democracy and participation

Question 1

representative democracy?

Answer 1

a form of deomcracy in which voters elect representatives to make political to make political decisions on their behalf. these representatives are then held accountable to the public in regular elections

Question 2

direct democracy?

Answer 2

a form of democracy where the people themselves make key decisions. in modern societies this usually takes the form of holding referendums

Question 3

advantages of representative democracy?

Answer 3

-government is carried out by professional politicans who are required to be well informed about political issues
-elected politicans balance conflicting interests when reaching decisions
-also comprises the principle of accountability

Question 4

disadvantages of representative democracy?

Answer 4

-critics argue that MPs represent a metroplitan elite that does’t represent the traditional values
-pressure groups, lobbyists and the london based media also establish a self perpetuating westminster ‘bubble’
-MPs can have outside interests, including a second job - can contribute to a conflict of interest.
-Highly unrepresentative as it is elected through FPTP
-house of lords is unelected so cannot be held accountable

Question 5

forms of direct democracy?

Answer 5

-referendums
-electronic petitions
-election of the leadership of political parties
-recall of MPs Act 2015

Question 6

why and when have referendums been used?

Answer 6

referendums enable the public to directly express their views on single issues. in 2014, in the scottish independence referendum, 55.3% voted in favour of Scotland remianing in the UK and 44.7% voted in favour of independence.

Question 7

advantages and disadvantages of referendums?

Answer 7

ADVANTAGES:
-providing the public with a direct choice can help to settle controversial issues
DISADVANTAGES:
-critics note that referendums require a detailed understanding of issues, which the public may lack.
-also believed that referendums do not conclusively resolve contentious issues

Question 8

why and when are electronic petitions?

Answer 8

if a petition on the government website reaches 100,000 signatures it will be considered for debate either in westminster hall or the chamber of the house of commons. in 2021 several important issues were raied by e-petitions such as making it a legal requirement for night clubs to search guests on entry

Question 9

advantages and disadvantages of e-petitions?

Answer 9

DISADVANTAGES:
-e petitions can als raise false expectationsand consume parliamentary time
-there are issues on which parliament

Question 10

Sir tony blair epetition

Answer 10

an epetiton to revoke sir tony blairs knighthood gained more than 1 million signatures but was rejected because knighthoods are bestowed by the monarch

Question 11

why and when has election of the leadership of political parties been used?

Answer 11

all the main political parties now allow their members to decide who the leader of their party will be. in 2022, Liz Truss defeated Rishi Sunak for the leadership of the conservative party by 57% to 43%.

Question 12

advantages and disadvantages of election of the leadership of political parties?

Answer 12

ADVANTAGES:
supporters argue that ths makes the leadership accountable to the whole party
DISADVANTAGES:
-critics claim it gives too much influence to party activists, who are generally more radical than than the electorate

Question 13

why and when was the recall of MPs act 2015 used?

Answer 13

if an MP has been imprisoned, suspended from the house by the commitee on standards or convicted of making false expenses claims then a recall petition signed by a minimum of 10% of their consistuentsk can trigger a by election. in 2019 the Peterborough MP Fiona Onasanya was sentenced to a three month jail term for perverting the course of justice. 25% of registered voters demanded her recall and shedid not contest the subseqent by election.

Question 14

what are advantages and disadvantages of the recall of MPs act 2015?

Answer 14

Advantages:
power of recall makes MPs accountable to their constituents in matters of serious misconduct or illegal behaviour
Disadvantages:
however, the circumstances in which it can be activated are extreme that critics argue its impact has been negliglble

Question 15

advantages of direct democracy?

Answer 15

• supporters of direct democracy argue that it engages the public and makes politicians more responsive to what people really think
• By providing the public with more oppurtunities to make decisions it creates greater engagement in the political process, encouraging a more politically educated and critically involved citizenry
• a greater use of direct democracy ensures that our representatives are kept better informed of developing public attitudes through referendums, consultative exercies and electronic petitions

Question 16

Disadvanatges of direct democracy?

