Democracy And Participation

Question 1

What are some advantages of direct democracy

Answer 1

Gives equal weight to all votes
Encourages popular participation
Removes need for trusted representatives
Develops sense of community

Question 2

What are some disadvantages of direct democracy

Answer 2

Impractical at large populations
Many will not want to or feel qualified to take part in decision making
Open to manipulation
Will of majority is not mediated

Question 3

What was the average turnout at general elections from 1945-1997
And when was it the lowest

Answer 3

76%

2001

Question 4

What was the average turnout in May 2016 at local levels

Answer 4

33.8%

Question 5

What are some features of representative democracy

Answer 5

• elections should be regular competitive and secret
• civil liberties should be protected
• elections should be contested by numerous political parties
• constitutional checks exist to prevent a concentration of government power
• an assembly exists which reflects the make up of society and passes law
• pressure groups should have the opportunity to put forward their views
• an independent judiciary should exist

Question 6

What aspects of representative democracy does the uk have

Answer 6

• UK elections must be held every 5 years and are held in secret
• humans rights act protects civil liberties
• pressure groups is seen as a crucial part of the UK democratic representative system

Question 7

what id direct democracy

Answer 7

the people make decisions for themselves there is no government

Question 8

what are some advantages to direct democracy

Answer 8

• everyone is society participates
• people directly make decisions in their interests
• all citizens voices are equal
• purest form of democracy

Question 9

what is an example of direct democracy

Answer 9

athenian democracy had an assembly which only men over 18 could vote in

Question 10

what was some advantages of the assembly

Answer 10

• democracy in ancient athens was a revolutionary system

- it gave all citizens equal political rights, regardless of wealth, social standing, education, ancestry ect

Question 11

what were some disadvantages of the assembly

Answer 11

only adult male citizens could apply for the privileges and duties of the government , women were totaly excluded

• participation wa slow
• people were too easily influenced by good orator

Question 12

advantages of UK elections

Answer 12

• free and fair, based on universal franchise
• FPTP has strenghths such as simplicity
• the use of proportional representation for devolved elections is an improvement
• turnout is not high but is is in line with many western democracies

Question 13

disadvantages of direct democracies

Answer 13

• FPTP is disproportionate and leaves minor parties under-represented. it also leads to wasted votes
• the health of representative democracy has been called into question by general public apathy towards politics

Question 14

advantages of representation

Answer 14

• the UK parliament represents constiuents and holds the government to account on behalf of the electorate
• all citizens are represented by an MP and can expect their concerns to be taken up

Question 15

criticisms of representation

Answer 15

• parliament can be ineffective in holding the govenment to account as it id dominated by government with an overall majority
• the unelected house fo lords has the ability to delay law
• many MPs can ignore their constituents concerns because they hold safe seats and want to remain loyal to their party
• women and ethnic minorites and the working class stay under-represented

Question 16

positives of citizens rights

Answer 16

• there are extensive freedoms and rights incorporated in human rights act 1998
• the freedom of information act 2000 requires the government to reveal information on how and why decisions were taken on behalf of the people

Question 17

criticism of citizens rights

Answer 17

• the human rights act is not fully entrenched governments can ignore judges rulings
• the freedom of information act has too many exemptions which governments use to further their own interests

Question 18

positives on pressure groups

Answer 18

• pressure groups supplement democracy by giving a voice to minorities allowing citizens exert influence between elections
• pressure groups enhance democracy by ensuring political diversity

Question 19

criticism of pressure groups

Answer 19

• wealthy and powerful pressure groups may pursue their own interests which may not benefit the majority of the population
• the leaders of pressure groups are not elected, accountable, or under public scrutiny

Question 20

positives of limited governments

Answer 20

-the constitution ids effective at limiting government and adapting and changing to circumstances

Question 21

criticisms of limited government

Answer 21

• there is no codified constitution, so power distribution is undefined
• the fusion of executive and legislature creates over powerful executive

Question 22

positives of independent judiciary

Answer 22

• the rule of law is protected by judicial independence to protect citizens and limit government
• all governments are subject to law, upheld by judges via judicial review and the human rights act

Question 23

criticisms of independent judiciary

Answer 23

government has role in appointing judges

Question 24

what is some evidence that there is a falling participation in politics

Answer 24

• turnout in general elections has been falling since 1979
• european, local and other elections have seen even lower turnout
• in 2011, on average only 42% bothered to vote in some referenda

Question 25

what was the turnout for the 2001 election compared to 1979

Answer 25

1979-76%

2001-59%

Question 26

further evidence for decreased participation

Answer 26

-party membership has fallen since the 1980s there are fewer party activists, leading to difficulties in recruiting candidates locally
-the public is disillusioned with the lack of core differences between parties leading to partisan dealignment
-voter registration among young people is lower that among older people
public trust in politicians has been undermined by, for example sexual harassment allegations

Question 27

what is some evidence that participation is increasing

Answer 27

• turnout levels have riseb in general elections, from 59% in 2001 to 69% in 2017
• if we combine voting for all new elections political participation has risen
• the Scottish independence referendum saw an engaged population and turnout at 85%
• some argue that the election of jeremy Corbyn as the leader of the labour party reinvigorated young people-2017

Question 28

other signs participation is increasing?

Answer 28

• the number and memebership of pressure groups has increased, suggesting participation has changed
• there have been over 26,000 e-petitions on the government’s website, showing high levels of engagement
• protesting and campaigning via facebook has also become a popular way of participating
• using twitter to engage with MPs commentators and journalists

Question 29

what is anti politics

Answer 29

-used to decribe distrust of politicians; dislike of party politics; disaffection with democracy

Question 30

what is anti-politics caused

Answer 30

• complacency in rich western unions

- a lack of interest in political institutions