ii) Representative v Direct Democracy

Question 1

What is a representative democracy?

Answer 1

A form of democracy in which voters elect representatives to take decisions on their behalf and can then be held to account by voters in regular elections

Question 2

Name the advantages of representative democracy:

Answer 2

1. Decisions are made by well-informed politicians that are more likely to understand the complexities of the issue and allows for intense scrutiny and debate
2. Elected representatives consider the interests of everyone in society and compromise when making decisions – stops tyranny of the majority
3. Elected representatives can be held accountable for their actions and voters can decide whether to renew the mandate

Question 3

Name the disadvantages of representative democracy:

Answer 3

1. House of Commons is unrepresentative due to FPTP with smaller parties being under-represented + second chamber is unelected!
2. Governments can gain office with low levels of support which questions the legitimacy
3. Parliament is not a true microcosm of the nation and is unrepresentative of multicultural Britain eg. following 2019 GE 34% MPs female, fewer than 10% from non-white backgrounds BUT most diverse ever
4. MPs don’t accurately represent the interests of the people because of pressure groups etc. and can lead to “Westminster bubble”

Question 4

What is direct democracy?

Answer 4

Decisions are made directly by the public without their opinions being channelled through elected representatives

Question 5

Name some types of direct democracy used in the UK:

Answer 5

• Referendums
• E-Petitions
• Recalls
• Election of party leaders
• Public consultations

Question 6

How do e-petitions work; pros and cons?

Answer 6

If a petition on government website gains 100,000 signatures it is considered for debate in the Commons eg. over half a million people signed a petition to ban return of ISIS members to UK
Pro = good way to increase responsiveness by govt to public opinion
Con = does not guarantee action + 100,000 isn’t large number so perhaps unrealistic petitions

Question 7

How do recalls work; pros and cons?

Answer 7

Recall of MPs Act 2015 gave constituents the power to force a by-election in the case of serious wrongdoing by an MP, if 10% of register voters in constituency request it on a petition, a by-election is triggered
EG. In December, the resignation of Owen Patterson triggered a by-election in which the Lib-Dems won the Tory “safe-seat”
Pro = Good way to hold MPs to account between elections
OR could just wait till next GE

Question 8

How do election of party leaders work?

Answer 8

The main UK parties give a direct say to their members when choosing a party leader – significant as can become PM

Question 9

How do public consultations work?

Answer 9

Asses the views of the public on major decisions eg. people affected by proposed new HS2 rail link were consulted