Democracy and Participation Flashcards
Who won and who lost the general election is 1979?
Winning Party: Conservatives
Leader: Margaret Thatcher
Losing Party: Labour
Leader: James Callaghan
Who won and who lost the general election in 1983?
Winning Party: Conservatives
Leader: Margaret Thatcher
Losing Party: Labour
Leader: Michael Foot
Who won and who lost the general election in 1987?
Winning Party: Conservatives
Leader: Margaret Thatcher
Losing Party: Labour
Leader: Neil Kinnock
Who won and who lost the general election in 1992?
Winning Party: Conservatives
Leader: John Major
Losing Party: Labour
Leader: Neil Kinnock
Who won and who lost the general election in 1997?
Winning Party: Labour
Leader: Tony Blair
Losing Party: Conservatives
Leader: John Major
Who won and who lost the general election in 2001?
Winning Party: Labour
Leader: Tony Blair
Losing Party: Conservatives
Leader: William Hague
Who won and who lost the general election in 2005?
Winning Party: Labour
Leader: Tony Blair
Losing Party: Conservatives
Leader: Michael Howard
Who won and who lost the general election in 2010?
Winning Party: Conservatives
Leader: David Cameron
Losing Party: Labour
Leader: Gordon Brown
Who won and who lost the general election in 2015?
Winning Party: Conservatives
Leader: David Cameron
Losing Party: Labour
Leader: Ed Miliband
Who won and who lost the general election in 2017?
Winning Party: Conservatives and Democratic Unionist Party (Coalition due to Hung Parliament)
Leader: Theresa May and Arlene Foster
Losing Party: Labour
Leader: Jeremy Corbyn
What are the different layers of parliament?
Legislative - EU Parliament Westminster Parliament Scottish Parliament Welsh Assembly Northern Irish
Executive - Core Executive: Prime Minister Government Heads of Department MPs
Judiciary -
Supreme Court
Courts
Police
What is sovereignty?
Ultimate power (e.g. EU laws have ultimate power over UK laws so our laws can’t contradict EU laws)
Who can influence MPs in what they say in Parliament?
Voters Constituents Businesses Unions Pressure Groups
What is power?
The ability to influence the behaviour of another either by threat, sanctions or manipulation.
How is power maintained?
Rewards and punishments.
What is legitimate power?
Authority
How does the government have power over people?
Law Courts Police Social Services Armed Forces
How do people have power over the government?
Elections - Democracy Protests Demonstrations Petition Strike Pressure Groups e.g. Green Peace Media
What is legitimacy?
Conformity to the law and other rules.
What is direct democracy?
When citizens are directly involved in political debates, voting and decision making.
What is representative democracy?
Politicians are elected by citizens. They are not delegates. They are accountable to the citizens who put them in power.
What is a pluralist democracy?
A political system where there is more than one center of power. It is how the government makes decisions as a result of the interplay of various ideas and contrasting arguments from competing groups and organisations.
What is a democratic deficit?
A democratic deficit occurs when the government or government institutions fall short of fulfilling the principles of democracy in their practices or operation or where political representatives and institutions are discredited in the eyes of the public.
What is the participation crisis?
The view in which the public are becoming less and less involved with politics.
What is franchise/suffrage?
The right to vote in public elections.
What are think tanks?
An organisation that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture.
What are lobbyists?
A lobbyist can’t bribe an official with money, gifts, or other backhanded ways of enriching them directly. They can, however, help ensure that the politicians who support their clients get elected.
