Democracy And Participation Flashcards
Where was direct democracy first conceived ?
Ancient Greece Athens
What was the idea of direct democracy in Ancient Greece ?
- every tax paying citizen would have one equal value to all others
- all citizens would make important decisions ,**directly , fairly and equally **
Example of direct democracy used in Ancient Greece ?
Whether state should go to war or whether a citizen should be exiled if they commit anti-state acts
What form has direct democracy returned ?
Form of referendum , common in USA and Europe
Direct democracy
What is a referendum?
An majortian form of democracy in which public vote on a single issue
In direct democracy, in a referendum when does someone win ?
The side which gains over 50% of vote wins outright
When were direct democracy , referendums used ?
Scottish independence referendum (2014)
What is direct democracy ?
All individuals express their opinions themselves and not representative acting on their behalf
What was the Scottish independence referendum (2014) about ?
Scotland voted to remain part of the UK
What percentage was against proposal to become independent in Scotland independence referendum (2014) ?
55% voting against proposal for Scotland to become independent
What percentage was in favour of the Scottish independence referendum (2014) ?
45%
What is another example of a referendum?
UK membership of EU referendum (2016)
What percentage voted to leave the EU in the uk membership of EU referendum 2016?
51% voted to LEAVE the EU
What percentage voted to remain in the EU in the UK membership of EU referendum 2016?
48% voted to remain
Why are referendum used ?
To allow public to determine government policy on vital issues
How can referendums be critised ?
By giving influence directly to the people , referendums challenge the core principle of representative democracy
What is another example of direct democracy ?
Electronic petitions
What does it mean if a petition on the governments website reaches 100,000 signatures?
It will be considered for debate in the House of Commons
Why are electronic petitions uses ,
To engage with a number of issues that the public feel strongly about
Example of a petition ?
If Meningitis B vaccinations should be made available to all children , petition ran for 6 months
What is the most common democracy today ?
Representative
What is representative democracy ?
- choose representative to make decisions on their behalf
How are representative democracy representative chosen ?
Through formal election competitive process and those elected must have accountability
Who are the representatives?
MPs
What is do individual representatives hold ?
Accountable while their represent their constituents
What is constituents ?
Ordinary voters who elect a particular representative based on the residence in particular area
How are individuals held accountable?
Investigations , media , scutinry and individuals representatives asking questions on their behalf of their constituents
How many members does Westminster have and who are their responsible ?
650 members and responsible for constituents
What is an advantage of direct democracy ?
Equal value to all votes unlike representatives system where the varying size of constituencies mean they do not have equal vote
E.g 1 constituent may have 2,000 people that vote another will have 50,000 people vote so 2,000 has more weight
What is a disadvantage of direct democracy?
People may not feel qualified to take part in decision making so politicial activist will decide what will happen
- links to Anachism where activist sway people into voting what they believe
- people can manipulate by the cleverest and persuade people
What is an advantage of representative democracy?
More rapid response , practical system in large modern state
Give an example of a rapid response of representatives democracy ?
Covid pandemic measures to put us in Lockdown if it was a referendum would take more time and cause more deaths due to slower response
Representative democracy advantage
What does pressure groups encourage ?
Encourages debates and pluralist democracy
Example of pressure groups?
- Climax activists , disruption of uk road
- stop oil reducing minority rights
What is a disadvantage of representative democracy?
May lead to reduced participation and leave it to responsibility of politicians
Who are pressure groups and parties represented by ?
Run by elites pursuing own agendas and not representing the people
Another disadvantage of representative democracy?
Politicians are skillful in avoiding accountability especially elections
Example of how politicians avoid accountability?
Boris Johnson avoiding responsibility through party gate and controversy with party whip leading to his resignation
Third disadvantage of representative democracy?
Politicians may be corrupt and betray election promises
Example of politicians being corrupt ?
Conservatives said they will not raise tax but raised it due to covid
Case for reform : crisis participation
What was the vote turnout for registered voters in 2019 election?
Vote turnout was only 67% of registered voters in 2019 general election
Between 1945-1997 what was the average for registered voters ?
76%
Case for Reform: crisis of participation
what is Percentage of party membership ?
1.6% of the most electorate down 3.8%
So votes are less representative of the country
How can crisis participation be fixed ?
- making voting compulsory
- postal voting / e- voting
- allow voting to take place for several days
Why voting should be mandatory ?
Parliament will be more representative of population as a whole
Why voting shouldn’t be mandatory ?
- Forces people to take part
- does not adress reason people do not vote in the first place
Who cannot vote ?
- Prisoners
- people under age of 18
- members of the HOL
Example of e-petition in the uk ?
2020 , offer more support to the art particularly theatres and music admist covid pandemic
How many signatures did the e-petition for support to art get ?
174,654
Outcome of e petition to offer support to art ?
Debated in parliament in June 2020 so government announced more funding to protect art
What is suffrage ?
The right or ability to vote in public elections
Who can vote ?
- Adults over 18
- common wealth citizens and uk nationals who have lived abroad less than 15 years
What is an insider pressure group ?
Previleged access to government decision making
What is an example of Insider pressure group ?
British Medical Association (BMA) represents doctors so gain special information government will wish to consult
Examples of movement that put pressure on government ?
- Think-tanks
- coropations
- lobbying firms
- religious groups
- professional bodies
What is an outsider pressure group ?
- does not access political decision making
- gains attention of government by winning public support
What is an example of an outsider group ?
- the Gurkha Justice campaign was an outsider group that achieved residency right for Gurkha who served in British military because of high profile campaign
What is sectional/interest ?
Represents interest of particular groups within society
Example of sectional/unrest pressure groups ?
- Age UK
- BMA
- Muslim council of Britain
What does cause/proportional pressure group do ?
Promotes a particular issue
Example of cause/promotional pressure group ?
- greenpeace : members are united in shared interest in protecting environment
- PETA
- Liberty
What is pressure group ?
Influence policy making without seeking power
Example of another pressure group ?
When trade union movement helped to form the Labour Party in early 20th century when UKIP began
What are the functions of pressure groups?
- educate public on issues
- represent and promote the interest of certain sections of community who feel that they’re not fully represented by Parliament
**- call government to account **
What is status of insider and outsider pressure group based on ?
Based on whether they have a direct contact with parliament or not
What do insider pressure groups rely on ?
Rely on contacts with ministers and civil servants to achieve their aims
Explaination of outsider pressure groups ?
Not consulted by government or not political e.g just oil
Case study
When did MPs vote against extending free school meals ?
October 2020, MPs voted against extending free school meals scheme throughout holiday until Easter 2021
Case study
What did Marcus Rashford (leadership) campaign for ?
Mergers to extend the scheme that received more than a ** million** supporters online petition
What method of did Marcus Rashford use to gain public support ?
Online petition (public support )
Case study
What was the next step for Marcus rashford campaign ?
Prime minister phoned on 7th Nov Marcus to tell him that £396 million to provide free school meals
Case study
When did the prime minister phone Marcus ?
7th November
Case study
How much was provided for the free school meal ?
£396 million was provided
Case study
How long was the free school meal provided for ?
Christmas, Easter and summer holiday
Case study
What is just oil Group?
Coalition
Case study
What are just oil working together to Ensure ?
Working together to ensure government commits to ending all new lisense, development and production of fossil fuels
Case study
How do just oil grab attention ?
Public media attention by throwing soup over Van Gogh’s sunflower painting and protest in premier league matches
Case study
How does just oil fail impacts ?
Public outrage so fails impact due to disruptions
What gets put forward to the Hoc
If a petition has 10,000 signatures
How many signatures does a petition need?
10,000
