democracy and participation Flashcards
forms of democracy: what is liberal democracy?
the right to vote is widespread and representatives act in the interests of everyone in society
forms of democracy: what is majoritarian democracy?
the will or desires of the majority of the population are the prime considerations of government
forms of democracy: what is parliamentary democracy?
parliament stands as the highest form of authority. the executive branch will be drawn from and accountable to the peoples representatives in parliament
forms of democracy: what is presidential democracy?
the executive will be elected separately from the legislative body and is therefore chosen by and directly accountable to the people
forms of democracy: what is direct democracy?
the citizens are directly involved in the decision making process
what is representative democracy?
the people transfer the power to make decisions to an elected representative
what is a pluralist democracy?
a system of government where there is competition between different groups who represent popular concerns to the government of the day
functions of democracy: what is representation?
must be means of the people to be able to put forward their views to the government of the day
functions of democracy: what is accountability?
must be a process by which the government of the day can be made responsible for its actions
functions of democracy: what is participation?
must be a way for people to be engaged and participate in the political process
functions of democracy: what is power dispersal?
should be a system that ensures a spread of power across different political bodies to avoid one becoming overly dominant
functions of democracy: what is legitimacy?
the process for the selection of the different branches of government should have legal authority and fairly represent the will of the people
functions of democracy: what is education?
political process should be open to all and there should be an educates and informed citizenry who are able to understand the issues and make informed decisions
where is direct democracy frequently used?
Switzerland
what is the most common form of direct democracy?
referendums- called by representatives of those in charge
what are initiatives, commonly used in the US?
proposed and called by a percentage of the population- the public has more direct control over the issues being considered
what other forms of direct democracy are used in the UK?
juries and petitions
arguments in favour of direct democracy: how is it a pure form of democracy?
everyone has a say on an issue rather than having their views expressed by representatives
arguments in favour of direct democracy: how is there increased legitimacy?
decisions have greater democratic legitimacy because they have the support of the majority of people
arguments in favour of direct democracy: how does it improve participation?
greater when people have more opportunities to be involved in issues that directly affect them
arguments in favour of direct democracy: how does it increase public engagement?
regular public debates and discussion of issues help to improve public engagement in the running of the country
arguments in favour of direct democracy: how does it improve political education?
people need to be informed to make decisions
arguments in favour of direct democracy: how has it been proven to work?
it is used regularly in Switzerland
arguments against direct democracy: how is it not practical?
in a modern state the number of issues, plus the size of the population, means a system of direct democracy would be unresponsive and impractical
arguments against direct democracy: what is tyranny of the majority?
minority groups and interests may have their needs and concerns overlooked when decisions are based on a majority vote
arguments against direct democracy: how does it undermine elected representatives?
undermines their role and allows them to pass the responsibility for difficult decisions to the public.
arguments against direct democracy: how is there low turnouts?
only a small group of people make decisions which affect everyone. this undermines the legitimacy of the decisions being made
arguments against direct democracy: what is emotional responses?
people can tend to vote on the basis of emotion rather than the practical considerations of major issues
arguments against direct democracy: what are populist outcomes?
people tend to vote on popular short-term measures that will benefit them, rather than consider what will be national interest and good for everyone
positive aspects of democracy in the UK: what are free and fair elections?
UK has a wide variety of elections, allowing citizens to choose representatives for a range of local and national bodies
how are elections free from government manipulation ?
they are conducted by the Electoral Commission, which is independent of any particular party
what measures are in place by the Electoral Commission to make elections fair?
laws in place about campaigning in and around ballot stations, campaign spending limits, ban on campaigning during purdah and restricting on amount of broadcast campaigning
when and who created the Electoral Commission?
2000 by the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act
positive aspects of democracy in the UK: how is turnout improving?
after hitting an all time low in 2001 (59%), turnout has increased to 62% in 2005, 65% in 2010, 66% in 2015 and 69% in 2017
what are examples of referendum that have had high turnout?
