1 Democracy and Participation Flashcards
Features of direct democracy
people engaged directly in political decision-making
decisions made on specific issues
Use of direct democracy
referendums
Example of direct democracy
2016 Brexit Referendum
vote on whether the UK should leave the EU
72% turnout
52% voted leave
48% voted stay
Features of direct democracy
people vote for someone to make decisions on their behalf
representatives elected by smaller sections of society e.g. constituencies
Use of representative democracy
MPs are elected to serve in Parliament
Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish representatives elected to serve devolved bodies
local councillors elected to local councils
Example of representative democracy
2019 General Election
people voted for a party to lead for 5 years based on manifestos
67% turnout
43.6% voted Conservative
32.1% voted Labour
11.6% voted Lib Dem
Similarities between direct and representative democracy
engage the population in political decision-making and encourage political education
recognise people as the source of political power requiring the consent of the voters for legitimacy
try to balance competing interests within a country
Advantages of direct democracy
everyone is able to have their voice directly heard - the purest form of democracy
encourages engagement of citizens and political education
decisions have great legitimacy
can solve controversial issues e.g. issues dividing parties or society
Disadvantages of direct democracy
in large countries, it is difficult to use frequently given the number of decisions that need to be made
removes accountability for decisions made by politicians
tyranny of the majority, the minority are unlikely to have their voices heard
can be on highly complex issues, citizens may not have the time or education to make an informed decision
Advantages of representative democracy
electing representatives works on a large scale
elections allow representatives to be held accountable for decisions, poor ones can be removed
avoid tyranny of the majority, allows minority representation
representatives have the time and responsibility to understand complex topics
Disadvantages of representative democracy
impossible for the representative to make every voice in their constituency heard
encourages political apathy - people believing politics is only for the elected few
decisions lack legitimacy as they can be made by representatives elected years ago in a completely different situation
Liberal democracy
free, fair, frequent elections
free media without censorship
tolerance of views
protection of the rights of citizens
government power limited
Pluralist democracy
tolerance of a wide range of views
many centres of political power
competing parties between which power changes hands
Elitist democracy
power concentrated in the hands of the few
political decision making dominated by small number of people - usually wealthy or well-educated
1832 Reform Act
gave the vote to middle-class men
1867 Reform Act
gave the vote to working-class men
1918 Representation of the People Act
gave the vote to all men over 21 and many women over 30
1928 Representation of the People Act
gave the vote to all men and women over 21
1969 Representation of the People Act
lowered voting age from 21 to 18
Who cannot vote?
under 18 year olds
prisoners
members of the House of Lords
How can people participate in democracy?
vote - local or general elections
stand in election - 18, British citizen, £500 deposit
join a political party
join a pressure group or political movement - social media allows involvement in movements like Black Lives Matter
sign an e-petition - 10,000+ signatures means a response from government, 100,000+ signatures may be debated
Why there is a participation crisis in the UK
turnout is low - 2010-2019 had turnouts of 65-69% (1/3 of the population not voting)
only 50% of 18-25 year olds have voted in the last 3 general elections
turnouts in local elections is even lower - 15.1% in the 2012 Police and Crime Commissioner elections
political parties have a total membership of less than 1 million (population of 70 million)
lack of impact of petitions has undermined this method - 2019 a petition to cancel Brexit got 6 million signatures
Why there is not a participation crisis in the UK
turnout in recent elections has been higher than previous 2000s elections
recent election results have been closer (2010 coalition), this can increase turnout
calls for 2nd referendums on Scottish independence and Brexit - public’s demand to be involved in democracy
e-petitions e.g. change.org have seen huge participation, 2015 to 2019 Parliament run e-petitions gains nearly 23 million unique signatures
increase in Labour Party membership - up to over 500,000 from only 200,000 in 2014
Sectional pressure groups
represents a relatively narrow section of society, often on a number of issues
e.g. trade unions represent specific industries
Causal pressure groups
