1.1 DEMOCRACY AND PARTICIPATION

Question 1

Direct democracy and examples

Answer 1

A direct democracy is a system of government whereby the people themselves take part in the running of the countries laws. it originated in Athens where Adult males were able to take part in public decision making. It is non-elective and citizens are more involved in the decision making
It is often used in the election of Mayors and presidents

It has been incorporated into the UK political system through the use of referendums for example:
2011- Proportional representation
2016- EU referendum
1975- Eurozone Referendum
2004- North East England devolution referendum

Referendums, however, are still more common elsewhere in the world i.e. Switzerland.

Question 2

What is the Recall of MPs?

Answer 2

The recall of MPs is a 2015 act of parliament where by constituents are able to recall their MP and call a by election if:

• They are charged with a prison sentence a year or less (more would cause an automatic loss of seat”
• Suspension from the House is ordered by the committee on standards
• A conviction for providing false or misleading expense claims

If at least one of these is fulfilled and 10% of the constituents approve it- a by-election is called

Question 3

What are the pros and cons of Direct democracy

Answer 3

Pros:
Equal weight to all votes- no variation in constituency and turnout size. The major issue here is that many ‘safe seats’ votes do not matter and voting seems like an expression of futility, this negates this possibility- valuing all votes equally. The new Economist Foundation launched its voter power index that ranks each constituency by the power of their vote. the New economics foundation pointed out that in 2005 52% of constituents did not vote for their MP. The average UK voters only has the equivalent of 0.25 votes

Encourages participation and debate on a local and national level. The EU referendum dominated public communities and very clearly got people involved. The EU referendum had a turnout of 72.2% compared to 66.4% in the 2015 election. Indy ref had a turnout of 84.59 percent. It encourages participation as people truly feel like they are making a difference.

It negates the need for representatives. Many people feel as if their representatives are corrupt and dishonest- as highlighted by the Expenses scandal- this negates the need for such representatives and another layer of bureaucracy. This can help limit corruption and the role of pressure groups and lobbyists fuelled by elite.

Cons-
It is impractical and costs a lot. The Eu referendum cost the taxpayer 129.1 Million pounds, 94.5 million of which was running 40,000 polling stations. People may rather see that money spent on policy. It acts impartially as people have to take the time out and it would be hard to operate

People may grow apathetic- with frequent referendums the value is lost. The minority viewpoint may give up as its voice is never heard in a referendum, unlike in a party democracy where they can make a difference. This could lead to the ‘tyranny of the majority”. The voter turnout in swiss referendums averages 49.2% in 2011- people stop caring.

There is also the danger of the manipulation of viewpoints. People may sway towards the most clever and articulate speakers- leads to lying. This can be seen in the Bus ads in Project leave that claimed false, later disregarded figures of 35- million per week fro the NHS.

Question 4

Representative democracies and examples

Answer 4

A political system whereby representatives are elected by the people . These representatives make decisions on behalf of the people. these elected officials are more informed and the system is more practical- in the view of the supporter.
This is expressed in the UK’s current ‘first past the post’ system in which 650 representatives are elected

Question 5

What is meant by pluralist and elitist

Answer 5

Pluralist- is where there are many different interest groups who play a role in decision making

Elitist is where one group dominates and makes most of the decisions.

Question 6

What are popular and paramilitary sovereignty

Answer 6

Popular sovereignty- the power lays in the people

Parliamentary sovereignty- the idea that parliament can make or break any law it wishes. it also cannot bind any future parliament to any law. Courts can advise, but parliament can do as they please. Only the queen is technically above this

Question 7

What is the Gina miller case

Answer 7

gina miller is a business woman who brought the government to court over the fact they did not vote before starting the Eu-exit negotiations. She won. Parliament did take the ruling as truth and listened- they can ignore this and did so on the EU court of human rights decision to say the UK should give prisoners the right to vote.

Question 8

What are some positives of the UK system of government

Answer 8

Devolved governments- are able to respond to the ever changing needs of their area

Independent judiciaires

Free media

Free and fair election

Wide range of political parties and pressure groups

Question 9

What are some of the negatives of the Uk system

Answer 9

Under representation of minority viewpoints- i.e UKIP 11% of vote and 1 seat.

