Direct v Representative Democracy, Reforms to Democracy and Participation Crisis Flashcards
(21 cards)
Direct v Representative democracy: 3 themes
Involving people in decision making
Representing whole population
Effectiveness of representative
Involving people in decision making- FOR direct democracy
People directly involved in decision making, rule by the people fulfilled
Increased participation as every vote affects outcome of referendums
eg 2016 Scottish independence= 84.6%, Brexit= 72.2%
Compares with UK GE low turnouts eg 2019= 68%, 2024=59.7%
Citizens assemblies eg 2019, Climate Assembly UK used to government on public opinions of their aim of net zero by 2050
Involving people in decision making- AGAINST direct democracy
People easily misinformed or misled in their votes
2016 EU referendum- Leave campaign misinformed public many times, eg campaign on side of buses saying ‘We send £350 million to the EU, let’s fund our NHS instead’
Professional representatives make decisions for us and are more knowledgeable
Direct democracy impractical when decisions need to be made quickly eg COVID
MPs seek to implement direct democracy within a representative democracy
eg Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe held mini referendum in constiuency before voting in favour of Terminally Il Adults (End of Life) Bill 2024
Representing whole population- FOR direct democracy
Gives equal weight to all votes
Campaigns must appeal to whole population rather than focus on specific constituencies
Contrasts with representative democacy, where FPTP means votes are of unequal value due to safe v marginal seats and small constituency votes being worth more
eg Thanet South, Kent won by winning party in every GE since its creation
Representing whole population- AGAINST direct democracy
Leads to tyranny of the majority
Minority views are not considered or represented
eg, if turnout is taken into account, less than 1/2 the population voted for Brexit, Conservatives pursued hard Brexit deal and failed to represent views of Remainers who had supported a soft deal following referendum
Representatives represent minority groups more effectively in parliament, creating a pluralist democracy where decisions are made as a result of an interplay of various ideas
Effectiveness of representative democracy- FOR direct democracy
In practice, representatives often make decisions in their own interest
MPs rely on their party to gain power and are heavily wipped to vote along party lines
YouGov polling in 2024 found distrust in politicians has increased since 2019- 49% respondents said they ‘almost never’ trust government to put needs of nation above interests of party
Distrust shown in partygate and continued under Labour with ‘freebiegate’ scandal where they accepted substantial gifts from donor Lord Alli
Effectiveness of Representative democracy AGAINST direct democracy
Representatives are held to account by frequent elections
MPs handle correspondence with constituents, address problems and hold weekly constituency surgeries
Dec 2023- 22 Conservative MPs supported Labour amendment to speed up compensation for victims of infected blood scandal, rebelling against a 3-line whip
Caroline Nokes rebelled due to high numbers of victims in her Romsey and Southampton North constiuency and strong local movements
Evaluate the view that reforms to democracy haven’t gone far enough- 3 themes
Replacing FPTP
Extending the Franchise
Greater use of direct democracy (referendums)
Replacing FPTP- reforms HAVE gone far enough
FPTP has advantages that give it public support
2011 AV Referndum, 68% voted against changing electoral system on 42.2% turnout
FPTP easy for voters to use, quick transfers of power
Strong MP-Constituency Link eg Caroline Nokes one of 22 Conservatives to rebel against 3-line whip Dec 2023
Replacing FPTP- Reforms have NOT gone far enough
FPTP undermines democracy due to lack of proportionality and limited voter choice
Very unrepresentative, MPs often elected without majority support in their constituency
Lack of proportionality at national level
FPTP leads to a winners bonus eg Labour won 63% seats on 33.7% of vote
Votes for the party that doesnt win a constituency are effectively wasted
Extending Franchise- Reforms HAVE gone far enough
Voter turnout low amongs 18-24 year olds with little evidence that majority of 16-17s want to vote
Many know little about politics and would misuse their right to vote
Some legal rights of 16 year olds are limited in practice, few in full time employment and cannot be deployed to front line until 18
Making voting compulsory seen as undemocratic as voting should be a choice
In a proportional system where candidates are ranked (STV), they may just be put in order in which they are presented
