Democracy and Participation Flashcards
What are the points for and against - Evaluate the extent to which direct is better than representative democracy?
DIRECT - fall of party politics, purest form of democracy
REPRESENTATIVE - too complex, tyranny of majority
Evaluate the extent to which direct is better than representative democracy?
fall of party politics
DIRECT 1 - Fall of party politics
- Party is elected based on manifesto but turnout at GE is falling in 1992 77.7% voted; but by 2001 this had gone down to 59.4%.By 2005 had only just risen to 61.3%. In 2015 it rose again to 66.1% but this is still far removed from what it had been in 1992.
- On the other hand, PG’s like the National Trust has 4.5 million members and e-petitions such as for a second referendum have over 6 million signatures.
- Referendums gain higher turnout such as Scottish Independence 2014 84% turnout.
- Whilst it is true some referendums such as the 2011 AV referendum get poor turnout with 42%
- However, many see this as a good thing as it was a popular aspect within Parliament at the time and a resounding referendum result of 68% showing the public were confident in the result
Evaluate the extent to which direct is better than representative democracy?
too complex
INDIRECT 1 - TOO COMPLEX
Public not able to critique political pledges. This was the ugliest element of the 2016 referendum when the Remain camp scared voters with ‘Project Fear’ (warning people of the economic damage Brexit would cause) and Vote Leave advertising on buses that Brexit would see £350m a week invested into the NHS - serious backtracking has happened on this since the vote.
However, this is arguably a patronising argument and exaggerates the gullibility of the public. Plenty of people voted with confidence and used services such as the BBC’s reality check to make informed decisions.
Overall, however, this is an issue
Evaluate the extent to which direct is better than representative democracy?
tyranny of the majority
INDIRECT 2 - TYRANNY OF THE MAJORITY
- Particular issue of “yes/no” style single issue politics.
- As seen with the 2016 EU referendum the Scots and Londoners were overwhelmed by the national majority. For instance, pensioners were twice as likely to have voted Leave as under 25s and whilst over 60% of Londoners and Scots voted remain over 70% in the Midlands and the North were Leavers. Indeed this is the reason why many Scots have been calling for a second referendum on independence. The referendum caused division between generations and regions. Also, leader of the SNP Nicola Steurgeon continues to call for EU membership for a post-independence Scotland.
- COUNTER - This is far better than the current system as seen in the Belfast South 2015 constituency won by Alasdair McDonnell with just 24.5% of the vote
Evaluate the extent to which the UK is suffering a participation crisis [30]
points
ge turnout
pressure groups
party membership
e-petitions
Evaluate the extent to which the UK is suffering a participation crisis [30]
ge turnout
YES 1 - General Election Turnout
- General Election Turnout - in 1992 77.7% voted; but by 2001 this had gone down to 59.4%.By 2005 had only just risen to 61.3%. In 2015 it rose again to 66.1% but this is still far removed from what it had been in 1992.
COUNTER - Low turnout does not always suggest a participation issue. For instance, 2001 Labour Home Secretary stated that the 2001 turnout simply was ‘politics of contentment’ that large sections of the electorate did not need to vote as they were satisfied with the current political climate.
Evaluate the extent to which the UK is suffering a participation crisis [30]
pressure groups
NO 1 - Pressure Groups
- No participation crisis but instead the rise of singular issue politics
- National Trust 4.5 million
- This is also driven by a failure of parties to maintain their manifesto and campaign promises meaning we now see more people as PG members than party members
- Success depends on which party is in government (e.g. child poverty action group in 2010-15 due to the Lib Dems)
- Insiders (e.g. NFU and IOD) vs outsiders
- Those with wealthy backers can lobby best (e.g. CBI)
Evaluate the extent to which the UK is suffering a participation crisis [30]
party membership
YES 2 - Party Membership
-1950’s Conservative party membership was over 3 million with Labour also having 1 million. Now, Tories have 250,000 and Labour 500,000
-However, this is not always the case as seen in 2014 with a surge in Labour membership under Jeremy Corbyn.
- Overall, however, there remains a growing anti-party sentiment with people moving away from parties due to them becoming more centrist and moving away from the sides of the political scale
- As a period of adversary politics is entering this is likely to see membership increase again
Evaluate the extent to which the UK is suffering a participation crisis [30]
e-petitions
NO 2 - e-Petitions
- Become so important the term ‘e-democracy’ has now come into use. Modern form of democracy and shows people are simply taking part in a different way as they are much faster
- Own form of referendum as 100,000 means a petition is nominated for parliamentary debate
- Revoke Article 50 petition was signed over 5.8 million times before being rejected by the government. Also led to the march which was attended in excess of 1 million people
- Some such as Guardian journalist Emma Howard described such e-petitions as a ‘farce’ triggered by ‘public anger’ and suggesting they are not informed political decisions but purely a matter of social media buzz and that holding a Parliamentary debate is not legally binding.
- Overall, however, whilst the result of this is less than traditional forms of democracy it shows that the participation still remains
Evaluate the extent to which the UK suffers from a democratic deficit/is undemocratic [30]
points
ge turnout
legislative process is elitist
cherishes democratic elections
guards civil liberties
Evaluate the extent to which the UK suffers from a democratic deficit/is undemocratic [30]
ge turnout
YES 1 - PARTICIPATION CRISIS
-68.7% 2017 and 59.4% 2001. It had been 83.9% in the 1950 general election. Only 42.2% voted in the 2011 AV referendum and only 72.2 in the 2016 brexit vote
- Turnout has been steadily climbing since 2001
- 84.6% voted in the Scottish referendum and 81% in NI referendum
- Low turnout is a vote in itself and suggests content with current political climate
Evaluate the extent to which the UK suffers from a democratic deficit/is undemocratic [30]
legislative process is elitist
YES 2 - LEGISLATIVE PROCESS IS ELITIST
- FPTP fails to match votes cast to seats in the Commons, 2015 UKIP 13% of vote = 1 seat. SNP 5% of vote = 56 seats
- Unelected upper chamber and head of state
There is little public demand to abolish FPTP (2011 referendum)
-HOL & monarch have little real influence (e.g. can only delay once etc.)
Evaluate the extent to which the UK suffers from a democratic deficit/is undemocratic [30]
cherishes democratic election
NO 1 - CHERISHES DEMOCRATIC ELECTIONS AND REFERENDUMS
- Peaceful transition of power with voter fraud very rare and unheard of
- Very few people are barred from voting (prisoners)
- Elections are frequent due to fixed term parliament act limiting to 5 years
- Referendums are becoming increasingly frequent
FPTP allows safe seats and tactical voting.
Evaluate the extent to which the UK suffers from a democratic deficit/is undemocratic [30]
guards civil liberties
NO 2 - GUARDS CIVIL LIBERTIES
- Supreme Court and ECourtHR rule on appeals regarding deviation from the EConvHR and govts acting ultra vires
- Rule of law puts all MPs beneath the law and therefore limits government and corruption e.g. expenses scandal
Parliamentary sovereignty trumps all court rulings
Evaluate the extent to which pressure groups strengthen democracy [30]
points
call government to account and inform public
give voice to marginalised in society
deploy illegal methods to be heard
some groups are prioritised over others
