Democracy and participation

Question 1

What is Democracy?

Answer 1

Democracy means people power, ‘demo’ (people) and ‘kratos’ (power) originating from ancient greek.

It is system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.

Question 2

What is politics ?

Answer 2

Politics is how we make, shape and amend the rules that govern our lives .

Question 3

What is power?

Answer 3

Power is the ability to make people do things they might not want to do.

Question 4

What is authority?

Answer 4

Authority is the given right to influence peoples behaviours and actions

Question 5

What is legitimacy?

Answer 5

Legitimacy is when a government or any other political institutions have Authority to hold power and make rules.

Question 6

What is participation and equality?

Answer 6

Participation is when key decisions are made by people and their representatives.

Question 7

What is a referendum?

Answer 7

A referendum is when citizens are involved in decision making rather than through representatives making the decision.

Question 8

What is an E-petition?

Answer 8

An E-petition is when the public raise a concern themselves and encourage other members of the public to sign the petition

Question 9

What are recall petitions?

Answer 9

A recall petition is the process of which an MP can lose their seat in the house of commons.

Question 10

What is the recall process?

Question 11

What are initiatives?

Question 12

What are benefits and drawbacks of referendums?

Answer 12

Benefits- everyone gets a say
-gives equal weight in all votes
- encourage popular participation
- develop a sense of community
- encourage genuine debate

Drawbacks-divides communities
- exposes class division
- leads to tyranny of the majority
- lack of accountability
-cant throw out millions of voters
- pose complex questions that cant be answered with a simple yes no question

Question 13

What does it mean to reform a democracy

Answer 13

To strengthen and create and maintain a healthy democracy.

Question 14

How can referendums create a healthy democracy?

Answer 14

Increase frequency of referendums and possibly introduce intiatitives to give people power rather than governments to call referendums.

Question 15

How do E-petitions create a healthy democracy?

Answer 15

E-petitions keep the public politically engaged and they help make parliamentary debate more focused on issues important to the public.

Question 16

How does the power of recall create a healthy democracy?

Answer 16

The recall of MPS act 2015 enables voters to trigger a by-election to remove MPS.

an mp would need to have been sentenced to prison or suspended from house of commons for 10 days

Question 17

How does further devoultion create

Answer 17

More power to be devolved from westiminster, this would bring decision making closer to people and might encourage greater participation.

Question 18

What is the house of lords reform?

Answer 18

• House of lords is unelected and unaccountable
  -Members are appointed and claims this can encourage political cronyism ( Boris Johnson appointed 86 new life peers)
• Making the lords an elected chamber would make westminster fully democratically accountable
• Danger is that elected Lords could become a rival to the commons potentially creating constitutional gridlock
• Given public lack of trust in politicans and concerns of low electoral turn out rates for house of commons what difference would it make making the Lords an elected chamber

Question 19

What is digital democracy?

Answer 19

Digital Democracy’ refers to the various ways by which electronic platforms can engage and secure the wider and more informed participation of the public in the political environment.

Question 20

What are the pros and cons of digital democracy?

Answer 20

Pros:
- Voting on mobile phones is convient and would encourage more voting
-

Cons:
- However, it would also result in voting no longer being carried out in secret
- Possibility of voter manipulation would increase
- Allegations of cyber- interference in western elections by russia indicates rhat electronic voting is more open to fraud
- The way politicans and activists use social media it can encourage populist sloganeering rather than informed political discussions
- Social media can be used as a bullying platform
- Banning of president Trump on twitter in 2021 raises importance if whether media companies should be allowed to determine who is allowed on their platforms

Question 21

What is a direct democracy?

Answer 21

A direct democracy = when policies and laws are decided by a majority of those eligible rather than by a body of elected representatives

Question 22

What are the advantages and disadvantages of a direct democracy?

