Evaluate the extent to which the UK is an a democratic deficit Flashcards
Intro
What is a democratic deficit?
- when democratic organisations or institutions such as governments do not fulfil the principles of democracy in how they operate
- strong democracy should have high levels of participation, effective social and political representation to ensure that the government have legitimacy, this enables a clear mandate and the government to be held accountable
Discuss PEE for paragraph one:
P: FPTP system unlike the proportional representation used in many EU countries means little representation for minority viewpoints in parliament. It is also unrepresentative in general as it tends to exaggerate the seats won by the winning party as it is not proportional to the number of seats
E: for example the 2015 general election UKIP won 3.8 million votes but only one seat whereas the SNP won 1.5 million votes but 56 seats. The winning government received 36% of seats
E: this brings the legitimacy of MP’s and government into question as they can receive fewer votes but more seats. Typically governments receive 35%-40% of votes so most end up with a party they did not vote for. This means that millions of votes are wasted causing voters to become disillusioned with process. This is a deficit as many are underrepresented which lacks legitimacy.
Discuss CPE for paragraph one
CP: an alternative perspective could be that it does improve democracy as it its simplicity encourages people to vote in comparison to a more complex system
E: means that democracy is more stable as it doesn’t allow minority parties to have significant representation, more than they do.
E: however this is a weak argument since people’s voices and votes should be fairly heard. It would be undemocratic to deny parties representation if they are being voted for
Paragraph PEE:
P: it could be argued that they are going through a democratic deficit, this is suggested by electoral turnout rate. Electoral turnout has declined significantly
E: in the 2015 electoral turnout was 66.1% and in 2001 the UK received a general election turnout rate of 59.4% the lowest since the start of universal suffrage in 1928.
E: although this signifies complete apathy or choice not to engage low turnout rate bring to question government legitimacy and the strength of its electoral mandate. If citizens have little influence in politics, democracy weaknesses as it is no longer really a government of the people. This suggests that the UK is in democratic deficit as people are no longer involved in the policy making process.
Paragraph CPE:
CP: it could be argued that the UK is not in a democratic deficit as many people in engage in politics through other means such as pressure groups or referendums.
E: there has been high turnout in some elections and referendums such as the Scottish 2014 independence referendum with turnout over 80%. There are also petitions which suggest that the UK is not in a democratic deficit such as the 2003 Iraq war has over one million participants
E: shift largely due to results of electoral system that is outdated and ineffective shows widespread disillusionment.
Final paragraph PEE:
P: the democratic system is undergoing high levels of reform which suggest that we do not have a democratic deficit such as the human rights act in 1998 and the 2010 equality act. Further reforms such as labour’s 1997 pledge to increase the use of referendums and even David Cameroon’s backing of e-petitions and increased devolution power of Scotland
E: suggest that the UK is not in a democratic deification as the government play an active role in the principles of democracy a
Final paragraph CPE
CP: it could also be argued that that there is a lack of protection for citizens rights in the Human rights act
E: it arguably provides inadequate guarantees for the rights of citizens in relationship with the state as governments can officially state that parts of the act have no legal authority in certain situations
E: shows that UK does have a democratic deficiency
