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Politics (britain) > Democracy And Participation > Flashcards

Democracy And Participation Flashcards

1
Q

What is democracy?

A

Demos(the people) Kratos(power)

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2
Q

What was said about a government in the Gettysburg address?

A

“A government of the people, by the people, for the people”

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3
Q

What are the advantages of direct democracy?

A
  • genuine mandate and “people power”
  • no need for politicians
  • encourages participation and educates the public on key issues
  • the people must take responsibility for their decisions
  • prevents power from being concentrated in the hands of the elite
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4
Q

What are the disadvantages of direct democracy?

A
  • difficult and expensive
  • public may be easily influenced
  • wealthy groups may distort the debate
  • public may be unwilling to make unpopular, but necessary decisions
  • tyranny of the majority - the majority can vote to oppress minority groups
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5
Q

What are the advantages of representative democracy?

A
  • more practical
  • elected representatives may have greater expertise and experience
  • representatives can implement unpopular, but necessary policies
  • representatives are held accountable
  • avoids tyranny of the majority as all groups are protected
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6
Q

What are the disadvantages of representative democracy?

A
  • representatives may not always represent the views of the public
  • parties can have great influence over the actions of representatives
  • low public interest and participation can lead decisions to a small elite
  • our electoral system makes it difficult for smaller parties to win, meaning many views go unrepresented
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7
Q

What was the result of the AV referendum in 2011?

A

67.9% voted against

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8
Q

Are referendums binding?

A

Legally parliament is sovereign, parliament has the ultimate power over law making, however it would undermine parliaments legitimacy.

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9
Q

What was the outcome of the 1979 Scottish Parliament referendum?

A

51% said yes however it did not meet the 40% threshold of the total electorate.

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10
Q

What are initiatives?

A

Us states allow voter to trigger their own referendums by collecting enough signatures.

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11
Q

In california what % of the population is needed for a constitutional amendment?

A

8% of the populations signatures.

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12
Q

How are referendums different in the US?

A

Legislative referendums - the state legislature puts bills/amendments up for a vote/ veto referendum, voters collect signatures to trigger a vote on a passed bill

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13
Q

What sort of issues are usually decided by referendum in the UK?

A

Constitutional reforms - e.g. Eu membership

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14
Q

What was the local referendum in 2005 Edinburgh for?

A

Whether to introduce congestion charge

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15
Q

What was the US initiative in 2012 Maine?

A

Initiative to legalise same sex marriage

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16
Q

Why has the use of referendums increased since 1997?

A

Because Blairs government wanted to make a substantial constitutional reforms.

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17
Q

What has been the general trend of turnout since WWII?

A

Decreasing.

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18
Q

What was the turnout in the 2019 EU parliament elections?

A

37%

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19
Q

What was the turnout in the 2016 welsh assembly elections?

A

45.3%

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20
Q

Why is turnout important in a representative democracy?

A

There

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21
Q

In the 2019 election how much did the green vote rise by?

A

65%

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22
Q

In 2019 how many votes did it take to elect 1 green MP?

A

Close to 1million

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23
Q

In 2019 how many votes were there for every 1 Tory MP?

A

38,000

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24
Q

Why can referendums be argued to provide a weaker mandate for important reforms?

A
  • many elections have low turnout
  • most representatives fail to won the majority of the vote
  • in referendums there is only one subject
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25
Q

What was the good Friday agreement?

A

Peace agreement between the British and Irish governments, and most of the political parties in Northern Ireland, about the future governance of NI

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26
Q

What was the turnout of the good Friday referendum turnout?

A

81%

27
Q

What was the outcome of the good Friday agreement?

A

74% voted in favour of the agreement

28
Q

How did referendums help the labour government in the 1970s?

A

Wilsons Labour government was sharply divided over the Uks membership of the EEC. It helps smooth over divides in the party to unite it

29
Q

What was the turnout and outcome of the EEC referendum in the 1970s?

