Democracy and Participation (UK) Flashcards
Direct Democracy
In direct democracy, the people decide on policies without any intermediary or representative
Representative Democracy
In a representative democracy people vote for representatives who then enact policy initiatives
Extending the Franchise
Franchise is the ability and right of someone to vote in an election. (Women - 1928) (Could lower voting age in the UK)
Lowering the voting age
A lower voting age would strengthen the voice of the young and signal that their opinions matter. It is they, after all, who will bear the brunt of climate change and service the debt that paid for benefits, such as pensions and health care, of today’s elderly. Voting at 16 would make it easier to initiate new citizens in civic life. Above all, it would help guarantee the supply of young voters needed to preserve the vitality of democracy. Catch them early, and they will grow into better citizens
What is a pressure group?
A pressure group is an organised group of people that aim to influence the policies and actions of the government in favour of a specific cause or movement.
Features of a pressure group?
- Pressure groups have a narrow issue focus, sometimes even a single issue.
- Pressure groups unite over a shared cause or belief rather than a shared ideology.
- Pressure groupsexert influence from the outside rather than attempting to win government power.
What are insider groups?
The government consults the insider groups regularly and is quite literally inside the decision-making process. e.g The BMA
What are outisder groups?
Outsider groups have no special links to government, resorting to public opinion campaigns. e.g Father 4 Justice
What are interest/sectional groups?
They represent a particular section of society such as workers, religious groups, or employees for example.
What are cause groups?
These groups come together around a set of shared attitudes or values.
Function of pressure groups
Political participation
Representation
Policy formation
Policy influence
Education
Provide specialist knowledge
Pressure group methods
Direct action
Lobbying
Strikes
Direct Action
direct action is sometimes through civil disobedience. For example, Brian Haw held a 5-year anti-war vigil outside Parliament. Another example is Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC), a group campaigning since 1999 to stop animal testing. They subjected staff to harassment and intimidation.
Lobbying
This method targets ministers and civil servants who hold knowledge or power within the policy area the pressure group wants to influence. For example, the Royal College of Nursing frequently visits the Department of Health.
Strikes
another method used in the UK is strikes or work stoppages. Transport for London (TFL) lost £13m in fares due to Tube strikes resulting from two strikes in April 2022. About 10,000 workers from the Rail Union RMT walked out at midnight on 1 March and 3 March in a dispute over job losses and pensions.
Think tanks
Think tanks are public policy research organisations that seek to influence government policy. e.g New Policy Institute, Adam Smith Institute, Economic Policy Institute
Corporations
A large company or group of companies authorized to act as a single entity and recognized as such in law.
Civil liberties
A range of rights and freedoms that demand non-interference by government. They are based on the notion of citizenship; being a citizen of a certain country, and usually include freedom of speech, a free press, freedom of association, and freedom of religion. The government should not interfere in these areas.
Human rights
belong to all people in all societies, by virtue of being human. They are inalienable, meaning they cannot be taken away under any circumstance and are absolute- they must be fully upheld in all cases.
Human Rights Act
1998
Freedom of Infomation
2000
Equality Act
2010
Protection of rights
Judicial Review
Judges/Courts/SC
Legislation
Judicial Review
judicial review, which is the checking (and possibly overturning) of actions of government. This is more difficult in the UK than in the USA, where, due to the existence of a codified constitution, judges can easily check whether actions carried out by the government are constitutional. In the UK, judges cannot overturn Acts of Parliament but can decide on the lawfulness of actions carried out under delegated legislation (that is, laws that allow other bodies, such as ministers, to act with Parliament’s authority). Judges can decide whether ministers are acting beyond their power through this measure (the doctrine of ‘ultra vires’- beyond the power).
Judges/Courts
Judges also protect rights through the use of the Human Rights Act (HRA). This enables judges to challenge cases on the basis of human rights, for example in 2005 the ban on prisoners voting was declared unlawful.
Decleration of Incompatibility
The courts must apply Acts of Parliament even if they breach your human rights. But some courts, like the Court of Appeal, can say that the law is incompatible with the Human Rights Act. This is called a declaration of incompatibility. It’s then up to Parliament to decide if the law should be changed.
