Democracy and participation Flashcards
(49 cards)
1
Q
What is direct democracy?
A
Direct democracy is when the people themselves make important political decisions
2
Q
What is representative democracy?
A
Representative democracy is when the people elect representatives to make decisions on their behalf
3
Q
What are some advantages of direct democracy?
A
- May potentially increase participation
- for example, the 2014 scottish independence referendum had a high turnout of 84.6% - The purest form of democracy (true representation of the people’s will)
- for example, the 2016 brexit referendum gave a clear public decision (52% leave) on whether people wanted to actually stay or leave the EU
4
Q
What are some disadvantages of direct democracy?
A
- could oversimplify complex issues
- for example, the referendum question had to be changed from yes/no to leave/remain - There may be lack of expertise among the public
- for example, the 2016 brexit referendum involved complex EU laws that people didn’t fully understand
5
Q
What are some examples of direct democracy?
A
- Referendums
- Electronic petitions
- for example, the meningitis vaccination made available to all children
- for example, helped call for a second EU referendum - Consultative exercises
- for example, gov consulting public about expansion of heathrow and HS2 link - Open primaries
6
Q
Where have referendums been used?
A
- Scottish Independent Referendum(2014)
- UK membership of the EU Referendum(2016)
7
Q
What are different types of representative democracy?
A
- Social representation - when the characteristics of the representatives are in line with the characteristics of the populations as a whole
- Causal representation - when representative bodies represent the community for a specific cause
- national interest representation - representatives that don’t just represent their consitituencie’s interests but also their nations interests
- Party representation - parties stating their policies and representing the people who have voted for them
- Constituency representation - elected MP’s of having similar social and economic concerns about their constituency, similar to their constituents
8
Q
what are arguments to show the uk is democratic
A
- Free elections as anyone over the age of 18 can vote and there is little electoral fraud
(Although there are significant number of people that are excluded from this) - Fair elections, as there are proportional systems in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and other devolved bodies
(Although the UK GE are based around FPTP which is a majoritarian system) - Rule of law, which means that all citizens, and the government itself, are treated equally under the law due to the Equality Act 2010
(Although, the monarch are exempt from these legal restrictions and statistical evidence has shown that those of higher socio-economic standing are treated more leniently
9
Q
what are arguments for reforming the uk political system?
A
- disproportionate representation due to FPTP
- for example, in the 2019 GE, the green party secured over 1 million votes but only 1 seat whereas, cons won 36.9% of the votes and gained 365 seats - unelected HOL which can be viewed as undemocratic
- for example, the cash for honours scandal in 2006, where some lords were accused of offering to ask questions in parliament in exchange for money - voter apathy and low turnout which shows the disconnection between the public and the political system
- for example, in the 2019, European parliament elections, voter turnout was 37% in the uk
10
Q
what can insider influence pressure groups do?
A
- directly influence gov policy
- for example, the british medical association (BMA) advices the gov on health issues like NHS reform - provide expert knowledge and give specialist info to help improve quality of law making
- for example, the national farmer’s union provide on farming and food production
11
Q
How do we categorise pressure groups?
A
Sectional/Interest or Cause/Promotional
12
Q
How do we categorize pressure groups?
A
Insider or Outsider
13
Q
What are Sectional/Interest pressure groups?
A
They represent the interests of particular groups in society
- For example, the Muslim Council of Britain specifically represents the interests of British Muslims
14
Q
What are Cause/Promotional pressure groups?
A
They promote a particular cause
- For example, Friends of the Green Earth and Greenpeace are united by their shared interest of protecting the environment
15
Q
What are Insider pressure groups?
A
They have privileged access to government decision making
- For example, the British Medical Association(BMA) represents doctors and so has specialist info which the gov would wish to consult
16
Q
What are Outsider pressure groups?
A
They gain the attention of the gov by winning public support as they don’t possess access to political decision making
- For example, The Ghurka Justice Campaign which achieved residency rights for Ghurkas who had served in the British military
17
Q
How do pressure groups achieve success? (RIPE)
A
- Resources
- Ideological compatibility with the gov
- Popularity
- Expertise
18
Q
What are two successful Uk pressure group campaigns?
A
- Motoring organisations and smart motorways
- The tactics that both the Automobile Association(AA) and the Royal Automobile club(RAC) deployed made most of their professional expertise and insider status
- Both organisations were critical of Johnsons plans to introduce smart motorways as they saw it as an increased risk to drivers
- In 2021, the AA and RAC worked together with the West Midlands police and Highways England to provide special evidence to the Transport Select Committee
- On the recommendation of the committee, the gov delayed building smart motorways for 5 years whilst safety checks were being assessed - Marcus Rashford and free school meals
- During 2020 lockdown, child on FSM didnt get any food and Manchester United player, Marcus Rashford empathised with this
- He worked closely with the charity Fareshare to provide FSM and used his twitter account to advertise businesses that were offering FSM
-This resulted in an e-petition which was signed by 1.1million people, causing the gov to announce a £120 million “summer food fund” and a £170 million “covid winter grant scheme” for vulnerable families
19
Q
What are two unsuccessful UK pressure group campaigns?
