Democracy and Participation Flashcards

Question

How could democracy be improved with voting?

Answer 1

Compulsory voting = higher turnout = legitimate govt - EV - undemocratic

Answer 2

Use PR = rid of safe seats = more representative - EV - more frequent coalition = less accountable

Answer 3

End private funding of parties = focus on job = limited pressure from pressure groups = more accountable - EV - where would funding come from?

Answer 4

English only parliament = more equality - EV - regional devolution rejected in NE (78% no) - EV - low and decreasing turnout in devolved powers ⤷ Scot - 2016 55% 2022 45%

Answer 5

Make HL elected = more representative Make HL term limits = more accountable - EV - rival/duplicate of HC, loses expertise

Answer 6

Codified constitution = more understandable = unifying rights Entrenched = more established rights

Answer 7

Elected head of state = more accountable and fair - EV - monarch is popular and neutral

Answer 8

- Acts aligned with western countries ⤷ France - only allowed 1km from home for an hour ⤷ Spain - only exercise was walking the dog round the block - April 2020 - 89% supported restrictions ⤷ 2009 - only 14% thought there was too much fuss about the Swine Flu - Govt regularly sought the public's opinion ⤷ daily conferences questions for 3 months w/ avg 4m viewers - Emergency powers had checks and balances ⤷ all measures restricted to 2 years ⤷ debates 1 year after implementation to see if they are still relevant ⤷ every 6 months MPs could vote on the Coronavirus Act

Answer 9

- Press Gazette April 2020 - 70% said the press were not holding the govt accountable - British Institute of Human Rights (BIHR) raised concerns over the govt ⤷ only 90min for MPs to discuss if the acts should be renewed - March and April - parliament shutdown ⤷ no PMQs ⤷ Mayoral elections pushed back for 12months - Scandals ⤷ PPE, Partygate ⤷ 126 fines - Police powers were unregulated and unclear

Answer 10

- Voting - Demonstrations/boycotts/protests - Petitions - Party/union membership - Media activism - Pressure groups - Lobby MPs

Answer 11

1992 - 77% 1997 - 71% 2001 - 59% 2005 - 61% 2010 - 65% 2015 - 66% 2017 - 68% 2019 - 67% 2024 - 60%

Answer 12

- falling general election turnout ⤷ peaked at 76% in 1979 ⤷ decreasing since 2017 - decreasing party membership ⤷ Cons: 1990s 400,000 - 2022 172,000 ⤷ Lab: 1997 400,000 - 2023 370,000 - Decreasing union membership ⤷ trade union membership peaked in 1979 at 13m, 2016 was at 6m (due to decline in manual jobs) - 2011 AV Referedum = 42% - Partisan delaignment - Distrust of MPs ⤷ partygate - Devolved between 40-50%

Answer 13

- 2001-2017 - 10% increase in GE turnout - Referedums ⤷ 1998 Good Friday Agreemend ref - 81% ⤷ 2014 Scot devolution ref - 84% - Corbyn effect ⤷ Lab membership 2017 - 530,000 - Social media = more activism/awareness ⤷ E-petitions - Brexit one had 2mil signatures - Rise in membership of smaller parties ⤷ Reform - 219,000 (more than tory) ⤷ 2022 Green - 54,000 - Increased value of membership ⤷ many leadership elections (tory) -2019 87%, 2022 82%, 2024 72% - Membership of activist groups ⤷ 1 in 10 people are members of an environmental group/charity - Striking and protests ⤷ 2020 BLM ⤷ 2022 Xmas postal strike ⤷ doctors strikes ⤷ teachers strikes ⤷ 2024 pro-Palestine

Answer 14

- Mistrust of MPs - Direct action over conventional politics - Social media - Apathy - Hapathy

Answer 15

- Tuition fees (lib dems) - Partygate - PPE scandal 2019 - less than 25% of voters trust MPs

Answer 16

to do: , rights in context, pressure groups

Answer 17

Great Reform Act 1832 ⤷ right to homeowners, formal exclusion of women 1918 - all men over 21, women over 30 1928 - full adult suffrage (over 21) 1948 - one person per vote 1969 - 18 y/o 2016 - Scottish elections 16 y/o 2020 - The Senned and Elections Act ⤷ 16y/o vote