Scottish Independence referendum was 84.6% and the EU referendum 72%
positive aspects of democracy in the UK: what is universal suffrage?
everyone over the age of 18 who is not a prisoner, mentally incapable or a peer has the right to vote on a basis of one person one vote
positive aspects of democracy in the UK: how is the party system good?
currently there are 10 parties represented in the House of Commons. The wide variety provides a wide range of options for voters
positive aspects of democracy in the UK: how are pressure groups good for democracy?
pressure groups provide an alternative avenue of representation on small or minority issues- they provide a mouthpiece for minority group-they are legally equal to compete with each other
positive aspects of democracy in the UK: how is parliamentary sovereignty good for democracy?
government is drawn from members of parliament and is accountable to parliament-the government must get consent from the House of Commons gaining it indirectly from the people
positive aspects of democracy in the UK: how is devolution good for democracy?
allowed constituent parts of the UK to make decisions on a local basis- representatives are closer to the community and provide better quality representation
negative aspects of democracy in the UK: how are the unelected elements negative for democracy?
unelected hereditary monarch and an unelected the concept of representative democracy in the UK
what are the only way peers can be removed?
by death, or following the House of Lords Reform Act 2014, resigning or being expelled for failing to attend an entire annual parliamentary session or committing a serious crime
how are the powers of the monarch and the Lords only theoretically limited?
the Salisbury doctrine can be ignored by the Lords if they choose to do so
how is the House of Lords suspected of cronyism?
after reform 92 hereditary peers still remain making the House seem even more undemocratic
Case study money or welfare: in October 2015 what did the House of Lords reject?
a series of proposed cuts to the tax credit system by 289 to 272 votes which had been narrowly passed through the Commons
how did them rejecting the cuts raise questions over the democratic legitimacy of the Lords?
its not allowed to reject and claimed it was a welfare bill and aw it as delegated legislation giving them the power to veto it
how was the nature of the peers voting raising question?
the 289 peers who rejected the cuts were mainly Labour or Lib Dem and Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber who is conservative and resides in the US flew home to vote, despite it not affecting him
negative aspects of democracy in the UK: how is turnout decreasing?
turnout is often low with recent general election below historic average of 75%- claims of a participation crisis.
what are some examples of really low turnouts in 2016?
local council- 34.33% and Police and Crime Commissioner- 27.31%
negative aspects of democracy in the UK: what is the problem with the West Lothian Question and EVEL?
Devolved institutions can vote on issues that do not affect their constituents eg tuition fees in England and Wales were only passed in 2004 due to Scottish votes
what has happened in order to try and address this issue?
EVEL have been limited and run the risk of creating two tiers of MP’s which would undermine the parliamentary chamber
negative aspects of democracy in the UK: how does the FPTP system create wasted votes?
any vote casted in a constituency towards a candidate who does not win play no role in the selection of representatives
negative aspects of democracy in the UK: How does the FPTP system create safe seats?
some constituencies elect the same candidate every election and the level of support required to win the constituency is too high e.g. Blythe Valley
negative aspects of democracy in the UK: how does the FPTP system create Unrepresentation?
differences in concentration of support across the UK mean that the result of elections does not reflect the way the public voted eg 2015 SNP 56 seats and 2% of vote
negative aspects of democracy in the UK: how does the FPTP system create Winner’s bonus?
system exaggerates support received by most popular party, the party receives more seats than in proportionality to votes, boosting majority in parliament
negative aspects of democracy in the UK: how does the FPTP system discriminate against parties with widespread support?
parties that have support which isn’t concentrated in a geographic area find it difficult to gain seats such as the Green party and Lib Dems
negative aspects of democracy in the UK: how does the FPTP system affect minority constituents?
in these constituencies, an MP wins the most votes but does not gain more than 50% of the total vote, meaning majority didn’t vote for their representative
negative aspects of democracy in the UK: how does the FPTP system affect the two party system?
it favours parties with a lot of support spread evenly across the country and generally results in one of the main parties gaining government and the other opposition
negative aspects of democracy in the UK: what is lack of meaningful choice?
with only two parties gaining chance of power, many people just vote for them even in devolved areas- SNP competing with Labour and Conservatives with N. Ireland
negative aspects of democracy in the UK: what is the weakness of the electoral Commission?
