arguments - democracy and political participation

Question 1

advantages of direct democracy

Answer 1

everyone gets a say
technology makes it easier to find out what people think
equal weight given to each vote
encourages popular participation
develops sense of community and responsibility

Question 2

disadvantages of direct democracy

Answer 2

Can divide community - scotland voted remain in EU, england left
Tyranny of majority - minority often ignored/intimidated by majority
Can undermine representative democracy - politicians avoid difficult decisions for country even though it’s what they’ve been voted in to do
Lack of accountability - people can’t be held directly accountable if it goes wrong
Difficult for large populations - what if winston churchill had to call a referendum every time he was going to send troops into battle in WWII
Decision making could be too complicated for ordinary citizens - many people did not understand brexit

Question 3

advantages of representative democracy

Answer 3

Can be voted out if something goes wrong
Representatives can become experts in field and make informed decisions
Encourages pluralist democracy - contrasting ideas and opinions from opposite parties/groups
Possibility of compromise
Gives a right to minority - raised causes that would not be raised in direct democracy
Better training for future leaders of country

Question 4

disadvantages of representative democracy

Answer 4

Don’t always do what’s best for country - more to better their career, pursue own agendas
Some politicians may be corrupt or incompetent
Not all voters get representative they want - first past the post
May not address minorities concerns - politicians seek to win over majorities to stay in power
Politicians play on fear to maintain power
Some constituencies have safe seats so vote has more weight - little unfair

Question 5

democratic deficit in the uk

Answer 5

the FPTP system for general elections produces disproportional results, renders many votes waster and elects governments with a relatively small proportion of the popular vote. It discriminates against small parties with dispersed support.
The House of Lords has considerable influence but is an unelected body.
The sovereignty of Parliament, in theory, gives unlimited potential power to the government.
The powers of the Prime Minister are partly based on the authority of an unelected monarch.
MPs from devolved areas (e.g. Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales) can vote in measures that no longer affect their constituents. (The West Lothian question).
Powerful vested interests provide funding to political parties.
Voter turnout in general elections varies, with a historic low of 59.4% in 2001.

Question 6

is the uk in urgent need of democratic reform

Answer 6

UK democracy is outdated
UK democracy is ineffective
The peers in the house of lord are unaccountable
FPTP is not good
We need effective checks like a strong judiciary or codified constitution
Our rights are notprotected
Referendums are silly
Without urgent reform, the UK is heading to crisis - may spell the end of the UK as a democratic nation

Easy to operate and understand
Maintains strong links between MPs and constituents
Keeps out fringe/extremist parties

Question 7

advantage of replacing the House of Lords with an elected chamber

Answer 7

It would remove an unelected, unaccountable body from the UK’s democratic process

Question 8

disadvantages of replacing the House of Lords with an elected chamber

Answer 8

Replacement might cause greater rivalry with the HoC, leading to gridlock in the political process
The expertise in the Lords could potentially be replaced by career politicians

Question 9

advantages of replacing the FPTP electoral system with a more proportional one

Answer 9

It would remove the negative features of FPTP, such as safe seats, minority constituencies, unfair representation and governments with a minority of support

Question 10

disadvantages of replacing the FPTP electoral system with a more proportional one

Answer 10

Proportional systems make coalitions more likely and harder to hold to account. The systems are more complex and risk losing the close MP-constituency link that currently exists

Question 11

advantages of codifying the uk constitution

Answer 11

It would clarify the processes of the UK political system and provide a higher law that would be entrenched, rather than the flexibility of the current uncodified constitution

Question 12

disadvantages of codifying the uk constitution

Answer 12

A codified constitution might prove too rigid and there are questions about who would write it and how it would be implemented. It would raise questions over the location of sovereignty
It would give more power to unelected judges

Question 13

advantages of creating a devolved english parliament to equalise devolution

Answer 13

It would solve the West Lothian question and create a more equal level of representation across the UK