Answer 18

- Women suffrage could cause issues on abortion, alcohol, war - Women should be supporters of men ⤷ women would just vote the same as their husband - 1880s and 90s were dominated by conservatives = blocked female suffrage - High profile women were against suffrage ⤷ Queen Victoria, Florence Nightingale

Answer 19

- Registered to vote - Over 18 - Commonwealth citizen - Resident at an address in the UK ⤷ registered to vote in past 15 years if abroad - Not legally excluded

Answer 20

- Lords - Non-UK citizens - Prisoners - The homeless - Anyone found guilty of corruption/ illegal election practices in the past 5 years

Answer 21

- Better educated than elderly ⤷ social media presence - Encourages participation ⤷ Scotland - 75% of 16-17y/o who were registered voted in the independence ref and 97% said they would vote again - At 16 you are a legal adult ⤷ can join the army, get married. pay tax - Would balance the votes ⤷ younger votes tend to be more radical

Answer 22

- Are not mature enough to make rational judgements ⤷ more open to manipulation - Too complex issues - Few pay tax - Too radical

Answer 23

'Votes at 16' campaign Members include... - Liberty (PG) - Lib Dems - Plaid Cymru 2019 manifestos - Labour, libdem, SNP, green all included 16y/o

Answer 24

Prisoners: John Hirst - jailed for manslaughter in 1979, released in 2004 - Challenged vote ban at the High Court in 2001 - Dismissed by Lord Justice Kennedy - Brought case to the ECHR in 2005 which ruled that this breached the right to free elections under the ECHR Impact: 2013 - Joint Committee recommended that prisoners serving a sentence of 12 months or less should be entitled to vote ⤷ gov did not formally respond 2015 - Gove indicated that in 2016 the gov would respond with a draft on the Voting Eligibility bill ⤷ a response was not published

Answer 25

- Eases rehabilitation - Does not deter crime - It is a fundamental right - Alienation - ECHR ruled it breaks the HRA

Answer 26

- You sacrificed this right after you broke the law - Prevents crime - Would undermine the CJS - May not live in the same constituency when they are released/ their prison could be a different constituency

Answer 27

A form of democracy where govs make decisions as a consequence of interactions between groups/organisations with contrasting ideas

Answer 28

Governing process Representative Educational Amendments Tension release Political Participation

Answer 29

Sectional/interest Cause/ promotional Insider Outsider

Answer 30

Seek to promote interests of an occupation ⤷ i.e. teachers, doctors e.g. National Education Union, BMA

Answer 31

- Full state funding of schools - Abolish Ofsted - Break down barriers of child poverty - Stop austerity cuts to education - Membership (2022) was 445,000 ⤷ largest education union in the UK and Europe

Answer 32

Strikes in 2023 ⤷ resulted in pay rises for teachers of 6.5% ⤷ 5.5% rise in 2024 2025 strike plan over offer of 2.8% ⤷ vote in April decided that it _________

Answer 33

- Pay fixes for doctors - Raise awareness around the wellbeing of doctors - Legislation supporting healthcare reform

Answer 34

The Health and Care Act 2022 Yes - included measures BMA called for ⤷ removal of section 75 No - gov ignored concerns and briefings ⤷ still included greater protections over private providers and failed to address staff and resources shortages

Answer 35

Seek to promote a certain issue ⤷ i.e. human rights, the environment e.g. Liberty, Greenpeace, Hillsborough Justice Campaign

Answer 36

- Protection of rights ⤷ e.g. rights for soldiers, the disabled, immigrants, protesters, gypsy/roma groups - Anti-racism - Homelessness

Answer 37

Yes Liberty v Home Office 2024 ⤷ High Court ruled the gov acted unlawfully in protest laws No - Public Order Act 2023 remains as Parliament is sovereign - Challenge of the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 was denied ⤷ introduced oversight arrangements which effectively authorised suspicion-less surveillance w/o sufficient safeguarding

