Politics and Participation

Question 1

What opportunities do UK citizens have to participate in the democratic process?

Answer 1

• Voting or access to elected members like councillors or MPs.
• Standing for election
• Using e-democracy formats to set up online petitions on issues which may be discussed by the UK Parliament.
• Citizens can also access the legal system and try and get the judiciary to make a decision about an issue that concerns them.
• They can work with others in pressure or interest groups to bring about change.

Question 2

What are the barriers to participation in the democratic process?

Answer 2

• Lack of interest or apathy
• A belief that their participation will not make a difference.
• A lack of faith in politicians and the political process.
• A lack of information or understanding about how to participate.
• The issues are not important to them.
• They lead busy lives.

Question 3

How could voter participation increase?

Answer 3

• Compulsory voting
• Lowering the voting age to 16
• Allowing online voting.

Question 4

What are councillors?

Answer 4

Citizens who are elected to serve on local councils.

Question 5

What is a voter turnout?

Answer 5

the number of voters who actually vote, against the total number who could vote, normally expressed as a percentage.

Question 6

What are petitions?

Answer 6

• Collections of signatures indicating support for an agreed statement.
• These are used to show the strength of support for the statement.
• Increasingly, petitions are now completed online and are called e-petitions.

Question 7

What is leafleting?

Answer 7

• Distributing materials that support a particular point of view, often asking for support and/or financial help.

Question 8

What is lobbying?

Answer 8

• A general term about making your views known to those whose opinions you wish to influence.
• The specific term relates to citizens approaching their MP to raise an issue.
• This is done in the Lobby of the House of Commons.
• Advocacy is a form of lobbying, where a person or group puts forward their ideas to advocate a certain position.
• Often this is done verbally, but it can be in writing.

Question 9

What is direct action?

Answer 9

• This can take either a non-violent or a violent form.
• Non-violent examples include strikes, occupation of buildings and sit-ins.
• Violent direct action includes destroying property, assault and rioting.
• Direct action can also be when citizens disobey rules or laws that they disagree with.

Question 10

What are boycotts?

Answer 10

• Deciding not to purchase certain goods or services because of a particular cause.

Question 11

What are demonstrations?

Answer 11

• These can take many forms, from small groups to mass marches and rallies.

Question 12

What is media promotion?

Answer 12

• Staging events and protests to attract media attention and publicity.

Question 13

What is use of celebrity?

Answer 13

• By attracting celebrities, causes are often able to gain media coverage and boost the number of their supporters.

Question 14

What is the use of e-media?

Answer 14

• This format of campaigning has become increasingly important. E-media enables groups to contact their supporters quickly, give them the latest information and correct any media stories.
• It also enables groups to quickly contact the traditional media (newspapers and television).

Question 15

What are Police and Crime Commissioners?

Answer 15

• They are directly elected officials who are responsible for the running of each regional police force outside London.

Question 16

What are pressure groups?

Answer 16

• They are organised bodies of citizens who share a common interest in an issue and through a variety of actions promote their cause.

Question 17

What are trade unions?

Answer 17

• An employment based group of employees who seek to represent workers in regard to the conditions of employment: for example wages.

Question 18

What are single-cause groups?

Answer 18

• These pressure groups focus on a single issue: for example, those opposed to the (HS2) high speed train development.

Question 19

What are multi-cause groups?

Answer 19

• These are groups that seek to influence policy and decisions over a range of issues, such as trade unions that seek to influence policy on pay, hours of work, health and safety, pensions and descrimination etc.

Question 20

What are protective groups?

Answer 20

• They seek to protect the interests of their members; for example, the British Medical Association which is the professional body that speaks on behalf of the doctors.

Question 21

What are promotional groups?

Answer 21

• These are groups that wish to promote views to their members and other interested parties on a particular topic. For example Greenpeace is interested in environmental issues.