Democracy and Participation Flashcards
What is a direct democracy?
Citizens can vote themselbes on the policies and laws which are made by the government as opposed to acting through others
Decisions are reached by a majority voting system
Examples of direct democracy
- Referendums - 33 million UK citizens voted on whether to leave the EU with 51.89% voting yes + AV referendum 2011 over 19 million citizens voted agaisnt AV and to keep FPTP
- Online petitions - If one gains over 100k signatures then parliament may debate the topic. BUT, a topic must be sponsored by the ‘Backbench Business Committee’ so it is not entirely democratic i.e. 1.6 million people signed a petition to stop Trump from making a State visit to the UK -> was debated and changed from a ‘state visit to a ‘working visit’ in 2018
- Rallies and protests - groups of people concerned about the government or political actions may gather to demonstrate their support or disapproval. BUT, governments don’t have to respond to protests i.e. 2017 thousands of citizens gathered in London against the government’s economic and political decisions as people disapproved of austerity measures + 2010 students protested against the rise in tuition fees
Advantages of direct democracy
Transparent
Shows clear wishes of the people
Cooperation (people more likely to engage if they believe they can make a difference)
The purest type of democracy
Can educated citizens on political issues i.e. AV referendum in 2011 informed people about different kinds of voting
All votes count equally
Disadavantages of direct democracy
Impractical - too time-consuming, expensive and not pratical to make frequent decisions i.e. EU referendum 2016 cost £142.2m according to the Cabinet Office
Can be manipulated - questions may be phrased awkwardly and the timing of elections i.e. EU referendum was changed from “yes/no” to “remain/leave” as yes/no may have benefitted the yes side, people may vote emotionally and the electorate may be influenced by political figures, the media or campaigns
Voters may be less knowledgeable and less able to make an informed decision than a representative politician
What is a representative democracy?
Elected representatives from organised parties make the decisions on the behalf of their voters
Regular elections give representatives authority and make the system legitimate
UK is a representative democracy as MPs are elected to Parliament by the electorate in a general election -> makes them accountable to UK citizens who have voted for them but political power remains predominantly in the power of representatives, not the public
Examples of representative democracy
- MPs - general elections involves voting for a candidate to represent their consituency. 650 constiuencies so 650 representatives are voted by citizens to gain a ‘seat’ in the House of Commons -> these representatives act on behlaf of their constituency in parliament
- UK general elections - take place every 5 years in May. Parliament can decied to hold one earlier by voting to support a motion of no-confidence in the Government or by voting by a two-thirds majority in favour of a general election. Most recent in 2019 (Conservatives won 43.6% of the popular vote)
- Question time - members of government questioned by MPs on issues that may be of concern to their constituents i.e. PMQ’s takes place every Wednesday for half hour and PM is questioned by leader of opposition and MPs
- Debate - MPs can propose a debate and debate themselves in Parliament, on various issues whoch will have importance for the voters they represent
- Laws - the way MPs vote on laws in Q
Parliament may be based on representing views of their constituents i.e. MPs Ken Clarker and Anna Soubry voted in favour of giving Parliament a vote on any Brexit deal which is reached, representing their constituents and going against the Conservative Party
Advantages of representative democracy
- Representatives have expertise and are better qualified to make important political decisions. HOWEVER, public can be educated on public policy and current political issues
- Representatives can make sure that all in society are accounted for -> can protect the interests of minority groups better than the majority of the population can when voting. Can also put together the interests and demands of voters and make policy proposals that work best for everyone -> voters in direct democracies may have lots of different demands and difficulty comes when those decisions have to be entacted
- Public and institutions can hold representatives accountable for their decisions -> in direct democracies it is harder to hold the people as a whole accountable
- Practicality - citizens cannot always make decisions and so the elections of representatives acting on their behlaf is more practical and beneficials
Disadvantages of representative democracy
- Low participation levels means the representatives will not accurately reflect those they represent in parliament i.e. turnout for EU Parliament elections in the UK was 35.6% in 2014 and as result, more marginal radical parties have seats -> UKIP wom 26.6% of the UK popular vote in the European Parliament, but at the general election only won 12.6% of the vote
- Inaccurate representation - representatives may not share same characteristics as constituents (descriptive representation) i.e. 29% of MPs are privately educated and only 7% of the UK is. Representatives may not advocate on behalf of certain groups (susbtantive representation) i.e. Cameron pushed through legilsation to legalise gay marriage in the UK, depsite not being gay. Can be argued that a parliament needs both types to truly represent
- Representatives may choose to act in their own best interest or in the best interest of a select few constituents, rather than all of them
- Delegates vs trustees - represtatives can either act as delegates and express the view of those they represent or as trustees. Trustees have more freedom to choose actions they think will be best for their constituents. If acting as a trustee but voters want them as a delegates they not be accurately representing the wishes of their voters
Similarities between representative and direct democracy
Both allow voters to make important decisions
Both use mandates from the public to make decisions
Differences between representative and direct democracy
Each and every voter makes decisions in direct whereas a representative makes decisions on behalf of its voters
In representative each vote might be worth different amounts depending on constituency size whereas in direct they are all equal
Direct uses mandates from public votes whereas in representative they votes for a representative are taken as a mandate or the votes of several representatives is taken as a mandate
What is a mandate?
