3.1.2.1 Democracy and participation

Question 1

what is democracy

Answer 1

‘rule by the people’, gives legitimacy to political power, gives it authority

Question 2

what 6 qualities of democracy are seen as good

Answer 2

1. representation–> people can put their view to the gov of the day
2. accountability –> the gov is made to explain and take responsibility for its actions
3. participation –> people are engaged and take part in the political process
4. power dispersal –> ensures power is spread across different political bodies to avoid one from becoming overly dominant
5. legitimacy –> the selection of the branches of the gov should have legal authority and fairly rep the will of the people
6. education –> the political process should be open to all and there should be an educated and informed citizenry who are able to understand the issues and make informed decisions

Question 3

what is a liberal democracy

Answer 3

where the right to vote is widespread and representatives will act in the interests of everyone in society

Question 4

name 7 features of LIBERAL democracy

Answer 4

1. formal constitution
2. separation of powers
3. guaranteed rights
4. citizens should be treated equally
5. free and fair elections
6. free information (press)
7. free market/private property

Question 5

what is a majoritarian democracy

Answer 5

where the will or desires of the majority of the population are the prime considerations of the government

Question 6

what is a parliamentary democracy

Answer 6

where parliament stands as the highest form of authority; the executive branch will be drawn from and accountable to the peoples representatives in parliament

Question 7

what is a presidential democracy

Answer 7

where the executive will be elected separately from the legislative body and is therefore chosen by and directly accountable to the people

Question 8

what is direct democracy

Answer 8

where the citizens are directly involved in the decision making process

Question 9

Name 6 arguments in favour of DIRECT democracy

Answer 9

1. it is a pure form of democracy: true form as everyone has a say on an issue rather than them being thru reps
2. increased legitimacy: decisions have greater dem legitimacy because they have majority support from the people
3. improved participation: greater when people have greater opportunities to be involved in issues that directly affect them
4. increases public engagement: regular public debates/discussion improved pub engagement in country running
5. improved political education: people need to be informed in order to make decisions
6. it works: switzerland for examp, countries adopt it and function effectively

Question 10

name 6 arguments not in favour of DIRECT democracy

Answer 10

1. not practical: lots of issues + large pop = Direct d would be unresponsive and impractical
2. tyranny of the majority: minority groups/interests overlooked when decisions are based on maj
3. undermines elected reps: allows them to pass difficult dec to public, reps less accountable and have less responsibility for policy actions
4. low turnouts: only a small group make decisions that affect all –> undermines legitimacy
5. emotional responses: people can vote on the basis of emotion rather than practical considerations of major issues
6. populist outcomes: people can tend to vote on popular short term measures that will benefit them rather than consider what will be in the national interest and good for everyone

Question 11

what is representative democracy

Answer 11

where the people transfer the power to make decision to an elected representative

Question 12

describe a PARLIAMENTARY democracy (4 points)

Answer 12

1. the government is drawn from MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT
2. the government is held to account by PARLIAMENT
3. there is a UNIFIED SYSTEM whereby the executive and legislature are from the same party
4. the head of state and government are likely to be SEPARATE

Question 13

describe a PRESIDENTIAL democracy (4 points)

Answer 13

1. the gov is ELECTED SEPARATELY from the members of the legislature
2. the ELECTORATE holds the gov to account
3. there is a possibility of a DIVIDED gov when different parties control the executive and legislature
4. the head of state and head of gov are THE SAME PERSON

Question 14

what is the protective perspective of democracy

Answer 14

focuses on the working of democracy as a protection of individual freedom
- doesn’t need widescale citizen participation but focuses on legitimacy and restoring faith in politics
- simply a mechanisms for choosing and replacing leaders

Question 15

what is the developmental perspective of democracy

Answer 15

belief that for democracy to be sustainable it needs to engage citizens on an active basis
- leads to a higher expression of citizenship based on informed and tolerant exchanges between people
- faith that citizens could engage if given the knowledge and opportunity to do so

Question 16

what is a first past the post election

Answer 16

first party with the majority win the seat for that constituency
- doesnt rep most of the population, but that gov is free to pass any laws
- eg labour (2005), boris johnson with 80% seat majority and has 12% of the vote

Question 17

positive aspects of democracy in the UK

Answer 17

1. free and fair elections
2. Turnout
3. Universal suffrage
4. The party system
5. Pressure Groups
6. Parl Sov
7. Devolution

Question 18

Free and Fair elections

Answer 18

• gives public many opportunities to participate in the democratic process and be educated by political campaigns
• free from gov manipulation –> conducted by the electoral commission
• laws on campaigning in/around ballot stations
• fair: campaign spending limits, broadcast limits, no campaigns during period of purdah

Question 19

what is purdah

Answer 19

The pre-election period, previously known as ‘purdah’, describes the period of time immediately before elections or referendums when specific restrictions on communications activity are in place. (no new campaigns)

Question 20

turnout

Answer 20

• since low in GE of 2001 (59%), turnout is steadily increasing
• 65% in 2015
• 85% turnout for Scottish Independence referendum
• 72% for EU ref

Question 21

what is suffrage

Answer 21

the right to vote in political elections.

