Democracy And Participation Flashcards
What is democracy?
Demos(the people) Kratos(power)
What was said about a government in the Gettysburg address?
“A government of the people, by the people, for the people”
What are the advantages of direct democracy?
- 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
What are the disadvantages of direct democracy?
- 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
What are the advantages of representative democracy?
- 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
What are the disadvantages of representative democracy?
- 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
What was the result of the AV referendum in 2011?
67.9% voted against
Are referendums binding?
Legally parliament is sovereign, parliament has the ultimate power over law making, however it would undermine parliaments legitimacy.
What was the outcome of the 1979 Scottish Parliament referendum?
51% said yes however it did not meet the 40% threshold of the total electorate.
What are initiatives?
Us states allow voter to trigger their own referendums by collecting enough signatures.
In california what % of the population is needed for a constitutional amendment?
8% of the populations signatures.
How are referendums different in the US?
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
What sort of issues are usually decided by referendum in the UK?
Constitutional reforms - e.g. Eu membership
What was the local referendum in 2005 Edinburgh for?
Whether to introduce congestion charge
What was the US initiative in 2012 Maine?
Initiative to legalise same sex marriage
Why has the use of referendums increased since 1997?
Because Blairs government wanted to make a substantial constitutional reforms.
What has been the general trend of turnout since WWII?
Decreasing.
What was the turnout in the 2019 EU parliament elections?
37%
What was the turnout in the 2016 welsh assembly elections?
45.3%
Why is turnout important in a representative democracy?
There
In the 2019 election how much did the green vote rise by?
65%
In 2019 how many votes did it take to elect 1 green MP?
Close to 1million
In 2019 how many votes were there for every 1 Tory MP?
38,000
Why can referendums be argued to provide a weaker mandate for important reforms?
- many elections have low turnout
- most representatives fail to won the majority of the vote
- in referendums there is only one subject
What was the good Friday agreement?
Peace agreement between the British and Irish governments, and most of the political parties in Northern Ireland, about the future governance of NI
What was the turnout of the good Friday referendum turnout?
81%
What was the outcome of the good Friday agreement?
74% voted in favour of the agreement
How did referendums help the labour government in the 1970s?
Wilsons Labour government was sharply divided over the Uks membership of the EEC. It helps smooth over divides in the party to unite it
What was the turnout and outcome of the EEC referendum in the 1970s?
Turnout - 65%
Outcome - 67.23% voted in favour of it
What are entrenched laws?
They are laws that are more difficult to amend or repeal than normal laws.
Why can it be said that referendums entrench UK constitutional reforms even though parliament is sovereign?
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.
What impact can referendums have on political participation?
They encourage political participation between elections and educate voters
How many 16-17 year olds in Scotland say they would vote again?
97%
What is the electoral commission?
Helps ensure that referendums take place fairly. Designates an official “lead campaign” group for each side of the debate.
How much do each lead campaign receive in grants?
600,000 pounds
How has turnout at UK general elections changed in recent decades?
Turnout has been decreasing since WWII.
What was the turnout of the 2016 welsh assembly elections?
45.3%
What was the turnout of the 2019 EU parliament elections?
37%
Why is turnout important in a representative democracy?
Low turnout threatens the Governemnts legitimacy.
What is legitimacy?
Thee governments legal right to excessive power.
In 2015 what percentage of the total electorate was the conservative endorsed by?
24.4%
Where and what was the highest turnout in 2017?
Twickenham - 79.5%
Where and what was the lowest turnout in the 2017 election?
53%
In 2017 election what percentage of 18-24 year olds voted?
54%
What percentage of 65years+ voted in the 2017 election?
71%
What evidence is there for partisan dealignment?
Only 34% claim to be “very/fairly strong supporter” of a political party
What is apathy?
People aren’t voting because they are not interested in politics
What is hapathy?
People are not motivated to vote because they are content and happy with the status quo
How might formal participation be healthier than previously thought?
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%
What does the 2019 audit of political engagement suggest about the health of representative democracy in the UK?
A 15 year high in the number who “strongly disagree” that political involvement can change the way the UK is run (18%).
What % felt that they had no influence over national decision making in the 2019 audit of political engagement?
47%
What ways does our political system contrast with other liberal democracies?
- HofL is unelected
- head of state is unelected
- executive and epilators are fused
- USA has a codified constitution
- UK is uncodified
What are the advantages of referendums and initiatives?
Initiatives - give the electorate greater influence over legislation.
- avoids broken promises
How many times have initiatives happened from 2000-2016?
60 times
What are the disadvantages of referendums and initiatives?
- low turnout
- populist policies create tyranny of the majority
- wealthy groups can influence for their self interest
What is a recall election?
Electorate signs a petition calling for a vote to remove an elected official before the next election
How many votes are needed in California to recall an official?
12% of the votes cast in the last election.
What are the advantages if recall elections?
Gives the public greater control over corrupt or incompetent representatives.
When was the recall of MPs act?
2015
In the UK how many votes are needed to trigger a recall election?
10% of the MPs constituents
What were the key policies for labour and conservatives in the 1979 general election?
Conservatives - “labour isn’t working”
Labour - focused on its ability to deal with trade unions
What % of the vote did the conservatives win in 1979?
43.9%
What % of the vote did labour win in 1979?
37%
