Theme D Flashcards
What are some opportunities for participation in politics/democracy?
- Voting
- Volunteering for local/widescale charities
- Campaigning for largescale issues
What are some barriers to participation in politics and society?
- Busy lives
- Lack of interest
- Lack of awareness
- Worry about the process
What is direct action and some examples?
- When people try to achieve political goals themselves
- Protest, campaign, boycott, strike
What is indirect action and some examples?
- When people try to influence those in power to act for them
- Joining a party, voting, lobbying and joining a pressure group
What are three reasons as to why some people don’t vote or participate in politics?
- Feel as though vote won’t make a difference
- Practical reasons such as a lack of time
- Not being educated enough on the issues and different parties
What are some solutions to increasing voter engagement?
- Making voting compulsory
- Change the FPTP system so that every vote counts
- Make it so that you are able to vote online
What is meant by digital democracy and what are some pros and cons?
- It is the use of online technology to engage more people in politics and make them more likely to vote
- It is easier to vote online and so may increase turnout
- Very tight security needed as there is a high likelihood of hacking or fraud
How can social media be used to improve political participation?
- Messages can target specific groups of voters
- Allows parties to pick up on issues that most impact voters
- Voter turnout rose in the last election- which many thought was due to the use of social media
What are some drawbacks to use of social media for political participation?
- Must be careful in how it’s used, as posting inconsiderate content may lead to receiving backlash
- Concerns about sites putting out fake news, possibly confusing or misdirecting voters
What are the keys features of a democratic country?
- Free and fair elections
- Governmental checks and balances
- Citizen inclusion in politics
- Citizen support for the Government
- Freedom of expression of thought
What is an example of a democratic country and some key features?
- Norway (ranked No.1 in the world by The Economist’s democracy index)
- Most adult citizens can vote, with registration being automatic
- Elections are free, fair and open
- Media are free to express any view they want
What is an example of a non-democratic country and some key features?
- North Korea (ranked in the bottom 5 of democratic countries)
- No genuine elections, with ballots only containing one candidate
- Rigged elections, with only one party allowed
- No free media
What is the roles of public institutions and services?
- Includes things such as libraries, NHS and school
- Supports citizens in day-to-day lives, whilst also being funded by income tax and NI
What are the roles of charities and voluntary groups?
- Allow people to volunteer time and skills to help the suffering groups of society
- Often non-profit and try to make funds to raise awareness and to support different causes
What are the roles of interest and pressure groups?
- Represent different causes in society
- Use direct and indirect action to hold the Government to account and influence public opinion
What are the roles of trade unions?
- Act on behalf of workers to give a voice and represent them in the democratic process
- Use methods such as collective bargaining, as well as campaigning and strikes
- May represent them at tribunals
Why might working together benefit people trying to make a change?
- Increase power and influence over politicians, as well as the public opinion
What is the OPEN BRITAIN national campaign and what did it try to achieve?
- Set up to challenge the Brexit movement
- Hold Government to account and argued for a people’s vote
- Impact of the group may be deemed as unsuccessful, although it was influential for many
What was the HANDS OFF HRI local campaign and what did it try to achieve?
- Local campaign set up to stop the closure of Huddersfield Royal Infirmary
- Campaign organised mass demonstration, lobbying and fundraising
- Judge deemed that it’s closure was not in the benefit of the people, so it stayed open
What are the origins of trade unions?
- As industrialisation in the UK grew, workers challenged unfair conditions and wages
- Trade Union Act of 1871 meant unions were protected by law
- In 1979, 13.2 million people were represented by trade unions, before laws began to restrict their powers
What are some rights in the workplace that must be protected?
- Contract of employment
- At least a national minimum working wage
- Protection from discrimination
- Health and safety laws
What are the three key ways in which workplace laws are protected by unions and associations?
- Negotiation
- Representation
- Support
What are some examples of media?
- Newspapers
- Social eg: Tiktok, Instagram…
- Radio and TV
What is a free press?
- This is when the media is able to report and release information, without Governmental control or restrictions
- It is important in a democracy
What is the role of the media in influencing and reporting?
- It involves accurate reporting of issues and events, to well-inform citizens
- There are debates as to how well the media informs and influences the media, with a lot of fake news and bias stories being circulated
What is the role of the media in investigating and scrutinising?
- Reporting of the media means that people in power are unable to do whatever they wish, as they must appear to citizens as honest
- Medias have a role in exposing problems, as well as holding people in power accountable
What is a good example as to why free press is important?
- The ‘Party gate’ scandal in lockdown- how the media reported and exposed the hypocritical and corrupt nature of the Parliament, before leading to many people in power resigning due to lack of trust
What are some right of the media?
- Freedom of expression (Human rights Act 1998)
- Media can criticise governments and those in power, without a fear of persecution
- Media can check whether those in power are breaking the law
Why might the media be sued?
- Through libel and slander, where they release untrue and damaging information about people
What is the role of a press regulator?
- Tasked with providing standards by which the media must comply with, when publishing information
- Examples include IMPRESS and IPSO
Why may censorship occur?
