Democracy Flashcards
What are the advantages of direct democracy
It is a pure form of democracy
Increased legitimacy
Improves participation
What are the disadvantages of direct democracy
It is not practical
Tyranny of the majority
Undermines elected representatives
What are the advantages of representative democracy
Only possible practical system for a large modern state where issues are complex-UK for example
Parties are formed to give people a real choice of representative to elect. Pressure groups are also helping to represent different interests- Age UK, Just Stop Oil, National Trust
Reduces the chance of tyranny of the majority- Brexit was an example of tyranny of the majority
Elections allow people to hold their MPs to account- Can vote MPs out at next general election
Disadvantages of representative democracy
May lead to a reduced participation as people hand responsibility to MPs- Participation crisis due to voter apathy
Parties and pressure groups are often run by elites who are pursuing their own agenda not representing the people - BBA, Cameron and Johnson Cabinets(cabinet from their own schools)
Parties are more likely to follow the views of the majority to secure election, therefore minorities are still left out- both Labour and Conservatives promised to uphold the Brexit result in their 2017 election manifesto
What reforms could help democracy and participation in the UK
Referendums and initiatives,
Recall elections
Primary elections
Lower voting age
Compulsory voting
Digital democracy
What are the advantages of referendums and initiatives
Referendums allow whole electorate to vote on usually a serious change to statute law or the constitution in general
Initiatives give the electorate greater influence over legislation and avoids broken promises from the government
What are the disadvantages of referendums and initiatives
Existing low turnouts for referendums in the UK
Populist policies and the tyranny of the majority(as seen in Brexit referendum 2016)
Dominance of wealthy special interests
Advantages of recall elections
The electorate signs a petition calling for a vote to remove an elected official before the next election
Gives public more power over corrupt incompetent representatives(Recall of MPs act 2015)
Disadvantages of recall elections
Tyranny of the minority- where the views of a minority of citizens are imposed on the majority
It can take a sizeable majority to elect an individual, but only a small minority to trigger a recall
Recalls could be used as a protest against the government
Advantages of primary elections
An election held by political parties to choose a candidate for an upcoming election
Gives more power to the people and takes it away from elitists
Disadvantages of primary elections
Low turnout could leave the decision to small number of unrepresentative voters
There is no guarantee that voters would pick more diverse candidates than party leaders
Advantages of lower voting age
Increase the size of the franchise in hope to get more turnout
Disadvantages of lowering the voting age
Many 16 year olds do not pay taxes and have far fewer responsibilities than adults
Are young people informed and mature enough to vote?
Youth turnout is already very low, will reducing the voting age just lead to even lower % turnout
Advantages of compulsory voting
Nations issue fines to those who do not vote
Results in higher turnout and greater legitimacy for the winners
Australian Federal Election 2013 had 93%
Disadvantages of compulsory voting
People have the right to decide whether to participate or not
Uniformed and uninterested people
What are the advantages of digital democracy
Use of modern technology to inform and educate the public and increase political participation
E-petitions
Petitions committee
Launched the Speaker’s Commission on Digital Democracy in 2013
What are the disadvantages of digital democracy
The ‘digital divide’- does digital democracy create a divide between those with and without computers and internet access
Would online voting be completely secure? Would we lose the anonymity and privacy of voting in secret in a booth?
What are the key aspects of Representative democracy
Free and fair elections,
turnout
Universal suffrage
The party system
Pressure groups
Devolution of power
What evidence is there to suggest RD is healthy(free and fair elections)
Electoral commission
Campaign spending limits
Ban on campaigning during Purdah
Limits on Broadcasting
What evidence is there to suggest RD does not ensure free and fair elections
FPTP is highly unrepresentative leading to so many wasted votes
What evidence is there to suggest RD helps achieve a high turnout
After reaching historic low in 2001 of 59%, more people are now voting so turnout is growing back into 70s
What evidence is there to suggest that RD is not producing a high turnout
Turnout of 2024 UK general election was only 60%
What evidence is there to suggest RD helps to increase Universal suffrage
UK has a system where everyone over the age of 18 who is not in prison, mentally incapable or a peer has the right to vote
What evidence is there to suggest RD does not help increase Universal suffrage
Franchise can be increased
Evidence to suggest party system under RD is positive?
