Democracy topic Flashcards
(45 cards)
What is Democracy?
Democracy is people being able to make a choice, typically when voting.
What is a referendum?
A yes/no vote on a major constitutional or political issue.
What are the pros of a referndum?
- Ends debates
- Neutral
- Large impact on parliament
- Freedom to choose
- Equal
- Can be educational
What types of democracy are there?
Direct Democracy is where people vote directly .i.e., referendums.
Representative Democracy is where elected people make decisions for the people the represent (their constituents).
What are the cons of a referendum?
- Expensive
- Emotional response
- Manipulative question
- Unsure of legal position
- Misinformative
- Can undermine parliamentary sovereignty
What is the background of democracy?
Originated in Greece. It was a crowd of men who gathered to vote. Black and White stones to show answers. Not feasible in 21st Century. Most votes won.
What is devolution of power?
Spreading of power .i.e., Scottish Parliament
Is there a participation crisis in the UK?
No, there are different ways of participating politically now; epetitions, pressure groups and direct actions. Pressure groups include RSPB, which has 1.2 Million members, and the
NFU.
The NFU led a campaign against bovine tuberculosis; killed badgers, harmful to farmers and costs UK economy £100 million a year. They had support from the DEFRA (Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) and they went to trial in 2012/13 and won their trial ensuring that the badgers were ‘culled’. The outcome had public opposition as the public was against badgers dying.
Yes, election and referendum turnout has decreased.
1979, ge- 76%
1997, ge- 71.4%
2001, ge- 59.4%
2010, ge- 61.4%
2015, ge- 65.1%
Brexit ref- 72%
2017, ge- 68.8%
2019, ge- 67.3%
What are the types of pressure groups?
Interest Group- sectional groups, section of society .i.e., National Union of Teachers.
Cause Group- promotional group, specific cause .i.e., Greenpeace.
Social Movement- similar to cause group but without a formal structure .i.e., BLM
Insider Group- regularly consulted by govt .i.e., CBI (Confederation Business Industry)
Outsider Group- no link to govt, occasionally radicalised .i.e., Animal Liberation Front.
How much of the UK are apart of a pressure group?
40-50%
Evaluate the view that pressure groups promote pluralist democracy.
For:
- supplementing electoral democracy
- widening participation
- widening power
Against:
- unaccountable power
- narrowing participation
- concentrating power
What is a political party?
A group of like-minded individuals who seek to realised their shared goals by fielding candidates at elections
What is a candidate
Someone running for election
What is a political platform
WHat the party presents to the public
What is an ideological identity
Where people stand on the political spectrum
What is a manifesto?
What is said to get elected
What is a mandate?
The authority to carry out their manifesto as a result of electoral victory
What is the issue with Rishi Sunak’s legitimacy?
Not elected in a general election so therefore he has a weak mandate.
What is the role of political parties?
- representation
- formulate policies -> public opinions -> less democratic -> few people
- recruitment -> social media
What are the four policies for political parties?
- welfare
- law and order
- economic
- foreign
Summary of Labour policies
- welfare
- opposed benefit cuts
- £30 billion extra for NHS
- abolition of tuition fees
- fixed immigration system
- support pensions
- law and order
- abolition of section 28
- 10,000 more police officers
- opposed cuts to police forces
- economic
- common ownership of rail, mail, energy and water
- increased income tax 5%
- raise corporation tax
- foreign
- free movement
- no more illegal wars
- prevention of military intervention act
- review UK arms sales
Summary of Conservative policies
- welfare
- £8 billion extra NHS
- 50000 extra nurses
- 60000 more doctors
- 50 million extra GP appointments
- support lower income families
- support pensions
- law and order
- 20000 more officers
- end halfway automatic release for serious crimes
- ‘safer streets’
- increased presence of police officers
- economic
- no increased income tax
- keep 19% low corporation tax
- maintain low tax system
- haven’t raised tax, just lowered the boundaries
- foreign
- lorry drivers
- NI protocol - > increased computerisation
- negotiate trade deal with EU
Summary of Lib Dem policies
- welfare
- support pensions
- increased funding for NHS
- tackle child poverty
- law and order
- legalise cannabis - > stop gangs
- rehabilitation
- recovery of prisoners
- 2000 more officers
- stop and search knife powers
- economic
- restore corporation tax to 20%
- renewable energies
- foreign
- reverse Brexit
- increased overseas financial support for refugee crisis
What are indicators of a political participation crisis?
- party de-alignement
- decline in political party membership
- low voter turnout