its reactive rather than proactive and passes sanctions after an event, meaning its message has already had impact alongside loopholes with spending and social media
negative aspects of democracy in the UK: how is there a lack of entrenched rights?
without a codified constitution, key rights can be overturned by government without effective redress through the judicial system
examples: how is freedom of speech undermined?
creation of ‘safe spaces’ in universities has been criticised for restricting forums for debate and discussion
examples: how is freedom of protest undermined?
additional measures have been taken t restrict protests outside of parliament
examples: how is the right to vote undermined?
some people still cant vote eg prisoners
who has franchise?
everyone over the age of 18 who isn’t a criminal, mentally incapable or a peer- 71.5 % of the population approx
what was franchise like 200 years ago?
2.7 % of the population had franchise
what is the essential argument over franchise?
those who pay tax should have a say in how it is spent, hence the rallying cry of the colonies in the American War of Independence “no taxation without representation”
what was the Great Reform Act 1832?
after the Industrial Revolution the middle class grew rapidly and the largest economic group weren’t represented as franchise was based on land ownership- extended vote to extra 300,000 people
how was the extension to the model class still a modest change?
only 5.6% of the population had the vote (about 20% of adult men)
what was the Representation of the People Act 1918 and women’s right to vote?
the vote was extended to all women over 30 and men over 21
how had the role of women changed by 1918?
women had contributed to the war effort, women had provided invaluable work in the war, women proved to be capable of maintaining a safe country, suffragettes had stopped during the war and David Lloyd George became PM who was more supportive of women’s rights
how did women’s rights change by 1900?
more women were paying taxes due to new job roles eg typists and doctors and changes to marriage laws meant women could gain property independence
after 1918 and the disbanding of the NUWSS and WSPU what became the new social group for change?
National Union of Societies for Equal Citizenship with leader Eleanor Rathbone replacing Millicent Fawcett
what were NUSEC’s 6 key aims?
equal pay, equality in sexual conduct and morals, benefits for widows and children, equality in franchise, equal recognition as mothers as guardian and equal access to legal profession
when did NUSEC achieve equality in the franchise?
Stanley Baldwin’s Conservative government in 1928 extending franchise to all citizens over 21
how did the Representation of the People act 1969 come about?
since WW2 status of 18-20 year olds changed with ore gaining employment, higher education and financial independence- some even tried to marry and rent housing but weren’t viewed as adults in the eyes of law
what was set up in 1965 to reflect on whether voting age should be extended to 18 year old’s?
a committee by Justice John Latey- focus was to review issues with marriage, wardship, contracts and property
why did the committee report to change voting age to 18 in 1967?
18 year olds were more financially astute, more physically developed, radio and TV meant they were better informed and age of 21 no longer served a service
what was the journey to the Representation of the People Act 1969?
the marriage act 1949 lowered marriage age to 18 and then the representation of the people act in 689 which lowered voting age to all people over 18
when was the first petition to give women the vote presented to parliament ?
1866
after its failure, failure what was the first movement ?
Manchester Society for Women’s Suffrage
what happened to all these movements in 1897?
unified by Millicent Fawcett under National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) or ‘suffragists’
what was the NUWSS like?
internally democratic, members were mostly middle class and some men did join - usually campaigned for other issues such as marriage rights and employment
what methods did the suffragists use?
writing letters, pamphlets, educational letters, organising petitions, peaceful marching/ protest
by 1914 how many members and branches did the NUWSS have?
more than 100,000 members in 400 branches across the country
who and when founded the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU)?
founded by Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughters Christabel and Sylvia in 1903
where was the WSPU based and what was membership like?
initially based in Manchester and drew support from working-class women , though it started to recruit more middle and upper class women when it moved to London in 1906
what were the aims of the WSPU?
secure equal voting rights for women, female only membership, deeds not words and only focus on issue of political inequality and nothing else
what methods did the Suffragettes use?
disrupting party meetings, chaining to public railings, smashing windows, attacking police officers, blow up buildings, burning buildings, hunger strike blow up letter boxes
why was 18th November 1910 known as Black Friday?
