uk suffers from democratic deficit and participation crisis

Question 1

voter turnout

Answer 1

-ERS suggests the UK suffers a participation crisis,voter turnout is down in the long term
-1950 turnout 83.9%,2019 67.3%,number of reasons:partisan dealignment,voter apathy,lack of choice,rise on centrist politics
-turnout is very low amongst 18-24 year olds at 47% in 2019, and metro mayor turnout is very low,2021 34% in Greater Manchester

Question 2

voter turnout evaluation

Answer 2

Since the low of 2001 (59.4%), election turnout has been steadily growing in the UK. For example, between 2015 and 2017 alone,turnout grew by 2% from 66% to 68%. Although turnout was slightly down in 2019 (1.5% down from 2017), it was still well-up on the post-war low of 2001. Equally, elections for devolved assemblies and parliaments are also growing.

Question 3

the house of lords

Answer 3

-unelected upper chamber,not the case in most western democracies upper chamber is elected e.g. US Senate
-composition of HOL causes issues too,92 are hereditary peers,UK is one of two countries that has its senior clerics sit in the legislative chamber,the Lords contains some questionable characters too e.g. Lord Archer,convicted criminal
-cronyism is rampant in the Lords, Zach Goldsmith lost his seat in 2019 and was appointed to the lords by Johnson in 2020

Question 4

house of lords evaluation

Answer 4

The Lords has undergone some modest reforms. the House of Lords Act of 1999 reduced the hereditaries from 666 to 92. the Salisbury Convention means that the unelected Lords cannot block legislation that was in the manifesto of a majority government.
the Parliament Act 1911 prevents the Lords from interfering with matters of taxation. the Parliament Act 1949 allows the Commons to simply override the Lords if it persists in blocking legislation. All of these reforms ensure the Lords is only a ‘revising chamber’ and that the Commons has primacy.

Question 5

devolution

Answer 5

-decentralised power provides better representation and a more responsive government
-the new institutions are ‘laboratories of democracy’
-significant devolved powers have been awarded to devolved assemblies since 1997 including devo-max to scotland
-metro mayors have been introduced in england too,exercising power over areas such as housing and transport
-too much focus on westminster takes away from devolution

Question 6

devolution evaluation

Answer 6

The new institutions often lack significant powers to enact or prevent meaningful change Scotland despite voting to 62% remain in the EU was forced out against its ‘General Will.’ Greater London Mayor can’t increase taxes to address socioeconomic issues e.g. a shortage of public housing. those powers are still reserved to Westminster. the devolved institutions also lack ‘democratic legitimacy’ much lower turnout for devolved institutions than in general elections.the Greater Manchester mayoral elections of 2017 and 2021 saw turnout of 29% and 34% respectively.

Question 7

rise of direct democracy

Answer 7

-both 2014 and 2016 referendums turnout was above recent general elections,EU referendum 72%,Independence 85% higher than all post war GE
-referendums empower the citizens,voters are free to take a clear position,regardless of party politics,voters are more likely to define their identity around an issue than a party these days

Question 8

direct democracy evaluation

Answer 8

Not all referendums enjoy high levels of turnout. The 2011 AV referendum saw just turnout of just 42%.