Democracy And Participation - Representiative Democracy

Question 1

1997 General Election

Answer 1

Result: Labour landslide
Majority: +179 seats
Leader —> Tony Blair
- ended 18 years of Conservative rule. Clear public support for New Labour.

Question 2

2001 General Election

Answer 2

Result: Labour victory
Majority: +167 seats
Leader —> Tony Blair
- second term for Labour. Low turnout (59%) raised concerns about voter disengagement.

Question 3

2005 General Election

Answer 3

Result: Labour victory
Majority: +66 seats
Leader —> Tony Blair
- reduced majority but still a mandate. Turnout 61%. Iraq War and domestic policy affected results.

Question 4

2010 General Election

Answer 4

Result: Hung Parliament
Majority: No majority → Coalition
Government: Conservative–Liberal Democrat Coalition
Leaders —> David Cameron (PM), Nick Clegg (Deputy PM)
- first coalition since WWII. Result of electoral compromise.

Question 5

2015 General Election

Answer 5

Result: Conservative majority
Majority: +12 seats
Leader —> David Cameron
0 unexpected win. Mandate for EU referendum. Lib Dems heavily punished for tuition fees.

Question 6

2017 General Election

Answer 6

Result: Hung Parliament
Majority: No majority → Confidence and Supply deal with DUP
Leader —>Theresa May
- snap election backfired. Government weakened during Brexit negotiations.

Question 7

2019 General Election

Answer 7

Result: Conservative landslide
Majority: +80 seats
Leader —> Boris Johnson
- “get Brexit Done” mandate. Labour’s worst result since 1935. Major turning point in Brexit process.

Question 8

2024 General Election

Answer 8

Result: Labour Landslide
Majority: 174
Leader —> Keir Starmer
- tactical voting, get the tories out, small parties on the rise and the come back of the libdems.

Question 9

London Mayoral Elections (2021)

Answer 9

Result: Sadiq Khan (Labour) re-elected
- supplementary Vote (SV)
Majority: Won in second round
- Khan’s second term. Public accountability through direct election.

Question 10

European Parliament Elections (Final: 2019)

Answer 10

Result: Brexit Party won most UK seats
Majority: No single majority – multi-party
- reflected public frustration with Brexit delay. End of UK’s EU representation.

Question 11

MPs Voting – Iraq War (2003)

Answer 11

What? MPs voted to approve military action in Iraq
Majority: Passed with large Labour majority
- strong use of representative democracy – but controversial. Public protests ignored.

Question 12

MPs Voting – Tuition Fees (2010)

Answer 12

What? MPs voted to raise tuition fees to £9,000
Majority: Passed under Coalition gov’t
- Lib Dem MPs broke manifesto pledges – major backlash.

Question 13

Parliamentary Select Committees

Answer 13

Example: Health Select Committee during COVID-19
Majority? Cross-party – not government-controlled
- scrutiny of government by elected MPs. Shows accountability in representative democracy.