Democracy and participation Flashcards
what are some arguments for making voting compulsory ?
-voting us a social duty and people should be involved in things that affect their lives
-it would make parliament more representative
-politicans would have to run better campaigns with the whole of electorate in mind
-spoiled ballot paper can be produced if choice still cannot be made
what are disadvantages to the British system of democracy ?
- under representation of minority viewpoints
-lack of protection for citizens rights
-democratic legitimacy of HOL
-control of certain media sections by wealthy, unaccountable business interests
is there participation crisis in terms of voter turnout (reasons for yes) ?
-low turnout means that government are elected on reduced shared of population which causes questionable legitimacy
-turnout is espcially low in ‘second-order’ elections like those for the devolved bodies as people struggle to see how these will make differences in life
-although turnout is not incredibly low it is still not an accurate representation of the population as some groups are more likely to vote than others e.g elderly
what is representative democracy ?
-people elect representatives who take decisions on their behalf
how free media be seen as advantage to the British system of democracy ?
-it challenges the government
-exposes politicians misdeeds and scandals e.g. Iraq war
-allows a range of ideas and viewpoints to be displayed to the public
when and what were the second and third reform acts ?
- second reform act 1867- doubles electorate to 2 milliom
-third reform act 1884- franchise extended to most working men
what is meant by parliamentary democracy ?
- where the parliament stands as the highest form authority
what are some disadvantages to representative democracy ?
-not all votes tje same value due to size to different constituencies
-may lead to voter fatigue as parties and pressure groups and run by elites
-minorities can still be underrepresented as politicians can avoid accountability and could be incompetent and corrupt
why is wide range of politics parties seen as an advantage to the British system of democracy
-more representation (although not all 19 have a representation in parliament) minorities are less likely to be ignored
why can the house of lords can be seen as a disadvantage to the British system of democracy ?
-it lacks democratic legitimacy as no members are elected and largely chosen by PM’s
-many places were hereditary until new labour ended 92 of them in 1997
what are some advantages to representative democracy?
- only practical in a large modern state
-politicians from parties bring people choice- encourages a pluralist democracy
-reduced chance of minorties being overriden
what is a pressure group
how is this different to a political party
-an organisation which influences politics
-because they only aim to influence they are not accountable for the public they are unorganised part of political party
what are some proposals to reform the uks voting system to increase turnout ?
-change election day from thursday to a weekend
-allow people to vote anywhere in their constituency not just at one polling station
-voting takes place over several days
what and when was the human right acts ?
-1998
-allows you to defend your rights in the UK court and compels public organisation
-these includes freedom of speech, freedom of movement, freedom of conscience(belief or religon)
give some major points in the development in the human rights ?
-magna carta 1215
-human rights acts 1998
-European convention on human rights 1950
-equality act 2010
