Democracy Flashcards
What is a democracy?
The people’s power, idea that political ideas should be made by people not the privileged
What is direct democracies’?
No need to elect politicians, the people should vote on individual issues such as referendums
Advantages of direct democracys?
-Its the genuine people power
-No need for elected politicians
-Encourages participation
-More responsibility’s
-Prevents power from being in the hands of elites
Disadvantages of direct democracy’s?
-High populations of activists meaning it can be difficult and expensive
-Public may not have time to develop solutions to issues
-Wealthy groups can distort debates
-Public may be unwilling to make unpopular unnecessary decisions
-Avoid tyranny of majority
What is representatives democracy?
The people vote on a politicians who will represent their views
Advantages of representative democracy?
-More practice due to the population size
-Elected representatives have more experiences
-Representatives implement unpopular but necessary policies
-Held accountable for actions at next election
-Avoids tyranny of majority
What are disadvantages of representative democracy’s?
-Representatives may not represent public views
-Parties have influence over representatives
-Low public interest and participations can leave decisions to a small elite
-Elections can make it difficult for smaller parties to win meaning many views can go unrepresentative
Whats a referendum?- direct democracy?
A vote in which citizens are asked to decide a political question
Are referendums legally binding?
Only advisory to see if public wants a policy
Does parliament have a lot of power and influence over referendums?
Parliament is sovereign there for they have a lot of power, can decide what the referendum is, the wording of q’s and the timings
What types of issues are referendums in the USA?
Transferences of powers
Constitutional issues
What referendums issues are used in the US?
Social issues, same sex and legislation of marijuana
Why has their been an increase in referendums since 1997?
T Blair said that their will be more constitutional reforms
Our electorate are more educationally aware
Has the UK always been a representative democracy?
No in 1265-1832 less than 5% of the population had the right to vote
Now we’ve changed due to voting laws
If parliament was sovereign why are there so many other elections in the UK?
Because we have devolved parliament e.g. scott, welsh and n. ireland