A

Turnout - 65%

Outcome - 67.23% voted in favour of it

30
Q

What are entrenched laws?

A

They are laws that are more difficult to amend or repeal than normal laws.

31
Q

Why can it be said that referendums entrench UK constitutional reforms even though parliament is sovereign?

A

Referendums are not legally binding. However, public pressure and the threat of the next election makes it very difficult for the government to ignore referendums.

32
Q

What impact can referendums have on political participation?

A

They encourage political participation between elections and educate voters

33
Q

How many 16-17 year olds in Scotland say they would vote again?

A

97%

34
Q

What is the electoral commission?

A

Helps ensure that referendums take place fairly. Designates an official “lead campaign” group for each side of the debate.

35
Q

How much do each lead campaign receive in grants?

A

600,000 pounds

36
Q

How has turnout at UK general elections changed in recent decades?

A

Turnout has been decreasing since WWII.

37
Q

What was the turnout of the 2016 welsh assembly elections?

A

45.3%

38
Q

What was the turnout of the 2019 EU parliament elections?

A

37%

39
Q

Why is turnout important in a representative democracy?

A

Low turnout threatens the Governemnts legitimacy.

40
Q

What is legitimacy?

A

Thee governments legal right to excessive power.

41
Q

In 2015 what percentage of the total electorate was the conservative endorsed by?

A

24.4%

42
Q

Where and what was the highest turnout in 2017?

A

Twickenham - 79.5%

43
Q

Where and what was the lowest turnout in the 2017 election?

A

53%

44
Q

In 2017 election what percentage of 18-24 year olds voted?

A

54%

45
Q

What percentage of 65years+ voted in the 2017 election?

A

71%

46
Q

What evidence is there for partisan dealignment?

A

Only 34% claim to be “very/fairly strong supporter” of a political party

47
Q

What is apathy?

A

People aren’t voting because they are not interested in politics

48
Q

What is hapathy?

A

People are not motivated to vote because they are content and happy with the status quo

49
Q

How might formal participation be healthier than previously thought?

A

It is possible to be registered in two different places. If a person appears on the electoral register twice but votes only once, turnout appears to be 50% rather than 100%

50
Q

What does the 2019 audit of political engagement suggest about the health of representative democracy in the UK?

A

A 15 year high in the number who “strongly disagree” that political involvement can change the way the UK is run (18%).

51
Q

What % felt that they had no influence over national decision making in the 2019 audit of political engagement?

A

47%

52
Q

What ways does our political system contrast with other liberal democracies?

A
  • HofL is unelected
  • head of state is unelected
  • executive and epilators are fused
  • USA has a codified constitution
  • UK is uncodified
53
Q

What are the advantages of referendums and initiatives?

A

Initiatives - give the electorate greater influence over legislation.
- avoids broken promises

54
Q

How many times have initiatives happened from 2000-2016?

A

60 times

55
Q

What are the disadvantages of referendums and initiatives?

A
  • low turnout
  • populist policies create tyranny of the majority
  • wealthy groups can influence for their self interest
56
Q

What is a recall election?

A

Electorate signs a petition calling for a vote to remove an elected official before the next election

57
Q

How many votes are needed in California to recall an official?

A

12% of the votes cast in the last election.

58
Q

What are the advantages if recall elections?

A

Gives the public greater control over corrupt or incompetent representatives.

59
Q

When was the recall of MPs act?

A

2015

60
Q

In the UK how many votes are needed to trigger a recall election?

A

10% of the MPs constituents

61
Q

What were the key policies for labour and conservatives in the 1979 general election?

A

Conservatives - “labour isn’t working”

Labour - focused on its ability to deal with trade unions

62
Q

What % of the vote did the conservatives win in 1979?

A

43.9%

63
Q

What % of the vote did labour win in 1979?

A

37%

Politics (britain) (13 decks)

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