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politics - UK > democracy and participation > Flashcards

democracy and participation Flashcards

1
Q

what is politics?

A
  • politics is about power - who gets what and how
  • scarcity of resources + competing interests and values = politics
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2
Q

what is democracy?

A

a political idea and system of government where people choose their government and have the ultimate power

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3
Q

what are the features of a democracy?

A
  • respect for human rights
  • multi-party system
  • democratic voting system - allows public to vote
  • respect for rule of law
  • democratic governance - separating power
  • citizen participation
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4
Q

what is left wing?

A
  • more liberal
  • economic policies include reducing income inequality - increasing taxes for the wealthy + govt intervention in the economy
  • characterized by equality, freedom, rights, progress, and reform
  • believes in secularism
  • holds progressive views
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5
Q

what is right wing?

A
  • economic policies include less regulation of the economy, low taxes, and promotion of the private sector for growth
  • characterized by duty, hierachy, authority, order, tradition and nationalism
  • believes religion important role in society
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6
Q

what are parties like?

A
  • parties broadly align with one end of the spectrum but nowadays often quite centrist
  • parties evolve + change over time
  • individuals within a party may have differing views
  • party leaders may affect the direction and policy of their party at a given time
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7
Q

what is a direct democracy?

A
  • a system where political decisions are taken directly by the people - often considered a purer form of democracy
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8
Q

what is a representative democracy?

A
  • see citizens elect representatives to make political decisions on their behalf
  • this system of ‘indirect democracy’ is the basis for the UK’s parliamentary democracy with MPs debating and working on issues on behalf of their constituents
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9
Q

what are the positives of a direct democracy?

A
  • accountability - out of step with large majority of citizens - MPs could not ignore Brexit
  • enhances legitimacy - decisions have direct authority + mandate of the people - ex brexit - voted to leave the EU by 52% to 48% - majority + they left
  • works - d-democracy whether e-petitIons or refs - popular with voters + engages them
    – turnout in 2014 scottish independence ref was a record 84.6%
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10
Q

what are the negatives of a direct democracy?

A
  • lack of political education - public may not fully understand question + reps may be better to analyse + evaluate - 70% of Britons without any qualifications voted Leave, while only 25% of voters with a university degree did - outcome could have been different?
  • refs are not binding to the govt - can ignore results - brexit possibility of being ignored
  • turnout often low for refs - ex - introduction of an AV in 2011 turnout meagre 42% - reduces any notion of democratic legitimacy
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11
Q

what are the forms of democracy?

A
  • liberal democracy - right to vote widespread + representatives will act in interests of everyone is society
  • majoritarian democracy - desires of majority of population main concern
  • parliamentary democracy
  • presidential democracy - executive elected separately from legislative body
  • direct
  • representative
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12
Q

what is a pluralist democracy?

A
  • power widely + evenly distributed across society rather than concentrated in hands of elite
  • government politically neutral
  • dispersal of power across competing groups which are internally democratic
  • range of access points
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13
Q

what are the functions of democracy?

A
  • representation
  • accountability
  • participation
  • power dispersal - ensures power spread across different political bodies
  • legitimacy
  • education
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14
Q

what are the positive aspects of democracy in the UK?

A
  • free + fair elections - electoral commission protects from manipulation
  • turnout - historic low - general election 2001 - 59% - to scottish indep
  • universal suffrage
  • party system - variety
  • pressure groups - thousands
  • parliamentary sovereignty
  • devolution - make decisions on local basis
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15
Q

what are negative aspects of democracy in the UK?

A
  • unelected elements - unelected HofL + hereditary monarchy undermine rep democracy
  • turnout - quite low - potential participation crisis
  • west lothian q and EVEL
  • voting system FPTP - wasted votes, safe seats, unrepresentative, UKIP 13% (2015) only 1 seat, SNP 56 seats with 2%, winner’s bonus - exaggerates support won by most popular party
  • discriminates against parties with widespread support
  • minority constituencies - does not gain more than 50% of total vote - majority of public did not vote for their rep
  • two party system
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16
Q

what are the weaknesses of the electoral commision

A
  • often reactive rather than proactive - tends to pass judgement after an event after damage done
  • loopholes over spending + use of social media that EC no power to control
17
Q

what are the positive aspects of a representative democracy?

A
  • lack of education - better off with educated MPs who represent constituencies
  • universal suffrage - March 2020- 47.6 million Parliamentary electoral registrations in the UK - the highest number ever recorded
  • process of devolution - has allowed representatives closer to community they serve
18
Q

what are the negative aspects of a representative democracy?

