Forms of democracy-direct and representative

Question 1

What did Plato believe?

Answer 1

that ‘the people’ would not
respect decisions made by their peers- what we now think of as the process of democracy.
* For Plato it was better that people were ruled by their superiors.
Authority granted to a leader would be more respected than popular decision making.

Question 2

What did Churchill believe about democracy?

Answer 2

Churchill understood that the way in which democracy roots power in the
people made it the best form of government available.
* This is because the government holds the government accountable for what it
does on their behalf and choose politicians whom they want to represent
them.
* In autocratic governments power is permanently vested in one individual or
group, giving them power over the people.

Question 3

When was the start of the UK’s progression towards full democracy?

Answer 3

The Magna Carta in 1215
King John was an absolute monarch who agreed to a document to listen to the people

Question 4

What did Abraham Lincoln say at the Gettysburg Address?

Answer 4

‘government of the people, by the people,
for the people’.

Question 5

Who are the franchise?

Answer 5

people registered to vote

Question 6

What is direct democracy?

Answer 6

a form of democracy where the people themselves make key decisions. In modern societies
this usually takes the form of holding referendums.

Question 7

What is representative democracy?

Answer 7

a form of government where the people elect or somehow choose representatives who make political decisions on their
behalf. It also implies that representatives are accountable
for what they do

Question 8

What is the background of direct democracy?

Answer 8

Direct democracy was how the concept was first conceived in Ancient Greece- mainly in Athens in 5th Century BC. It is sometimes called Athenian democracy as a result.

Question 9

What are advantages of direct democracy?

Answer 9

1. It is the purest form of democracy. The
   people’s voice is clearly heard
2. It can avoid delay and deadlock within
   the political system
   3.The fact that people are making the
   decision gives it great legitimacy

Question 10

What are disadvantages of direct democracy?

Answer 10

1.It can lead to a ‘tyranny of the majority’,
whereby the winning majority simply
ignores the interests of the minority.
Elected representatives can mediate
between the interests of the majority
and minorities
2. The people may be too easily swayed
by short term, emotional appeals by
charismatic individuals. Plato criticized
direct democracy on these grounds
3.Some issues may be too complex for
the ordinary voter to understand

Question 11

Why is the UK representative?

Answer 11

• There are so many complicated decisions that need to be made in a modern
  democracy that it would be impossible for the public to understand the issues and vote on them all.
• It is the job of professional politicians to acquire the political understanding so they can make informed decisions on behalf of the nation as a whole.
• Voters retain sovereignty because they decide whether or not the to renew the mandate of their representatives in elections.

Question 12

What is accountability?

Answer 12

This means that those who have been elected in a
representative democracy must be responsible for their policies, actions,
decisions and general conduct. Without such accountability, representation
becomes largely meaningless

Question 13

What is Redress of grievances?

Answer 13

The practice adopted by many elected representatives,
of taking up the case of an individual constituent who feels they have suffered
an injustice, usually at the hands of government or an agency of the state

Question 14

What is a manifesto?

Answer 14

A statement of a party’s agreed policies produced during an election
campaign to inform the public about political platform upon which its
candidates are standing. Candidates for the party are expected to support the
manifesto and usually do so in the UK, though there may be some exceptions

Question 15

Why is accountability important in a representative democracy?

Answer 15

It’s essential that representatives act responsibly and in the interests of the people.
* It is at election time that accountability is most striking. representatives like MPs in the UK, and the government whole are held accountable when the people go to the polls.
* During an election opposition parties will highlight the shortcomings of the government and will offer their own alternatives.
* At the same time the government will seek to explain and justify what it has done in an effort to be re-elected.
* Individual representatives will be held to account for their performance, e.g. how well they have represented their own constituents.
* In between elections accountability can be less certain. The legislature can hold the government to account regularly, while individual representatives are
usually safe until the next election.

Question 16

How is the UK representative?

Answer 16

politicians should represent the interests of all their constituents.
* MP’s therefore spend a lot of time in their constituencies listening to the concerns of their constituents in public meetings or surgeries.
* But elected politicians should not act on just the wishes of their constituents, if they did this they would just be a delegate. Instead, they have to make decisions based on their constituents and the party manifesto, and their wider
understanding of an issue.
* In other words politicians should act on their best judgements rather than just follow voter wishes.

Question 17

How many MPs does Westminster Parliament contain?