represents a wide cross-section of society but often on a single issue
e.g. Liberty is a group defending rights in the UK that anyone is welcome to join
Insider pressure groups
have some link to the government giving them the ability to influence government directly, due to being policy experts or having ideology that aligns with the government
e.g. both Johnson and Starmer have given speeches at the CBI’s annual conference
Outsider pressure groups
do not have any links to the government, seek alternative methods to gain influence like engaging in public demonstrations
e.g. Just Stop Oil protested by gluing themselves to the M25
Features of think tanks
groups of experts that carry out research into public policy they hope will influence government policy
often have a specific political view their research aims to progress
Example of a think tank
The Institute for Fiscal Studies
May 2022 they warned the government more would need to be done to help people with energy bills
Concerns over think tanks
close ties to government could give them undue influence
development of policy through think tanks has removed the function of parties doing this
Features of lobbyists
an individual or organisation that can be hired for their political expertise or their connections to policy makers
often they have previously worked with the government
Example of a lobbyist
The Hanbury Strategy Group
late 2022 this groups set up a unit that would help clients ‘engage with the Opposition and prepare for the prospect of a Labour government
Concerns over lobbyists
close links with government raises concerns over elite/ wealthy groups being able to ‘buy’ influence with the government
scandals involving lobbying have undermined government credibility - cash for questions
Direct action
includes protests and advertising in order to raise public awareness of an issue
Greenpeace protestors interrupted Truss’s Conference speech October 2022
Legal action
challenge government policy in the courts
Reclaim the Streets won a case against the Metropolitan Police for their actions at the vigil for Sarah Everard
Mobilising the public
use of mass demonstrations, social media or petitions to show a lot of voters care about an issue to gain influence
petition by Marcus Rashford gained over 1 million signatures to expand the free school meals programme
Political action
work alongside politicians or pay lobbyists to directly influence policy, or donate to parties
The National Farmers Union has submitted a number of responses to government plans regarding badger culling
Factors that effect pressure group success
methods - government cannot be seen helping groups that break the law
status - insider groups will find it easier to influence
government in power - a government with similar ideology is more likely to listen
wealth - affording lobbyists or advertising helps
extent of support - government more likely to listen if it represents a large number of voters
Where are rights protected in the UK?
Magna Carta 1215 - first outlined that no one should be imprisoned unlawfully
Human Rights Act 1998 - enshrined the European Convention on Human Rights into UK law including the right to education, freedom of expression and freedom from torture
Freedom of Information Act 2000 - allowed the public to request information from public authorities to ensure government transparency
Equality Act 2010 - protects people against discrimination based on a number of protected characteristics including age, sex, race and disability
How are rights protected in the UK?
the judiciary
UK parliament
devolved parliaments
pressure groups
the ECtHR (European Court of Human Rights)
UK democracy is healthy
creation of the UK Supreme Court from 2005 added a body that could challenge the government
increasing devolution has spread power throughout the UK
referendums have become an increasing and accepted feature of UK democracy
elections are free and fair, there is universal suffrage
UK democracy is not healthy
the Supreme Court can be ignored by UK government as Parliament is sovereign
Parliament has passed laws that restrict the rights of citizens, e.g. the right to strike and the right to protest
FPTP undermines voter choice as minor parties are unlikely to win
referendums are only called when the government wishes
Arguments for votes at 16
16 year olds have significant responsibilities - consent, marriage, join the army, tax and NI
young people have shown political activism
2014 Scottish referendum showed huge engagement - 75% voted
can vote in Wales and Scotland - encourages taking on duties younger
policies will impact them the most - e.g. Sunak National Service policy
Arguments against votes at 16
some responsibilities still require parental permission
not mature enough to buy alcohol and cigarettes
most 16-17 year olds in full time education - unlikely to pay tax
18-24 voting turnout is the lowest - damages democracy
few adult experiences - swayed by social media or peer pressure
