democracy and participation

Question 1

representative democracy?

Answer 1

citizens elect representatives who make decisions in parliament on their behalf

Question 2

examples of representative democracy in the uk

Answer 2

• electing MPs to the house of commons
• scottish and welsh parliaments + northern ireland assembly

Question 3

direct democracy?

Answer 3

citizens vote on decisions directly

Question 4

examples of direct democracy in the uk

Answer 4

• referendums (9 from 1997-2016, so fairly infrequent)
• e-petitions (100,000 signatures -> debate in parliament)

Question 5

Recall of MPs Act (2015)

Answer 5

• constituents can recall their local MP (vote to remove them from office) if they’ve been:
  -> convicted of a crime and handed a prison sentence
  -> suspended from the HoC for 10+ days
  -> convicted of making false expenses claims
• if 10% of eligible voters sign a petition, a by-election is triggered
• in 2023, margaret ferrier was recalled for breaking lockdown and social distancing guidance after testing positive for COVID

Question 6

what criteria can democracies be judged on?

Answer 6

1. levels of participation
2. how far all groups and individuals have opportunities for political influence
3. levels of trust in the political system
4. how effectively rights are protected

Question 7

defenses of the UK’s political system

Answer 7

• upholds the principles of pluralist democracy
• Human Rights Act (1998) set out fundamental rights that belong to all in the UK, including freedom of speech and assembly
• parliament has passed many other laws that protect the rights of minorities and vulnerable individuals (Freedom of Information Act 2000, Equality Act 2010, Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Act 2013, Coronavirus Act 2020, Public Order Act 2023)
• the supreme court frequently defends minority rights in its rulings

Question 8

critiques of the UK’s political system

Answer 8

• the UK is becoming increasingly elitist
• there have been high-profile examples of wealthy party donors achieving significant political influence in recent years
• the influence of corporations and lobbyists is seen as an example of elitism
• the privileged backgrounds of many MPs can also be seen as evidence of elitism
• the appointment process for the HoL has been criticised for a lack of democracy - the PM oversees most nominations with no voter input (29 peers were appointed to the HoL by Liz Truss, despite her only being in office for 49 days)

Question 9

advantages of representative democracy

Answer 9

• political decisions are made by specialists who understand the issues they’re voting on and can be held accountable
• reps have time to consider the impact of legislation
• reps can take minority interests into account when making decisions, whereas referendums reflect majority views

Question 10

disadvantages of representative democracy

Answer 10

• relies on the good performance and conduct of those in power
  -> high-profile scandals in parliament: 2019-2024 at least 20 MPs were either suspended from HoC, suspended by their party or chose to resign due to accusations of misconduct
• low turnout = less legitimacy and weaker mandate
  -> 2001-2019 turnout was between 59-69% and 2024 was 59.7%
• reps need to remain popular to stay in power so they may ignore necessary reforms to appeal to influential groups of voters
  -> Public Accounts Committee has consistently called for long-term funding agreement for adult social care, but neither party has introduced necessary tax increases or cuts in other policy areas

Question 11

defenses of direct democracy

Answer 11

• gives people the most power, leads to reforms that would be unlikely under representative democracy
  -> 75% of MPs supported remain during Brexit referendum, but only 48% of citizens voted to stay
• direct democracy can help to engage the electorate when participation is low in general elections
  -> 2014 Scottish Independence referendum 85% turnout, and 2016 Brexit referendum 72% turnout - both higher than all GEs from 2001-2019

Question 12

critiques of direct democracy

Answer 12

• referendums can over-simplify complex issues - there was no consensus over the terms on which the UK could leave the EU so the complexity of Brexit was not fully understood by the electorate
• referendums can only be held via an act of parliament which means referendums are highly unlikely (only 9 1997-2016)
• outcome of referendums = tyranny of the majority?
• e-petitions can create the illusion of democracy without offering meaningful influence

Question 13

what are the 3 nationwide referendums in the UK?

Answer 13

• Remaining in the European Economic Community (1975) (Y:N 67:33, turnout 64%)
• Replacing First-Past-the-Post with the Alternative Vote electoral system (2011) (Y:N 32:68, turnout 42%)
• Leaving the European Union (2016) (Y:N 52:48, turnout 72%)

Question 14

scottish referendums?

