ETVT the UK is suffering from a participation crisis Flashcards
Turnout is low
Participation in general elections and referendums is low and signifies a participation crisis in the UK, we can see this through the low turnout. The reasons for this may be due to a decline in interest, distrust in the political system or maybe they feel that the FPTP system means their vote wont count or make a difference.
Turnout was at an all-time high in the 1951 general election but has subsequently reached an all-time low in the 2001 election and has not significantly recovered since. 82.6% to 59.4%. Between 1922 and 1997 voter turnout never fell below 70%.
Since 2001 general election turnout has not recovered above the 70% margin, most recently in the 2019 election turnout was 67.3%
Furthermore referendums are a form of direct representation, UK EC membership referendum in 1975 was 64.5% and the AV referendum In 2011 was as low was 42.2%.
In the 2021 England and Wales Police and crime commissioner elections had a average turnout of 33.2%.
Decline in political participation is evident.
Turnout is NOT a major issue
BREXIT referendum turnout was as high as 72.2%, this shows that in the major events such as important constitutional change, people remain very interested in UK politics and they are very inclined to make their vote count. Turnout for the Scottish independence referendum 2014 was 84.6%.
Northern Ireland referendum on the Good Friday agreement reached a turnout of 81%.
Turnout was as high as 65% in 2010 and 67.3% in 2019, a clear rise from the 2001 numbers and showing that maybe turnout is not falling too much. Between 2001 and 2018 average turnout was 64%, reaching 69%.
Although there has been a decline since the 20th century numbers, its clear that the issue is not to significant and not enough to constitute a crisis.
Arguably there has been increasing opportunities for voting in the UK, with European elections starting in 1979 and elections to the devolved assemblies in NI, Wales and Scotland beginning in 1998.
Party membership has fallen massively
Another way the UK is suffering from a participation crisis is a decline in party membership. In 1953, the Conservatives had 2.8 million party members but now only have 149,800 members.
Over 3% of the electorate was a conservative party member in 1970, this had declined consistently and in 2019 sat at only 0.3%.
This shows there has been a decline in party affiliation as memberships of parties has fallen and participation within the party has become less engaging to citizens.
Party dealignment may be the cause of this which enhances that participation is declining because people aren’t getting as involved with their party in comparison to a few decades ago.
In 2021 the Labour party lost nearly 100,000 members.
Party membership falling does not mean a participation crisis
The cause of this can be down to party dealignment and party loyalty falling as the two parties become ideologically closer together.
Although this is true, I would argue that falling membership numbers is not necessarily sign of a participation crisis but a fall in party loyalty and the two main parties converging in terms of their ideology.
The Hansard Society Audit of political engagement in 2019 found that only 11% of people are prepared to donate money or become a member of a political party, but 58% are prepared to vote in elections.
Furthermore some people still view parties as a way of seeking more radical change, for example before the 2015 election over 50,000 party became members of the UKIP party.
Following the 2014 Scottish Independence referendum, SNP membership surged to over 100,000.
Furthermore fall in party loyalty has just seen a rise in alternate forms of participation.
Increase in participation in pressure groups, social movements, direct action and e petitons
Participation is changing not declining, E-petitions, social movements and direct action are still important ways in which people can now participate.
There has been huge growth in direct action, for example groups such as Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion have seen direct action as a method to bring attention to specific issues.
People now participate in a slightly different way, they rather involve themselves in groups that represent specific issues, unlike parties. In 2013 the Passionate Collaboration study found that 139 environmental groups they had analysed had a total membership of 4.5 million, meaning one in 10 adults are members of such groups. Conservative party membership is only 200,000 and labour only have 400,000 members.
Since the 1960s it is clear there has been a growth in pressure groups, particularly surrounding environmental issues.
Don’t Stop oil in 2022 took part in scaling bridges, spray painting buildings, blocking roads and Vandalism of Artwork.
In 2020 thousands of people attended the ‘Black lives matter’ movement in the UK through protests and on social media
E-petitions have also grown in importance, in 2019 the Revoke Article 50 and remain in the EU petition secured 6,000,000 signatures and triggered a debate in parliament. A further 1.1 million signed a petition committing to End child food poverty in 2020.
