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Politics: Component 1: Part 1 UK Politics > Chapter 1.1 Current Systems of representative & direct democracy > Flashcards

Chapter 1.1 Current Systems of representative & direct democracy Flashcards

1
Q

What is a direct democracy?

A

A form of government in which citizens directly express their own opinions and not through representatives

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2
Q

What is the origin of a direct democracy?

A

Direct democracy originated in Ancient Athens, where adult male citizens had the right to take part in decision-making at public meetings.

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3
Q

What is a representative democracy?

A

A form of government in which citizens elect representatives to govern on their behalf. These representatives can exercise their own judgement.

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4
Q

How does direct democracy differ from representative democracy?

A

Direct Democracy is:

  • Not elective
  • Individuals express opinions themselves
  • Citizens are more active in decision-making
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5
Q

How does representative democracy differ from direct democracy?

A

In representative democracy:

  • Citizens elect representatives
  • Citizens pass authority to representatives
  • Elections for representatives are free and fair
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6
Q

What are some examples of direct democracy?

A
  • Referendums

* Petitions

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7
Q

Case Study. What is the democratic system like in Switzerland?

A

Switzerland is a direct democracy. There are many referendums.

  • MPs merely advise the country on how they should vote
  • The referendums are legally-binding
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8
Q

What are the advantages of a direct democracy?

A
  • Stimulates voter participation and engagement by highlighting civic duty
  • Develops a sense of community and encourages debate
  • Each person is responsible for making decisions that influence their quality of life
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9
Q

What are the disadvantages of a direct democracy?

A
  • Impractical in a heavily-populated state
  • Time consuming, especially in complex situations that demand rapid response e.g. deployment of troops
  • Most decisions in a direct democracy are based on self-interest
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10
Q

What are the advantages of a representative democracy?

A
  • Reduces chances of minority rights being undermined by ‘tyranny of the majority’. (e.g. Minaret ban in Switzerland)
  • MPs are better informed in theory about political affairs
  • Representatives can be held accountable through elections
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11
Q

What are the disadvantages of a representative democracy?

A
  • May lead to reduced voter participation
  • Politicians may betray election promises, putting loyalty to their party before electorate
  • Minorities may still be underrepresented as politicians are more likely to follow the views of the majority to secure re-election
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12
Q

What are some examples of a representative democracy?

A
  • Parliamentary democracy: practised in the UK & Canada

* Presidential Democracy: practised in the USA

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13
Q

What is a parliamentary democracy?

A

A system of government whereby all power is vested in an assembly of elected representatives who represent regions of people

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14
Q

What is a presidential democracy?

A

A system of government where the head of state is also the head of government and leads an executive branch that is separate from a legislative branch

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15
Q

How does a presidential democracy differ from a parliamentary democracy?

A
  • Congress (parliament) does not hold all the power

* Presidents can block and pass laws outside of congress, this is called an executive order

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16
Q

What is a referendum?

A

It is the practise of voting directly for proposed laws

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17
Q

What are the advantages of petitions?

A
  • In the UK, 10, 000 petitions means the government writes back. 100,000 signatures means topic will be discussed in parliament.
  • They bring awareness to important social issues
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18
Q

What are the disadvantages of petitions?

A

Just like referendums in the UK, they are not legally-binding, so can be ignored by parliament.

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19
Q

What is the 2015 Recall of MPs Act?

A

An Act that enables a petition to be triggered if an MP is sentenced or suspended from the House of Commons for more than 21 days.

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20
Q

When is a by-election called through the 2015 Recall of MPs Act?

A

If 10% of the constituency sign the petition, a by-election is called

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21
Q

What are three nationwide referendums that have occurred in the UK?

A
  1. On Britain’s membership of the EU in 1975
  2. On whether to change the system of voting for Westminister parliament in 2011
  3. On Britain’s membership of the EU in 2016
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22
Q

When has the 2015 Recall of MPs Act come into effect?

A

It came into effect in 2019 when former Labour MP Fiona Onasanya lied about her speeding offences. She lost her seat after the recall petition.

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23
Q

What are the advantages of referendums?

A
  • Referendums take power away from selfish politicians who often vote against the interest of the people they represent
  • Referendums usually have high turnouts due to motivation to vote
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24
Q

Which referendums have had particularly high turnouts?

A
  • The 2016 Referendum had a turnout of 72%

* The 2014 Scottish Independence referendum had a turnout of 84%

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25
Q

What are the disadvantages of referendums?

A
  • There is an issue of “neverendums”, where politicians may keep calling for or holding referendums until they exhaust the general public and get the result they want
  • Referendums are not legally-binding in the UK, so can be overlooked.
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26
Q

Case Study. Who is Kate Hoey?

A

Kate Hoey was a Labour MP for Vauxhall. She’s in favour of leaving the EU, but 77.5% of her constituency voted to Remain. She resigned as Labour MP for Vauxhall in 2019.