Question 14

disadvantages of creating a devolved english parliament to equalise devolution

Answer 14

England is too large a single entity to work within a devolved system but regional devolution has been rejected by voters (2004 North East England devolution referendum - 77.9% no vote on a turnout of c44%)

Question 15

advantages of introducing state party funding

Answer 15

it would allow politicians to focus on their main job instead of fundraise
It would, potentially, remove the need to acquire money from powerful groups and vested interests that donate for their own ends, not the national interest

Question 16

disadvantages of introducing state party funding

Answer 16

The process of fundraising helps to keep politicians and parties connected to voters
Questions over how funding would be allocated and whether taxpayer money should be given to parties that some might find objectionable

Question 17

advantages of introducing compulsory voting

Answer 17

It would increase turnout in all elections, helping to improve the legitimacy of elected officials

Question 18

disadvantages of introducing compulsory voting

Answer 18

forcing people to vote might not improve public engagement with politics
The right to vote also includes the right not to vote

Question 19

advantages of replacing the monarch with an elected head of state (president)

Answer 19

It would remove an unelected figurehead and replace them with an elected and accountable figure

Question 20

disadvantages of replacing the monarch with an elected head of state (president)

Answer 20

the monarchy is popular and, being neutral, can act as a unifying figure in a way an elected politician cannot

Question 21

arguments that britain is experiencing a participation crisis

Answer 21

2001 general election: 59.4% turnout (a historic low - which was 12% lower than it had been in 1997)
membership of conservative in under 200000
voting turnout hasn’t got to the high that it was before 2001
e-petitions criticised as actual participation because they require little effort

Question 22

arguments that britain is not suffering from a participation crisis

Answer 22

boost of labour party members in 2015 - membership was reduced to £3 a year
voter turnout has increased since 2001
the uk is in the middle of the league table of voting turnout between countries so could be much worse
lots of people sign digital petitions that could elicit a response from the government if they reach a certain threshold

Question 23

arguments for extending the franchise to over 16s

Answer 23

With the spread of citizenship education, younger people are now better informed about politics than ever before
Voting turnout among 18-24 year old age group is very low. This may encourage more people to vote and become engaged with politics
The internet and social media now enable younger people to be better informed about politics
It could be said that if one is old enough to serve in the army, get married or pay tax, one should be old enough to vote
The radicalism of the very young could act as a useful balance to the extreme conservatism of older voters

Question 24

arguments against extending the franchise to over 16s

Answer 24

It could be said that people of 16 and 17 years old are too young to be able to make rational judgements
It is felt that many issues are too complex for younger people to understand
Few people in this age group pay tax so they have a lower stake in society
It is argued by some that the very young tend to be excessively radical as they have not had enough experience to consider issues carefully

Question 25

In what ways might think-tanks benefit political parties?

Answer 25

Policies can be developed and considered away from public scrutiny, can be tested before a party might adopt them as official policy
Saves party time and money as it can delegate the role of policy formation

Question 26

for what reasons might some argue think-tanks’ work is not always carried out in the public’s interest? + example

Answer 26

Many think tanks are formed with a clear aim or objective in mind so may produce research to support a particular point of view that may not be in the public interest
Will often produce research to help support the demands of their donors
IEA - has close links to the conservative party

Question 27

What are some of the key controversies surrounding lobbyists’ work?

Answer 27

Benefits people with money who can afford to pay lobbyists - what about people who want to have their voices heard but cannot pay for it

Question 28

arguments that rights are effectively protected

Answer 28

Uk has civil liberties groups seek to champion and defend civil rights
Human rights act puts all human rights that were established in 1950 into law
Judiciary is independent and upholds rule of law
Principle of human rights is clearly established
Strong common law tradition

Question 29

arguments that rights are ineffectively protected

Answer 29

Common law can be set aside by parliamentary statutes
Parliament remains sovereign so can repeal human rights
Right to privacy, of association and expression, to freedom from imprisonment without trial are all threatened as a result of international terrorism

Question 30

degree of success of campaign to extend franchise to over 16s

Answer 30

Now that labour are in, they are closer to success because it is in labour manifesto