democracy and participation Flashcards
what is is direct democracy
simply a yes or no question. Giving the public control over the policy rather than having the opinion of those who represent them.
advantages/disadvantages of direct democracy
Advantages
- wishes of the people cannot be ignored by elected representatives.
-motivate people to be well informed
-greater legitimacy- authority of decision
Disadvantages
-not fully understanding
-vote undermining the rights of minority groups
-votes are slow and expensive in countries with large populations.
representative government
presidential democracy- A democracy in which the executive government is directly elected by the people.
parliamentary democracy- A democracy in which the executive is not directly elected by the people, the party is formed by whichever party has the greater support in the legislature.
liberal democracy- types of representative democracy in which the rule of law is followed, the freedom of citizens is protected by the government and many different political completely freely to win power.
Great reform act 1832
-suffrage is the right to vote
-before 1832 only rich male landowners had the right to vote (less than 4% of the population)
-The act stated that one in 5 men of those who homes had a lease of £10 or more per year got the vote
second reform act 1867
allowed working-class men in cities to vote if they met a property qualification.
third reform act 1887
all working men who met a property qualification could vote.
representation of the people act 1928
women finally received the vote on equal terms
all men and women over 21 could vote
representation act 1969
voting age lowered to 18
debates regarding universal suffrage (gender and class)
Gender
-women were not considered to have sufficient education or intelligence to be trusted with the vote
-opponents of women in 19th and early 20th century said they were too emotional to vote.
-we live in a male dominated society
Class
-wealthy elite who held the franchise before the reform act worried about their power being reduced
-working class men are too poorly educated to vote
-working class supported socialism
-contribution and sacrifice of working-men during the first world war meant denying their vote could no longer be justified.
debates regarding universal suffrage (2)
ethnicity
-there are no ethnic qualifications for voting in the UK
Age
-not seen as having sufficient political education, 18-20 year olds only received the vote in 1969.
-younger women are considered more emotional and unstable then older women which denied the vote in 1918.
-16 and 17 year olds were allowed to vote in the Scottish referendum 2014.
-labour, snp, lib dems, plaid cymru, green party all support votes at 16 campaign.
arguments for a participation
-party membership has fallen since the 1950s- conservatives had more than 2.5 million members and labour party more than 1 million.
-turnout has fallen- in 1950 more than 80% of the electorate voted. in 2001 59% did.
-18-24 show they are less engaged in politics.
-slacktivism- describes the tendency for people to participate in a superficial way by liking or sharing content online.
arguments against a participation
-however some memberships are increasing- labour has more than 500,000 members and the SNP membership quadrupled following 2014 referendum reaching 125,000 in 2018.
-new parties have done well e.g. green party, UKIP and snp.
-pressure groups use social media to reach the public and raise money
-internet based movements can be powerful.
participation (for)
parliament dealignment- the process by which the electorate have become less strongly affiliated to parties. it is reflected by failing party memberships
participation (for)
Trade unions- organisations made up of workers which campaign for better working conditions.
increasing participation
-votes at 16
-more direct democracy
-compulsory voting
-reducing membership fees
-political education in schools
