Democracy and participation

Question 1

2024 GE turnout

Answer 1

60%

Question 2

labour party membership 2024

Answer 2

370,450

Question 3

Good Friday agreement turnout

Answer 3

81%

Question 4

Trade union membership 2023

Answer 4

6.25 million

Question 5

Scottish independence referenudum turnout

Answer 5

85%

Question 6

Referendum to create a london mayor turnout

Answer 6

34.6%

Question 7

Turnout in 2024 London mayoral election

Answer 7

40%

Question 8

Trade union membership in 1979

Answer 8

13.2 million

Question 9

example of direct democracy

Answer 9

The most recent referendum in the UK was the Brexit referendum in 2016, where 33 million UK citizens voted on whether to remain a member of the EU or leave, 51.89% voted to leave. 72% turnout

Question 10

what is the recall of mps act and when was it established and used most recently
How many times has it been used

Answer 10

The Recall of MPs Act has been used 6 times since its enshrinement into law in 2015, most recently in October 2023, where the MP for Wellingborough, Peter Bone, was given a suspension for bullying and sexual misconduct against a member of staff. This was successful, with 13% of constituents signing the petition. (10% needed for success)
allows for accountabiltty

Question 11

what is voter turnout in second order elections
local electiosns avg
and 2024 mayoral elections london

Answer 11

Turnout is even lower in ‘second order’ elections for bodies like the Police and Crime Commissioner, 15% in 2012.
2016 Local Elections = 34% average.
2024 London mayoral elections = 40.5%

Question 12

what is the trend for voter turnout
significance of the low turnout for the 2024 election

Answer 12

downwards trend, has been steadily decreasing since ww2, used to avg 80% turnout at electiions
2001- 59% turnout
2024- 60%
In 2024 the winning party Labour was elected with 33.7% of the popular vote, meaning 66.3% of voters voted against the governing party. This calls into question the legitimacy of the government.

Question 13

how many members does reform have

Answer 13

105,000 as of december 2024

Question 14

when in 2024 did the labour party face a decline in membership and why

Answer 14

In 2024, (January-March) The Labour Party suffered a sharp fall of 23,000 members following controversies over its policies on Gaza and its U-turn on green investment.

Question 15

under what act was the 2024 election called

Answer 15

The 2024 general election is the first election called under the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022, which replaces Fixed Term Parliament Act 2010. This gives the ultimate power for the Prime Minister to call an election at a time they prefer, instead of setting regular terms (5 years).

Question 16

example of pressure groups successes
bma
momentum
gurkha justice campaign
rspca

Answer 16

BMA(British Medical Association)successfully campaigned for 2% rise of doctors wages post-pandemic-insider status

-The Labour-supporting pressure group Momentum has influenced the Labour party in other ways, such as putting in candidates for selection as Labour MPs and councillors. This includes MPs like Zara Sultana, Apsana Begum and Nadia Whittome (all been very vocal about social justice, climate action, and other leftist policies)

The Gurkha Justice Campaign was a successful political campaign which sought for Gurkhas who served in the British military to gain right of abode. Despite the lack of government support from the Blair government, in 2008, the High Court ruled that the lack of rights for Gurkhas was illegal. In 2009, Gordon Brown announced that all Gurkha veterans who had served four years or more in the British Army would be allowed to settle in Britain.

In 2004, the RSPCA and other groups joined forces to campaign for the ban on hunting which was eventually successful in the Hunting Dogs Act 2004 (pressure group tactics).

Question 17

examples of civil disobedience

Answer 17

Just Stop Oil methodology was civil disobedience regardless of public image - getting their message across was the priority rather than public support - although many agreed with the cause of the campaign, they did not agree with the method
April 2022 Just Stop Oil activists vandalised petrol pumps along the M25.
October 2022 two JSO activists scaled the Queen Elizabeth Bridge on the M25 near Dartford and were there suspended in cables for 37 hours, both got sentenced to around 3 years imprisonment.

Question 18

examples of the failure of a pressure group

Answer 18

The National Trust is the largest pressure group in the country, having access to huge amount of funding and membership, however, is sometimes unable to influence government. In 2022, it called for the government to stay true to its net zero by 2030 obligation and continue to ban fracking. Sunak has extended the net-zero to 2050, and PM Truss lifted the ban on fracking (although Sunak has reinstated it).

Question 19

examples of think tanks

Answer 19

In 2022, the neoliberal think tank Institute of Economic Affairs had 24 parliamentary supporters – including prominent figures such as Liz Truss, Priti Patel, Kemi Badenoch and Kwasi Kwarteng (who was previously employed by the organisation)

Many think tanks, like the Resolution Foundation and the Fabian Society, warned against Brexit, stating that it would be detrimental to the UK economy, however, the Conservative government ignored this.

The Conservative Party is associated with the Adam Smith institute, and the Centre for Social Justice, whereas Labour is associated with the Fabian Society and Institute for Public Policy

Three think tanks which were most often cited in policy documents between 2015-21:
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation - Name checked in 157 documents relating to employment, culture or education. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation is a charity that researches social policy and campaign on quality of life issues
The Institute for Fiscal Studies - A research institute with particular interests in taxation, welfare benefits and education, which received citation in 150 documents
The National Bureau of Economics Research - A non-profit American group mention in 130 documents

The 2019 Conservative Manifesto was co-authored by Robert Colville and Rachel Wolf, both from the Centre for Policy Studies