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Edexcel A Level Politics > C1: Democracy & participation > Flashcards

C1: Democracy & participation Flashcards

1
Q

Define Direct Democracy.

A

Every single person in a state gets to voice their own opinions directly.

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2
Q

Define Representative Democracy.

A

People Elect representatives to take decisions on their behalf.

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3
Q

Give an advantage of Direct Democracy.

A

Gives Equal Weight to All opinons
Encourages Participation
Removes the need for Trusted Representatives
Develops a sense of community & encourages debate

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4
Q

Advantages of Representative Democracy

A

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

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5
Q

Disadvantages of Direct Democracy

A

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

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6
Q

Disadvantages of Representative Democracy

A

May lead to reduced participation
Minority opinion still under-represented
Politicians can avoid accountability
Politicians can be corrupt or incompetent

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7
Q

Give an instance where Direct Democracy can be used in a representative system.

A

Referendums
Recall of MPs Act 2015

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8
Q

What is a Referendum?

A

Where the government poses a Yes/No question to a public vote

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9
Q

Name a Referendum in recent years

A

Brexit 2016
Scottish Independence 2013

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10
Q

What is the Recall of MPs Act?

A

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.

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11
Q

Name a case for Political reform in the UK.

A

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.

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12
Q

What are two methods of measuring participation?

A

Voter Turnout, Party membership

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13
Q

What was the Voter Turnout in 2019?

A

67.3%

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14
Q

What was the lowest turnout in recent years?
Why was it so low?

A

2001 - 59.4%
Everyone saw it as a given that Blair would win

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15
Q

Under which elections does turnout typically fall?

A

“second-order” elections, e.g. By-elections, council elections

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16
Q

As of 2016, what percentage of the electorate was a member of a political party?

A

1.6%

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17
Q

How many members of the Labour Party were there in 2016?

A

515,000

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18
Q

How many Conservative Party members were there in 2016?

A

Just under 150,000

19
Q

What is an argument against a participation crisis?

A

Direct Action is becoming more prevalent - Pressure Groups, protests, etc

20
Q

How could they improve participation?

A

Change the voting system
Reduce Voting Age
Change voting day/Give people multiple days to vote
Make voting compulsory

21
Q

What is a benefit of compulsory voting?

A

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.

22
Q

What is a drawback of compulsory voting?

A

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.

23
Q

Who cannot vote?

A

People under 18
Prisoners
Lords
EU Citizens who aren’t Irish
People detained in psychiatric wards

24
Q

When were women enfranchised?

A

1918 - Women over 30 got the vote
1928 - Equal voting rights

25
Q

Advantages of Votes at 16

A

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.

26
Q

Disadvantages of votes at 16

A

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?

27
Q

What is a Sectional Group?

A

A group that seeks to promote interests of a specific group in society

28
Q

What is a Cause Group?

A

A group that seeks to achieve a certain goal or draw attention to a specific issue.

29
Q

What is a Social Movement?

A

A loose idea that spreads, often guided towards a single idea, such as the BLM movement.

30
Q

What is an Insider Group?

A

A pressure group with government connections

31
Q

What is an outsider group?

A

A pressure group that has no government connections.

32
Q

What are the factors that affect Pressure Group influence?

A

Resources
Tactics & Leadership
Public Support
Government Attitudes

33
Q

What are some organisations other than pressure groups that can affect government policy?

A

Think Tanks
Lobbyists
Corporations

34
Q

Give an example of a think tank.

A

The Centre for Social Justice, set up by IDS in 2004. They produced ideas used in 2010 for universal credit.

35
Q

Name a significant milestone in the development of Human Rights.

A

Magana Carta in 1215
Human Rights Act 1998
Equality Act 2010

36
Q

What did the Magna Carta do?

A

Limited Royal Power - Even the King was not above the law.

37
Q

What did the Equality Act 2010 do?

A

Made it illegal to discriminate based on sex, race, religion, etc.

38
Q

What is Judicial Review?

A

A process in which Supreme Court judges review the lawfulness of a decision or action made by a public body.

39
Q

What is an issue with Judicial Review?

A

It can lead to ‘Judge-made law’, where an interpretation of the law becomes convention & therefore effectively the law.

40
Q

What was the lowest turnout constituency in the 2019 election?

A

Kingston Upon Hull East
49.1% turnout
Curiously not a safe seat
MP - Karl Turner (Labour)

41
Q

What is an example of safe seats not leading to voter apathy?

A

Turnout is relatively high in safe seat Christchurch - 72.6%

42
Q

What is a Pluralist Democracy?

A

A democracy where a government makes decisions as a result of the interplay of various ideas and arguments frrom different groups and organisations

43
Q

What is a democratic deficit?

A

A flaw in the democratic system leading to a lack of democracy.

44
Q

What is a Lobbyist?

A

A person who is paid by clients to try and influence government and/or MPs to act in their client’s interests.

Edexcel A Level Politics (18 decks)

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