essay plan stats and points Flashcards
What did Nat le Roux call referendums?
‘generating irresolvable paradoxes of legitimacy’. E.g. Brexiteers now fighting Remainers who want a second referendum like Blair who said a second Brexit referendum would be ‘perfectly rational’
What shows the failings of representative democracy?
Snoopers Charter’ supported by 6% of people yet became law in 2016, enabling unprecedented access to private metadata – people should have say on big issues, like rejecting AV
Reforms within the HoL…?
and House of Lords Act 1999 ended right of all but 92 of the hereditary peers to it in the Lords. Now, members reflect a wide variety of fields; nearly 90 lawyers in the House of Commons, but only one research scientist.
HoL: people from a wider variety of careers: Lord Walton a former president of the British Medical Association, and of course there is Lord Sugar in business
What is the 2005 Constitutional reform act
o 2005 CRA created a Supreme Court (finally established 2009) as highest court of appeal, ending law lords who had sat in House of Lords, now emphasising separation of power. It also assured this by removing judicial functions of the Lords Chancellor (who had previously been member of Cabinet, Speaker of HoL, with responsibility to appoint judges). Now, JAC appoints to the SC.
Devolution
o Devolved bodies created for Scotland, Wales and NI following referendums 1997-8. Designed to dampen support for independence. Given a variety of powers e.g. Scotland devolved powers over education or housing
What was the in 2012 Calman Commission?
granted further powers including right to set a Scottish income tax rate/borrowing powers.
Now, control over taxation representing 36% of devolved expenditure, compares with less than 10% when it was established.
Devolution in Wales?
o Welsh Assembly created 1998 in Cardiff, granted 20 specified devolved powers not including police and justice or income tax and borrowing like Scotland. Then coalition: after 2011 referendum, able to pass laws in all 20 devolved areas.
Devolution in NI
o Northern Ireland Assembly in Belfast created 1998 following Good Friday Agreement, bringing peace between nationalists and republicans. Power sharing executive, but with less power; NI Assembly suspended by the UK Govt. in London following a breakdown of trust between the unionist and republican groups, once for 5 years 2002-7. Able to legislate on housing, education, agriculture etc. Plus, reserved matters that can be legislated on with consent of NI secretary, a member of UK cabinet, including on financial services.
Has devolution improved democracy?
- o In 2014 survey: 57% of Scots felt having Scottish Parliament was strengthening Scotland’s voice in the UK
- Recent acts like the Land Reform Act in 2016 helped give further powers for Scottish Natural Heritage to control deer management.
- Devolution, clearly, was a necessity to stimulate local growth in cities. After Ken Livingstone was elected as Mayor of London in 2000, the Local Government Act paved the way for votes to set up mayors in other local authorities, and new city regions like Liverpool and the West Midlands have mayors with greater control over economic growth strategy, and policy with regards to housing, skills and transports, reflecting the different needs of the areas
What reform was done up in the HoC?
o Coalition implemented reforms recommended by a committee; now, Chairs of select committees to be chosen by MPs not party leaders, and backbench business committee create to choose topics for debate e.g. first one about Hillsborough 96 killed 1989
Cons to devolution
- Beurocracy of Devolution
- Indyref2 - unsuccessful in changing scotlands attitude towarda national identity
- Ireegularity - Scotland has more control than wales (police and justice) festering resentment plus West Lothian question hasn’t been resolved
Issues with EVEL
in 1999, English Tory MPs were aggrieved that Labour could – until its defeat at the 2010 election – rely on scores of Scottish and Welsh MPs to push through unpopular England-only measures at Westminster. In a vote to set up foundation trusts in the English NHS, Blair’s majority was cut to 35 because many English Labour MPs rebelled or failed to vote; Blair needed 67 Scottish and Welsh MPs to push the trusts through. Failed solution: EVEL attempted to solve but report ‘Finding the good in EVEL’ in 2016 said it was ‘unhelpfully complex and opaque’ and only puts off the issue by giving England ‘capacity to apply a veto’
What is the beaurocracy of devolution?
only 33% of Scottish people feeling that the Scottish parliament has had an impact on their life
- A report in 2004 found that devolution had led to nearly 1,000 more officials involved in the central administration than before devolution, costing an extra £20 million, devolution cost, overall, £650 million per year to maintain.p
Influence of Murdoch?
o Murdoch media empire, owning The Sun and Times. One estimate suggested he controls 1/3 of British news market. journalist Sasha Abramsky, Murdoch “has—and uses—the power to make British politicians, and to break them unless they toe his line.” E/g/ Murdoch papers gave Margaret Thatcher “glowing press” throughout her rule and Murdoch received a knighthood—one of the few non-British citizens to do so
- Increased engagement with pressure groups
o A report by BSA found that ‘62% say it’s everyone’s duty to vote; down from 76% in 1987’; people are less engaged with traditional methods of political interaction. There are now more members of the RSPB than there are paid members of political parties. Plus, they raise awareness to otherwise ignored issues: extinction rebellion/Hyde park ‘smoke out’
E-Democracy
o petition to revoke Article 50 exceeded 5m signatures, Trump era of twitter, number of people receiving news online has risen from 20% in 2007 to 64% in 2017
Why Cause groups are more important than sectional groups?
- Particular goal enables all types of people to rally around (whilst sectional groups are exclusionary) - e.g. law societies unable to command same support as extinction rebellion
Why sectional groups are the most important?
o Trade unions have significant influence because of their established nature (Trade Union Congress represents 6.5m workers) BMA an example of well-respected group with influence and expertise (whilst cause groups don’t have ‘expertise’) enabling consultation with govt. (2015 ban on smoking in cars with children)
Example of insider groups influencing gov’t
NFU has responded to government’s ‘health and harmony’ consultation regarding how agriculture should proceed as we leave the Common Agricultural Policy)
What is the belmarsh case?
a UK human rights case heard before the House of Lords. It held that the indefinite detention of foreign prisoners in Belmarsh without trial under section 23 of the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 was incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights. It was not brought until the pressure group Liberty brought the case forward in behalf of the detainees
How does presure groups increase illegal activity?
o Plane Stupid’s campaign to prevent a 3rd runway at Heathrow involved 13 campaigners shackling themselves together on the north runway in July 2015. District Judge Deborah Wright said the cost of the disruption had been “absolutely astronomical”. Alternatively, Extinction Rebellion protests cost police £7 million, said Scotland Yard chief Cressida Dick
How do pressure group promite interests of groups
o Trade Union Congress represents 6.5m workers, or NFU has responded to government’s ‘health and harmony’ consultation regarding how agriculture should proceed as we leave the Common Agricultural Policy
How do resources allow for easier lobbying to exert influence
o In 2014 trade unions donated around £11m to Labour, accounting for about 58% of total donations received that year, thus enabling them to exert significant pressure
How public support can enable PG with few resources to have mass influence
- Snowdrop campaign to ban use of handguns successful largely because of public reaction to the 199 Dunblane Primary School Massacre, whilst controversial ‘civil disobedience’ in Plane Stupid’s campaign to prevent a 3rd runway at Heathrow in which 13 campaigners shackled themselves together on the north runway in July 2015, failed – now looks like it will occur. Anti-Poll Tax Federation success another example
