TOPIC 2 - PART 1 - Democracy in the UK Flashcards
Is the UK’s political system representative or direct democracy?
The UK political system combines elements of representative and direct democracy.
Name 7 advantages of representative democracy?
- Having someone represent you means you don’t have to spend time being involved in politics
- Representatives have more experience, knowledge and expertise than the rest of the population.
- Representatives can be made accountable for their decisions, whereas the people as a whole cannot.
- People can react emotionally to issues, representatives can be more rational.
- Representatives can educate the public about political issues
- Representatives can take an overall view of their constituents and represent the majority view
Name 6 advantages of direct democracy and referendums
- It is the purest form of democracy, dating back to ancient ATHENS.
- Important decisions can be strengthened and given legitimacy if they receive the direct consent of the people such as referendums.
- Referendums and direct consultation can educate the public about political issues
- People can participate more directly in direct democracy. This improves engagement with politics and may strengthen positive citizenship.
- Important constitutional changes can be entrenched through a referendum
- When government itself is divided, referendums can solve the conflict and secure a consensus decision
Name 5 disadvantages of representative democracy
- It may be difficult to make representatives accountable between elections.
- Representatives may ignore or distort the demands of the people to suit political advantage or personal interest
- When dominated by parties, representatives may follow the party line rather than represent their constituents accurately
- Representative democracy may result in too much political conflict which can only be resolved by direct democracy.
- The idea of the electoral mandate is flawed in that voters are only presented with a manifesto, the whole of which they must either accept or reject. Voters cannot express preferences within various election manifestos.
Name 5 referendums that have taken place
- Whether the UK should remain within the EU (2016).
- Whether the UK should join the EU in 1975
- Whether Scotland should be independent of the UK (2014)
- Whether there should be devolution (1997)
- Whether there should be an alternative voting systems (2011)
Name 7 disadvantages of direct democracy
- Issues are too complex for the average person to understand
(EXAMPLE British membership of the European currency). - People vote in an emotional, irrational way
(EXAMPLE a vote of capital punishment). - If there are too many referendums people may suffer from voter fatigue and so the turnout may be low.
- Voters may start to lose respect for representative institutions if they become used to making their own decisions.
- Referendums and direct democracy may encourage the tyranny of the majority which results in the oppression of minorities.
(EXAMPLE the 2009 Swiss referendum banning the construction of Islamic minarets, a vote in California in 2008 outlawing civil partnership)
6.If there is a low turnout in a referendum the result may lack legitimacy
(EXAMPLE only 34% turnout in referendum to decide whether London should have an elected Mayor in 1998)
- A very close referendum vote may result in an unsatisfactory conclusion and fail to achieve acceptance of the outcome.
(EXAMPLE Brexit)
Name an example of how a referendum can resolve an issue without destroying the government
- 1975 - referendum on whether or not the UK should remain in the European Community
- 2011 - referendum on whether to adopt AV as an electoral system.
Name an example of when a referendum can be used to determine constitutional change.
- Brexit in 2016
- Scottish referendum in 2014
- Whether London should have an elected mayor (2008)
Name an example of when it is necessary to entrench an important constitutional change?
- 1997 referendum - whether to introduce devolved government in Scotland. - YES won.
- 2016 - Brexit - LEAVE won.
- 1997 referendum on whether to give the Scottish Parliament the power to vary the level of income tax - YES won
Give an example of when there is a special need to secure popular consent
1998 referendum in Northern Ireland to approve the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement - this agreement was designed to introduce devolved government and end inter-community conflict - Result YES
Give 5 distinctions between direct and representative democracy
- PURE - Direct democracy is purer than representative democracy.
- CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGES - Direct democracy tends to deal with issues concerning constitutional change/reform whereas representative democracy concerns the day to day running of the country.
- INTERESTS OF PEOPLE - Representative democracy considers different interests in society whereas direct democracy is only concerned with the will of the majority
- ACCOUNTABILITY -Representatives are accountable but people are not accountable
- LEGITIMACY - Referendums can be seen as the more legitimate than decisions made by representative institutions.
Name 7 ways that citizens in the UK participate in the democratic process?
- Voting - local, regional and national elections
- Voting - referendums
- Taking part in political consultation exercises
- Joining or supporting a pressure group
- Joining a political party
- Becoming an activist in a political party
- Standing for public office at local, regional or national level
What evidence is there that there has been a decline in political participation? Provide 5 examples
- Turnouts in national elections have been falling
(nb exceptions to this were Brexit and Scottish referendums) - Party membership has been falling since the 1980s (exception to this is Labour Party membership is at at 20 year high following the leadership challenge on Corby)
- Activism in politcal parties has fallen
- Widespread disillusionment with party politics
- Identification with parties has fallen
Give 4 methods of increasing political participation
- Compulsory voting
- Votes at 16
- Citizenship education
- E-democracy (digital democracy)
What are the arguments for compulsory voting as a way of increasing political particiation?
- It increases turnout
- It forces people to think about politics
- People become more used to voting.
- Results have more legitimacy and thus are respected.
What are the arguments against compulsory voting as a way of increasing political participation?
- It abuses people’s freedom
- Results may be seen as artificial
- It is costly to enforce
- It cannot solve the problem of apathy
What are the arguments for allowing voting at 16 as a way of increasing political participation?
- It makes the young more politically aware
- It improves the level of identification with politics
- It makes political education more relevant
What are the arguments against voting at 16 is a way of increasing political participation
- 16 yr olds are too young to make a judgment
- Many 16 yr olds may not vote
- There are not many party politics to attract young voters
What are the arguments that citizenship education will increase political participation
- It improves political knowledge
2. It encourages engagement with politics
What are the arguments against citizenship education being a way to increase political participation
- Education is expensive.
2. It may not create genuine interest
What are the arguments that say that E-democracy (digital democracy) will increase political participation
- It provides greater access to politics for citizens
- It can promote a more direct form of democracy
- E-voting might increase electoral turnout
- The internet provides a vast source of independent political information
What are the arguments against E-democracy being able to increase political participation
- It is vulnerable to fraud and hacking
- Illicit and false information can circulate easily
- Those who lack technical knowledge might be excluded
What evidence is there that there is increasing political participation
- Pressure groups are growing in number and membership.
EG - environmental groups, old age campaigners - There is increasing use of campaigning through social media
EG campaigns against road pricing, sale of National Forest - There has been a growth in examples of direct action
EG anti-tuition fees, anti-Iraq war campaign
How democratic is the UK - list the positives.
- REGULAR ELECTIONS - there are regular free elections.
- FREE MEDIA - there are free media and many independent sources of political information
- There are democratic institutions such as local councils, devolved assemblies, parliament and government.
- FREEDOM - to vote, stand for office an form political parties
- ACCOUNTABLE - parliament makes the government accountable for its actions
- REFERENDUMS - held from time to time to decide on important constitutional issues
- FREEDOM, EQUALITY and RIGHTS - protected by parliament, common law and European Convention on Human Rights
- INDEPENDENT JUDICIARY
- RULE of LAW - all are equal in the eyes of the law
- FREEDOM of INFORMATION ACT enables citizens to access important information about government and the administration of the state