Forms of democracy Flashcards
What type of democracy is used primarily more in the UK?
Representative
When is direct democracy used?
Referendums
How does representative democracy work?
· In UK general elections, you vote for a Member of Parliament (MP) to represent your views.
· If a party receives a majority of seats within Parliament, they will form a government and their leader will become the Prime Minister.
What does primus inter paires mean?
First among equals. How the role of the PM is described
Give advantages of direct democracy…
Gives weight to equal votes- unlike a representative system where the varying sizes of constituencies mean that votes do not all have equal value
Encourages popular participation in politics by expecting people to take their duties as citizens seriously
Removes the need for trusted representatives, as people can take responsibility for their own decisions
The only true form of democracy (rule by the people), especially as parties and pressure groups are often run by elites pursuing their own agendas, not truly representing the people)
Politicians may be corrupt and incompetent and put loyalty to their party before responsibility to the electorate or betray election promises
What is tyranny of the majority?
Liberal political philosopher John Stuart Mill –> idea of tyranny of the majority
argue against more direct forms of democracy.
Mill was concerned that should the majority be allowed to do whatever they wish, this could lead them to make tyrannical and horrible decisions which negatively affect minority groups.
For example, it is possible that 80% of the public decide that 20% should be killed and their resources divided amongst the remaining 80%.
Having a form of representative government in which people were chosen to represent the best interests of everyone in the country was preferable, for Mill, than having a direct form of democracy which could clearly lead to strange and unfair decisions.
Why is turnout in referenda significant as a criticism of direct democracy?
the turnout in referendums is frequently worse. For example, during the 2001 referendum on switching to an Alternative Voting system, only 42% of the public actually showed up to vote. While 67.9% of those who voted chose against changing the voting system, only 28.5% of the public actually voted against changing to the alternative voting system.
Why is politicians voting against the desires of their constituents a criticism of representative democracy?
Some politicians might choose to vote against the views of their constituents. For example, despite her constituents voting overwhelmingly in favour of leaving the EU, Bridget Phillipson voted against several bills on withdrawal from the EU between 2017 and 2019. Phillipson argued that the bills in their (at the time) present form did not protect the interests of her constituents. This shows that politicians might at times overlook the views of their constituents if they believe that those views are not within their interests.
HOWEVER: Arguably, Phillipson’s re-election in 2019 might be said to prove that her constituents were not overly concerned that she had voted against European withdrawal on several occasions.
Why is PACAC a good example of a criticism of direct democracy?
The Commons Public Administration and Consultations Affairs Committee (PACAC)
The Committee highlighted the difference in the use of referendum, supporting their use in the resolution of constitutional differences but opposing their use in (what they called) “bluff call” referendums in which a referendum is called to shut down an unwanted debate (e.g. David Cameron calling the EU referendum). By this they meant that referendums should not be called simply in order to quiet dissent within a party.