the WSPU protest resulted in a fight with police that saw many women assaulted, both physically and sexually by the police- police said they brought it upon themselves
why did the government announce the cat and mouse act in 1913?
women were dying of starvation on hunger strike so when women were on the brink of death they would be temporarily released from prison to gain strength
how was it costly the suffragettes causing a raise in profile?
the NUWSS became alarmed that the violent actions of the suffragettes were causing hostility from the government towards the cause
what happened by 1914?
public opinion was against them so it was easy for government to ignore them however when war broke out they promised to end violent methods and helped the government organise female workers
what do prisoners lose by removing their franchise?
part of their citizensip
what campaign has been able to extend the vote to at least some prisoners?
John Hirst
what did John Hirst do?
he went to the European Court of Human Rights which declared that the blanket ban on all prisoners was a violation of their human rights
what other pressure groups have campaigned for such change?
Howard League for Penal Reform, Prison Reform Trust and Amnesty International
what have such groups done to help campaign to give atleast some prisoners the vote?
supported more than 2000 legal challenges, produced article, set up petitions and used their insider status to lobby politicians
what is the goal of the campaign?
to extend franchise to prisoners serving less than 1 year, in order to comply with the ECtHR ruling and ensure the full rights of prisoners are recognised
what happened to John Hirst?
in 1979 he beat his landlady to death and in 1980 was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 15 years in prison
how many years did Hirst spend in prison and why?
24 years with additional sentences for violent protesting and rioting against life conditions in prison
what happened with his campaign that he began in the 1990’s?
high court dismissed it in 2001 but Hirst launched a new appeal under the Human Rights Act which was successfully upheld by the European Court of Human Rights in 2005
what is votes at 16 and what do they believe?
a coalition of different groups that believe 16 and 17 year olds should be granted the right to vote on the basis of engage, empower, inspire
what is engage?
votes at 16 will engage 16 and 17 year olds, who have a lot of responsibilities in our society, to influence key decisions that affect their lives and ensure youth issues are represented
what is empower?
votes at 16 will empower 16 and 17 year olds, through a democratic right, to influence decisions that will define their future
what is inspire?
inspire young people to get involved in the democracy
what are some examples of things 16 year olds can do legally?
pay income tax and national insurance, get married or enter civil partnership and join the armed forces
where are examples of places where 16 year olds have the right to vote?
Isle of man, Austria, Brazil, Ecuador, Scotland (for the Scottish Independence referendum 2014)
votes at 16 is an umbrella group that involves what other 5 groups?
British youth council, Children’s rights alliance for England, National Union of Students, Public Achievement and Scottish Youth Parliament
What happened in 1999 to encourage franchise for 16 to 17 year olds?
Simon Hughes MP proposed an amendment to give 16 and 17 year olds the right to vote: it is defeated by 434 to 36
What 2000?
The young people’s rights network is established
What happened in 2001?
Representatives of the young people’s rights network meet with the electoral reform society to discuss jointly campaigning for votes at 16. The Lib Dem’s publicly support the campaign
What happened in 2005?
Stephen Williams MP introduces a private members bill- representation of the people bill. Supported by 128 and -136 against it
what happened in 2015?
votes at 16 private members bill, proposed by Vicky Foxcroft MP, has its second reading in the House of Commons
what happened in 2017?
Liberal Democrats manifesto contained a commitment to lowering voting age to 16
what resources are on the votes at 16 website to encourage people to join the campaign?
the opportunity to adopt a lord, opportunity to email MP, suggestions of how to spread awareness of campaign, passing a model motion, resources for schools, engaging community groups, planning a campaign and advice on lobbying representatives
what has been the impact of the votes at 16 campaign?
it has gained strength with 16 local councils, Scottish Parliament and Welsh and N. Irish support votes at 16 with a number of MP’s voting for it rising in Parliament
what are some traditional methods of participation?
voting, joining a party, joining a pressure group, organising or signing petition, march, strike and standing for public office
what are modern developments in participation?
e-petitions, blogging, protesting on social media and organising a demonstration on social media