Answer 16

• simplifies quention to simple binary (yes/no) when the issues are much more complex
  -Brexit vote, not enough people understood what leaving or staying in the EU truly meant and the impacts it would have on the UK
• a direct democracy can challenge the Burkean principle that representatives should act according to their conscience , not the wishes of their constituents
  - example of this is theresa may, who supported remain in the 2016 referendum but went on to lead a government committed to withdrawing from the EU
• Direct democracy can also influence the public to make decisions on subjects they are not fully educated on

Question 17

define participation crisis

Answer 17

A situation where a large proportion of the population do not engage with the political process

Question 18

indicators of a participation crisis

Answer 18

• voter turnout
• party membership
• politics in youth

Question 19

explain how public trust in MPs causes lack of participation (2009)

Answer 19

• in 2009, MPs collectively were held up to contempt and ridicule over allegations that they were overclaiming on their expenses.
• a continuing criticism is that MPs can exploit their public position for private gain. i

Question 19

explain how public trust in MPs causes lack of participation (2010)

Answer 19

• In 2010, a former labour minister, Stephen Byers was secretly filmed telling a consultancy firm that he was like a cab for hire

Question 20

explain how public trust in MPs causes lack of participation (2021)

Answer 20

• In 2021, Conservative minister Owen Paterson resigned as an MP after the house of commons Standards Commitee suspended him for 30 days for an ‘egregious case of paid advocacy’.

Question 21

Summarise how all the issues with MPs in 2009, 2010 and 2021 have influenced participation

Answer 21

Media interest in such stories has done much to damage the credibility of Westminster and fuel voter disengagement.

Question 22

Voter turnout in the UK compared to the rest of the world?

Answer 22

The UK is ranked 76th in the world for voter turnouts - very bad considering the UK is supposedly one of the worlds Leading democracies

Question 23

evidence to suggest party membership is declining

Answer 23

only 1.6% of the electorate belong to one of the three main parties, this is down from 3.8% in 1983

conservatives - 400,000 members in the mid 1990s but only around 150,000 in 2016

although this might not be important as there are other ways to engage in politics, like through pressure groups - so this decline does not necessarily suggest there is a PC

Question 24

evidence to suggest party membership is rising (Labour)

Answer 24

Labour — increased membership in the run up to the 1997 election, which fell to around 190,000 while they were in government

but the election of Jeremy Corbyn as leader has been associated with the rise in membership to 515,000 in July 2016 (corbyn effect)

Question 25

party membership: evidence to suggest it is rising (Lib Dems)

Answer 25

LibDems — 70,000 members in the early 2000s, falling to 49,000 during the 2010-15 coalition but rising again to over 82,000 in 2017

rising membership for both Labour and LibDem, not every party has seen a drop in membership

Question 26

party membership: evidence to suggest it is rising (small parties)

Answer 26

there has been an increase in membership of smaller parties

SNP — in 2013, only had a membership of 25,000, but by 2016 this had risen to 120,000

the Green Party only had a membership of 13,000 in 2013, but by 2016 this rose to 55,000

UKIP has also seen a small rise in membership from 32,000 in 2013 to 39,000 in 2016 — small difference, but still rising

in 2015, a record 24.8% of the vote went to smaller parties other than the three major parties

Question 27

however, there are other ways, besides voting and being a member of a party, in which people are still getting involved in politics, which are…

Answer 27

pressure group membership is increasing

social media

(suggests there might not be a participation crisis, people are simply turning to new methods of political expression)

Question 28

other ways people involve themselves in politics: social media

Answer 28

online campaigns — e.g. e-petition against road charging proposals was signed by more than 1.8 million people in 2007

parliament must discuss the issue if a petition reaches over 100,000 signatures

in 2019, petitions to put pressure on the Chinese government over their treatment of Uyghur Muslims was signed by well over 100,000 people

Question 29

reasons for participation crisis

Answer 29

political apathy

disillusionment / disenchantment

depends on the issue at stake

Question 30

depends on the issue at stake: example

Answer 30

if a critical issue that affects how the country is governed is at stake then more people will tend to express their views and vote

for example, in the 2014 Scottish Independence referendum over 84% of people voted

turnout for the 2016 EU referendum was also high at 72%

Question 31

MPs expenses scandal (2009)

Answer 31

in 2009, the Daily Telegraph published evidence of widespread abuse by MPs of the system that allows them to claim expenses for living costs

some MPs had made false claims for mortgage repayments, home insurance, etc, as well as very absurd and unnecessary claims such as the purchase of a duck house

led to numerous MPs apologising, repaying claims and stepping down at the next election — 5 former MPs and 2 Lords were also sentenced to prison

steps have been taken to change the expenses system but this does not seem to have altered the negative perception of politicians

a 2015 survey found that politicians were the least trusted profession, below estate agents and bankers

this scandal caused people to lose faith and trust in politicians to do their jobs properly

Question 32

What is a pressure group?