Answer 22

Ads:
- has genuinie people power
- no need for elected politicans
- encourages participation and educates the public on key issues
- People take responsibility for their decisions
- Prevents powers from being concentrated in the hands of an elite

Dis:
- Population size can make it difficult and expensive
- Public may not have time / interest
- Public make not be willing to make unpopular decisions
- Tyrannt of majority

Question 23

What is a representative democracy?

Answer 23

A representative democracy = people elect representatives to vote on their behalf and if unpopular they can be voted out at the next election

Question 24

What are the advantages and disadvantages of a representative democracy?

Answer 24

Ads:
- More pratical with the time and population
- Elected representatives can implement unpopular but neccesary policies
- Representatives can be held accountable

Dis:
- Mps can be disengaged from the public and not adequaltly represent their interests

Question 25

What was the outcome of the brexit referendum 2016

Answer 25

52% in favour of leaving 48% in favour of remaining

Question 26

What was the outcome of the scottish independance referendum 2014?

Answer 26

55.3% in favour of remaining in the UK 44.7% in favour of independance

Question 27

Pressure group

Answer 27

A pressure group is a group of people who work together to try to influence what other people and the government think about a particular topic

Question 28

Pluralist democracy

Answer 28

Pluralist democracy = means that political power and influence are widley distributed so that different grpu[s can compete to sway the government in their favour

Question 29

Key features of PGS

Answer 29

* They seek to exert influence from outside rather than to win ot excercise government power. * They do not make policy decisonsbut rather try to influence those who do * They are external to the government and act as a channel of ongoing communication between people and the govermnet

Answer 30

Sectional / interest groups = represent the interests of a particular group within society.

Question 31

Examples of Sectional/interest groups?

Answer 31

The Muslim Council of Britian represents the interests of all British Muslims and the National Union of Students represents the interests of all students .

Question 32

Cause/promotional groups

Answer 32

Cause pressure groups = promote a particular issue . Pressure groups such as friends of the earth and Liberty which campaign on behalf of civil liberties in the UK, are cause groups because their members are united in their interest a particular cause.

Question 33

Examples of Cause/promotional groups

Answer 33

Pressure groups such as friends of the earth and Liberty which campaign on behalf of civil liberties in the UK,

Question 34

Insider groups

Answer 34

Insider group = has privelleged access to government decision making. (Add Clarifier)

Question 35

Examples of insider groups

Answer 35

The British Medical association represents doctors and so possesses specalist information that governments will wish to consults. The Howard Leauge Penal Reform is an important organisation that can supply the home office with important information concerning prison reform, policing and youth crime

Question 36

Outsider group

Answer 36

Do not possess access to political decison making and may even be unprepared to work within existing political structures that they see as hopelessly compromised

Question 37

Example of outsider groups

Answer 37

Extinction rebellion have carried out several high profile disruptive riots to gain public recognition

Question 38

Direct action

Answer 38

Some PG choose to engage in civil disobedience to achieve their aims A risk stratergy but can create immediate publicity and even rise so much disruption govt decises to back down or negotaite

Question 39

Examples of direct action

Answer 39

* In 1897 the riots quickened to pace of the parliamentary reform to extend the franchise * March 1990 extraordinary violence of the poll tax rioyts in trafalgar square further undermined already weakened PM Thatcher John Major abondned the tax * Trade union strikes

Question 40

Examples of insider status being succesful

Answer 40

BMA - provide govt with important information on doctors, N FARMERS UION and Confederation of British Industry can be called upon to supply government with specalist information Jack Jones in 1970s "Most powerful man in britian due to his influence on pms

Question 41

Wealth examples

Answer 41

CBI - represents 190,000 workers employing 7 million peoples are able to employ more than 100 policy researchers The institutive of directors representing british leaders and entrepreneurs is very wealthy operating in offices in 12 regions across the uk, isle of man and guernsey

Question 42

Celebrity leadership examples

Answer 42

Live aid 1985 and Live eight 2005 were closley associated with Bob Geldof 2009 Joanna Lumley vocally supported campaign for Gurkhurst to be granted full rights of residency in the UK Stephen Fry - Mind mental health campaign for lgbtq rights Marcus rashford - food for school children Emma Watson - he for she gender equality campaign