Answer 38

- Net Zero - Environmental justice - Protecting wildlife and biodiversity ⤷ protecting the oceans, forests - Stopping plastic pollution - Fixing the food system

Answer 39

Yes - Petition for banning bee-killing pesticides signed by 1.6m people ⤷ Labour claims to ban the pesticide, following the EUs ban - Won legal challenge of gov against the Rosebank and Jackdaw fields ⤷ tory gov approved Scottish oil and gas fields ⤷ lab gov didn't defend the challenge No - Unsuccessful in regard to direct influence on legislation

Answer 40

Yes - Started a petition to reopen the police investigation ⤷ 130,000 signatures ⤷ led to the gov disclosing all documents and an independent inquiry being started ⤷ found the deaths were 'unlawful killings' ⤷ allowed those in charge of policing to be prosecuted No - David Duckenfield found not guilty of 95 counts of gross negligence manslaughter

Answer 41

PGs with privileged access to gov decision making, usually mostly with Private Members bill or written advice ⤷ e.g. BMA - provides specialist info through consultations ⤷ e.g. The Howard League for Penal Reform - impartial org that supplies Home Office w/ important info on prison reform, policing, and youth crime ⤷ e.g. National Autistic Society - helped the Autism Act 2009 get published ⤷ e.g. ASH - advised the 2007 ban on smoking and tobacco advertising 2003

Answer 42

Act as representatives in human rights cases - Boy was isolated for 127 days, locked in his cell for 22hrs a day for more than 15days per stretch ⤷ represented by a legal director from HLPR ⤷ High Court declared this was unlawful and his disruptive behaviour was a result of lack of physical and mental stimulation - 2017 Courts of Appeal ruled cuts to legal aid for prisoners is unlawful ⤷ brought as a legal challenge by HLPR on behalf of prisoners ⤷ concerns raised due to self-harm and violence increase post cuts (300 suicides)

Answer 43

PG without access to political processes or being opposed to working with the gov ⤷ e.g. Extinction Rebellion - high-profile protests to achieve public recognition ⤷ e.g. Just Stop Oil

Answer 44

JSO website - "The ask: To take action outside the houses of parliament to the point of arrest as many times as is possible for you"

Answer 45

Resources Ideology (compatibility with gov) Popularity Expertise

Answer 46

Yes - can afford better campaigns and advertising ⤷ No - laws against party funding prevent corruption, so no loyalties to more wealthy groups ⤷ Cons increased corporation tax by 23% in 2021 ⤷ ignored Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and its 130,000 businesses it represents

Answer 47

Yes - more likely to be listened to ⤷ Leave.EU influenced the calling of a referendum as it was supported by key conservative figures like Johnson, Cummings, and Gove (who was a cabinet member) No - Stonewall was able to encourage the cons to pass the legalisation of gay marriage 2010

Answer 48

Yes - makes the groups more credible ⤷ BMA - 190,000 members - represents public desires ⤷ Rashford free school meals petition had over 1m signatures (one of 5 petitions to pass 1m), EU petition has 2m+ No - more focus on expertise ⤷ Howard League = 7,500 members - gov policy can seem more important than the public opinion ⤷ Stop the war campaign didn't stop the war on terror (45-100,000 marched) ⤷ Gaza war protests with 60,000 people, but Public Order Act was passed to counter the protests

Answer 49

Yes - more credible ⤷ BMA and Howard league looked to for their expertise No - BMA looked over by gov in Health and Care Act 2022 despite being privately consulted on the bill

Answer 50

Lobbying Act 2014 - people must register as a consultant lobbyist - amended the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA) to reduce third party donations which would manipulate the electoral success of a candidate - records of trade union membership more confined

Answer 51

Yes - represent people who are not represented in the HC due to FPTP - enhance participation in politics - encourages competition and scrutiny of policy No - leaders are unelected officials = unaccountable ⤷ trade union leaders are elected but have low turnout - many join unions for the privileges, not to be involved in politics - due to RIPE wealthy organisations succeed, creating a possible autocracy