democracy Flashcards
how can MPs represent their constituents
committee work- MPs are nominated by party leaders to serve on committees, they scrutinise the work of the government in specific areas. e.g. the department of education.
private member bills- the back benchers can give bills to the speaker and names will be drawn out a lottery, Micheal Moore proposed to devote a minimum of 0.7% of national income to international aid
reserved powers
defence- west minister also control all military bases and other defences, army navy airforce.
social security- west minister controls all benefits and where they are distributed to- child benefits,
disadvantages of FPTP
no majority needed- MPs only need to win by one vote so more people can be left unhappy with the result that those who are happy. Allan dorrans only got 43% of votes so the other 67% didn’t want him as their representative
not proportional- the number of votes does not equal the number of seats so smaller parties do not get a look in because they do not have concentrated support, UKIP came third in many constituencies and should have got 82 seats but only got 1
wasted votes- those in safe seats votes mean less than those in marginal seats, those who didn’t vote for the winners, mean nothing, e.g. in 2019 14.5 million people wasted their votes
participating in elections
helping during elections- canvassing, put up posters, attend debates and hand out leaflets e.g.people in Ayrshire could have helped Allan dorians doing the 2019 general election
joining a party- a group of people who have similar views on running the country. people in Scotland can join the SNP or the conservatives
standing as a candidate- you need to be over 18, a British citizen and have been nominated by 10 people of your constituency, you do not need to join a party. Nicola sturgeon stood for hr Glasgow constituency in the last Scottish parliamentary elections
why are women under represented in the houses of parliament
child care- most women are primary care givers to children and elderly/disabled relatives and working in London with one commutes and unpredictable hours is not family friendly. e.g. 90% of single parents are women
male culture in politics- the houses of parliament are seen as a male club women are intimidated by it, also believe that women would receive less votes by the British public. only 34% of the house are women.
should the house of lords be voted for
independant expertise- may of the lords are chosen to serve because they excelled in their areas of work and the prime minister brought them in to do the same in the House of Lords. e.g. lord sugar and his business expertise
undemocratic- people believe that the house is making decisions that impact the public then they should have to be voted in by the public otherwise it is undemocratic. some of the member s of the house used to be mps meaning the British public voted them out but yet they are still making decisions for the country.
coalition governments
smaller parties- it can benefit smaller parties as joining forces with a bigger one creates an alliance so their manifesto is more like to be delivered as they have an better role in the government e.g. Lib Dems and conservatives
majority- the coalition leaves the parties with a larger majority so they would be able to deliver on their promises as they will only need to agree with one another rather than convince he other parties, however trying to keep everyone happy can often mean no-one wins. e.g. Lib Dems and conseratives failed to reform the HOL
campaigning
battle buses- publicising and a useful mode of transport for the mp and media as well as groupies. buses often show party slogans and are in party colours, the conservative bus is blue and has the party slogan on it.
tv dates- help the country to see the mp in action and under pressure, many leaders come off very well in these debates whereas other fail miserable. the first tv debates get around 10 million viewers.
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changes to the HOL
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it is expensive- the lords are payed by the amount of days they work but no show much they participate, some lords are seen to sleep in the chamber as well as clock in and out without doing anything an during there expenses to buy unnecessary items and let the government pay for it. costs 21 million per year.
undemocratic- people believe that is the house is making decisions that impact the public then they should have to be voted in by the public there wise it it undemocratic. some of the members of the house used to be mps meaning the British public voted them to but yet they are still making decisions for the country.
HOL roles
legislative functions- help to produce legislation. for a bill to pas the larger majority have to vote “aye” before a bill can pass. the lords cannot stop the progression of a bill but slow it down.
independent expertise- means that members known as life peers can bring new ideas and give their professional advise in the house. most peers only take part in debates which concern there area of expertise e.g. lord Coe is a sports expert.
why do people not vote
safe seats- people feel that if they live in a safe seat there is no reason to votes as a constituency is also going to be the same party and that one persons vote means very little. in Knowsley labour won by over 70%
young people- feels no party accurate represents their views, also feel it doesn’t affect them so don’t bother voting as well as not being interested in politics. ages 18-24 have the lowest turnout.
majority government adv and dis adv
legislation goes faster- bills are more likely to pass as only the majority has to vote so only that one party needs to agree on the bill e.g. that is how Brexit eventually passed
can’t stop unwanted bills- other parties are unable to stop bills that they do not want as only the majority has to agree so the rest just have to sit and watch will bills pass that thy do not agree with.
advantagesof FPTP
easy to understand- encourage people to vote if they understand the system, simply put a cross next to the party you want to vote for. turn out was 67.3% in the last general election
discourage extremist parties- parties need to have concentrated support to gain seats with this system so extremist parties are unable to gain seats as they only have a few seats in each constituency. the British national party have never had a seat in parliament.
one mp serves each constituency- people know who to talk to if they have an issue that needs sorted. direct link between the public and the government. Allan dorrans
rights in a democracy
right to protest- they can stand against the government and get their voices heard in a more meaningful ways. children protested out side the SQA about exam results/ the BlM protests gave a voice to people who could speak up.
right to vote- ensure all member so of the British public get a say in how the country is run. this ensures that the country remains democratic, 67% of voters turnout to use this right in 2019.
newspapers
biased- news papers are allowed o have political allies making them very important as they can openly support and stand against parties. the mirror is a Tory paper.
huge amount of readers-although sales in materialistic newspapers are dropping dramatically as they are expensive and bulky and news online is so easily readily available. 16 million people still read a physical paper.