Question 43

Examples of social media

Answer 43

Friends of the earth Amnesty international

Question 44

Clickorary

Answer 44

internet enabling pressure groups to engage iwth public purely online

Question 45

Extinction Rebellion

Question 46

Amenesty International

Question 47

Just stop oil

Answer 47

Aims - to prevent the UK government from issuing new liscences for fossil fuel production Methods - blocking oil facilities, members gluing themselves to public places (M25), disrupting sporting and cultual events, slow marches in London Successes: Mainstream Media Attention through disruptive actions like road blockades - helped push climate change and role of fossil fuels into public consciousness. - Supporting broader climate movements such as Extinction Rebellion and Insulate Britain - amplified the wider climate movement and pushed for changes in environmental policy. - Increasing public awareness of fossil fuel expansion. Failures: Their direct actions such as disrupting sporting events and blocking roads have led to significant negative media. - Limited Policy Changes. - Continued to approve new oil and gas exploration projects. - In September 2023, Sunak announced the UK would issue new oil and gas licenses in North Sea. - Alienating public. - Limited Global Reach.

Question 48

How does size of membership affect pressure groups?

Answer 48

Success - bigger support, more pressure it can place on decision makers - politicians don't like to fly in the face of public opinion because they face the need for re-election Failure - smaller groups can be 'drowned out' by campaigns of larger groups - find it harder to raise funds and achieve their goals

Question 49

How does finance affect pressure groups?

Answer 49

Success - wealthy groups can afford expensive campaigns, employ lobbyists, sponsor political parties and purchase favourable publicity Failure - groups with less funding struggle to do these things, therefore difficult to make their voices heard

Question 50

How does the strategic position of a particlar sectional group affect pressure groups?

Answer 50

Success - a group that is seen as important to the economy can put greater pressure on the government - companies, NHS and industries have great leverage as they are vital to the economy Failure - groups that are not seen as important can be easily ignored

Question 51

How does public mood affect pressure groups? | ``` ```

Answer 51

Success - public sentiment and strong campaigning can be successful in bringing an issue to the attention of decision makers Failure - can turn politicians against certain groups (either for the issue they champion or because methods they use alienate public opinion

Question 52

How does attitude of government affect success?

Answer 52

Success - far more likely to achieve success if government is sympathetic to cause and position Failure - if the government is determined to follow a course of action, it is unlikely a group will be able to change their decision

Question 53

Do pressure groups enhance or threaten democracy?

Answer 53

Enhance - help to disperse power and influence more widely - educate the public about important political issues - give people more opportunities to participate in politics - promote and protect the interests and rights of minority groups - help to call the government to account Threaten - some considered elitist and tend to concentrate power in too few hands - may distort information in their own interest - groups that are internally undemocratic may not accurately represent views of members and supporters - use of civil disobedience can undermine freedom and rights of other citizens

Question 54

Think Tank

Question 55

Lobbyists

Question 56

Coroporations

Question 57

Lobbying

Question 58

Revolving doors

Question 59

The Belmarsh Nine 2004

Answer 59

9 men had challeneged a decision of the speical immigration

Question 60

2006 identity cards act

Answer 60

Labour government implemented idenitity cards Civil liberties groups saw this as an erosion of civil liberties and campaigned against it Government limiting human rights

Question 61

2005 90 day detention bill

Question 62

2010 repeal of identity cards act

Question 63

Abu Qatada case

Answer 63

Abu Qatada was protected under the HRA 1998 wasnt able to be sent to Jordan as evidence of torture Jordan said they would not torture him in 2014 and was sent to jordan where a year later he was released as innocent

Question 64

The police crime sentencing and courts act 2022

Answer 64

Act allowed senior police officiers to give directions and impose conditions to limit impact of public protests Opposed from civil libery groups Government limiting human rights