House of lords lacks democratic legitimacy

Lack of protection for citizens rights

Control of sections f the media by powerful business men with specific interests

Question 10

What is the evidence to suggest participation is falling

Answer 10

Voter turnout has fallen- From 1945-1997- 76% average turnout. While upward in past few elections. Still around high 50s and 60s

• Local election turnout has been very poor- 33.8% average in May 2016
• By elections have similarly low turnouts. 38.2% in Stoke on trent in February 2017
• Part membership has also fallen in recent years. Labour breaks this trend. however the conservatives had around 400,000 members in 1994 and now around 125,000
• Politicians the least trusted profession- Iposos mori

Question 11

What is the evidence to suggest that their is not a crises in participation

Answer 11

• People are ‘hap pathetic”- the idea that they simply do not care, as they are generally quite content. When people do care about an issue they turnout- as shown by the high turnout in EU and INDY refs
• The idea of democracy has translated to new forms of democracy. Millions protested against trump and Iraq war.
  Petitions- Acknowledged and debated in parliament if gets over one hundred thousand votes
• One in 10 people are not part of a pressure group- taking the pulse of the UK environment.
• Pressure groups do have an impact- British association fro Doctors helped contribute to the indoor smoking ban.

Question 12

What is a democratic deficit

Answer 12

A flaw in the democratic process where decisions are made by people who lack legitimacy or have not been elected with sufficient democratic input to be subject to accountability

Question 13

Who in the Uk can vote and who can’t vote

Answer 13

Who can vote

• People aged above 18
• Citizens of the UK, Ireland and commonwealth citizens
• U.K nationals who have lived abroad for less than 15 years

Who can’t one

• Those under 18
• EU citizens- although they can vote in local elections
• Prisoners
• Those who a convicted of corrupt electoral practice. Barred for 5 years
• Those in Psychiatric care

Question 14

How did suffrage evolve

Answer 14

There used to be both county (rural) and borough (town ) constituencies. Voting in countries was only for freehold property owners and in the boroughs the voting restriction carried. For example, The pot walloper was on standard- if your fireplace was large enough to boil a pot. Most were based on the value of your property.

There was the issue of rotten boroughs- where the amount of people eligible to vote carried by each area- the constituencies had not changed in hundreds of years and had not changed with the industrial revolution.
Plural voting also created another issue in this- for each property you could vote- the rich had more power
Women could not vote- but could campaign. For example Georgina the Duchess of Devonshire was an active campaigner for the Whig party.

The first big change was in the Great reform act 1832- it was created out of fear that the middle class would revolt- it detailed that-

• There would be a redistribution of seats in a more equal way
• £10 property standard for people in boroughs to vote- only 5% had the right to vote

1867- borough householders- 13% could vote- e.g Tradesmen and shopkeepers could vote

1884- Rural householders- e.g miners and farmers- 25%

1918- All men above 21 and women over 30- 75% of adult suffrage

1928- Terms equalised

1948- end of universal plural voting

1969- End of plural voting

Question 15

What is a pressure group, what are the different kinds of pressure groups and what are examples of them

Answer 15

A pressure group is a group seeking to influence government policy or business activity to secure the interests of their members and supporters.

A cause group is on that promotes issues in relation to a particular issue
Green peace
Voluntary Euthanasia society

A sectional or interest group seeks to protect the interest of its members such as:
AA- Automobile associations
SICS- Chartered surveyors
CBI- business leaders and entrepreneurs

Multi cause groups- wider issue under generalised title
Trade unions
Friends of the earth

Single cause- one issue
A single cause group focuses on specific issue
Acting on smoking health
RSBC

Insider groups are ones who the government regularly consult and listen to. The reverse is an outsider group

Question 16

What impact step success of a pressure group?

