Democracy Flashcards
What does representative democracy mean
We vote for the people to make decisions for our
How old do you have to be to vote in the uk
Everybody over the age of 18 has the right to vote (voting is optional)
Within how many years is a general election called
Every five years
What is a constituency
An area made up of people who all vote for their mp together
How many constituency’s are there in the uk
650
What happens to the winner of each constituency
They become a mp (member of Parliament)and gain a seat in parliament
How is the wining party determined
The party with the most mp
What happens if there is no party with a majority
A coalition must be formed
What is direct democracy
Asking the people their opinions on major issues then acting on them
What do the conservatives want to do
Lower taxes and bring back national services for 18 year olds
What does Labour want to do
Would tax the rich to help poorer people and try to raise the minimum wage
What would the Liberal Democrat’s do
Try to get the uk back into European Union and would cut university tuition fees
What is first past the post
A voting system where the winning candidate for each area is the one with the most votes . The winning party overall is the party with the most seats in parliament
What is the positives of first past the post
Easy to understand, usually a clear winner,government can form very quickly after an election
What is the negatives of first past the post
Small party’s don’t get as many seats as they deserve, voters might feel like their vote is wasted,a party can win the election overall even if more votes go to another party