8 parties represented in Parliament with 11 in the last decade
Evidence to suggest party system is not healthy under RD
Mainly two party system due to FPTP as votes for smaller parties are wasted
What is the evidence to suggest the UK is suffering from a participation crisis
Falling voter turnout, declining party membership, drop in trust in politicians
What is the evidence to suggest the UK is not suffering from a participation crisis
Referendums have a high voter turnout, voter turnout has generally increased in General elections since 2001
Between 2015 and 2017 there was a sharp rise in party membership
What are 3 proposed reforms that could enhance democracy
More direct democracy, voting and electoral reform, institutional reforms
What methods are used by pressure groups
Lobbying ministers- Insider pressure groups such as BMA
Developing links with Political Parties- Insider groups such as trade unions and Labour Party
Influencing public opinion- Save Ralph advert made by animal testing by the HSI and protests
Direct action such as civil disobedience- Just Stop Oil
Using the Courts- Badger trust and legal challenge on HS2
Standing for election- Guildford Green Belt
Why are some pressure groups more successful then others?
Contradiction to government policy- Government are less likely to listen to pressure groups that contradict their policies such as NUS failed its campaign to stop tuition fee increase in 2011
Government resistance- Government can resist popular campaigns such as Stop War Coalition protest in 2003 despite being one of the largest protests in history, Blair government were not committed to this course of action
Opposition from other groups- Failure of ‘Forest’ who aimed to defend smokers’ rights was countered by rival pressure group ASH who were backed by health organisations such as BMA
Lack of public support
How do pressure groups enhance democracy
Encourages participation- in 2014 over 4.5 million people were members of Britain’s environmental and conservation pressure groups
Allows politicians to make policy choices on the wider interest of people as pressure groups will fight for specific policies- improves legitimacy
Why do pressure groups not enhance democracy
Can be argued that only the wealthiest and the insider pressure groups actually make change such as lobbying
Only makes impact if it aligns with governments views already such as the Stop the War Coalition as the largest protest of 1 million people failed to prevent the invasion of Iraq in 2003 because the Blair government was not only committed to this course of action so the government easily shrugged off the protest
How do think tanks enhance democracy
Many see think tanks as enriching democracy by carrying out political research, developing policy options and aiding public debate
They use their expertise to enable the public and politicians to weigh up different ideas
How do think tanks not enhance democracy
Critics argue that think tanks push policies and evidence that favour the powerful and corporate interests who fund them, undermining democracy
Most are not transparent about their funding such as Adam Smith Institute and Policy Exchange
How do lobbyists enhance democracy
Allows groups who are likely to be impacted by a particular decision to engage with the government and Parliament
Introduction of transparency of lobbying act helps to increase the trust in politics by ensuring that consultant lobbyists have to sign up to an official register and disclose 4 times per year a list of clients
Why do lobbyists not enhance democracy
Can be abused by those seeking to further their own private interests- only the wealthiest groups can afford to spend vast sums of money on lobbying and can rely on those they know rather then what they know in order to influence policy
In 1998, Derek Draper was caught by the observer boasting about his links to at least 17 people in the Labour Government and in 2009, two Labour peers were suspended from the House of Lords for allegedly offering amendments to legislation in return for payments of £120,000
Influence of Lobbying, particularly by powerful industry groups and alcohol groups, is seen as having undue influence on policy making.
Revolving door between lobbying firms and public office suggests that influence is more about who you know then what you know, undermining the idea of equal participation
What are 3 ways the UK’s democracy protects human rights and civil liberties
Judicial review and legal framework
Respect of Civil Liberties and rights in Parliament and public bodies
Commitment to human rights in wider society and expanding upon them
What are ways judicial review/ legal framework fails to protect human rights
Courts have too much power in deciding rights as they expand on laws themselves such as prisoners rights despite being unelected and unaccountable
Conservatives established an independent panel to look whether there was a need for a reform of the judicial review process to see if the right balance was being struck between the rights of citizens to challenge executive decisions and the need for effective and efficient government
What are ways judicial review/ legal framework does effectively protect human rights
Allows citizens to challenge decisions made by public bodies , including the government, which they believe may be unlawful or contravene rights. This allows the courts in the UK to protect the rights of the individual against the power of the state.
