Representative and Direct Democracy (D&P 1.1) Flashcards
What does democracy mean?
‘rule by the people’; it refers to the political systems in which the people are involved in decision-making in some way, either directly or indirectly.
What is direct democracy?
Direct democracy is where an individual expresses their opinions themselves.
What is representative democracy?
Representative democracy is where people elect representatives who take decisions on their behalf; this is the usual form of democracy in modern society.
What are the key features of direct democracy?
- Individuals express opinions themselves
- Citizens are more active in decision making
- Not elective
What are the key features of representative democracy?
- Elected
- All adult citizens have the right to vote for a representative
- Citizens pass their authority onto a representative
- Elections are free and fair
What are some advantages of direct democracy?
- Gives equal weight to votes
- Encourages political participation
- Removes the need for representatives
- Develops a sense of community and encourages genuine debate
What are some disadvantages of direct democracy?
- Impractical in a large, modern state where decision-making is complicated
- Many people will not want to, or feel qualified enough to, take part
- Open to manipulation and persuasion
- Will of the majority is not mediated, so minority viewpoints are disregarded
What are some advantages of representative democracy?
- Only practical system in a large modern state, where issues are complex and rapid response could and would be needed
- Encourages pluralist democracy (via political parties, pressure groups, etc)
- Reduces chances of ‘tyranny of the majority’
- Elections allow people to hold representatives to account
- Politicians should be better informed
What are some disadvantages of representative democracy?
- May lead to reduced political participation
- Parties are often run by elites purusing their own agenda
- Minorities may still find themselves under-represented
- Politicans are skilful in avoiding accountability
- Politicans may be corrupt or incompetent, betray electoral promises or put loyalty over responsibility
What is a pluralist democracy?
A pluralist democracy is where a government makes decisions as a result of the interplay of various ideas and contrasting arguments from competing groups and organisations.
What is a referendum, and what type of democracy is this?
A referendum is a direct vote on a single issue, usually a yes/no question; this is a type of direct democracy.
What is a participation crisis?
A lack of engagement with the political system.
What is the 2015 Recall of MPs Act, and what type of democracy is this an example of?
The 2015 Recall of MPs Act allows a petition to be triggered if an MP is either:
- sentenced to prison
- suspended from the House of Commons for more than 21 days
If 10% of the electorate sign the petition, a by-election is called; direct democracy is thus used to hold representatives to account.
What are the three UK nation-wide referendums?
- Britain’s membership of the EEC / EU in 1975 and 2016
- Changing the voting system in Parliament in 2011
What are some positive democratic features of the UK?
- Devolved governments (i.e. in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales)
- Independent judiciary
- Free and fair elections
- Wide range of parties and pressure groups
- Free media
In what aspects, do some argue, is the UK undemocratic?
- Under-representation of minority viewpoints due to FPTP
- House of Lords lacks democratic legitimacy (unelected)
- Control of sections of the media by the wealthy and unaccountable
What is voter turnout?
Voter turnout is how many of eligible electorate actually vote in an election.
What was the average voter turnout between 1945 and 1997?
76%
What was the voter turnout at the 2024 election, and what year did this tie, and lowest since what year?
- Voter turnout in 2024 was roughly 59%
- Tied lowest with 2001
- Tied lowest since 1918, where women received the vote
What is a second-order election?
A second-order election can be one in devolved bodies nations’ (Scotland, Wales, NI), local council elections and Police and Crime Commissioner elections.
What was the average turnout in the May 2016 local elections in England, compared to 2023?
33.8% (2016)
33% (2023)
What was Stoke-On-Trents voter turnout in the February 2017 by-election, compared to the previous general election in 2015?
38.2% in the Feb 17’ by-election, compared to 49.9% in the general election in 2015.
What was the Police and Crime Commissioner 2012 election average voter turnout, and what did it jump to in 2016?
15% (2012)
27% (2016)
What crisis is party membership an indicator of?
The participation crisis.
What percentage of the electorate belongs to a party, compared with 1983?
Approximately 1.6% now belong to a party, compared with 3.8% in 1983.
How many members did the Conservatives have by 2024, compared to the early 1950s?
132,000 (2024)
2.8 million (early 1950s)
How many members did Labour have by 2016 compared to the run up to the 1997 election?
515,000 (2016) - remarkable increase
Around 190,000 (1997)
How many members did the LibDems have in the early 2000s, the 2010-15 coalition, 2016 and 2017?
70,000 (early 2000s)
49,000 (2010-15 coalition)
76,000 (2016)
82,000 (2017)
What percent of the vote went to parties other than the ‘big three’ in the 2015 general election?
Record 24.8%
What was the SNP’s membership in 2013, compared to 2016?
25,000 (2013)
120,000 (2016)
What was the Green Party’s membership in 2013, compared to 2016?
13,800 (2013)
55,000 (2016)
What was the UKIP’s membership in 2013, compared to 2016?
32,400 (2013)
39,000 (2016)
How many people signed the famous e-petition on the Downing Street website, and in what year?
1.8 million in 2007
What is political apathy and hapathy, and what could be used to back the notion of hapathy up?
Political apathy is a lack of interest or awareness of contemporary events and political issues.
Hapathy is where people are generally contented and see no need to push for political change; could explain low turnout in 2001/2005 (economy was booming) compared to 2010 (much less optimistic economic background)
What was the turnout for the Scottish independence referendum, and when was it?
84.6% in 2014
What was the turnout for the Brexit referendum, and when was it?
72.2% (2016)
What happened in the 2009 parliamentary expenses scandal?