A
  • competition between pressure groups often unfair + elitist
  • 1 in 4 black and Asian voters are not registered to vote - not truly representative
  • FPTP leads to wasted votes + unrepresentative outcomes in parliament - HOWEVER - 80% confident elections are well run - AV ref
19
Q

who could vote before the franchise was extended?

A
  • rich male landowners
  • fewer than 4% of population
20
Q

what are all the reform acts?

A
  • great reform act 1832 - 1/5 male adults could now vote
  • second reform act 1867 - bigger in scope than previous act + allowed working class men in cities to vote (roughly 1/3) doubled size of electorate
  • third reform act 1884 - all working men with a proper qualification could vote - but 40% still excluded (mainly rural)
21
Q

what are all the representation of the people acts?

A
  • ROTPA 1918 - all men over 21 (/19 veterans) could vote - women over 30 could vote with proper qualification
  • ROTPA 1928 - all men + women over 21 could vote + property qualifications removed
  • ROTPA 1969 - voting age lowered to 18
22
Q

what were the debates about gender regarding universal suffrage?

A
  • women seen as weaker + not intelligent enough for vote
  • considered too emotional to vote rationally
  • traditionalists believed her place was at home
23
Q

what were the debates about class regarding universal suffrage?

A
  • wealth elite who had the franchise before 1832 worried the power they had reduced
  • fears working class men too poorly educated to understand political issues
  • some feared WC would support socialism - threatening econ welfare of other citizens
  • contribution of their sacrifices during WW1 =no justified reason denying them the vote
24
Q

how are people from minority ethnic groups significantly underrepresented?

A
  • 2020 - first chinese MP - first SA woman following 2019 elect, 65 MPs BAME
  • november 2019 - 25% of black voters + 24% asian not registered to vote
  • pressure groups such as operation black vote - focus efforts on ensuring minority ethnic groups register + promote equality
25
Q

how is suffrage a human right?

A
  • until 20th cent - regarded as a priviledge
  • 1948 proclaimed in article 21 everyone has the right to take part in politics + will of people should be expressed in genuine elections which are universal and ‘equal suffrage held at secret vote / equivalent free voting procedure’ - adopted by other HR docs ex. ECHR
26
Q

what did chartists want? what did they do?

A
  • to end the oligarchy
  • after great reform act, campaigned for votes for all men over 21, secret ballots, no property qualifications for MPs, pay for MPs, equal size constituencies + yearly elections to parliament
27
Q

what did chartists want? what did they do?

A
  • to end the oligarchy
  • after great reform act, campaigned for votes for all men over 21, secret ballots, no property qualifications for MPs, pay for MPs, equal size constituencies + yearly elections to parliament
28
Q

what is the significance of chartists?

A
  • failure in short term but legacy significant + influenced creation of other political movements (reform league which helped to pass second reform)
  • all three petitions rejected by parliament which had millions signs
  • lacked a single leader
  • some called for violence - many middle class supporters left - less money
  • today all wishes met (except yrly elects)
29
Q

what did the suffragists want? what did they do?

A
  • securing votes for women
  • focused on peaceful + constitutional methods including meetings, handing out leaflets, petitions, marches + lobbying etc
  • 1897 formed a union
30
Q

what is the significance of the suffragists?

A
  • despite decades of campaigning - no closer by 1903 - resulting in formation of suffragettes
  • union had more than 100k members by 1914
31
Q

what did the suffragettes want? what did they do?

A
  • votes for women
  • pankhurst formed rival organisation to suffragists in 1903
  • they used militant methods - window breaking, chaining themselves to railings and arson
  • received harsh prison sentences - attempted to reduce by hunger striking
  • davison killed intercepted king’s horse
  • leader went into hiding + campaign called off due to war
32
Q

what is the significance of the suffragetes?

A
  • some argue given vote due to war effort - others say govt eager to avoid return of violence by enfranchising women
  • attracted national attention + coverage in news papers
  • many key supporters left - funding
33
Q

why is there a participation crisis in the UK?

A
  • low turnout in recent elections - 2015 general election - 1/3 of enfranchised electorate did not bother to vote - BUT brexit - 72%
  • membership of political parties declined in past few decades - steady decline in tory party membership levelled off - 1950 - approx 4 mil - 2019, 180,000 members (counterpoint- more modern ways to ptp- e-petitions)
  • political apathy high among 18-24 year olds - turnout for them in 2019 ranged from 47% (counterpoint - however signs younger people re-engaging + indicated by groundswell of support for corbyn (nearly 60% in 2017)
34
Q

what are methods of increasing participation?

A
  • votes at 16
  • online voting
  • compulsory voting
  • changing electoral system - everyones vote to count equally
  • prop electoral system - benefit minor parties
  • political education
  • reducing membership fees
  • more direct democracy

politics - UK (6 decks)

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