Answer 32

An organised group that aims to influence government regarding a specific cause.

Question 33

Explain how elections are run in the UK today.

Answer 33

Explain how elections are run in the UK today.

Question 34

What legislation passed in 1832 contributed to the extension of the franchise? What did it achieve?

Answer 34

The Great Reform Act:
- Extended the franchise to 800000 people.
- Disbanded rotten boroughs and redrew constituency boundaries.

Question 35

What legislation passed in 1867 contributed to the extension of the franchise? What did it achieve?

Answer 35

The Second Reform Act:
- Enfranchised the urban male working class.
- A product of the chartist movement.

Question 36

What legislation passed in 1887 contributed to the extension of the franchise? What did it achieve?

Answer 36

The Third Reform Act:
- Extended the vote to all working men that had land/rented land valued over £10.
- Electorate increased by 5.5 million.

Question 37

What legislation passed in 1918 contributed to the extension of the franchise? What did it achieve?

Answer 37

The Representation of the People Act:
- Enfranchised women over 30, although there was a property qualification.

Question 38

What legislation passed in 1928 contributed to the extension of the franchise? What did it achieve?

Answer 38

Equal Franchise Act:
- All men and women over 21 could vote.
- Eliminated property qualifications for women.

Question 39

What legislation passed in 1969 contributed to the extension of the franchise? What did it achieve?

Answer 39

Representation of the People Act:
- Lowered the voting age to 18.

Question 40

Prior to 1832, what was the ‘franchise’ like in the UK?

Answer 40

Less than 4% of the population were eligible to vote, mainly wealthy, male, land-owning aristocrats could vote.

Question 41

What does franchise mean?

Answer 41

The right to vote

Question 42

What are some ways in which people think the franchise should be expanded today in the UK?

Answer 42

• The franchise should be expanded to 16 and 17 year olds.
• The franchise should be expanded to adult prisoners.

Question 43

Give three arguments against compulsory voting.

Answer 43

1. Abuse of freedom means the result is illegitimate, the right not to vote is as important as the right to vote.
2. Ill-informed decisions, compulsion can lead to worthless votes or uneducated voters.
3. Cosmetic democracy, compulsory voting doesn’t address/fix the deep rooted issues within the electoral system but rather creates an illusion of participation.

Question 44

Give evidence to support the three arguments against compulsory voting.

Answer 44

1. Abuse of Freedom - 5-6% of ballots in Australia are spoiled ballots, shows people would prefer not to vote.
2. Ill-informed decisions - High number of ‘donkey votes’. Eg. Australia 2012, 5.5%
3. Cosmetic democracy - Long-term declining turnout in the UK, since 1997 turnout under 70%.

Question 45

Give three arguments in favour of compulsory voting.

Answer 45

1. Increased Participation.
2. Increased Legitimacy, more voters means a more legitimate government.
3. Responsive Government means the government is forced to represent minority groups that usually would be ignored due to low participation. I.e. youths.

Question 46

Give evidence to support the three arguments in favour of compulsory voting.

Answer 46

1. Increased Participation - In Australia, prior to 2013 turnout was 60%, when compulsory voting was used in 2013 it was 93%
2. Increased Legitimacy - In the 2019 UK General election, only 29% of votes supported the Conservative Party which won an 80 seat majority.
3. Responsive Government - In the 2010 general election, 47% of 18-24s voted compared to 76% of over 65s. The coalition government scrapped youth benefits and protected pensioners more.

Question 47

Explain how pressure groups use digital democracy to achieve their aims, give an example of a campaign.

Answer 47

Pressure groups can use social media and e-petitions like change.org to spread their aims to a wider breadth of people. I.e Brexit revoke article 50 petition signed by 5.8 million.

Campaigns: Ice-bucket challenge, anti-fgn, recall power etc.

Question 48

Give some ways in which pressure groups can achieve their aims.

Answer 48

Digital democracy, lobbying/insider status, civil disobedience, surveys, legal action and celebrity endorsement.

Question 49

Who are those excluded from voting?

Answer 49

• People aged under 18
• EU citizens (apart from those from the Irish Republic), although they can vote in local elections
• Member of the House of Lords
• Prisoners
• Those convicted of a corrupt or illegal electoral practice
• People who are compulsorily detained in a psychiatric hospital

Question 50

Why were women not allowed the vote before the 20th century?