- Daily Telegraph published evidence of widespread abuse of the system that allowed MPs to claim expenses for living costs
- Lead to a number of apologies, forced repayments and decisions to not contest seats at later elections
- Five MPs and two members of the HoL were sentenced to prison terms
What survey was conducted in 2015 by a research company, and what did it show?
It showed that politicians were the profession least-trusted by the public.
What are three ways to increase suffrage (two of which cannot currently vote)?
- Reducing the voting age
- Compulsory voting
- Allowing prisoners to vote
What is the problem with e-voting?
- Open to cyberattacks and online impersonation
What is the problem with all-postal votes?
- Increase in electoral fraud
- Multiple voting and intimidation
- Deprivation of other means of voting
What recent referendum allowed sixteen year olds the vote, and was this a failure?
2014 Scottish referendum; large success
In what countries is there compulsory voting, what are their voter turnouts and what happens if you don’t vote?
Belgium, 87%
Australia, 90%
Often a small fine (usually unenforced)
What are some arguments for making voting compulsory?
- Voting is a social duty; people should be involved
- Would produce a much more representative and legitimate Parliament
- Better quality campaigns would have to be run
What are some arguments for not making voting compulsory?
- Undemocratic to force people to take part in something which should be a choice
- Would not stop politicans focusing on marginal seats and neglecting safe seats
- Compulsory voting does not address the deeper reasons as to why people do not vote
What are some broader reforms for Parliament to consider?
- Changing the electoral system
- Further reform of Parliament; making processes more democratic and transparent
- Further devolution
What is an alternative lifestyle?
An alternative lifestyle is a lifestyle diverse in respect to mainstream ones, or generally percieved to be outside the cultural norm.
What was the 1973 Northern Ireland referendum on, how many voted yes, and what was the turnout?
‘Should Northern Ireland remain part of the UK’
Yes = 98.9%
Turnout = 58.1%
What is multiculturalism?
Multiculturalism is a situation in which all the different cultural or racial groups in a society have equal rights and opportunities.
What was the 1979 Scottish referendum on and what was the vote split between yes/no?
‘Should there be a Scottish Parliament’
Yes = 52%
No = 48%
What was the 1997 Welsh referendum on and what was the vote split between yes/no?
‘Should there be a Welsh Assembly’?
Yes = 50.3%
No = 49.7%
What was the Scottish referendum in 2014, what was the result %, and what was the turnout?
‘Should Scotland become an independent country?’
Yes = 45%
No = 55%
Turnout = 84.6%
What was the UK referendum in 2011, what was the yes/no split, and what was the turnout?
‘Should the alternative vote replace first-past-the-post for elections to the House of Commons?’
Yes = 32%
No = 68%
Turnout = 42.2%
What was the British referendum in 2016, what was the yes/no split, and what was the turnout?
‘Should the UK remain a member of the EU or leave the EU?’
Yes = 48.1% (remain)
No = 51.9% (leave)
Turnout = 72.2%
How could further devolution help solve a participation crisis?
- Further devolution encourages greater democratic participation through localised engagement
- Can be argued against as turnout in second order elections is relatively low compared to general elections (little enthusiasm); the 2004 referendum for a North East regional assembly only had a 22% vote in favour of its creation
How could House of Lords reform help solve a participation crisis?
- The House of Lords is unelected and unaccountable; if it was appointed, it leads to the entirety of Westminster becoming democratically accountable
- However, it could rival the Commons, it could lead to further constitutional gridlock, and this is unlikely to popularise representative democracy, meaning it is unlikely to change the participation crisis.
How could Digital Democracy help solve a participation crisis?
- Digital Democracy could reduce voter apathy and get people more in tune with technology (i.e. younger voters and those who cannot vote yet) in line with politics; could lead to greater political engagement and therefore higher turnout
- However, it is problematic as it is much more open to fraud, interference and lower the standard of debate, as well as giving a huge amount of power to the unaccountable biased media.
How could reform of the current voting system (FPTP) help solve a participation crisis?
- Electoral reform could enhance participation, as it could give traditionally smaller parties (Greens, Reform/UKIP, regional parties) a much larger chance to gain seats; Parliament in Wales/Scotland already uses AMS (Additional Member System)
- However, this could lead to unintended consequences, such as going against tradition, and making voting more complicated.
How could People’s referendums help solve a participation crisis?
- People’s referendums is more of a popular direct democratic element which has increased participation and legitimacy as more petitions and referendums are held, therefore more engagement
- However, they can cause a clash between direct and representative democracy, and minority viewpoints will still likely be disregarded, not addressing the fundamental problems
In 2022, what percentage of the electorate were members of Labour?
0.9%
In 2022, what percentage of the electorate were members of the Conservatives?
0.4%
What is the membership of the Conservative Party as of 2024?
132000
What is the membership of Reform as of 2024?
170000+
What is the membership of the Labour Party as of 2024?
366000
What was the membership of the Labour Party in the early 1950s, compared to 2024?
1 million (early 1950s)
366,000 (2024)
What was the membership of the Green Party in 2024, and is this an increase from 2016?
59,000+
> Increase of over 4,000
Overall, what is the most convincing argument for lowering the voting age?
We should not lower the voting age.
Overall, what is the most convincing argument for allowing prisoners to vote?
There should be some reform for prisoners voting rights, but we should not let all prisoners have the right to vote.
What was voter turnout in 1997, 2001 and 2005 (elections with Blair), and what can be explained through this?
1997 = 71%
2001 = 59%
2005 = 61%
Concept of hapathy; voters did not turn up at the 2001/2005 elections as they were generally happy with how the country was being ran, as well as the optimistic economic background.
What was the voter turnout in 2010, and why can this be explained?
2010 = 65%
> Increase from 2005 under a much less optimistic background (hapathy argument no longer valid)
