
View 3: How can they have an educative effect? What is the CA to this?
- force gov to explain their proposals to electorate
- stimulate debate and, therefore, better informed public
2011, AV referendum: enhanced public understanding of different voting systems as did EU 2016
Several campaign groups set to influence opinion with evidence in Brexit:
Britain Stronger in Europe
Vote Leave
Lexit (Left Leave)
CA - Electoral Reform Society reported the EU referendum was characterised by poorly informed debate
e.g. both sides were negative and made false claims
Similarly, NO2AV exaggerated costs of AC and wrongly argued it benefits extreme parties
REFERENDUMS
Arguments FOR referendum
View 4: How can they help to vote on a particular isseu?
due the features of a referendum (yes or no answer on one question usually)
in elections, the public has no opportunity to express a view on a specific issue.policy
they vote for a manifesto
e.g. none of the main parties ever pledged in its manifesto a Brexit commitment
only a referendum on the matter enabled the public to vote on this issue
REFERENDUMS
Arguments FOR referendum
View 5: How do they stop governments from making unpopular decisions?
they understand the public consensus by the result and usually adjust their policies accordingly
2004, North-East England: prevented the government to continue with regional devolution programmes
REFERENDUMS
What are 5 arguments against referendums?
- public is poorly qualified
- referendums are done to suit political parties, not the public (illusion of choice)
- may lead to tyranny of the majority
- undermine parliamentary sovereignty
- time consuming and costly
- may overburden the public (voter’s fatigue/apathy)
- there’s a danger that people will use the referendum to express their dissatisfaction with the gov
REFERENDUMS
Argument AGAINST referendums
View 1 - How is the public poorly qualified? Example?
- surrender power of experts to the masses
- media and short term considerations may influence the public’s decisions
- cannot be trusted to vote on important policy decisions
- some issues may be too complex
e. g. Brexit
REFERENDUMS
Argument AGAINST referendums
View 2 - How are referendums done to suit political parties rather than the public? Example?
- called at discretion of government
- only calls them when they think they will increase their legitimacy
- allow gov to gain greater control over policy decision making
- gov can repeat the referendum until they get the answer they want
e. g. Ireland voted on the Lisbon treaty 2 times (2003 and 2009)
e.g. AV referendum
Brexit to stop people voting for UKIP
REFERENDUMS
Argument AGAINST referendums
View 3 - How may referendums lead to tyranny of the majority? Example? What is the CA to this?
- referendums are decided by the majority answer
- the minority loses and is not taken into account
e. g. Scots believe Brexit vote imposed English views on Scots who were majority remain. They got ‘dragged out’
e. g. young people were also forced to accept it
CA - parliamentarians are liekly to be more concerned with the rights of minorities
e.g. legalising gay sex, abortions 1960s
same sex marriage in 2013
REFERENDUMS
Argument AGAINST referendums
View 4 - How do referendums undermine parliamentary sovereignty?
- since representatives given consent at elections, they have a mandate and no need for a referendum
- referendums may lead to a loss of respect for elected representatives
- excessive use of referendums undermines principle of parl.
REFERENDUMS
Argument AGAINST referendums
View 5 - How are referendums time consuming and costly?
AV referendum cost nearly £75 million in times of economic recession
Scottish referendum was £13.3 million
Brexit cost £140 million
REFERENDUMS
Argument AGAINST referendums
View 6 - How can referendums overburden the public?
- voters show little desire to participate in referendums
e.g. AV referendum was 41% turnout - ## in turn, low turnout may mean the referendums lack credibility
REFERENDUMS
Argument AGAINST referendums
View 7 - How can referendums be used to express dissatisfaction with government?
- may ignore issue in question altogether
- referendums may have become ‘mini elections’ on performance of the current gov
e.g. North-East England 2004 referendum decisive ‘no’ vote was though to been determined by resentment of the Labour gov