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27
Q

Case Study. Who is Chuka Umunna?

A

Chuka Umunna was a Labour MP for Streatham. He’s a popular MP and received 68.5% of the vote in the 2017 general election. His constituency elected him as a representative of Labour, but he switched to the Change UK Party in 2019, then again to Liberal Democrat’s.

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28
Q

What are the main features of direct democracy?

A
  • Popular Initiative
  • Mandatory/Legally-binding referendums
  • Representatives do not act on people’s behalf
  • People voice their opinions themselves
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29
Q

What are the main features of a representative democracy?

A
  • Elective
  • Representatives make decisions on behalf of constituency
  • Office holders held to account through future elections
  • Relies on regular elections held under rules, which provides legitimacy
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30
Q

What is popular iniative?

A

A form of direct democracy whereby voters can trigger debates and referendums through signing petitions

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31
Q

What is a by-election?

A

When people in one constituency vote to elect a representative to replace someone who had resigned or died

32
Q

How can direct demoracy be used within a representative democracy?

A
  • National Referendums

* Recall of MPs Act

33
Q

What is a pluralist democracy?

A

A form of liberal democracy in which power is widely dispersed, as people are represented through membership of various groups e.g. pressure groups

34
Q

What is a liberal/Western democracy?

A

A democratic system whereby the right to vote is widespread and representatives act in the interests of everyone in society

35
Q

What is a majoritarian democracy?

A

A system of government whereby the desire of the majority population are the prime considerations of the government

36
Q

Where is a majoritarian democracy practised?

A

In Pakistan

37
Q

What type of democracy is the UK?

A

The UK is a liberal democracy, a parliamentary democracy and a representative democracy.

38
Q

Why is it important to ensure the democratic system in the UK functions?

A

The government derives its legitimacy from the consent of the people. Democracy validates the policies of those in power.

39
Q

What positive democratic features does the UK possess?

A
  • Free media: challenges government policy + exposes misdeeds of politicians
  • Free + fair elections: elections are regulated by rules in place to ensure they are fair and free or corruption
  • Independent Judiciary: separate from other branches of government, uphold the rule of law and ensure personal freedom
  • Prime Minister Question Time: takes place every Friday for 30minutes, PM is questioned by MPs about his work
  • Devolved government: Across the UK there are four different legislatures and executives, each with a different range of powers.
40
Q

What is legitimacy?

A

The legal right to exercise power e.g. government right to rule following election

41
Q

What is a democratic deficit?

A

When democratic bodies fail to have:

  • Lack of accessibility
  • Lack of representation of an ordinary citizen
  • Lack of accountability
42
Q

Why do some people argue that the UK is undemocratic?

A
  • Under-representation of minority viewpoints due to the voting system
  • House of Lords lacks democratic legitimacy
  • Lack of protection for citizens’ rights
  • Control of sections of the media by wealthy, unaccountable business interests
43
Q

Why is the under-representation of minority viewpoints due to the voting system seen as undemocratic?

A

The House of Commons is elected by the first-past-the-post system, which produces a mismatch between the votes cast for political parties and seats each party wins in parliament

44
Q

Why is the lack of democratic legitimacy in the House of Lords seen as undemocratic?

A
  • Members of the House of Lords are unelected. A greater part of its membership has been appointed by prime ministers.
  • People have been nominated since 2000 by an independent House of Lords Appointment Commission.
45
Q

Why is lack of protection for citizens’ right seen as undemocratic?

A
  • The Human Rights Act 1998 provides inadequate guarantees for the rights of citizens in their relationship with the state.
  • Governments can opt out from certain articles, meaning parts of the act no longer have legal authority in some situations.
46
Q

Why is the control of sections of the media by wealthy, unaccountable business interests seen as undemocratic?

A
  • The news can be manipulated on a greater scale
  • For example, the powerful Murdoch group owned a number of British newspapers simultaneously: The Times, The Sunday Times, The Sun.
47
Q

What is participation crisis?

A

A lack of engagement with the political system e.g. low voting turnouts

48
Q

Why is falling turnout at voting polls important?

A

Governments are elected on a reduced share of popular vote, calling the strength of mandate into question.

49
Q

What was the average turnout at general elections from 1945 to 1997?

A

76%

50
Q

What are second-order elections?

A

Elections for constituents, local MPs, etc

51
Q

Why are turnouts at voting polls low?

A
  • Consensus among the main political parties
  • Value of the issue to the electorate e.g. at referendums
  • Lack of engagement in politics
  • Disenfranchisement
  • Disconnect from people in power
52
Q

Why does consensus among the main political parties caused turnout at voting polls to be low?

A

Consensus among political parties means that their policies are too similar. Voters can’t differentiate between parties, ending up confused and leading them not to vote.

53
Q

What are the statistics of the 2017 General Election in the stratifications of age, race and gender?