Answer 50

It was assumed that married women were represented by the vote cast by their husbands. Women were allowed to vote in local elections, though.

Question 51

Who were ‘suffragists’?

Answer 51

Mainly middle-class women who believed in non-violent methods of persuasion such as peaceful demonstrations, petitions and lobbying MPs.

Question 52

REFORM OF UK DEMOCRACY(voting rules)

Answer 52

a) Changing election day from Thursday to Sunday, as in mainland Europe.
b) Allowing people to vote anywhere in their constituency rather than insisting on attendance at a particular polling station.
c) Allowing voting over several days or via postal voting
e-voting (online).
d) Reduce voting age from 18 to 16 (allowed in the Scottish Referendum).
e) Making voting compulsory (failure to turn up leads to a fine).
f) Allowing prisoners the vote.

Question 53

REFORM OF UK DEMOCRACY ( further devolution)

Answer 53

a) Giving people greater self-determination by voting on a localised level.
b) May not ensure enthusiasm.
- EXAMPLE. 78% of voters voted against a North-East assembly in 2004.
c) Elected mayoral elections have a low turnout.
- EXAMPLE. London Mayor 2016 = 45.3% turnout.
- EXAMPLE. Manchester Mayor 2016 = 29.9% turnout.

Question 54

REFORM OF UK DEOMCRACY(Power of Recall)

Answer 54

a) Recall of MPs Act was passed in 2015, enabling voters to trigger a by-election if 10% of them sign a petition.
b) Only can happen if they are sentenced to prison or suspended from the House of Commons for at least 21 days.
- By broadening the criteria, this could give constituents considerably more power.
- EXAMPLE. In the USA, 18 states have recall provisions and in 2003, the governor of California, Gray Davis was recalled over his failure to balance the budget.

Question 55

REFORM OF UK DEMOCRACY(House of Lords Reform)

Answer 55

a) The House of Lords is unelected and unaccountable.
- Its membership is. selected through political patronage.
- EXAMPLE. In 2016, David Cameron appointed 13 peers from among his political allies.
b) However, although an elected chamber would make them democratically accountable, there is a danger that they could rival the Commons, creating constitutional gridlock.

Question 56

REFORM OF UK DEMOCRACY(Digital Democracy)

Answer 56

a) By facilitating voting and encouraging electronic political discussion, it will encourage greater political engagement and higher turnout.
b) Is problematic as:
- Voting on your mobile phone at your convenience would mean that voting was no longer carried out in secret, so the possibility of voter manipulation would increase.
- Allegations of cyber-interference in Western elections by Russia indicates that electronic voting is more open to fraud.
- The way in which Politicians use twitter can encourage populist sloganeering.
- The standard of debate on social media indicates that activists can use this as much to bully as to engage in considered debate.

Question 57

Should voting be made compulsory? (YES)(with example)

Answer 57

Voting is a civic responsibility, like jury service. If citizens are not required to fulfil the duties of citizenship then the principles of civic society are undermined.
- 22 countries have introduced some form of compulsory voting.
- EXAMPLE. Belgium was the first in 1892, in the 2019 federal election, turnout was 88.4%

Question 58

Another reason for voting being made compulsory

Answer 58

Political apathy is a problem in many liberal democracies.
- Limited numbers of people voting can undermine the legitimacy of the result, especially if turnout falls beneath 50%.
- It produces a parliament that is more representative of the whole population.
- EXAMPLE. In the 2016 US Presidential election, just 58% of the electorate voted.
- EXAMPLE. In the 2019 election, turnout was 67.3% (it had been 77.7% in 1992).

Question 59

Reason for compulsory voting (against)

Answer 59

he public has the right to choose whether or not to vote in an election.
- It is up to politicians to mobilise public enthusiasm by providing reasons to vote.
- Compulsory voting could, therefore, remove the incentive for politicians to engage with the public (undemocratic).

Question 60

Reason for compulsory voting (against)

Answer 60

The votes of politically disengaged citizens will carry less weight than the votes of those who take their civic responsibilities seriously.
- Random voting could undermine the legitimacy of the result.

Question 61

Reason for compulsory voting (against)

Answer 61

Compulsory voting is based on coercion, which is alien to the British political system.

