Chapter 9 Democracy And Participation

Question 1

An example of how people ‘can’t be trusted’ in our democracy

Answer 1

With regards to the EU referendum, it is claimed that there was a lack of understanding on the issues involved. Eg, the claim that the £350 mil being sent weekly to the EU could instead be spent on the NHS being false. Arguably, people had therefore made a decision based on emotion, lack of understanding, poor education or misinformation

Question 2

What are some differences between a presidential and a parliamentary democracy

Answer 2

In a parliamentary democracy the gov is drawn from members of Parliament whereas in a presidential one the gov is elected separately From members of the legislature.

In a Parliamentary democ the gov is held to account by parliament but in a pres. It is done by the electorate.

Question 3

What are some more differences between a presidential and a parliamentary democracy

Answer 3

In a parl. democracy there is a unified system whereby the exec and legislature are drawn from the same party. In a pres. Democracy there is the possibility of a divided government when different parties control the exec and the legislature.

In a parl. democracy the head of state and head of government are separate but in a pres. Democracy the HoS is usually HoG aswell

Question 4

What are some positive aspects of UK democracy

Answer 4

Free and fair elections, turnout, universal suffrage, diverse party system, pressure groups, parliamentary sovereignty, devolution

Question 5

How are elections in the UK ‘free and fair’

Answer 5

They are conducted by the electoral commission, which is independent of any particular party.

There are lows in place about campaigning in and around ballot stations on the day of an election

There spending limits and restrictions on the amount of broadcast campaigning by ensuring that broadcasts are allocated according to previous elelctoral support.

Question 6

Why is a diverse party system good for democracy

Answer 6

There are 10 parties currently active in the UK Parliament. This variety provides a wide range of options for voters with different views and visions for the country, which is significant as it ensures a greater degree of representation.

Question 7

Why are pressure groups good for UK democracy

Answer 7

Pressure groups provide an alternative avenue of representation, particularly on small or minority issues, that might not concern a majority of the electorate. They provide a mouthpiece for minority interests, increasing political participation.

They also investigate issues, raising public awareness and help to develop government policies in order to educate the electorate and can very vocally hold the gov to account.

Question 8

Why is parliamentary sovereignty good for uk democracy

Answer 8

Parliament holds legal sovereignty meaning that the chosen representatives of the people hold the ultimate power in law making, amending, appealing. In trying to pass policies on taxation and spending, the government must get consent from the HoC, thereby gaining consent indirectly from the people.

Question 9

Why is devolution good for uk democracy

Answer 9

Constituent parts of the UK in addition to some cities can make decisions on a local basis. As representatives are closer to the community that they serve, there is better quality representation as policies are more fitting to a specific area

Question 10

What are some negative aspects of UK democracy?

Answer 10

Unelected elements, turnout, the West Lothian question, voting system, lack of meaningful choice, we,a ness of the electoral commission,

Question 11

How are unelected elements bad for UK democracy

Answer 11

HoL and Monarchy are unelected and this undermines the concept of representative democracy in the UK. As Lords can only be removed by death, or (following the 2014 HoL Reform Act) reigning or being expelled for a serious criminal offence there is no way to hold them to account.

Appointed by PM, so often criticised for cronyism (Cameron,May) stacking the Lords with conservatives and cabinet ministers.

Question 12

How does the West Lothian Question undermine UK democracy

Answer 12

The Fact that Scottish MPs (and Welsh, NI depending on the issue) can vote on issues that do not I pact their constituents but do I past other people creates an imbalance in UK politics. Eg increase to student tuition fees in 2005 passed with the vote of Scottish MPs despite the fact that it would not affect Scottish people

Question 13

What are some flaws with our voting system

Answer 13

Wasted votes- any vote cast for a losing candidate plays no role in the selection of representatives

Safe seats- some constituencies elect a candidate from the same party in every election and the lvl of support to win is so high that some people just don’t vote

Unrepresentative- differences in conc. of support across the UK mean that the result of elections doesn’t reflect way the public votes (2015 UKIP 13% if the vote but 2 seats, SNP 56 seats with 2% of the national vote)

Question 14

What are some more flaws with our voting system

Answer 14

Minority constituencies- MP wins most of the votes but not above 50% of the total vote, meaning a majority of the public did not vote for their representative.

Two party system- favours a party with a lot of support spread evenly across the country and generally results in one of the two main parties forming a ‘government in waiting’. Parties with widespread support that are it concentrated in certain areas suffer

Question 15

Why are elitist pressure groups bad for UK democracy

Answer 15

A small number of pressure groups tend to dominate any political debate at the expense of other interests. This as a result of insider status, size of membership, wealth, public profile. Consequently, British pressure group participation is based on elitism rather than a pluralist system of representation.