- To protect national security
- To protect people from harmful and offensive content. Eg: age-ratings and child identities in court
How might groups, individuals and online methods be used to influence public opinion?
- Protests and demonstrations may be done to attract the public interest and media
- Writing directly to newspapers and magazines to get message across
- Websites and online petitions to gather interest before going to Government
How do those in power use the media to influence public opinion?
- Social media: using posts and vlogs to spread their message to a wider audience
- ‘Spin doctors’, who tailor their message to more effectively influence voters
- Advertising on TV and newspapers, so more people know of the different policies
When was the EU created and why?
- Created in 1951, as part of the European Coal and Steel community
- Aims to encourage cooperation on issues such as world peace, trade and the environment
What are some benefits and disadvantages of the UK’s membership in the EU?
- UK receives financial support for infrastructure, as well as freedom for movement and study in any EU country
- UK is obliged to pay annually, as well as treat EU members more preferably
How effective was the EU?
- Quite effective, as it provided financial support and easier trade routes for many of its member states
- The single market provided easy and more efficient trade for its members
When was the Commonwealth created and why?
- Created in 1931, after the independence of many states from the British Empire, yet they still wanted to work together
What are some benefits and disadvantages of the UK being part of the Commonwealth?
- UK monarch heads the organisation, as well as UK benefiting from strong relations and support
- UK must uphold peace and democracy, as well as having to commit annual payments and time and effort to support members
How effective is the Commonwealth?
- Successful, as it helped to tackle malaria, as well as helping many girls to go to school
- It also pledged £61 million to tackle waste
When was NATO created and why?
- It was created in 1949, to defend Western Europe against the growing threat of the Soviet Union
What are some benefits and disadvantages of the UK being in NATO?
- UK military can share expert military knowledge, as well as work with like-minded countries: making success in conflict more likely
- UK must commit 2% of its funding to NATO
- ‘Attack on one is an attack on all’ means that UK must send troops to help allies
How effective is NATO?
- A clear example of failure is the fact that Ukraine is currently under attack from Ukraine, and that Russia is still classed as one of the most dangerous countries
When was the WTO created and why?
- Created in 1995 to help raise the standard of living and help developing countries to build their trade capacity
What are some benefits and disadvantages of the UK being in the WTO?
- Reduced boundaries to trade, so larger market, as well as trade being smoother and disputes resolved
- Commitment must be in place to abide by WTO regulations
- ‘Most favoured nation’ rule means that UK isn’t allowed to be biased by supporting companies from here
How effective is the WTO?
- Successful in improving standards of trade, for example quality of foods and safety of gasoline trade has been improved
When was the UN created and why?
- Was created in 1945, to maintain international peace and prevent another World War
What are some benefits and disadvantages of the UK being in the UN?
- UK is a permanent member, with power to veto any decision
- UK citizens benefit as human rights are taken very seriously
- High membership fees must be paid, with the UK also having a lot of responsibility
How effective is the UN?
- Some examples of success, such as peacekeeping missions in Mozambique and Tajikistan
- Unable to help out in situations such as Syrian civil war
What are some key features of the Council of Europe?
- Role of promoting democracy and the rule of law
- Was set up in 1949, with 47 members
- Cannot make binding laws, but can enforce agreements, as well as developing the European convention on human rights
How has the UK’s relationship with the EU changed post-Brexit?
- More restrictive rules around immigration
- Non-UK vessels unable to fish in UK waters, without licence
- Must have health insurance and at least 6 month remaining on passport when travelling
- More tariffs and customs duties having to be paid when trading
How must rights and responsibilities be balanced during times of war?
- Human rights have a higher moral authority than laws passed by Governments- meaning that they come ahead of the rights of a country to conduct its own affairs
What are the Geneva conventions?
- Set of agreements set out to be followed during international war
- Followed by most countries and highlight things such as the treatment of civilians, prisoners and wounded
What is international humanitarian law?
-This refers to the rules around the protection of human rights of citizens during times of war
What is the International criminal court (ICC)?
- This is a tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, set up to hear cases of serious crimes such as genocides and war crimes
- Only acts when a country’s national courts are unavailable or a case is referred to it by the UN
What is the International court of justice (ICJ)?
- UN organisation in The Hague, Netherlands
- Aims to settle legal disputes between member states, although the state doesn’t have to accept the ruling as they are sovereign
What are NGOs?
- These are non-governmental organisations, who are bodies that might be charities
- They are often non-profit, with clear humanitarian aims and do not take sides in conflict
What do NGOs do?
- Responsible for working to protect people at risk and help support development
- Examples of when they might work include: during natural disasters, when tackling disease, working with refugees, when rights need protecting and when conditions need improving
What is mediation in international conflict?
- This involves bringing together the two different sides, with a neutral third-party in place to help listen to and resolve the conflict
- Tony Blair was a Middle-East peace envoy
What is sanctions in international conflict?
- This involves penalties for breaking rules, that often targets those in power
- This may involve a ban on selling equipment to a country or even boycotting trade and products
- UK refusing to purchase oil from Russia
What is force in international conflict?
- This involves direct military intervention, supporting other fighters or setting up no-fly zones
- UK directly intervened by deploying its military in Iraq in 2003
