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Politics > Democracy and participation > Flashcards

Democracy and participation Flashcards

1
Q

What is direct democracy?

A

When individuals express their opinions themselves. Would not be practical as a regular means of decision-making in a large modern state.

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2
Q

What is representative democracy?

A

When people elect representatives who make decisions on their behalf. If they don’t satisfy the voters they can be held accountable and removed at the next election.

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3
Q

What is an example of direct democracy?

A

A referendum

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4
Q

What are the advantages of direct democracy?

A
  1. Equal weight to all votes, unlike a representative system whereas different sized constituencies mean that votes do not all have equal value 2. Encourages participation 3. Removes need for trusted representatives, as people can take responsibility for their own decisions 4. Develops a sense of community and encourages debate
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5
Q

What are the disadvantages of direct democracy?

A
  1. Impractical in large modern states where decision-making is complicated 2. People won’t feel qualified to make those decisions 3. Open to manipulation 4. Minority viewpoints are disregarded because they are not mediated by parliamentary institutions
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6
Q

What are the advantages of representative democracy?

A
  1. Only practical for large states when rapid responses are needed 2. Encourages pluralist democracy 3. Reduces minority rights from being overun 4. Elections allow people to hold representatives to account 5. Politicians better informed than the average citizen
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7
Q

What are the disadvantages of representative democracy?

A
  1. May lead to reduced participation because people hand responsibility to politicians 2. Parties and pressure groups often run by elites pursuing their own agendas 3. Minorities still under-represented as politicians more likely to follow views of majority 4. Politicians skilful in avoiding accountability- general elections 5 years apart 5. Politicians may be corrupt and incompetent
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8
Q

What is pluralist democracy?

A

A government makes decisions as a result of interplay of various ideas and contrasting arguments from competing groups and organisations.

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9
Q

What is a national referendum?

A

Direct vote on a single issue. The UK has only had three nationwide referendums: Britain’s membership in the EU (1975 and 2016) and on whether to change the system of voting for the Westminster parliament in 2011

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10
Q

What is The 2015 Recall of MPs act?

A

Allows a petition to be triggered if an MP is sentenced to be imprisoned or is suspended from the House of Commons for more than 21 days. If 10% of eligible voters in the constituency sign the petition a by-election is called.

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11
Q

What is legitimacy?

A

The legal right to exercise power, for example, a government’s right to rule following an election.

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12
Q

What is a democratic deficit?

A

A perceived deficiency in the way a particular democratic body works, especially in terms of accountability and control over policy-making.

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13
Q

What is a devolved government?

A

Powers transferred from UK parliament to Scottish parliament, the Welsh Assembly and the Northern Ireland Assembly, enabling more decisions to be taken closer to local people.

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14
Q

What is an independent judiciary?

A

Seperate from the other branches of government, that upholds the rule of law and protects a wide range of personal freedoms.

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15
Q

What is free and fair elections?

A

Largely free of corruption and intimidation, in recent years supplemented by opportunities to vote in referendums.

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16
Q

How many seats do the Conservatives have I’m parliament?

A

318

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17
Q

What is free media?

A

Challenges government policy and exposes the misdeeds of politicians.

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18
Q

Why is it argued that the UK political system is undemocratic?

A
  1. Under-representation of minority viewpoints due to the voting system 2. House of Lords lacks democratic legitimacy 3. Lack of protection for citizens’ rights 4. Control of sections of the media by wealthy unaccountable business interests
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19
Q

What was the average turnout at general elections from 1945 to 1997?

A

76%

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20
Q

What was the average turnout in the 2016 May local elections in England?

A

33.8%

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21
Q

What is the definition of a mandate?

A

A command or authorization given by a political electorate to the winner of an election.

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22
Q

What is digital democracy?

A

(Also known as E-democracy) is political participation via technological means.

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23
Q

What percentage of the electorate now belongs to one of the three major UK parties?

A

1.6%

24
Q

What percentage of the electorate belonged to on of the three major UK parties in 1983?

A

3.8%

25
Q

What was the membership to the Conservative party in 2016?

A

150,000

26
Q

What was the membership of the Conservative party in the mid-1990s?

A

400,000

27
Q

What was the Labour party’s membership in July 2016?

A

515,000

28
Q

What did the Labour party’s membership fall to after the 1997 election when the party was in government?

A

190,000

29
Q

What was the membership of the Liberal Democrats in the early 2000s?

A

70,000

30
Q

During the Lib Dems 2010-15 coalition with the Conservatives what did their membership fall to?