Answer 16

Resources-
With a larger membership a group can fund more- i.e permanent staff, offices act. The RSPCA employs over 1600 staff. It also means larger protests which can lead to more media attention and thus public support. This can however be limited- the campaign for nuclear disarmament had over 110,000 members in Thatcher ‘s era- she did however have to acknowledge it. However a larger protest does not always have impact. Iraq war had over 750,000- some even claiming 2 million- (guardian poll) and it still happened. “taking the pulse of the UK environment” estimates 1/10 of adult Britons are part of an environmental pressure group now.

Tactics and leadership-
Tactical leaders are much more successful. Martin Luther king and the Montgomery bus Boycotts for example. Creating the image of being the victim in the sit ins are another example of this. RSPCA helped stop hunting with dogs in 2004 buy collaborating with the League against true sports and international fund for Animal welfare.

Public support-
Pressure groups in line with public opinion are generally more successful. For example the Snowdrop campaign for ban of the use of handguns was helped by it being in line with public opinion following the 1996 Dunblane Massacre. Favourable media coverage plays a roll here or even a celebrity. Jonannah Lumley’s support for retired Gurkha Soldiers was important in overturning a government ban on their right to live in the Uk

Government attitudes-
Insider contracts can be a key part of success. The national farmer’s union links to the DEFRA were a big part of brining the 2013 Badger cull to a reality to protect cattle against tuberculosis- despite animal pressure groups concerns. It looks for groups with common grounds

Question 17

What are examples of successful and non successful pressure groups.

Answer 17

BMA- British medical association- smoking
The BMA is an group to protect doctors. It has credibility and is an insider group. It helped create the ban on smoking in public closed place in 2007 and is now campaigning to ban it in private cars. The government preferred to give people advice. They changed their original proposal of banning all smoking in cars as there was a lack of support. They changed their idea towards when children are being carried. It lobbied online and sent a web-based form to MPs. It was supported by the British Astmah association. It made its case to the lords. It came into force in 2015. It was realistic and adaptable and focused on public opinion

Occupy movement-
2011- protestors occupied quite in front of St Pauls- they had teens and were evicted 4 months later. They were protesting corporate greed. It was echoed in other cities. A senior clergyman resigned to support the movement/. there are estimates of 2500-3000 in London. . However they lack along term success. Their objectives were too broad and they were too outside of the issue.

Question 18

What are think Tanks

Answer 18

Idea factories for governments
Some setup by government I.e The ADAM Smith institute to centre for policy studies set up under Thatcher

They have a greater expertise than civil servants

Soem have definite influence on government policy- for examine the Senter for social justice was set up by Ian Duncan smith in 2004- to focus on deprived communities. He was able to put in some of his ideas when he became work and pension secretary- this was notably seen in the Universal credit thwack seemed to reduce benefits dependence in these communities.
Compromises have to be made- they have to be politically practical. Their ideas are often lack academic rigour. They are often staffed by young ambitious people who may lack practical experience- for example David Miliband went from working at the centre-left institute for Public policy research, to an advisor to Blair to a senior minister and almost a leader

Question 19

Wha are Lobbyists-

Answer 19

Members of organisation who seek to access government and gain influence for their clients interest. this is disliked by many- it seems only at the luxury and benefit of the supper rich. The paramilitary code of conduct does however ban MPs from accepting money.

People have concerns over the lack of regulation- Lobbyists can decide if they will go on a public register. In 2014 it became a legal requirement for anymore lobbying on behalf of a third of the party to register if their discussing policy, legislation or government contrast with a minister or senior civil servant.

It is still a big business with around 4000 people and 2 billion spent on it each year. There is a lack of certainty around its impact. under David Cameron governments denied lobbying firms changed government policy, but stated that companies often discuss their concerns with the business department of the treasury- this is to see impact of legislation. However some people have concerns. Greenpeace revealed following a freedom of information request that government cut recycling targets after lobbying from the plastic industry.
In 2011 the independent reported that lobbying agency Bell Potting claimed to be responsible for many activities not in the public interest such as the manipulation of google search pages and wikipedia articles. One allegation was the company was working on behalf of Dyson and used its influence with the Prime minister to get them to raise concerns about counterfeit goods with the Chinese prime minister.
Heathrow Aiport holdings executives met the department of transport 117 times between 2002-2007 including 22 times with the secretary of state.

