Electoral Systems Flashcards
What is a referendum? In what circumstances are they held and are they legally binding?
A vote on a single issue put to a public ballot by the government. They’re not legally binding, only advisory. They tell the government the overall opinion of the people but the House of Commons ultimately decides.
When was the referendum on the UK’s continued membership of the European Economic Community and what happened?
1975
The Labour PM, Harold Wilson, called a referendum over whether the UK should continue as a member of the EEC since his Labour government was so fractured on the issue, with Michael Foot and Tony Benn leading opposition to Europe and Roy Jenkins and Shirley Williams in favour, that as long as the issue was unresolved, his cabinet would continue hopelessly divided. Yes= 67%
No= 33%
It was a national referendum.
When was the first referendum on the Scottish and Welsh devolution and what happened?
1979
40% of the electorate living in Scotland had to approve, but this % was not achieved (DESPITE OVER 50% OF THOSE WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE REFERENDUM VOTING YES) so the Scots had to wait for another referendum on devolution.
Turnout= 32.9%
It didn’t meet the government’s conditions due to turnout and was illegitimate.
When was the second referendum on Scottish and Welsh devolution and what happened?
1997
Scotland voted on whether there should be a Scottish Parliament with tax varying powers. Wales voted on whether there should be a Welsh Assembly. It was under Tony Blair as PM.
Scotland:
turnout= 60.4%
74.3% votes yes for Parliament, 63.5% voted yes for varying powers
Scotland Act was passed in 1998.
Wales:
turnout= 50.1%
50.3% voted yes so it passed despite only receiving around 559,000 votes.
When was the Good Friday Peace Agreement and what happened?
1998
Northern Ireland voted on whether there should be a power-sharing Assembly within province.
turnout= 81% so high legitimacy
71.1% voted in favour.
When was the London Mayor referendum and what happened?
1998
Londoners voted on whether there should be an elected mayor. It allowed everyone in London to elect someone on their behalf to make decisions, giving power to one person.
turnout= 34%
72% agreed to have a Mayor.
When was the referendum on increased powers to the Welsh Assembly and what happened?
2011
The final result saw 517,132 vote Yes, and 297,380 say No.
turnout= 35.4%
The vote gave the assembly direct law-making power in 20 devolved areas, eg. health and education.
Yes- 63.5%
No- 36.5%
When was the referendum on swapping FPTP for the Alternative Vote and what happened?
2011
It was part of the deal made with LibDems and Conservatives. They were in a coalition from 2010-2015. This was a national referendum.
The ‘Yes’ to AV campaign was decisively defeated; quite likely because many voters used the referendum as an excuse to punish the LibDems for their role in the coalition.
turnout= 42% because Conservatives would have less power because they’d get less seats.
67.9% of voters opposed changing the electoral system to AV.
When was the Scottish referendum on independence and what happened?
2014
turnout= 84.5%
55.3% said ‘no’ to an independent Scotland. 16 and 17 year olds were permitted to vote. Authority had been devolved.
When was the referendum on UK membership of the EU?
2016
It asked the electorate whether the country should remain a member of, or leave, the European Union.
turnout= 72.2%
48.1% voted to remain. 51.9% voted to leave.
What happened in 2015 regarding David Cameron and Brexit?
Cameron committed his party to holding an ‘in/out’ referendum on EU membership if the Conservatives won the 2015 GE, hoping to quell the rebellion over Europe and improve chances of a 2015 victory. He and his key advisors believed electorate would vote to remain as leaving is a profound and irreveresible change.
What happened between 2016 and Jan 2020 regarding Brexit and how was this significant for referendums?
For the electorate, the referendum was a means of taking back control. However, EU membership is too complex for citizens to reach a balanced judgement on, leaving them prey to misinformation and exaggeration.
March 2017- Article 50 legislation went through smoothly
Next 2.5 years- Parliament couldn’t commit itself to fully carrying out the wishes of the electorate as they had to enact legislation to which they were fundamentally opposed.
Jan 2020- new Parliament from 2019 GE passed the Withdrawal Agreement by 358 votes to 234
When was the Lisbon Treaty referendum and why did Nigel Farage of UKIP consider it to be a bad thing?
In Oct 2009, the people of Ireland took part in a referendum on whether their government should sign up to the Lisbon Treaty.
There was a lot of money for the ‘yes’ side so it wasn’t fair/equal treatment. Irish people were ‘frightened’ and ‘bullied’ into voting yes because they were told if they vote no they’d lose their jobs. Farage thought there needed to be a new Eurosceptic political party in Ireland.
What were the broadcasts of the yes and no campaigns for the AV referendum about?
‘No’ campaign- Said AV system means politicians make false promises and blame it on the other party. They say the winner can lose, voting system is confusing. Democracy is one person per vote.
‘Yes’ campaign- No changes made after MP’s promises so AV means MPs will actually have to work hard to make a change. It gives taxpayers more of a say, MPs have to aim for 50% of the vote.
What is evidence to support referendums giving the electorate a say, showing legitimacy?
2014 Scottish Independence referendum
SNP then won 56 out of 59 seats
What is evidence to support the argument that referendums are ‘tyranny of the majority’ and minority interest is neglected by the power of the democratic majority?
Brexit was 52% leave and 48% remain.
What is evidence to support referendums helping to create a more engaged and better educated and informed electorate?
Good Friday Agreement gave electorate a book that laid out all sides of the argument.
What is evidence to support campaigns being misleading or oversimplifying complicated issues that are better left to elected representatives as they’re too complex for citizens to fully grasp or understand?
2016 Brexit- Leave campaign’s NHS bus claim that ‘We send £350m a week to the EU’ and Cameron’s suggestion that if we left, house prices would plummet, there would be medicine shortages, and a year-long recession with the loss of half a million jobs.
What does legitimacy mean in elections?
Elections give legitimacy to the winning party and to the political system as a whole. By voting, even for a losing party, citizens give their consent to the system.
What does influence over policy mean in terms of elections?
Elections allow citizens to voice their policy preferences. Political parties issue manifestos outlining the policies they would introduce in government. The victorious party then claims a mandate to deliver those policies.
What does a ‘free and fair election’ mean?
Free elections require basic civil liberties such as freedom of speech and association, the right to join and stand for a party of one’s choice and a free press. A key criterion for fair elections is ‘one person, one vote, one value’- each citizen should have one vote that is worth the same as anyone else’s.
How frequent are general elections and what are they?
every 5 years
But MPs voted for early GEs in 2017 and 2019.
They elect all 650 MPs who make up the House of Commons.
How frequent are elections to devolved assemblies and what are they?
every 4 years
Elections to the Scottish Parliament, Welsh Senedd and Northern Ireland Assembly.
How frequent are local elections and what are they?
every 4 years
Local councillors are elected for fixed 4-year terms. Some towns and cities also have directly elected mayors. In London, there’s an elected mayor and assembly. Police and crime commissioners are also elected in England and Wales.
