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Politics Paper 1 > Representative and Direct Democracy (D&P 1.1) > Flashcards

Representative and Direct Democracy (D&P 1.1) Flashcards

1
Q

What does democracy mean?

A

‘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.

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2
Q

What is direct democracy?

A

Direct democracy is where an individual expresses their opinions themselves.

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3
Q

What is representative democracy?

A

Representative democracy is where people elect representatives who take decisions on their behalf; this is the usual form of democracy in modern society.

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4
Q

What are the key features of direct democracy?

A
  • Individuals express opinions themselves
  • Citizens are more active in decision making
  • Not elective
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5
Q

What are the key features of representative democracy?

A
  • Elected
  • All adult citizens have the right to vote for a representative
  • Citizens pass their authority onto a representative
  • Elections are free and fair
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6
Q

What are some advantages of direct democracy?

A
  • Gives equal weight to votes
  • Encourages political participation
  • Removes the need for representatives
  • Develops a sense of community and encourages genuine debate
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6
Q

What are some disadvantages of direct democracy?

A
  • 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
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7
Q

What are some advantages of representative democracy?

A
  • 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
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8
Q

What are some disadvantages of representative democracy?

A
  • 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
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9
Q

What is a pluralist democracy?

A

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.

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9
Q

What is a referendum, and what type of democracy is this?

A

A referendum is a direct vote on a single issue, usually a yes/no question; this is a type of direct democracy.

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10
Q

What is a participation crisis?

A

A lack of engagement with the political system.

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10
Q

What is the 2015 Recall of MPs Act, and what type of democracy is this an example of?

A

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.

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11
Q

What are the three UK nation-wide referendums?

A
  • Britain’s membership of the EEC / EU in 1975 and 2016
  • Changing the voting system in Parliament in 2011
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12
Q

What are some positive democratic features of the UK?

A
  • 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
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13
Q

In what aspects, do some argue, is the UK undemocratic?

A
  • 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
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14
Q

What is voter turnout?

A

Voter turnout is how many of eligible electorate actually vote in an election.

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15
Q

What was the average voter turnout between 1945 and 1997?

A

76%

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16
Q

What was the voter turnout at the 2024 election, and what year did this tie, and lowest since what year?

A
  • Voter turnout in 2024 was roughly 59%
  • Tied lowest with 2001
  • Tied lowest since 1918, where women received the vote
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17
Q

What is a second-order election?

A

A second-order election can be one in devolved bodies nations’ (Scotland, Wales, NI), local council elections and Police and Crime Commissioner elections.

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18
Q

What was the average turnout in the May 2016 local elections in England?

A

33.8%

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19
Q

What was Stoke-On-Trents voter turnout in the February 2017 by-election, compared to the previous general election in 2015?

A

38.2% in the Feb 17’ by-election, compared to 49.9% in the general election in 2015.

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20
Q

What was the Police and Crime Commissioner 2012 election average voter turnout, and what did it jump to in 2016?

A

15% (2012)
27% (2016)

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21
Q

What crisis is party membership an indicator of?

A

The participation crisis.

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22
Q

What percentage of the electorate belongs to a party, compared with 1983?

A

Approximately 1.6% now belong to a party, compared with 3.8% in 1983.

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23
Q

How many members did the Conservatives have by 2016, compared to the mid-1990s?

A

Just under 150,000 (2016)
Estimated 400,000 (mid-1990s)

24
Q

How many members did Labour have by 2016, compared to the run up to the 1997 election?

A

515,000 (2016) - remarkable increase
Around 190,000 (1997)

25
Q

How many members did the LibDems have in 2016, compared to 2017, the early 2000s and their 2010-15 coalition with the Conservatives

A

76,000 (2016)
82,000 (2017)
70,000 (early 2000s)
49,000 (2010-15 coalition)

26
Q

What percent of the vote went to parties other than the ‘big three’ in the 2015 general election?

A

Record 24.8%

27
Q

What was the SNP’s membership in 2013, compared to 2016?

A

25,000 (2013)
120,000 (2016)

28
Q

What was the Green Party’s membership in 2013, compared to 2016?

