democracy and participation Flashcards
history of suffrage
by th early 1800 how many people in the UK had franchise
400,000
HIstory of suffrage
what did the 1832 great reform do?
- many ‘rotten’ boroughs abolished
- more middle class people with property the right to vote
- gave more urban cities like manhester an MP
HIstory of suffrage
what did the 1918 representation of the people act do?
- women who were over 30 and married, land owners or graduates could vote
- all men over 21 could vote
HIstory of suffrage
why did the 1918 rep of the people act come about?
created by the wartime coalition government so wanted to give back to working class soldiers who fought for their country
HIstory of suffrage
what did the 1928 representation of the people act do?
Passed under a conservative government and gave all women suffrage
HIstory of suffrage
What did the 1969 representation of the people act do?
passed under a labour government changed the voting age from 21 to 18 as attitudes towards young adults change
Direct Democracy
What is direct democracy
Citizens vote themselves on policies and law rather than through others
Direct Democracy
What is a referendum
citizens can directly vote on issues and the government can form policy on the result
Direct Democracy
What was the turnout for the United Kingdom European Union referendum in 2016
33 million voters across the UK
51.89% voted to leave
Direct Democracy
What was the turnout for the alternate vote system referendum in 2011
over 19 million citizens voted against adopting the alternative voting system so FPTP remained
Direct Democracy
How many signatures does a petition need to qualify for debate in the HOC
100,000
Direct Democracy
What committee needs to sponsor a petition for it to be debated in the HOC
The backbench business committee
Direct Democracy
Give an example and an outcome of a petition
1.6 million people signed a petition to stop donald trump visiting the UK on a ‘state visit’
Parliament debated this and changed his ‘state visit’ to a ‘working visit’ in 2018
Direct Democracy
What are 4 advantages of direct democracy in the UK
- wishes of the people are clear
- members of the public become more politically educated on what they are voting for
- purest form of democracy and does not involve any interpretation
- all votes are counted equally - if people think their vote matters more likely to politically participate
Direct Democracy
What are 3 disadvantages of direct democracy in the UK
- Impractical - expensive and time consuming
- Wording of the question at hand may be manipulated
- Voters are not political experts
Direct Democracy
Give an exampleof how direct democracy in the UK can be impractical
The cabinet office estimated that the 2016 eu referendum costs £142.2 million all together
Direct Democracy
Give an example of how direct democracy in the UK can be manipulated
The wording of the 2016 EU referndum was changed from yes/no to remain/leave as people may favour the ‘yes’ option
Define direct democracy
people decide and vote on policy directly
Define representative democracy
people vote for elected representatives and they make decisions on people’s behalf
Define democracy
a system of government where the people have ultimate power
Give an example of an online petition
In 2019 - around 6 million signed a petition to revoke article 50 and have the UK remain in the EU
representative democracy
Give 3 advantages of a representative democracy in the UK
- elected representatives have political knowledge
- belonging to a party enables voters to understand what their actions will be once in power
- being able to take a broader view of issues and balance the views of their constituency efectively
Representative democracy
What are 3 disadvantages of representative democracy
- MP may act out of self-interest
- low voter-turnout means that people are not being represented
- MP’s inaccurately represent the people e.g. in their education
Representative democracy
Give an example of low voter turnout
Turnout for EU parliament elections in the UK was 35.6% in 2014 - so more radical and marginal parties won seats
Representative democracy
Give an example of inaccurate representation with MP’s
29% of MPs are privately education whereas only 7% of the UK is
Representative democracy
Give an example of a representative democracy
1962 Orpington by-election
Define mandate
When someone has political decision-making power
Should prisoners in the UK have the right to vote?
Give 3 reasons why prisoners in the UK should have the right to vote
- Voting is a fundemental right that cannot be removed
- removal of their votes alienates them further from society
- The ECHR has ruled against a blanket ban in the UK and must abide to this
Should prisoners in the UK have the right to vote?
Give 3 reasons why prisoners in the UK should not have the right to vote
- loosing the vote serves as another deterrent against law-breaking
- prisoners are concentrated in constituencies that have large numbers of prisons in them which they would normally not belong to so therefore should not have a vote on that constituencies MP
- The ECHR goes far beyond the interpretation of it’s framers - judicial overeach
Is there a participation crisis in the UK?
Give the 3 reasons that can be used to argue that the UK has participation crisis
- voter turnout in elections
- membership of political parties
- growing volatility among voters
Is there a participation crisis in the UK?
Give 4 reasons to show there is a participation crisis in the UK
- turnout has been low in many recent elections
- membership of political parties has declined sharply in the past half century
- partisan deallignment makes voters feel no affiliation to a particular political party
- political apathy in 18-24 year olds
Is there a participation crisis in the UK?
Give 4 reasons there is not a participation crisis in the UK?
- Growth in membership in some parties such as green and SNP
- some votes especially referendums have seen high turnouts
- citizens still participate but just in different ways such as social media
- internet based movements can be effective such as #metoo sparking public debate
Examples for participation crisis debates
Give an example of how party membership participation has declined
for
in 1950s the conservatives had over 2.8 million members and in 2023 only 180,000
Examples for participation crisis debate
Give an example of how partisan deallignment makes voters feel no affiliation to parties
for
2015 - UKIP won 12.6% of votes showing how strong movement between parties occured rather than loyalty to conservatives or labour
(in 1979 80% of voters either labour or conservative)
Examples for a participation crisis debate
Give an example of voter apathy in 18-24 year olds
for
2019 GE - 47% of 18-24 yr olds voted compared to 74% of over 65s
Examples for participation crisis debate
Give an example of how party membership has inclined
against
Green party - 2013 had 13,800 members and 2015 it had 50,000 voters
Examples for participation crisis debate
Give an example of high voter turnout
against
2016 EU referendum 72% voter turnout
Give an example of how government competancy can affect the vote
1979 election - conservative sucess was partly down to james callaghan incompetency
Voting factors
Give an example of how age affects voting
in 2017 labour had 47% more support from 18-19nyear olds than conservatives
voting factors
Give an example of how ethnicity
in 2017 65% of ethnic minorities supported labour
What are 3 key features of a democracy
- political participation
- polictical choice
- government accountability