Answer 17

650 s whom are accountable to their
constituents in regular general elections.
* Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own devolved governments, while elected mayors and local councils provide another layer of representation for the public

Question 18

What are advantages of representative democracy?

Answer 18

The government is made up of professional who are required to be well informed about issues.
* more likely to make informed decisions than the general public, who maybe swayed by emotion and not fully understand the complexities of the issue.
* Elected politicians balance conflicting interests when reaching decisions. This is important in protecting the rights of all citizens, especially minorities and ensuring
that the implications of a decision on all members of a community have been examined.
* In a direct democracy the public vote according to their self interest without always considering the effect on others. This is more likely to form a majoritarian form of democracy in which the rights and interests of a minority may be
neglected.
* Representative democracies also have accountability where regular elections mean voters can decide whether or not to renew the mandate of their representatives, if
the public don’t like the policies of a government they can elect a different one.

Question 19

What are disadvantages of representative democracy?

Answer 19

MP’s may be disengaged from the public so do not adequately represent their interests. Pressure groups, lobbyists, and the London based media may create a
‘Westminster bubble’, which disconnects voters and their representatives.
* MP’s can have outside interests like second jobs (which is allowed as long as they are declared) which can lead to a conflict of interests and compromise their ability to represent their constituents interests.

Question 20

Is UK democracy truly representative?

Answer 20

The Westminster parliament is especially unrepresentative since it is elected through FPTP. As a result the Conservatives and Labour dominate the House of Commons and minority parties like the Greens struggle to gain representation despite polling well at times.
* The social make up of parliament is still primarily white, male and upper middle class. Critics say that the interests of the poor are poorly represented. The House of Lords is unelected and therefore not accountable to the public,
further undermining how representative parliament is.

Question 21

What is social representation?

Answer 21

Social representation implies that the characteristics of members of representative bodies, whether they are national parliaments, regional assemblies or local councils, should be broadly in line with the characteristics of the population as a whole.
* In other words hey should be close to being a ‘microcosm’ of society as a whole.
* E.g. close to half should be women, a proportion should be ethnic or religious minorities, there should be a good range of ages, class etc.
* This is difficult to achieve and the UK parliament certainly falls short of this ideal. We will look at this in detail later

Question 22

How do MPs represent the national interest?

Answer 22

Sometimes this may clash with the local constituency they represent, so they have to resolve the issue in their own way.
* For example, Conservative MP’s representing constituencies near Heathrow airport are under pressure to oppose a third runway on the grounds of noise, disruption and pollution, despite their party saying it is in the national interest to build the runway.
* Most issues in the national interest, like foreign policy, usually do not have an effect on local issues.

Question 23

what is constituency representation?

Answer 23

It can mean representing the interests of
the constituency as a whole. E.g. should
the building of a new railway be opposed?
It can also mean representing the interests of
individual constituents. This is often described as the
redress of grievances. For example, Is an asylum seeker no receiving a fair and speedy hearing? Has a person been a victim of a miscarriage of justice?
It can mean that the representative listens to the
views of his or her constituents when deciding about a
national issue. This can lead to another dilemma. What
happens if the elected representative does not personally
agree with the majority of constituents? This becomes a
matter of conscience that has to be resolved by the
individual concerned. This often occurred in the EU
referendum campaign and Brexit debates.

Question 24

What is party representation?

Answer 24

It is unusual in modern politics to find independent representatives who do not belong to a party.
* Parties have stated policies set out in a manifesto. It follows that members of a party who are seeking to be elected will campaign on the basis of the party’s manifesto.
This means that they are representing their party and the voters understand that they are.
* In the UK candidates for election do generally stick closely to the party manifesto

Question 25

What is functional representation?

Answer 25

some elected representatives will represent not only
their constituency or region, but also a particular occupational or social group.
* E.g. those who support and are supported by trade unions will often support the cause of groups of workers, other may represent professions like doctors or teachers.
* E.g. this can also apply to some social groups such as the elderly, those with disabilities, members of the LGBT community or low income groups.

Question 26

What is causal representation?

Answer 26

MPs attaching themselves to particular causes
* In a sense this represents the whole community, in that the beliefs and demands involved are claimed to benefit everyone, not just a particular group in society.
* Typical causes are environmental protection, individual rights and freedoms, greater equality and animal rights.
* However, elected representatives often support such causes and principles, and much causal representation is done by pressure groups