A
- Stop HS2
- Stop HS2 was established in 2010 in response to the decision to build a high end speed rail link between london and birmingham
- They organised several high profile demonstrations and gained cross party support from several MP’s
- In 2013, MP’s voted 399 to 42 in favour and in the HOL, 386 to 26 in favour
- Finally, in 2020, there was an e-petition in favour of repealing the HS2 legislation that gained 155,253 signitatures, but this didn’t matter as their was strong parliamentary support for its constructions - Stop the war coalition
- Stop the war coalition was founded in 2001 in response to Blair’s gov being prepared to invade Iraq
- In which 1 million people marched through London to protest the war
- However, Blair remained ideologically committed to the invasion and had a 179 votes majority in the HOC due to his parliamentary majority
- This led to Blair being able to ignore the protests and he continued to prepare for the war
20
Q
What are two other groups that can influence the government?
A
- Think Tanks, which are groups that are established to generate ideas and develop policy
- Lobbyists, which are individuals or organisations that try to persuade the gov to do something
21
Q
What are ways in which pressure groups enhance democracy?
A
- they help with representing the interests of minority groups
- They help to call the gov to account
22
Q
What are ways in which pressure groups may threaten democracy?
A
- Some pressure groups that are internally undemocratic may not accurately represent the views of their members and supporters
- Some pressure groups that are wealthy may wield a disproportionate amount of influence
23
Q
What is a participation crisis?
A
A participation crisis is when a large proportion of the population don’t engage with the political process, for example, not voting in elections
24
Q
What are some key milestones in the widening of the franchise?
A
The Great Reform Act, 1832
- Created a standard qualification for franchise that applied to all male householders living in properties
- Increased enfranchisement to over a million
Representation of the People Act 1918
- Gave the vote to all men over 21 regardless of if they owned property
- Gave the vote to women over 30 who met a property qualification, or whose husband did
Representation of the People Act 1928
- All adults over the age of 21 could vote
Representation of the People Act 1969
- Reduced the voting age to 18
25
What are arguments in favour of votes for 16?
1. Young people are now better informed about politics than ever before
- for example, there are youth led campaigns scuh as, school strikes for climate, that show strong political awareness
2. there have been examples of it being successful
- for example, in scotland, 16 and 17 year olds voted in the 2014 scottish independence referendum so can now vote in scottish elections
26
What are arguments against votes for 16?
1. young people can easily be politically manipulated
- for example, social media minsinformation can spread quickly and may sway less experinced voters
2. Young age groups already have low turnout, so adding 16-17 year olds may reduce overall turnout
- for example, 18-24yr olds consistently vote less (47% in 2019 vs 75% of over 65s)
27
what are arguments against reforming the uk political system?
1. stability the current system has provided means reform is not necessary
- for example, it has led to strong stable gov's such as theresa may 2017 and johnson's 2019 gov
2. reform could confuse voters, which may further increase voter apathy
- in australia, while voter turnout is high, the electoral system causes confusion
28
What are advantages of compulsory voting?
1. would increase voter turnout
- for example, in autsralias 2019 election, turnout was around 91.9%
2. there would be more representative outcomes
- for example, in the 2019 GE, cons secured a majority despite only recieving 43.6% of the vote; if turnout was higher, the overall result would be more representative
29
What are the disadvantages of compulsory voting?
1. the right to vote is also the right not to vote
- an important part of the democratic freedom
2. there may be uninformed voting
- in the 2019 election, some voters admitte that they felt uninformed around the policies of parties but voted because it was their responsibility
30
What are some key case studies to do with the judiciary and the protection of human rights?
Lee vs Ashers Baking Company(2018)
- The supreme court ruled that the baker had the right to refuse to bake a cake that had iced onto it "support gay marriage"
- The baker viewed it as non discriminatory as they were asked to produce a political slogan that they disagreed with
- This case illustrates the conflict between individual and collective rights
- The judiciary were effective in protecting individual rights and resolving conflict
31
What is a key case studies to do with how the judiciary has failed to protect human rights?
2004 Belmarsh prison case
- Foreign nationals were held in prison as they were suspected of terrorist activities in their home country
- The judiciary were ineffective as the HRA that was put in place can be suspended or repealed, so legislation can still be enacted
- So, after the release of the Belmarsh detainees, legislation was quickly introduced to keep them under surveillance
32
What are some key case studies to do with the judiciary being effective?
Ruling on lawfulness of the Rwanda policy
- On 15 November 2023, the UK's supreme court declared the policy unlawful as rwanda was not a safe country to remove asylum seekers to
- The judiciary was effective in that they halted gov plans which meant that the policy was no longer implemented
(However, they were ineffective in that the gov started looking for ways to work around it by considering an emergency bill to declare rwanda as a safe country
33
Whats are two pressure groups that helped with human rights/rights protection?