Question 16

Is the UK democracy in deficit- reasons why

Answer 16

System is more elitist than pluralist
Electoral system is deeply unfair
Gov not as limited as it ought to be
DD has undermined RD
Asym. Dev. Has caused tension

Question 17

Reasons why UK democracy is not in deficit

Answer 17

FOI Act has allowed the press to spread truth to power, enhancing accountability
Eg request sensitive info on Saudi arms deals (use in pint against as-well)

Non-trad methods of participation are very popular
E petitions
Ref turnout
38 degree website has over 50 million visits

Question 18

Examples of pluralism in our democracy

Answer 18

Article 50
Parliament votes on it
We voted on it
PM triggered it
SC weighed in on who should trigger it

Question 19

Examples of elitism in our democracy

Answer 19

Dominance of the eton set in the Cameron government

Some pressure groups are too powerful. E.g private healthcare companies had a huge influence in writing the ‘health and social care act’ which was made to benefit them

Question 20

Example of how the rule of law holds up in our democracy

Answer 20

Tony Blair questioned during the ‘cash for honours scandal’ and in June 2017 Cons member for South Thanet charged over accusations of illegal campaign spending

Demonstrates that our liberal democracy is working well as corruption is punished

Question 21

Example of how our liberal democracy protects civil liberties

Answer 21

HRA allows citizens to use UK courts to protect their rights under the ECHR
Eg.
Elderly couple reunited after courts ruled that placing them in separate care homes infringed their right to ‘family life guarantee’ as ensured by the ECHR

Question 22

Does our PM have too much power for a democracy example?

Answer 22

Yes, use royal prerogative to abuse their power
Eg.
Gordon Brown using RP to send extra troops to Afghanistan and Cameron initiated military action against Libya before there was a vote in Parliament

Question 23

Example of how DD has undermined RD

Answer 23

In Article 50 vote most MPs largely voted in favour of giving PM authority to signal Britain’s withdrawal from EU even though many voted to remain- Parliament just following Public discourse rather than shaping it.

Question 24

Ex ole of how asymmetrical devolution has undermined our democracy

Answer 24

No meaningful devolution in England. Scottish voters arguably have greater representation than English ones since they have a Scottish Parliament and Westminster (refer to examples given in West Lothian question)l

Question 25

Another example of how asymmetrical devolution has undermined our democracy

Answer 25

In the “metro regions” some 85% of local council budgets come from central government who direct the council on how to spend the money

Undermining the democratic ideal of decisions being made at a local, more direct level

Question 26

Ways to fix our democracy

Answer 26

Lowering voting age
Compulsory voting
Increased online political activity

Question 27

Examples of how lowering voting age is good for democracy and examples

Answer 27

Could increase turnout- when they can vote, they have a greater turnout than 18-24 year olds, with 75% of Scottish 16 year olds voting in the ref. And a further 97% saying that they intend to vote in the future

Question 28

Another example of how lowering the voting age is good for democracy

Answer 28

Politicians would have to appeal to younger voters through a Change in policy.
More youth clubs than ASBOs

Question 29

Examples of how compulsory voting is good for our democracy

Answer 29

There would be an increase in turnout which in turn would give the government greater legitimacy (which derives from the consent of the people) and a proper mandate.

Question 30

Another example of how compulsory voting is good for our democracy

Answer 30

Politicians would have to appeal to a wider “support base” rather than their core voters. Eh Tories could not no longer just rely on the “silver vote”. This would lead to a more representative democracy

Also people like it- 80% of Australians favour compulsory voting- compulsion brings about good habits

Question 31

What are some disadvantages of compulsory voting

Answer 31

Voting is a right not a duty- a right is no longer a right if it’s enforced.
Little appetite for it- in the USA in a recent poll 72% of people said that they were against compulsory voting- undermines our democracy not improving it.

Question 32

Some more disadvantages of compulsory voting

Answer 32

Would just lead to a lot of spoilt ballots- around 500,000 voters in Australia spoil their ballots at every election, demonstrating that comp. voting does not address voter disillusionment.

Also more poor than rich people pay the $15 dollar fine in Australia. Obviously just has a worse impact on the poor and further alienates them from the rest of society

Question 33

Advantages of increased online political activity

Answer 33

E petitions are easy to use- only 5 needed to trigger one. The 38 degrees website has over 50 million actions taken on its website as of 2020.
They provide a bridge between RD and DD- petitions initiated by the people (DD). If it gets over 100,000 signatures then it will be considered for debate in the HoC (RD)

Question 34

Examples of how E-petitions have been effective

Answer 34

“Tampon tax” Petition garnered 330,000 sig’s, resulting in the announcement of the scrapping of VAT’s on all sanitary products (due to come into effect in 2022)