A

According to UK Parliament:

  • The average age of MPs elected was 50.
  • Only 52 non-white MPs were elected
  • 208 female MPs were elected, compared to 442 male MPs
54
Q

Why does disconnect from people in power cause turnout at voting polls to be low?

A
  • Most MPs and recent prime ministers have come from wealthy, privileged backgrounds, are white, male and old.
  • Women, POC and young people may therefore feel underrepresented and see no reason to vote.
55
Q

Why does value of the issue to the electorate cause turnout at voting polls to be low?

A

Some elections do not attract high turnouts because people are not interested in the issue being voted on.

  • 2011 Alternative vote referendum had a turnout of 42.2
  • However, in 2016 the BREXIT referendum had a turnout of 72% because the issue was more complex and had major consequences.
56
Q

Why does lack of knowledge in politics cause turnout at voting polls to be low?

A

Lack of knowledge on Politics and the importance of voting could cause disinterest, leading to a low turnout.

• Many students leave school at 18 with little to no knowledge of the British political system. In 2013, fewer than 7,000 boys and 5,990 girls chose to study A-level Politics. (Ofsted)

57
Q

Why does Disenfranchisement cause turnout at voting polls to be low?

A

Groups of people who are not eligible to vote include:

  • Members of the House of Lords
  • Most prisoners
  • Foreign citizens from outside the UK, Ireland, or the Commonwealth.
58
Q

Why does distrust of political parties cause turnout at voting polls to be low?

A

Main political parties have a track record of breaking manifesto pledges, causing frustration.

• In line with their manifesto, Liberal Democrat candidates signed a NUS pledge to abolish tuition fees in 2010. However, they increased them instead.

59
Q

What is the percentage of electorate belonging to a main political party?

A

1.6%, compared to 3.8% in 1983.

60
Q

What has the number of members of the Conservative party decreased?

A

Just under 150,000 members by 2016 compared to an estimated 400,000 in the 1990s.

61
Q

What is the number of members in the Labour party?

A

About 515,000 members by 2016 compared to around 190,000 in the 1990s.

62
Q

What is the number of members in the Liberal Democrat party?

A
  • They had 70,000 members in early 2000s, but fell to 49,000 during coalition with conservatives
  • In 2016, recovered to about 76,000 members
63
Q

What was the percentage of votes in the 2015 general election that went to smaller parties?

A

A record of 24.8% went to parties other than Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats

64
Q

What is the trend of membership with smaller parties?

A

There has been an increase in the membership of smaller parties.

For example, the SNP in 2013 had 25, 000 members compared to 120, 000 in 2016.

65
Q

What is the evidence against a ‘crisis of participation’ in politics?

A
  • Increase in membership of pressure groups
  • Emergence of social media enable people to create e-petitions, exchange political views and join online campaigns
  • A 2007 e-petition on Downing Street website against proposals for road-charging was signed by 1.8million
66
Q

What is political apathy?

A

A lack of interest or awareness of political issues that affect society

67
Q

What is political hapathy?

A

When people are genuinely contented and see no need to push for political change

68
Q

Case Study. What was the 2009 parliamentary expenses scandal?

A

In 2009, the Daily Telegraph published evidence of widespread abuse of the system that allowed MPs to claim expenses for living costs. This led to apologies, repayments, etc.

69
Q

What should be done to reform the franchise?

A
  • Changing the day of elections from Thursday to the weekend
  • Allowing people to vote anywhere in their constituency instead of allocating specific poll stations
  • Allow voting to take place over several days
  • Allow use of postal voting or e-voting
70
Q

What problems may arise from postal voting?

A

Questionable security. When all-postal ballots were trialled at the 2004 European parliament elections, there were complaints of increase in electoral fraud, multiple voting and intimidation.

71
Q

What problems may arise from e-voting?

A
  • Threat of cyberattack and online impersonation of voters
  • May discriminate against older people who are less familiar with technology or poorer voters who can’t afford computers
72
Q

What other radical proposals have there been to reform the franchise?

A
  • Reduce the voting age from 18 to 16

* Make voting compulsory

73
Q

Which countries have made voting compulsory?

A

Belgium and Australia, failure to turn up at polling stations leads to a small fine

74
Q

What are the arguments for making voting compulsory?

A
  • Voting is a social issue as well as right: people should engage in processes that affects their lives
  • It would produce a more representative parliament
  • Governments would have to consider the whole electorate when framing policies
75
Q

What are the arguments against making voting compulsory?

A
  • It is undemocratic to force people to take part in something that should be a choice
  • Compulsory voting does not address the deeper reasons why people choose not to vote
  • Creates a greater inclination for people to vote based on influence
76
Q

What are the broader reforms of the UK democratic system that could be considered?

A
  • Reform Parliament: Make it more transparent, democratic + enable it to bring governments more effectively to account
  • The transfer of more government powers and functions to local bodies

Politics: Component 1: Part 1 UK Politics (6 decks)

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