In particular, since judges are unelected and unaccountable, they are free to protect the rights of the individual against the overbearing state whereas elected politicians need to pay close attention to the wishes of the majority to win re-election. The court’s protection of the rights of prisoners, suspected terror suspects and migrants even where the rulings are unpopular seem to back this up.
If a public body contravenes a right, the courts can award a just and appropriate remedy and where an Act of Parliament contravenes the HRA, the courts can issue a declaration of incompatibility. The courts cannot strike down an Act of Parliament and this means that they are part of the discussion about rights, but leaves Parliament with the final say in determining the law regarding human rights.
As a result, Parliament has changed the law in response to court decisions in cases regarding civil partnerships and the police keeping DNA and fingerprints on file, but those changes were passed by elected politicians.
What are ways that respect of civil liberties and rights in parliament and public bodies are not effective
- The Labour Government’s Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001, introduced indefinite detention for terror suspects, which was ruled incompatible in the Belmarsh case. The Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005, which introduced control orders, suffered two defeats with 18-hour curfews ruled in breach of rights in 2007, while in 2009 the reliance on secret evidence to impose control orders was seen to clash with the right to a fair trial.
In 2016, the Conservative Government oversaw the passage of the Investigatory Powers Act, which detailed the power of law enforcement and intelligence and security agencies to obtain communications and data about communications. Liberty crowdfunded a challenge against the Act, and in 2017 it was ruled that the government unlawfully obtained data from communications companies and didn’t put in place operational safeguards under Article 8. This led the Government to introduce The Investigatory Powers (Codes of Practice) Regulations 2018, which was created to ensure there was more rigorous safeguarding and oversight, including the setting up of the Investigatory Powers Commissioner to oversee the powers.
What are ways that respect of civil liberties and rights in parliament and public bodies are effective
Parliament established a Joint Committee on Human Rights, made up of both Peers from the House of Lords and MPs from the Houses of Commons in order to scrutinise every government bill for its compatibility with human rights. On 19 March 2020, the Committee opened an inquiry into whether the Government response to the pandemic was complaint with human rights, in particular Articles 2,5 and 8
The Equality and Human Rights Commission promotes and upholds equality and human rights ideals and laws across England, Scotland and Wales. In 2020, the Commission carried out investigations into allegations of anti-Semitism in the Labour Party and suspected past pay discrimination against women at the BBC.
What are ways that commitment to human rights in wider society and expanding upon them is not done effectively in the UK
There has been growing concern about human rights inflation, where individual rights like the right to privacy and a family life have been elevated to the same level as absolute rights like the right to life. This inflation of the right to privacy and family life has severely limited the state, the police and intelligence services from doing their job of keeping the people safe and deporting suspected terrorists and criminals.
There is a developing narrative that ECtHR judges don’t really appreciate or understand the UK human rights tradition. It is better to leave judgements about rights to MPs in Westminster and UK judges who understand British traditions and ways of thinking. This has led elements of the Conservative party to campaign for replacing the HRA with a British Bill of Rights, written by Parliament and ruled on in UK courts.
What are ways that commitment to human rights in wider society and expanding upon them is done effectively in the UK
Liberty has been vocal in campaigning against any weakening of the HRA or Judicial Review and against discrimination in policing.
The devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland remain opposed to any changes to the HRA.
The HRA and Equalities Act are frequently used by groups and individuals to get public bodies and Parliament to change their minds without resorting to court proceedings. The survivors and the families of those who died in the Hillsborough Stadium tragedy have used Article 2, the right to life, to argue that the original Coroner’s Inquest that ruled all deaths were accidental did not meet the requirement for a proper, effective investigation into all deaths caused by the State or where it appears the State has failed to protect life. In 2016, the new inquests ruled that the 96 victims had been unlawfully killed.
