Democracy Flashcards
Democracy
- Rule by the people- giving power to the people
- System of rule based upon government of the people, by the people and for the people.
based on 2 core principles: -political participation
- political equality
Features of Representative and Direct Deomocracy
REPRESENTATIVE
- Free, fair and regular elections at multiple levels
- Universal suffrage
- Indirect- Representatives act on peoples behalf
- Limited- Onlyhave elections every two years
DIRECT
- Direct- people make decisions- dont choose who will rule on their behalf
- Unmeditated- people are the gov
- continuos- people engage in politics on a regular and ongoing basis
Advantages and Disadvantages of direct democracy
ADVANTAGE
- People involved more directly
- People better informed
- makes access to political system easier
- gov more legitimate as people in control and therefore more truly democratic
DISADVANTAGES
- May not fully understand issues involved
- People vote on their own selfish interests rather than for the benefit of a whole society
- Athenian society was smaller
Advantages Vs Disadvantages representatives democracy
ADVANTAGES
- Representatives often have better knowledge than most people so they can use better judgement
- May be able to arbitrate between rival groups
- May have more rational approach to problems
- Political stability
- Represent wider needs
DISADVANTAGES
- Low turnout- public isolated from the political process
- Where would people get their information? Media get too powerful
- Representatives can loose touch
- How can MP know wishes of majority
- Not enough checks on executive power- Elective dictatorship
- Burkes view= MPs ignoring their constituents
- Political elite rule and represent ruling class interests
Features of UK democratic system: Free and Fair, Universal suffrage
FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS -1872 Secret Ballot removed intimidation -1948, one person one vote -Proportional representation for election -Fixed term parliament BUT -Non-elected bodies (Monarchy, HOL) -FPTP -Electoral malpractise
UNIVERSAL SUFFRAGE
-1867-Vote to skilled male manual workers
-1884- vote extended to virtually all men
-1918- all men over 21 and middle class women over 30 could vote
-1928- equal voting rights for men and women
-1969-voting age reduced to 18
BUT
-Members of HOL, Imprisoned convicts, mentally ill and legally illigitimate cant vote
-Declining turnout level
Features of UK democratic system: Electoral choice, Pressure groups
ELECTORAL CHOICE
-Choice vital for democracy ad people can vote for policies they most prefer
BUT
-Two party system
-Consensus politics-strong and broad agreement between main parties
PRESSURE GROUPS
-Provide way for citizens to exert influence between elections
-Give voice to minorities ignored by majoritarian system
-Provide political participation beyond voting
BUT
-Concentrated power
-Undermining parliament- undermine representative process
-Unaccountable power-no elected leaders, not democratically accountable
Features of UK democratic system: Devolution, European Parliament
DEVOLUTION
-Representation of Scotland, Wales and Ireland through parliament always been inadequate because english MPs dominate HOC
-Widen opportunity for political participation
BUT
-Limited powers
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT -elections to european parliament been conducted on basis of PR BUT -Democratic deficit -Rule from brussels
Referendum
- A referendum is a vote in which the electorate can express a view on a particular issueof public policy by deciding on a political question.
- Not legally binding
- Politically binding as ignoring is breaching legitimacy
- Used for public support on constitutional changes
- increased since 1997 when Labour promised lots of constitutional changes
Features of referendum
-Vote on single issue
-Direct democracy
-gov decides whether, when and what to hold referendum
-allows people to register their views on important constitutional or policy issue
EXAMPLES
-EU referendum 52% leave
-Scottish Independence referendum 45% leave
Referendums For Vs Against
FOR:
DIRECT DEMOCRACY
POLITICAL EDUCATION
RESPONSIVE GOVERNMENT- forced to listen to public opinion inbetween elections
REDUCED GOV POWER- Provides checks on gov power- protects citizens against over-mighty gov
AGAINST:
ILL INFORMED DECISIONS
WEAKENS PARL- Undermines parliamentary sovereignty
IRRESPONSIBLE GOV
STRENGHTENS GOV- Gov decides whether, when, what issue to hold referendum on so can influence public opinion.
Trend for political party membership
LABOUR
-membership fallen more than 1 million in mid 1950s to 166,000 in 2009
CONSERVATIVE
-membership has fallen from 2.8 million in 1950s to 250,000 in 2009
-2007- fewer than 1% of people belonged to a political party due to shift in type of participation, some say pluralist democracy may displace parliamentary democracy
Explaining declining participation: Blame the public, blame the media
BLAME THE PUBLIC
- Growing disengagement with politics down to decline in social capital
- reflects growth of individualism and materialism in an increasingly consumerist society- people more concerned about them selves and less concerned about the larger society
BLAME THE MEDIA
-Increasingly intense comercial pressure have forced media to make their coverage of politics attention grabbing so media focus on scandals- led to growing disechantment with politics and lack of trust in gov.
Explaining declining participation: Blame the politicians
LACK OF VISION
- Modern politicians believe in nothin except getting elected
- Lack vision and sense of moral purpose and direction
AGE OF SPIN
- Politicians over concerned about communications and news management
- Spin- biased portrayal of an event or information designed to elict a favourable or unfavourable response
LACK OF CHOICE
- Consensus politics
- Lab and torie increasingly respond to the same group of ‘middle england’ voters
ELECTORAL STRATAGIES
-Growing tendancy for parties to target key voters and key seats in an election contribute to declining levels of turnout.
Enhancing democracy: direct democracy
REFERENDUMS- Voters collect signatures to trigger a vote on a law
BUT
-low turnout for them in UK
-Populist policies and tryanny of majority
RECALL ELECTIONS- sign petition calling for vote to remove an elected official before next election
BUT
-Tyranny of minority-only takes minority to trigger recall
-recall elections sometimes used as protest against gov
PRIMARY ELECTIONS
-election held to choose a candidate for a upcoming election
BUT
-low turnout- only most comitted members vote- leas to extreme candidates.
enhancing democracy: lowering voting age
-responsibilities without rights- sex, leave home but not vote
-youth interest ignored
-stronger political engagement- lowering voting age will strengthen young peoples interest and understanding
-irrational cut of age
-rising educational standards
BUT
-immature voters
-most young people live with their parents so not full citizens
-preserving childhood
-deferred representation- representation only delayed
-low turnout rate
-dont pay tax and far fewer representatives