A

49,000

31
Q

What was the Lib Dems membership in 2017?

A

82,000

32
Q

What percentage of votes went to minority parties in the 2015 general election?

A

24.8%

33
Q

What was the SNPs membership in 2013 and 2016?

A

25,000 to 120,000

34
Q

What was the Green Party’s membership in 2013 and 2016?

A

13,800 to 55,000

35
Q

What was UKIPs membership in 2013 and 2016?

A

32,400 to 39,000

36
Q

How many signatures did a 2007 Downing Street e-petition against proposals for road-charging get?

A

1.8 million

37
Q

What is political apathy?

A

A lack of interest or awareness of political events and political issues that affect society.

38
Q

What is hapathy?

A

A blend of ‘happiness’ and ‘apathy’ meaning that people are generally contented and see no need to push for political change.

39
Q

What is an example of hapathy?

A

Low levels of voter turnout in 2001 and 2005 when the economy was booming.

40
Q

What was the turnout for the Scottish independence referendum in September 2014?

A

84.6%

41
Q

What was the turnout for the June 2016 EU referendum?

A

72.2%

42
Q

What was the 2009 parliamentary expenses scandal?

A

Some MPs made false claims for mortgage repayments, home insurance and other costs (including, in one case, the purchase of a duck house). It was the Daily Telegraph that published evidence for this. Five former MPs and two members of the House of Lords were sentenced to prison terms.

43
Q

What did the 2015 survey by market research company Ipsos MORI reveal?

A

Politicians were the profession least trusted by the public.

44
Q

What referendum in the UK allowed the voting age to be lowered from 18 to 16?

A

The 2014 Scottish referendum.

45
Q

What are the four reasons that voting should be made compulsory?

A
  1. It’s a social duty as well as a right that affects people’s lives 2. Parliament would be more representative of the population as a whole 3. Politicians would have to run better quality campaigns, and governments would have to frame their policies with the whole electorate in mind 4. It would still be legal to spoil one’s ballot paper or a ‘none of the above’ box could be provided
46
Q

What are the four reasons why voting should remain voluntary?

A
  1. In a preferential voting system compulsory voting might lead to participants simply placing candidates in rank order 2. It’s undemocratic to force people to vote 3. Wouldn’t stop politicians voting on marginal seats, and neglecting safe seats 4. Making it compulsory doesn’t address the reason why people don’t want to vote
47
Q

What is franchise/suffrage?

A

The ability, or right, to vote in public elections.

48
Q

What six categories of people are excluded from voting in parliamentary elections?

A
  1. Under 18s 2. EU citizens (apart from the Irish Republic) although they can vote in local elections 3. Members of the House of Lords 4. Prisoners (subject to a challenge from the European Court of Human Rights) 5. Those convicted of a corrupt or illegal electoral practice (barred for 5 years) 6. People who are compulsorily detained in a psychiatric hospital
49
Q

What was the electorate total by the early 19th century?

A

Approximately 400,00 men.

50
Q

What was The Great Reform Act of 1832?

A

It brought about the first major change by 1. Abolishing the separate representation of the most underpopulated ‘rotten boroughs’ and creating seats for urban areas, such as Manchester 2. Granting the vote to new categories of people in the counties, including tenant farmers and smaller property holders 3. Creating a standard qualification for the franchise in the boroughs, so it now applied to all male householders living in properties who paid a yearly rent of £10 or more

51
Q

What did the electorate increase to after The Great Reform Act?

A

An estimated 650,00 (equivalent to 5% of the adult population)

52
Q

When was possession of the vote finally treated like a citizen’s right?

A

1918 (but it wasn’t granted to women on the same basis as men).

53
Q

When was full adult suffrage introduced?

A

1928 (both sexes can vote at 21).

54
Q

When was the voting age reduced from 21 to 18?

A

1969

55
Q

What is a sectional group (or interest group)?

A

They seek to promote the interests of an occupation or another group in society. Trade unions represent their members in negotiations with employees.

56
Q

What is a cause group (or promotional group)?

A

They are focused on achieving a particular goal or drawing attention to an issue or group of related issues. Membership is usually open to anyone who sympathies with their aims. Greenpeace is a cause group.

57
Q

What is a social movement?

A

Similar to cause groups but are more loosely structured. They’re usually politically radical and seek to achieve a single objective. For example, the Camps for Climate Action were created for short periods in 2006-10 to protest the expansion of Heathrow airport, coal-fired power stations in Yorkshire and other environmental targets.

Politics (8 decks)

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