Extending Franchise- Reforms have NOT gone far enough
Turnout in UK elections low, extending franchise would improve democracy
16-17s in Scotland had increased political engagement after given right to vote, gives them a say on issues that affect them eg tuition fees
Increases size of youth vote so parties develop policies appealing to young people
Another reform of compulsory voting would force campaigns to be run with the whole electorate in mind and make Parliament more representative of the whole population
Greater use of direct democracy- Reforms HAVE gone far enough
Greater use would not improve democracy as refs are often held for political party reasons
eg Brexit Ref held to benefit Conservatives who had pledged to hold it in 2015 election to prevent loss of seats to UKIP
Rejection of AV in 2011 seen as a protest against Lib Dems after their U-turn on tuition fees
Whilst recent refs have high turnouts, this is not the norm with legitimacy of the outcomes being questioned eg AV 2011 ref only 42.2% turnout
Greater use of direct democracy- Reforms have NOT gone far enough
Referendums are good for democracy as they come from public pressure and have higher turnouts than GEs
eg Scottish Indy Ref= 84.6% turnout, Brexit= 72.2% turnout
Greater use of referendums would improve democracy as people are directly involved in decision making
Engage voters more frequently between elections and increase political awareness of important constitutional issues eg Scottish Indy Ref gave opportunity to air many issues such as impact on economy and future of Trident
Evaluate the view that UK Democracy is in a particiption crisis - Themes
Elections and Referendums
Party Membership
Other Methods of participation
Elections and Referendums- NOT in participation crisis
2014 Scottish Independence and 2016 EU Refs had high turnouts of 84.6% and 72.2%
Shows there is still engagement surrounding critical issues
Suggests population is still engaged but vote less in elections due to distrust in politicians rather than political apathy
Elections and Referendums- IS in participation crisis
Voter turnout much lower in 21st century
eg 2024 only 59.7%, lowest since 2001
Turnout even lower in ‘second order’ elections for devolved bodies and councils eg 2021 Scottish Parliament= 63.5% turnout, 2021 Senedd= 46.6% turnout
High turnouts in recent referendums is not the norm eg 2011 AV Ref= 42.2%
Low turnout driven by distrust in politicians eg 2024 YouGov poll- 49% respondents almost never trust government to put needs of nation above party interests
eg scandals like partygate and more recently freebiegate
Party Membership- NOT in participation crisis
Surge in Labour membership 2015 after Miliband made joining just £3
SNP membership surged following Scottish Independence Referndum
Feb 2025, Farage claimed Reform UK had surpassed 200,000 members, doubling the Conservative membership and not being far off Labour
Public still use parties as a vehicle for political action, Conservative and Labour have lost members to other parties as they are no longer broad churches
Democracy not in crisis if there is enough involvement to grant the system legitimacy
Party Membership- IS in participation crisis
Only 1.6% of electorate now belong to a party
Memberships of both major parties has significantly decreased eg In Feb 2025, Labour had already lost 11% of members following the GE
Less traditional involvement suggests a negative perception of MPs
Active political engagement is required to give democratic legitimacy
Other methods of participation- NOT in participation crisis
Pressure group membership on increases, young people engaged on social media
Many demonstrations are well attended
Direct action as a feature of modern politics suggest conventional politics has let people down and are turning to new methods of expression
eg consistent protests for immediate ceasefire in Gaza influenced Cons and Lab to weaken their support for Israel’s war, with Cameron as foreign sec calling for de-escalation and Labour gov suspending some of its arms export licenses to Israel
E-petitions receive many signatures eg Revoke Article 50 2019, 6M signatures
Electorate to engage in politics, just in less traditional forms
Other methods of participation-IS in participation crisis
Other forms of participation are less impactful than voting and party membership
E-petitions/ online engagement not effective replacements for traditional forms of participation
E-petitions require 100,000 signatures and backing by an MP for debate
Voting and party membershups crucial to granting the UK’s democratic system legitimacy- pressure groups and demonstrations often ignored
