Political participation in the UK

Question 1

What two questions do we have to ask to determine the utility of political participation?

Answer 1

• What kind of participation is it?
• How intensive is it?

Question 2

Describe the process of standing for public office

Answer 2

• The most intensive form of participation
• Many local councillors are part time, but they still have to dedicate lots of time to attending meetings, campaigning, meeting constituents, reading information and making decisions
• Full-time politicians must immerse themselves in the job
• Even those who stand unsuccessfully must devote considerable time and effort to their campaign

Question 3

Describe active party membership

Answer 3

• Active members are also called ‘activists’
• Only a minority of party members are actually activists
• Activists are fully engaged with the party; attending local meetings, voting for officers, campaigning in the community and canvassing at election time

Question 4

Describe active pressure group membership

Answer 4

• Involves raising money and awareness
• Often means attending or organising demonstrations and other forms of direct action

Question 5

Describe passive party/pressure group membership

Answer 5

• You are enough of a support to join, but engage in little active support
• Often confine their actions to helping at election times/signing a petition etc.

Question 6

Describe digital activism

Answer 6

• The internet and social media has become a growing form of participation
• Individuals will take part in campaigns/movements that happen online
• Examples include signing e-petitions, joining social media campaigns or expressing support for a cause on social media

Question 7

Describe the process of voting

Answer 7

• Most fundamental yet least taxing form of political participation
• It has become more convenient with the growth of postal voting
• With local, regional and national elections along with referendums, voters will normally have the chance to vote at least once a year

Question 8

Why is political participation important?

Answer 8

If citizens are passive and don’t concern themselves with politics, the system becomes open to abuse. Popular participation holds decision makers to account, ensuring that they carry out their representative functions

Question 9

What is a participation crisis?

Answer 9

A lack of engagement with the political process by a significant number of citizens, either by choosing not to vote, become members of political parties or run for office

Question 10

What is an elective dictatorship?`

Answer 10

A goverment that dominates parliament, usually due to a large majority, and therefore has fewer limits on its power

Question 11

What was the turnout of the 2001 general election?`

Answer 11

A historic low of 59.4%. This was 12% lower than 1997 and 18% lower than 1992

Question 12

What is happeing to political party membership?

Answer 12

It is in decline

Question 13

What could be used to partially explain the record low turnout in 2001?

Answer 13

The dominance of New Labour made many feel as if there was little point in voting

Question 14

How do low turnouts often lead to accusations of elective dictatorship?

Answer 14

Any sense of a participation crisis could lead to a democratic deficit where the legitimacy of those in power and the ability of the public to hold them accountable are limited

Question 15

What level was political party membership at in the 1940s and 50s?

Answer 15

3 million, but the figure could be several million higher still if we counted trade union members affiliated with Labour

Question 16

What proportion of the electorate are party members?

Answer 16

2.1%

Question 17

Give three recent examples that buck the trend of declining party membership

Answer 17

• The Labour party in 2015, after Ed MIliband made it possible to join the party for just £3
• SNP membership surged to 100,000 out of a population of 5 million following the 2014 independence referendum
• There was a huge surge in people joining UKIP in the run up to the 2015 general election

Question 18

When do public seem more willing to become party members?

Answer 18

When the party is proposing some kind of radical change. But when it comes to more convential policies and established parties, membership continues to decline

Question 19

In roughly how many countries does compulsory voting exist?

Answer 19

Around a dozen

Question 20

What can those who don’t intend to vote do to avoid a fine in a complusory voting system?

Answer 20

‘opt out’ before the election

Question 21

What is the turnout in Belgium and Australia (both have compulsory voting)

Answer 21

Over 90%

Question 22

What happened when Italy removed compulsory voting in 1998?

Answer 22

After enjoying turnout levels of around 90%, this had dropped to 72% by 2018. This proves that compulsory voting has a dramatic effect on turnout

Question 23

What does compulsory voting force people to do?

Answer 23

Make themselves more informed about political issues. This is the case especially with the young

Question 24

What would be the benefit to compulsory voting causing increased turnout?

Answer 24

It would give greater democratic legitimacy to those who win an election

Question 25

What is the benefit of compulsory voting making sure all sections of society are involved?

Answer 25

Decision makers would have to make sure that policy addresses the concerns of all in society, rather than just those who vote in large numbers

Question 26

What do some people argue voting is?

Answer 26

A civic duty, so citizens are obliged to carry it out

Question 27

What do many argue compulsory voting is a violation of?

Answer 27

Civil liberties, as they argue it is a basic right not to take part

Question 28

How could compulsory voting make voting more ill-informed?

Answer 28

It would force uneducated, perhaps indifferent, voters to vote

Question 29

What is the negative finacial cost of compulsory voting?

Answer 29

It would take large amounts of public expenditure to enforce and administer

Question 30

Why would compulsory voting favour larger parties at the expense of smaller parties?

Answer 30

Because the less informed citizens now being forced to vote may only have heard of the better known candidates and parties

Question 31

What proportion of the 18-24 demographic vote in UK general elections?

Answer 31

35%

Question 32

What proportion of over 60s vote in UK general elections?

Answer 32

80%

Question 33

What is the consequence of the elderly voting at a higher level than the young?

Answer 33

The government may favour the older generation against the young when setting policy

Question 34

Which groups are against compulsory voting?

Answer 34

Civil rights campaigners

Question 35

Why is the current conservative government unlikely to support compulsory voting?

Answer 35

Younger people tend to be more left-wing than older voters, which would make them likely to vote for Labour and left of centre parties

Question 36

Define ‘e-democracy’

Answer 36

Used to describe the growing tendency for democracy to be carried out online in the form of e-petitions and other online campaigns

Question 37

What caused e-petitions to grow in popularity?

Answer 37

The introduction of official government petitions were introduced; where any with 10,000 signatures received an official government response and any receiving 100,000 would be considered for parliamentary debate

Question 38

List the advantages of e-petitions

Answer 38

• They require little effort
• It is immediately apparent how much support an issue has
• Combined with social media, they can very rapidly raise the interest in an issue

Question 39

Why are e-petitions criticised?

Answer 39

They take so little effort that there is no guarantee that the participants actually know anything about the issue

Question 40

Give two occasions where e-petitions had an influence

Answer 40

• Led to a re-opening of the investigation of the Hillsborough football tragedy
• Influenced the debate about whether Donald Trump should be allowed into the UK

Question 41

Give an example of two sites that help facilitate social movements

Answer 41

• 38 degrees
• Change.org

Question 42

List some of the typical online campaign concerns

Answer 42

• Hospital closures
• Opposition to road-building projects
• Claims of miscarraiges of justice in the courts
• Demands for inquiries into the behaviour of large companies

Question 43

Why has social media become important in election campaigns?

Answer 43

It allows parties to circumvent the regulations around TV and radio broadcasts

Question 44

How do parties use data gathered from social media accounts?

Answer 44

To target voters with specific issues that will resonate with them

Question 45

How does social media campaigning allow parties to use their resources more effieciently?

Answer 45

They can concentrate efforts on voters in key constituencies, rather than wasting time on those unlikely to vote or who will not be persuaded

Question 46

What is the downside of parties using social media to campaign?

Answer 46

• Likely to benefit wealthier parties
• No scrutiny from the Electoral Comission

Question 47

What has replaced the decreased party membership?

Answer 47

Pressure group participation

Question 48

What can we conclude about the current state of political participation?

Answer 48

• It is more widespread than ever before
• It is less intensive and places less of a burden on people’s time
• The fall in voter turnout and party membership has been largely replaced by alternative group membership
• Rather than being in ‘crisis’, participation is evolving and adapting to modern society