Representative and Direct Democracy Flashcards

Question

What advantages are there of a representative democracy in terms of being professional? - Democracy

Answer 1

MPs mostly have the sole job of representing their constituents, meaning they are mostly dedicated to this role. They also have a certain amount of expertise which they can use to make informed judgements.

Answer 2

The longest serving MP is Peter Bottomley, who has done so for 48 years. 82% of MPs have degrees in a subject as well.

Answer 3

MPs often become disengaged from the opinions of their constituents in favour of representing party interests. MPs can also become disengaged from the political process as they are often elected by <50% of their constituents.

Answer 4

The majority of MPs are white, middle class males, which is not representative of the demographic of society as a whole. Only 29% of MPs are women, whereas 51% of the population is.

Answer 5

Often MPs do not represent the views of their constituents, instead voting on party lines due to the threat imposed by the whip. Career politicians also have little experience outside of politics. Andrew Jones has never voted against the Conservative Party.

Answer 6

Some MPs may have other roles outside of representing constituents that conflict with the interests of their constituents. This can be seen through Sajid Javid holding a consultants' role at JP Morgan and Priti Patel working on the interests of her previous employer (lobbying firm).

Answer 7

A participation crisis is the point at which the public becomes disengaged with the political process to the point where low turnout levels lead to the legitimacy of the government being questioned.

Answer 8

When a democracy does not sufficiently function to the point where it begins to fall short of democratic standards due to a lack of accountability/opportunity to exert equal political influence.

Answer 9

Standing for public office, party membership, pressure group membership, voting, canvassing, digital activism. Standing for public office, canvassing, party membership and pressure group membership.

Answer 10

Apathy, content with the status quo of politics, may feel their vote is wasted by the FPTP voting system, there is little difference between the policies of different parties.

Answer 11

The overall trend of party membership is of a decline in party membership. However, a distinction can be made between the decline in main party membership and the increase in membership of smaller, issue based parties.

Answer 12

Would dramatically increase turnout at elections and perhaps force people to become more engaged with politics. Would also provide greater legitimacy to a victorious government.

Answer 13

Civil rights groups argue a basic human right is to determine whether or not to vote, whilst it could encourage people who have no political knowledge to vote, swaying the balance of politics.

Answer 14

Reducing the voting age would force younger people to become more engaged with politics due to them having a greater stake in society. Also allows, intelligent, opinionated young people to vote, which would improve turnout among younger voters.

Answer 15

Reducing the voting age may mean that people who aren’t politically aware are voting, perhaps purely on parental views. This could also lead to lower turnout among younger groups if this section of the electorate was enlarged.

Answer 16

Improving ease of voting may encourage more people to vote if it were possible without going to the ballot (eg supermarkets/post offices), as well as stopping people being eliminated from voting register. Negatives may be that it could lead to increased voting fraud if the voting system is complicated.

Answer 17

Could force more people into voting if they have the knowledge to make informed decisions, would increase educated discussion among younger people on current affairs and debates. Negatives may be that the citizenship education is considered dull and boring to kids.

Answer 18

Changing the electoral system would make more people feel their vote is valued, rather than potentially wasted by FPTP, as well as that FPTP gives disproportionate power to the winning party compared to their percentage of a vote at the election.

Answer 19

Many people are currently happy with the existing electoral system, and there is little demand for change, as seen at the 2011 AV Referendum which resulted in over 2/3 voting against the reform. The FPTP system also enthuses and excites the electorate, producing exciting elections.

Answer 20

Digital democracy and media provides a wider range of people with access to participation, especially since the creation of Parliament's debate petitions. Further increases relevance of issues in politics to younger generations.

Answer 21

The campaigning on issues on social media can often be corrupted by extremist ideas or manipulated by fake news. In addition, social media campaigns can be distant from Westminster power, meaning they don’t necessarily succeed.