A

13,800 (2013)
55,000 (2016)

29
Q

What was the UKIP’s membership in 2013, compared to 2016?

A

32,400 (2013)
39,000 (2016)

30
Q

How many people signed the famous e-petition on the Downing Street website, and in what year?

A

1.8 million in 2007

31
Q

What is political apathy and hapathy, and what could be used to back the notion of hapathy up?

A

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)

32
Q

What was the turnout for the Scottish independence referendum, and when was it?

A

84.6% in 2014

33
Q

What was the turnout for the Brexit referendum, and when was it?

A

72.2% (2016)

34
Q

What happened in the 2009 parliamentary expenses scandal?

A
  • 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
35
Q

What survey was conducted in 2015 by a research company, and what did it show?

A

It showed that politicians were the profession least-trusted by the public.

36
Q

What are three ways to increase suffrage (who currently can’t vote).

A
  • Reducing the voting age
  • Compulsory voting
  • Allowing prisoners to vote
37
Q

What is the problem with e-voting?

A
  • Open to cyberattacks and online impersonation
38
Q

What is the problem with all-postal votes?

A
  • Increase in electoral fraud
  • Multiple voting and intimidation
  • Deprivation of other means of voting
39
Q

What recent referendum allowed sixteen year olds the vote, and was this a failure?

A

2014 Scottish referendum; large success

40
Q

In what countries is there compulsory voting, what are their voter turnouts and what happens if you don’t vote?

A

Belgium, 87%
Australia, 90%

Often a small fine (usually unenforced)

41
Q

What are some arguments for making voting compulsory?

A
  • 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
42
Q

What are some arguments for not making voting compulsory?

A
  • 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
42
Q

What are some broader reforms for Parliament to consider?

A
  • Changing the electoral system
  • Further reform of Parliament; making processes more democratic and transparent
  • Further devolution
43
Q

What is an alternative lifestyle?

A

An alternative lifestyle is a lifestyle diverse in respect to mainstream ones, or generally percieved to be outside the cultural norm.

44
Q

What was the 1973 Northern Ireland referendum on, how many voted yes, and what was the turnout?

A

‘Should Northern Ireland remain part of the UK’
Yes = 98.9%
Turnout = 58.1%

44
Q

What is multiculturalism?

A

Multiculturalism is a situation in which all the different cultural or racial groups in a society have equal rights and opportunities.

45
Q

What was the 1979 Scottish referendum on and what was the vote split between yes/no?

A

‘Should there be a Scottish Parliament’
Yes = 51.6%
No = 48.4%

45
Q

What was the 1997 Welsh referendum on and what was the vote split between yes/no?

A

‘Should there be a Welsh Assembly’?
Yes = 50.3%
No = 49.7%

46
Q

What was the Scottish referendum in 2014, what was the result, and what was the turnout?

A

‘Should Scotland become an independant country?’
Yes = 44.7%
No = 55.3%
Turnout = 84.6%

46
Q

What was the UK referendum in 2011, what was the yes/no split, and what was the turnout?

A

‘Should the alternative vote replace first-past-the-post for elections to the House of Commons?’
Yes = 32.1%
No = 67.9%
Turnout = 42.2%

47
Q

What was the British referendum in 2016, what was the yes/no split, and what was the turnout?

A

‘Should the UK remain a member of the EU or leave the EU?’
Yes = 48.1% (remain)
No = 51.9% (leave)
Turnout = 72.2%

47
Q

How could further devolution help solve a participation crisis?

A
  • 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
48
Q

How could House of Lords reform help solve a participation crisis?

A
  • 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.
49
Q

How could Digital Democracy help solve a participation crisis?

A
  • 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.
50
Q

How could reform of the current voting system (FPTP) help solve a participation crisis?

A
  • 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.
51
Q

How could People’s referendums help solve a participation crisis?

A
  • 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
52
Q

How could People’s referendums help solve a participation crisis?

A
53
Q

In 2022, what percentage of the electorate were members of Labour?

A

0.9%

54
Q

In 2022, what percentage of the electorate were members of the Conservatives?

A

0.4%

55
Q
A

Politics Paper 1 (4 decks)

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