Question 22

universal suffrage

Answer 22

• building on the idea of fairness the UK has a system of universal suffrage
• anyone over 18, not a prisoner, mentally incapable or a peer has the right to vote
• all votes are equal value and there is no distinction based on wealth race gender class etc

Question 23

the party system

Answer 23

• 11 different parties today in the house of commons
• great variety: many choices for voters with different views and visions for the country = more rep
• many parties raise the profile of political issues and help to create a better informed and educated population

Question 24

Pressure groups

Answer 24

• alternative avenue of representation, particularly on small or minority issues
• UK has many so minority interest has a mouthpiece and the public can further engage in politics
• investigate issues, raise public awareness and help develop government policies to educate the electorate
• legally equal and free to compete to allow the gov and public to make an informed and balanced decision

Question 25

P SOV

Answer 25

• P holds legal Sov -> people chosen reps have ultimate power in making amending or appealing laws
• gov is drawn from members of parliament and is accountable to it
• in passing tax or spending laws must have HoC consent, thereby peoples

Question 26

devolution

Answer 26

• allowed constituent parts of the UK apart from england+ many cities to make local decisions
• reps are closer to communities to which they serve
• allows for better rep and ensures policies are appropriate to each area –> nto by a remote disconnected central gov

Question 27

8 negatives aspects of UK democracy

Answer 27

1. Unelected elements
2. Turnout
3. The west Lothian Question and EVL
4. voting system
5. Lack of meaningful choice
6. Elitist Pressure groups
7. Weakness of electoral commission
8. Lack of entrenched rights

Question 28

unelected elements

Answer 28

• hereditary monarchy and unelected HoL undermine Rep democracy of UK
• Cannot be held accountable to the public –> do not rep specific sections of society, removed only by death, criminality or being expelled (HoL)
• powers are theoretically limited but only by convention (SALS) so can be ignored by lords
• still 92 hered peers after reform and appointment associated with cronyism –> undem

Question 29

west Lothian Q and EVEL

Answer 29

• dev created imbalance in UK pol (West L Q) –> S, W and NI mps can vote on strictly E matters but E cannot for them (do not affect their constituents, so cannot be held accountable)
• ‘English votes for english laws’ –> limited attempts to address imbalance but run the risk of creating tiers of MPs, undermine the principle of a parliamentary chamber

Question 30

turnout

Answer 30

• particpation crisis: gen election turnout less than historic 75% or 71% in 1997
• referendum turnout is less than gen elec turnout –> legitimacy of decisions

Question 31

voting system and 7 major flaws

Answer 31

FPTP has many flaws
- wasted votes: any votes for an unsuccessful candidate do not go towards rep selection in parl so are wasted

• safe seats: some constituencies elect a candidate from the same party ever elec, level of support is so high voters do not see the point in changing their vote
• unrepresentative: differences in the conc of support across the UK –> results do not reflect the way the public voted (SNP 2% of the vote and gained 56)
• winners bonus: system exaggerates the support received by the most popular party, which means the party receives more seats than is proportional to the number of votes it received (boosted parl maj)
• discriminates against parties with widespread support: parties with support spread across the UK but not concentrated in a single geographic place find it hard to gain seats + representation –> Greens, lib dems, UKIP
• minority constituencies: Mp wins most votes but not more than 50 perc of the vote, so the majority of the pop didnt actually vote for the elcected rep
• two party system: favours parties with alot of support spread evenly across the country and generally results in one of one of the two main parties forming the gov, and the other form the oppposition

Question 32

why are other voting methods not used

Answer 32

• alt systems tried but where they have solved FPTP problems, they have other problems leading:
• extremist parties gaining rep, - - confusion at the polls,
• spoiled ballot papers
• lack of clear rep

Question 33

lack of meaningful choice

Answer 33

• despite the range of parties competing, onl y 2 have a realistic chance of gaining power in WM
• people usually vote for one of the two, which have similar policies (post thatcher consensus)
• even happens in devolved areas (Labour vs SNP in scotland)

Question 34

elitist pressure groups

Answer 34

• pressure groups do not compete on equal footing –> small number dominate political debate at the expense of other interests due to:
• insider status
• size of membership
• wealth
• public profile

–> british P group partic is based on elitism rather than pluralist rep

Question 35

weakness of the electoral commission

Answer 35

• reative rather than proactive
• pass judgement and sanctions after an event on adverts, comments and spending during campaigns (already had an impact)
• loopholes over spending and the use of socials that the commission has no power to regulate or ability to control

Question 36

lack of entrenched rights

Answer 36

• without a codified const, key rights can be easily overturned by the gov
• undermines key principle of democracy (citizens rights safe from gov abuse)