1. Liberty
- provide free legal advice
- Campaign to expose and bring attention to rights abuses
- Advocate for policy changes to gov
2. Amnesty international
- Investigate and expose abuses
- Mobilise the public
- lobby gov for policy changes
34
What is a time where the insider pressure group Liberty was effective in helping protect human rights?
- Liberty represented John Walker in a legal challenge to a loophole in the Equality act
- It let employers exempt same-sex spouses from spousal pension benefits
- John found that if his husband had been married to a woman, she would have received around £45,000
- In july 2017, the supreme court found the loophole unlawful
35
What is a time where the outsider pressure group Amnesty International have been effective in helping protect human rights?
- They lobbied for the continued pressure on the gov which contributed to the release of Nazanin Zhagari-Radcliffe
- She was an Iranian woman who had been wrongfully imprisoned in Iran and was safely returned back to the UK
36
what are suffragists?
- tried to achieve the vote for women using peaceful methods
- used peaceful methods and gathered support with petitions
- tried to organise cross party support and convince and lobby politicians of the importance of female suffrage
37
what are the functions of pressure groups?
1. representation, where they can speak for and defend minorities so they can have a voice in society
- for example, the british medical association (BMA) represents doctor's interests, giving them a collective voice in political debates on healthcare
2. scrutinise and hold gov to account
- for example, liberty (a civil rights group) scrutinises gov policies for potential human rights violations
3. political education, where they promote the education of the public on issues they are concerned with
- for example, muslim council of britain look to increase the education of the public around islam
38
what are suffragettes?
- suffragettes such as the WSPU used direct action and militant methods
- such as setting fire to buildings and attempting to hurt politicians
- some even went on hunger strikes after being arrested
39
how do think tanks influence gov and parliament?
1. they carry out research on issues
- for example, the IEA which supports free market ideas and has influenced cons economic policies
2. shaping public debate by speaking on the news to get people to talk about an issue
- for example, resolution foundation which talk about wages, living costs and inequality in their debates
40
how do lobbyists influence gov and parliament?
1. provide info and expertise to help politicians understand complex issues
- for example, a health lobbyist might provide data to an MP debating NHS funding
2. help draft laws or amendments to help write bills, especially if the MP lacks expertise in that area
- for example, business lobbyists might suggest changes to trade laws after brexit
41
what are think tanks?
an organisation that researches public policy and suggests solutions
42
what are lobbysists?
people who try to influence politicians or gov to support a particular cause
43
what are arguments for the uk being in a participation crisis?
1. low voter turnout
- for example, the GE election has been dropping since the 1950s
- for example, the 2019 GE had a turnout of 67.3%
2. decline in party membership
- for example, cons membership dropped from 300,000 in the 1990s to around 160,000 in more recent years
3. youth disengagement, as young people are less likely to vote or join parties
- for example, in 2019, under 50% of 18-24 yr olds voted in comparison to over 70% of 65+
44
what are arguments against the uk being in a participation crisis?
1. there is youth engagement through movements
- for example, black lives matter
2. pressure group membership is still strong
- for example, extinction rebellion and green peace have hundreds of thousands of supporters
3. there is still high turnout in key votes
- for example, the scottish independence referendum had a turnout of 84.6% and the 2016 eu referendum had a turnout of 72.2%
45
what are the advantages of representative democracy?
1. MP's are able to be held to account through elections, as if they dont represent their constituents properly, they will be voted out
- for example, an MP who ignores local concerns might lose their seat in the next GE
2. practical for large populations
- for example, the uk has a population of 68 million, so holding regular referendums for each policy would be unmanageable
3. decision making is done my experts
46
what are disadvantages of representative democracy?
1. MP's, may not truly represent the people and may just vote along part lines
- for example, many mp's voted remain in 2016, but most of the public voted leave
2. low turnour reduces legitimacy, so may not truly reflect the will of the people
- for example, in 2001 ge, turnout was the lowest it had been since 1918 (59%)
47
compare representative and direct democracy
1. in representative democracy, the elected officials make the decision, whereas, in direct democracy, it is the people themselves
2. in representative democracy, accountability is held through elections and in direct democracy, accountability is held through direct votes
3. direct democracy is less practical on all issues whereas representative democracy is more practical for large states
48
what are features of a direct democracy?
1. there is a majority rule where the outcome is based on what the majority want
- in the 2016 EU referendum, the uk voted 52% leave vs 48% remain
2. it increases participation
- for example, the 2014 scottish referendum had a turnout of 84.6%, showing strong public engagement
3. citizens make decisions directly
- for example, in the 2011 av referendum, voters were asked directly whether they wanted to change the voting system for general elections
49
what are features of a representative democracy?
1. citizens elect representatives to make decisions for them on their behalf
- for example, citizens elected 650 MPs to represent them
2. representative are able to be held to account
- for example, many labour mp's lost their seats in 2019 because people were unhappy with their brexit stance
3. regular free, fair elections are held where citizens can choose or remove their representatives
- for example, uk general elections are held every 5 years under the fixed term parliament act 2011