When a political party or decision-maker has the authority to make decisions or put policies in place
Winning a seat in an election gives MPs a mandate from their voters
The democratic deficit as a reason the UK needs democratic reform
This is the belief that democracy is not working as intended and is failing to ensure sufficient accountability and legitimacy
In the case of the UK, thise refers to problems with representative democracy in practice
Low voter turn out as an example of democratic deficit
UK election turnout fell after 1997 (although has started rising again)
Election turnout is incredibly lower imn elections other than general elections, such as European Parliament elections and local elections -> 35.6% in the 2014 EU parliament election
The voting system as an example of the democratic deficit in the UK
FPTP creates a two-party system -> parties with no large, country-wide base find it hard to gain seats
Two main parties can win less than 40% of the vote but win a majority of seats
FPTP creates ‘safe’ searts, where one party is almost certain to win -> leads to opposition voters potentially feeling that their interest are unrepresented
In votes with many candidates, the popular vote may split, and a candidate with a low vote may win -> In Belfast South in 2015, the winning candidate hs 24.5% of the vote
Institutions as an example of the democratic deficit in the UK
The House of Lords has a mostly unelected membership. Some peers are hereditary peers and inherited their title. The house doesn’t share many of the characterisitics as the UK public, and costs the taxpayers money
The Supreme Court is another unelected institutions with power to challenege laws
The EU as an example of the democratic deficit in the UK
EU regulations are binding and member states don’t get to pick and choose the ones they want to obey
i.e. free movement of labour means that governments can’t restrict immigration from the EU
There have been several movements across Europe to leave the EU as a result -> accordingly, the UK voted to leabe the EU in 2016 (Brexit)
Types of democratic reform: Electoral reform
Some believe it is time to change the voting system, for example away from FPTP to the AV system
Types of democratic reform: House of Lords reform
Some people want to reform the House of Lords because it is not elected, and so not representative of the people, but has an important say in legislation passed
The Liberal Democrats have proposed introducing an elected second chamber (i.e. a Senate)
Types of democratic reform: Online voting
Currently, voting in UK elections involves the time and money of setting up polling stations and providing physical resources
Online voting from phones and computers could reduce these costs -> as well as this, voters may find it difficult to turn up to polling stations, especially if they cannot take time off work. Online voting is more likely to engage with younger voters and people too busy to vote - so might increase election turnout
Types of democratic reform: Compulsory voting
Having voting as a legal duty, and fining people for not voting is a way of increasing turnout, making election results more representative of the entire electorate -> happens in Australia and turnout is around 95%
Types of democratic reform: lowering the voting age
Many argue that 16-18-year-olds are citizens that should have parliamentary representation
In Scotland, legislation was passed in 2015 to allow 16-year-olds to vote in elections -> they were allowed to vote in the 2014 Independence Referendum
Arguments against reform
- Pressure groups can effectively scrutinise government and allow the representation of minority interests. They can inform the public of key issues and engage the public in politics
- No demand for major reform i.e. House of Lords reform rejected in 2012 and in 2011 the publix voted against AV
- Media can scutinise politicians and hold them to account. Is an effective way of monitoring UK politics and informing voters
- The UK has similar electoral participation level as to the rest of Western democracies
What is franchise/suffrage?
Suffrage, or having the franchise, is the right and ability to engage in politics and vote in an elections
“Extending” the franchise means increasing the number of people who can vote in elections
Problems with UK franchise historically
By the early 1800s only 400,000 people could vote and constituencies were boroughs or counties
Rules meant some wealthy people could vote multiple times while others not at all
Different boroughs had different rules on who could vote
Small “rotten” boroughs with few people living in them had an MP, but growing industrial representation
Women excluded as well as many working class men
Acts of Parliament for Franchise: 1832 Great Reform Act
Many rotten boroughs abolished and representation was given to urban areas like Manchester
In the counties, more people given franchise, like tenant farmers
Gave the vote to middle class people in the boroughs i.e. small landowners and shopkeepers
HOWEVER, most working men could still not vote as the Act required property
Acts of Parliament for Franchise: 1918 Representation of the People Act
Let women vote in general elections (still had to be either married, owned property or graduates and other 30)
All men over 21 given the vote
Was passed by the wartime coalition government
Act passed partly becuase of the pressure to give the vote to working class men without property who had served their country in the army
Acts of Parliament for Franchise: 1918 Representation of the People Act
Extended suffrage to all women
Was passed under a Conservative government
Acts of Parliament for Franchise: 1969 Representation of the People Act
Extended suffrage to people under 21, after attitudes to adulthod changed in the UK
Was passed under a Labour government
Women’s Suffrage in the UK: Suffragettes
Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) used direct action and militant methods to show the urgency of women’s suffrage -> methods included setting fire to buildings, attacking post boxes, and attempting to hurt politicians
Campaigners were imprisoned for their actions -> then went on hunger strikes -> made struggle pubic and people criticised the Liberal government
Women’s Suffrage in the UK: Suffragists
Tried to achieve vote by using peaceful methods, trying to get a bill passed in the Houses of Parliament. Methods included:
- Tried to organise cross-party support and convince and lobby politicians of the importance of female suffrage
- Used peaceful protests and gathered support with petitions
Successful in getting bills to parliament, but none were made into law
Debates over women’s suffrage
Some historians argue the Suffragettes were too militant in their actions and actually hindered their cause by alienating the government
Some historians argue that Suffragists were more effective becuase they used peaceful methods, and their contributions to suffrage had been underappreciated
