Democratic Deficit

Question 1

positive democratic features of the UK

Answer 1

free media

independent judiciary

free and fair elections

wide range of political parties and pressure groups

devolved governments

Question 2

undemocratic features of the UK

Answer 2

unrepresentative voting system

house of lords

lack of citizens’ rights protections

media control/influence

Question 3

indicators of a participation crisis

Answer 3

voter turnout

party membership

Question 4

average voter turnout in the UK

Answer 4

average voter turnout in general elections from 1945-97 was 76%, since then it has been much lower

in 2001, turnout was less than 60% (the lowest since the end of WW1 in 1918)

Question 5

how has voter turnout been rising modestly since then?

Answer 5

since 2001, voter turnout at general elections has been rising modestly….

• 2005 = 61.4%
• 2010 = 65%
• 2015 = 66%
• 2017 = 68%

although this is still quite low — a democratic issue

Question 6

turnout is even lower in ‘second order’ elections like local council elections and those for devolved bodies….

Answer 6

average turnout in May 2016 local elections in England was around 33%

turnout in by-elections is also very low — only 38% voted in the 2017 Stoke-on-Trent by-election, significantly less than the already low 49% turnout for that seat during the 2015 general election

only 15% of people voted in the 2012 Police and Crime Commissioner elections (the lowest average turnout in any UK contest) — although by 2016, this rose to 27%

Question 7

voter turnout in the UK compared to the rest of the world

Answer 7

the UK is ranked 76th in the world for voter turnouts — very bad considering the UK is supposedly one of the world’s leading democracies

the average voter turnout across the EU for European elections is 42%, but the average for the UK in European elections is only 35%

Question 8

party membership: evidence to suggest it is declining

Answer 8

only 1.6% of the electorate belong to one of the three main parties, this is down from 3.8% in 1983

Conservatives — 400,000 members in the mid 1990s but only around 150,000 in 2016

although this might not be important as there are other ways to engage in politics, like through pressure groups — so this decline does not necessarily mean there is a participation crisis

Question 9

party membership: evidence to suggest it is rising (Labour)

Answer 9

Labour — increased membership in the run up to the 1997 election, which fell to around 190,000 while they were in government

but the election of Jeremy Corbyn as leader has been associated with the rise in membership to 515,000 in July 2016 (corbyn effect)

Question 10

party membership: evidence to suggest it is rising (Lib Dems)

Answer 10

LibDems — 70,000 members in the early 2000s, falling to 49,000 during the 2010-15 coalition but rising again to over 82,000 in 2017

rising membership for both Labour and LibDem, not every party has seen a drop in membership

Question 11

party membership: evidence to suggest it is rising (small parties)

Answer 11

there has been an increase in membership of smaller parties

SNP — in 2013, only had a membership of 25,000, but by 2016 this had risen to 120,000

the Green Party only had a membership of 13,000 in 2013, but by 2016 this rose to 55,000

UKIP has also seen a small rise in membership from 32,000 in 2013 to 39,000 in 2016 — small difference, but still rising

in 2015, a record 24.8% of the vote went to smaller parties other than the three major parties

Question 12

however, there are other ways, besides voting and being a member of a party, in which people are still getting involved in politics….

Answer 12

pressure group membership is increasing

social media

(suggests there might not be a participation crisis, people are simply turning to new methods of political expression)

Question 13

other ways people involve themselves in politics: social media

Answer 13

online campaigns — e.g. e-petition against road charging proposals was signed by more than 1.8 million people in 2007

parliament must discuss the issue if a petition reaches over 100,000 signatures

in 2019, petitions to put pressure on the Chinese government over their treatment of Uyghur Muslims was signed by well over 100,000 people

Question 14

reasons for participation crisis

Answer 14

political apathy

disillusionment / disenchantment

depends on the issue at stake

Question 15

depends on the issue at stake: example

Answer 15

if a critical issue that affects how the country is governed is at stake then more people will tend to express their views and vote

for example, in the 2014 Scottish Independence referendum over 84% of people voted

turnout for the 2016 EU referendum was also high at 72%

Question 16

MPs expenses scandal (2009)

Answer 16

in 2009, the Daily Telegraph published evidence of widespread abuse by MPs of the system that allows them to claim expenses for living costs

some MPs had made false claims for mortgage repayments, home insurance, etc, as well as very absurd and unnecessary claims such as the purchase of a duck house

led to numerous MPs apologising, repaying claims and stepping down at the next election — 5 former MPs and 2 Lords were also sentenced to prison

steps have been taken to change the expenses system but this does not seem to have altered the negative perception of politicians

a 2015 survey found that politicians were the least trusted profession, below estate agents and bankers

this scandal caused people to lose faith and trust in politicians to do their jobs properly