C1: Democracy & participation Flashcards
Define Direct Democracy.
Every single person in a state gets to voice their own opinions directly.
Define Representative Democracy.
People Elect representatives to take decisions on their behalf.
Give an advantage of Direct Democracy.
Gives Equal Weight to All opinons
Encourages Participation
Removes the need for Trusted Representatives
Develops a sense of community & encourages debate
Advantages of Representative Democracy
Only practical system in a modern state
Politicians have to choose parties, which leads to coherence of opinion.
Politicians are in theory beter informed about issues than normal people
Disadvantages of Direct Democracy
Impractical in a large modern state
Many people will not want to take part - A minority of activists will rule
Open to manipulation by the best speakers
Will of the majority cannot be mediated
Disadvantages of Representative Democracy
May lead to reduced participation
Minority opinion still under-represented
Politicians can avoid accountability
Politicians can be corrupt or incompetent
Give an instance where Direct Democracy can be used in a representative system.
Referendums
Recall of MPs Act 2015
What is a Referendum?
Where the government poses a Yes/No question to a public vote
Name a Referendum in recent years
Brexit 2016
Scottish Independence 2013
What is the Recall of MPs Act?
Allows a petition to be triggered if an MP is suspecnded from the Commons fro more than 3 weeks or convicted of a crime. If 10% of voters sign it, a by-election is triggered.
Name a case for Political reform in the UK.
First Past the Post under-represents minority viewpoints.
The House of Lords holds no democratic legitimacy
There is a lack of protection for Citizen’s rights
Powerful & unaccountable business can control the media
There is a lack of engagement with the system - Participation crisis.
What are two methods of measuring participation?
Voter Turnout, Party membership
What was the Voter Turnout in 2019?
67.3%
What was the lowest turnout in recent years?
Why was it so low?
2001 - 59.4%
Everyone saw it as a given that Blair would win
Under which elections does turnout typically fall?
“second-order” elections, e.g. By-elections, council elections
As of 2016, what percentage of the electorate was a member of a political party?
1.6%
How many members of the Labour Party were there in 2016?
515,000
How many Conservative Party members were there in 2016?
Just under 150,000
What is an argument against a participation crisis?
Direct Action is becoming more prevalent - Pressure Groups, protests, etc
How could they improve participation?
Change the voting system
Reduce Voting Age
Change voting day/Give people multiple days to vote
Make voting compulsory
What is a benefit of compulsory voting?
It would produce a parliament more representative of society as a whole
Politicians would have to frame campaigns around the whole electorate
Voters aren’t obliged to vote for a candidate - can spoil their ballot, or tick a ‘none of the above’ box.
What is a drawback of compulsory voting?
It could lead to donkey voting
It is undemocratic to force people to vote.
It would not address the issues that make people apathetic towards the system.
Who cannot vote?
People under 18
Prisoners
Lords
EU Citizens who aren’t Irish
People detained in psychiatric wards
When were women enfranchised?
1918 - Women over 30 got the vote
1928 - Equal voting rights
Advantages of Votes at 16
16 y/os can join the army & leave school, why not vote?
75% of 16-17 year olds voted in Indyref
Issues will often directly affect this group, such as tuition fees.
Disadvantages of votes at 16
The rights 16 year olds get are limited. Few are in full-time work.
At 16, people lack life experience needed to vote.
Typically, 18-25 has the lowest turnout, so why would 16-17 be any different?
What is a Sectional Group?
A group that seeks to promote interests of a specific group in society
What is a Cause Group?
A group that seeks to achieve a certain goal or draw attention to a specific issue.
What is a Social Movement?
A loose idea that spreads, often guided towards a single idea, such as the BLM movement.
What is an Insider Group?
A pressure group with government connections
What is an outsider group?
A pressure group that has no government connections.
What are the factors that affect Pressure Group influence?
Resources
Tactics & Leadership
Public Support
Government Attitudes
What are some organisations other than pressure groups that can affect government policy?
Think Tanks
Lobbyists
Corporations
Give an example of a think tank.
The Centre for Social Justice, set up by IDS in 2004. They produced ideas used in 2010 for universal credit.
Name a significant milestone in the development of Human Rights.
Magana Carta in 1215
Human Rights Act 1998
Equality Act 2010
What did the Magna Carta do?
Limited Royal Power - Even the King was not above the law.
What did the Equality Act 2010 do?
Made it illegal to discriminate based on sex, race, religion, etc.
What is Judicial Review?
A process in which Supreme Court judges review the lawfulness of a decision or action made by a public body.
What is an issue with Judicial Review?
It can lead to ‘Judge-made law’, where an interpretation of the law becomes convention & therefore effectively the law.
What was the lowest turnout constituency in the 2019 election?
Kingston Upon Hull East
49.1% turnout
Curiously not a safe seat
MP - Karl Turner (Labour)
What is an example of safe seats not leading to voter apathy?
Turnout is relatively high in safe seat Christchurch - 72.6%
What is a Pluralist Democracy?
A democracy where a government makes decisions as a result of the interplay of various ideas and arguments frrom different groups and organisations
What is a democratic deficit?
A flaw in the democratic system leading to a lack of democracy.
What is a Lobbyist?
A person who is paid by clients to try and influence government and/or MPs to act in their client’s interests.