Question 62

Reason for compulsory voting (against)

Answer 62

Voting is a civic right but it is not a duty such as the payment of taxes.
d) According to liberal political theory, the extension of the power of the state over the individual ought to be resisted since it limits our right to act in the way we wish.
- The British state has traditionally intervened as little as possible in the liberties of its citizens (National Citizenship Service is voluntary).

Question 63

Reason for compulsory voting (against)

Answer 63

Not voting can be a positive decision to register dissatisfaction with the candidates or the process (it doesn’t solve reasons as to why people don’t vote).
- EXAMPLE. Only 25% of the electorate voted for police commissioners in 2016, which may indicate that voters regard the post as insignificant.
- Forcing the public to vote for a choice they disagree with is an infringement of civic rights.

Question 64

What is a pressure group and how are they categorised?

Answer 64

• A group seeking to influence government policy or another authority (business activity) to secure the interests of their members and supporters.
• This could be encouraging them to adopt their ideas or not pursue a policy of which they disapprove.
• Yet the term pressure group is inclusive and can be classified in various ways, such as:
  1. Sectional/Interests Groups
  2. Cause/Promotional Groups
  3.Social Movements
  4. Insider Groups (relationship with the government)
  5. Outsider Groups (relationship with the government)

Question 65

What is a Cause/Promotional group?

Answer 65

Seek to promote issues of interests to its members and supporters concerning a particular topic.

Question 66

What is a Sectional/Interests group?

Answer 66

Seek to protect the interests of members (an occupation or another group in society).
a) EXAMPLE. Muslim Council of Britain
- Represents the interests of British Muslims.
b) EXAMPLE. National Union of Students (NUS)
- Represents the interests of students.

Question 67

What is a Social Movement?

Answer 67

Very similar to cause groups but are more chaotically structured and less organised as well as usually being political radical and seek to achieve a broader objective.

Question 68

What is the difference between an Insider and Outsider group?

Answer 68

• Have the privileged access to government decision making.
• Not to be seen to be influencing the government or not consulted by the government.

Question 69

What are the different tactics that Pressure Group use?(Indirect action)

Answer 69

a) Publicity.
b) Leaflets / Adverts.
c) Petitions.
d) Providing research.

Question 70

What are the different tactics that Pressure Group use?(Direct action)

Answer 70

a) Lobbying.
b) Protests.
c) Boycotts.
d) Civil Disobedience (causing obstruction, sit-ins, lie-downs…).

Question 71

What are the different tactics that Pressure Group use?(Illegal direct action)

Answer 71

a) Terrorism - intimidation of workers or owners/management of a business.
b) Violence - bombing, shootings, threats, attack.
c) Criminal damage - damage to property, releasing animals into the wild (Animal Liberation Front).

Question 72

what factors help pressure groups achieve success?

Answer 72

• insider status
• wealth
• celebrity leadership
• social media
• Direct action

Question 73

Why are some pressure groups more successful than others?

Answer 73

RIPE
R- resources
I - ideological compatibility with the government
P - popularity
E - expertise

Question 74

How do resources lead to pressure groups being more succcessful than others?

Answer 74

A large membership who pay subscription gives a group greater financial resources to run offices, pay permanent staff and organise publicity.
- EXAMPLE. The RSPCA employs 1600 people and affords newspaper advertising.

Question 75

How does ideological commpatibility with the government lead to pressure groups being more succcessful than others?

Answer 75

a) Insider contacts with government ministers and civil servants are often a key to success.
b) The political bias of the government will determine which pressure groups are able to claim insider status.
- EXAMPLE. Trade Unions contribute to the Labour Party and are somewhat entitled to influence.
- EXAMPLE. Pressure groups which represent big business, such as the Institute of Directors or the Taxpayers Alliance are more influential in a Conservative administration.

Question 76

How does popularity with the government lead to pressure groups being more succcessful than others?

Answer 76

Pressure groups whose agenda is in step with public opinion are usually more successful than those whose objectives fail to engage it, or whose methods alienate potential sympathisers.
- Celebrity endorsements can provide an effective way of generating positive media coverage.

Question 77

How does expertise with the government lead to pressure groups being more succcessful than others?

Answer 77

a) Experienced, capable leadership is vital to success, also successful to know the access points in the UK political system to target.
b) Social media provides new opportunities for engagement.
- Hashtag campaigns can mobilise campaigns.