Direct democracy Flashcards
Power is in the hands of the people
People as people are expected to take part in political decision making themselves. This may be achieved through referendums where voters directly make decisions on an issue, such as the 2014 Scottish Independence referendum. Rousseau argued that direct democracy would enable good decisions to be taken through majority vote. Aristotle believed that every eligible person should take part in politics. As a result they don’t have to rely on professional politicians who may be self-interested or loyal to their party. A number of MPs who represented Leave supporting constituencies voted against Brexit in parliament, including SNP MP Eilidh Whiteford who represents Banff and Buchan where 54% voted to leave the EU. The people should be more accepting of the decisions and they are more legitimate as people made them. However, it can be argued that people will only look out for themselves. This could result in minority groups being discriminated against as they will never be the majority. Locke argued that direct democracy makes it too easy for the majority to impose laws on a minority that the minority would not consent to. For example, Switzerland has voted to ban face coverings in public and the building of minarets. In conclusion, people should be happier with the decisions that are made as they able to have a direct say in what they want.
Impractical
Direct democracy worked well in Ancient Athens however it is impossible to implement on a large scale. There are so many decisions to be made and therefore it would be very time consuming. Schumpeter argued that most people simply didn’t have the time or proficiency to engage in such activity. It would hinder the ability to make decisions quickly as far more people would be included in debating. People may not know enough about issues or have the time to research them properly. Plato argued that the ‘masses’ don’t know what’s best for them. Also Socrates argued that the majority of people, because they were ignorant and unskilled, would always get it wrong so the skilled and intelligent should form the government. As a result they may not vote or make poor decisions. In the past, voters in California have decided to lower taxes but to increase spending. In Switzerland people are given opportunities to influence decision making 4 times a year. However only 40% of the electorate actually participate perhaps due to voter fatigue. It can therefore be said that decisions made will not be representative of the population due to low voter turnout. Even in the UK about a third of the electorate do not vote in General Elections which are held every few years. It could however be argued it would encourage people to take an interest in politics. For example, many people informed themselves about the advantages and disadvantages of leaving the EU prior to the referendum. Dahl said one of the ideals of democracy was enlightened understanding. In conclusion, direct democracy would end up with bad decisions being made due to lack of understanding and/or political involvement.
Corruption
Instead of people/organisations trying to bribe politicians they could exploit the public. If people weren’t interested they could be motivated by money rather than making decisions. Tocqueville argued that people are preoccupied with material goods so they may be easily bribed in order to buy things. However they would need to bride a lot more people than a few representatives to have an impact. Plato argued that people are likely to be too easily influenced by the great orators. It can be argued that large corporations, such as Uber, influenced the outcome of the Proposition 22 vote on exempting contractors from employee benefits in California by spending over $205 million on campaigns supporting Prop 22, as well as promoting through app and workers. In conclusion, although there is the ability for voters to be bribed and their votes bought it would have to happen on a very large scale in order to impact the outcome of the vote.