The cash for questions affair was one that raised real corners- where the guardian accused Ian green and his associates bribing 2 tory MPs in exchange for asking parliamentary questions and other tasks on behalf of the owner of harrods Muhammad al-fayed. Later Graham Riddic and Dcacid Treddinick were revealed by the times to have been asking questions in PMQs for £1000 each

Question 20

What are corporations rolls

Answer 20

The roll of corporations concerns people within pressure in democracy
Politicians often take well paid roll after leaving office and this concerns many as they worry about their influence- as well as the many business leaders in the lords
An example in this was when due to Eccleston formula one cars were exempt from tobacco advertising rules

Question 21

Outline the debate over the extents of a rights based culture- human rights act

Answer 21

• many have argued since the human rights act we have developed a rights based culture-

Question 22

What impact has the human rights act had on judicial review and how have courts been criticised fro their interpretation of it.

Answer 22

all new legislation must be in lune with the act and Judges can claim earlier acts of parliament incompatible with it.

The growing prominence of rights has been seen in the rise of Judicial reviews rising from 4240 in 2000 to 15600 in 2013. Successful ruling is in the Gurkha Soldiers settlement in the UK 2008- and that the government had not consulted fairly on compensation in the High speed rail- 2013 . Defenders say this is merely a part of defending peoples rights and that government needs to be held to account.

An example of judicial review i the issue of privacy. Judges have been accused of creating privacy law through interpretation of the human rights act. . There seemed to be more emphasis on Article 8 of the European convention of human rights- the right to privacy- over article 10 the freedom of expression. This was never passed in parliament so raised suspicion. Some argued wealthy individuals who could afford it had an unfair advantage. For example in 2008 the High court awarded Max Mosley- head of Formula when the News of the world publicised a story about his sex life

Question 23

How have terrorism and the human rights act interacted- how has government policy, the human rights act and public opinion interacted

Answer 23

For many a more serious fault is in how it shows a favour to undeserving citizens. The tories have argued for British Bill of rights- which wood establish supremacy of the British courts over the european court. Many feel frustrated with its implementation- calling on the case of Abu Qatada a muslim clerk who has made speeches justifying the use of violence in islamic cases. The security services regarded him as a threat and ministers wanted to deport him to Jordan where he was wanted for trial. However, for 8 years, lawyers argued that he would be tortured and that would be a breech of the human rights act. Only in 2013 after an agreement of the UK and jordan to not use the evidence he was flown back. He was cleared. The same issue with the US occurred with Abu Hamza- - who was only extradited in 2012 following his 2006 conviction after his “three charges of stiring up racial hatred”, soliciting murder, and breaking the 2000 terrorism act.

The public is often ready to sacrifice its liberties over a time of security concern- opting for protecting

The emotive area often is seen in the effects of counter terrorism. They often limited civil liberties. Ministers wanted to be able to detain people on suspicion of terrorism however the law lords ruled that indefinite detention of foreign nationals was groups for recrimination. The government had to respond with a system of phone confiscating, electronic tagging and a requirement to report to the police. This was against rulings and advice for judges until 2011 when a new system was put in place. There has not been unlimited erosion however- there has been some dropping of ideas following public disapproval and opposition. Blair’s 2005 proposal to increase the suspect detaining time from 14 to 90 days was dropped- it was increased to 28 days and an attempted increase to 42 days was defeated in the lords. The idea of identity cards and longer sentences were dropped under the coalition.

Question 24

Where have pressure groups failed- in relation to the human rights act

Answer 24

The public is often ready to sacrifice its liberties over a time of security concern- opting for protecting. this examples why human rights groups such as liberty have had limited success in government policy. They failed to stop ‘secret courts’ which permitted terrorist suspects and major criminals to be tried without the evidence agains them being told in full. They also failed to stop the snoopers charter. Similarly the Howard league for penal reform has struggled to have impact. They may win on a minor level such as in 2014 which stopped the government ban on Prisoner’s families sending books to them. They however, have not been successful in their campaign to reduce prison population. The government is unlike to side with pressure groups who fight for the rights of minorities who the public do not see as deserving.