Democracy and participation Flashcards
What is a democracy?
A way of governing depending on the will of the people
What is voter participation?
Voters involving themselves in politics
What is needed for a healthy democracy?
Representation of the electorate, fair and frequent elections and choice within political parties
What are examples of voter participation?
Voting in elections or referendums, protesting, creating or signing online petitions and being part of a pressure group
What are limits to voter participation?
The repeal of the Fixed Term Parliaments Act 2011 in 2022, increased police powers through the Public Order Act, online petitions having to be backed by the Backbench Business Committee, petitions being debated but no change coming from it, a pressure group not having much money or being big, voter apathy
What reforms have been suggested to encourage democracy?
Electoral reform (replacing FPTP), reforming the House of Lords to become an elected chamber online voting, compulsory voting and lowering the voting age to 16 (already happened in Scotland under the Scottish Elections (Reduction of Voting Age) 2015
Is the UK largely a representative or direct democracy?
Representative as we have MPs who represent their constituents e.g. Gareth Johnson MP of Dartford, Jeremy Corbyn MP of Islington North
What is an example of direct democracy?
Referendums
What is a think tank?
A group of experts paid by the government for policy ideas and can influence decision makers
What are lobbyists and how do they influence policy?
They are people hired by organisations or pressure groups to influence MPs on certain policy issues
They influence the government through political donations (money), gifts and meals.
How do corporations influence policy?
By controlling part of the economy and making donations to political parties.
What are examples of prominent think tanks?
The Fabien Society (Labour), the Adam Institute (Conservative) and the Legatum Institute (focused on Brexit)
What are examples of corporations influencing government?
- Hiring Lobbyists - £2 billion is spent per year on lobbyists; 80% of lobbying is made by FTSE 100 companies
- Political donations - £250,000 by Flowidea Ltd to the Conservative Party
£200,000 by Dusty TLP Ltd to the Labour Party - Owning the media - Rupert Murdoch owning The Sun, The Times and The Sunday Times - The Sun backing Blair in the 1997 election
- Revolving door syndrome - Nick Clegg became Facebook (Meta’s) head of global affairs; Sue Gray went from civil servant to Labour’s chief of Staff
What are examples of lobbyists?
David Cameron lobbied for Greenshill Capital after leaving Downing Street; Hanbury Strategy (Ameet Gill former advisor to David Cameron and Paul Stephenson the director of the campaign Vote Leave) - lobby issues surrounding Brexit issues that may affect their clients