Answer 14

• Creation of a Scottish Assembly (1979) (Y:N 52:48, turnout 64%)
• Creation of a Scottish Parliament (Y:N 74:26, turnout 60%)
• Scottish Independence (2014) (Y:N 45:55, turnout 85%)

Question 15

northern ireland referendums?

Answer 15

• Northern Ireland Remaining in the United Kingdom (1973) (Y:N 99:1, turnout 59% - boycotted by nationalists as they believed it would inflame tensions)
• Good Friday Agreement (1998) (Y:N 71:29, turnout 81%)

Question 16

welsh referendums?

Answer 16

• Creation of a Welsh Assembly (1979) (Y:N 20:80, 59% turnout)
• Creation of a Welsh Assembly (1997) (Y:N 50.3:49.7, turnout 50%)

Question 17

arguments for holding more referendums in the UK

Answer 17

• referendums can help legitimise more constitutional changes
• holding more referendums would allow the public to express their views on areas of policy politicians may avoid
• in other political systems, referendums are held on social issues like legislation of drugs

Question 18

arguments against holding more referendums in the UK

Answer 18

• referendum campaigns are divisive and their outcomes can cause even more division
• referendums can take attention away from other important issues
  -> there was a fall in parliamentary productivity in the years after the 2016 EU referendum - partly caused by the Conservatives losing their majority in the 2017 GE, but also the attention that needed to be given to Brexit
• holding more public votes can create voter fatigue

Question 19

the chartists

Answer 19

• believed the Great Reform Act (1832) had not gone far enough (working class could not vote and men still had to own property), campaigned for universal male suffrage - 3mil signatures on one of their petitions by 1842
• six points of the people’s charter
  -> a vote for every man over 21
  -> secret ballots
  -> no property qualification
  -> payment of MPs
  -> equal sized constituencies
  -> annual parliaments

Question 20

ways parliament expanded working-class suffrage

Answer 20

• Representation of the People Act (1867) extended the franchise to all men who were property owners or responsible for paying their household’s rent
• Representation of the People Act (1884) addressed differences between voters in cities and towns - 60% of men could now vote
• Representation of the People Act (1918) enabled all men 21+ and most women 30+ to vote
• Representation of the People (Equal Franchise) Act (1928) extended the franchise to all women 21+
• Representation of the People Act (1969) voting age lowered to 18
  -> some 16-17 year olds can vote in other elections in Scotland and Wales

Question 21

other possible reforms proposed to the UK’s democracy

Answer 21

• lowering voting age to 16
• allowing electronic voting
• introducing compulsory voting
• giving all prisoners the right to vote

Question 22

arguments for lowering the voting age to 16

Answer 22

• could be a solution to the UK’s participation crisis
  -> 75% of registered 16-17 year olds voted in the 2014 Scottish Independence referendum
  -> studies showed that high turnouts of 16-17 year olds continued in 2016 and 2021 Scottish Parliament elections - much higher than turnout among 18-24 year olds in general elections (47% in 2019 GE)
• 16-17 year olds more likely to develop a lifelong habit of voting

Question 23

arguments the uk IS in a participation crisis

Answer 23

• decrease in turnout - 1945-1997 76%, now 68%
• low turnout = less legitimate and less of a mandate
• political apathy contributed to by government scandal - 2024 lowest turnout since 2001 (59.7%) related to recent poor Tory performance
• 1.6% of electorate belong to a party, 3.8% in 1983
• Conservative party less than 150,000 members by 2016 compared to ~400,000 mid 90s
• other members of participation are important but less impactful

Question 24

arguments the uk ISNT in a participation crisis

Answer 24

• pressure group membership on the increase
• social media = huge platform for young people
  -> labour and SNP made around 1000 social media posts during their 2024 campaign (30 a day)
• e-petitions also take a big role, Revoke Article 50 Petition (March 2019) having 5.5m+ signatures
• increase in Labour party membership in 2015 after Miliband made membership only £3, party now has 540,000+ members
• smaller party memberships also increased
  -> SNP membership increased to over 125,000 by April 2018
  -> UKIP memberships increased to 50,000+ in the run up to 2015 GE