paper one participation and democracy Flashcards

Question

Negatives of devolution

Answer 1

devolved governments only have limited power due to Westminster's power PPOLITICAL FRAGMENTATION: Devolution can lead to political fragmentation, where regional interests take precedence over national unity. This can weaken the central government's ability to implement nationwide policies and create a fragmented political landscape. ex: conservative MPS are against devolution, especially ONC as they believe in paternalism and unity in a nation. this has also led to different laws for different areas, however Westminster is soveirgn and holds power to override any decisions it does not agree with.

Answer 2

people are free to vote and stand for office as well as express their views Can join pressure groups Participation enhances democracy

Answer 3

turn out and party membership is below historic norms

Answer 4

Supreme Court protects rights eg through judicial review we have ECHR, HRA EQUALITY ACT

Answer 5

parliament is sovereign so they overpower Supreme Court

Answer 6

-Voting in elections -joining a pressure group -standing for election -signing petitions

Answer 7

the turnout dropped to 59%

Answer 8

2014 85% turnout and 16-17 given vote 58% said no

Answer 9

turn out is down on historic norms and has significantly lowered to around 60-70% per elections sometimes dropping below 60% Apathy due to political scandals so lack in trust in representatives >ex: grensill scandal with Cameron, people were upset

Answer 10

pressure groups are boosting participation in politics ex: juststopoil is a new pressure group and XR turnouts have been rising recently: 2014 scottish referndum 85% brexit referendum 73%

Answer 11

may force voters to educate themselves more about political issues - voting is made a civic duty increases turn out so also increases the legitimacy of the democracy

Answer 12

will involve a lot of enforcement so not time efficient forcing people to vote may result in them being influenced by social media/celebrities

Answer 13

HIRST V UK: that banning voting for prisoners is a violation of their human rights

Answer 14

trade union to represent the interests of the people belonging to it

Answer 15

-increase participation -educate the public and raise awareness -protect right of minorities

Answer 16

-could prolong legislation and get in the way of parliaments interests. they can also lobby for undemocratic changes through persuasion tactics using money. this breaches public trust through dishonest terms -influential pressure groups could distort information

Answer 17

a group of experts who provide advice ideas and policy proposals.

Answer 18

an example of a right wing think tank that is concerned with free market issuees

Answer 19

left wing oriented think tank and research socio-economic policy issues like housing, poverty etc

Answer 20

money used for political campaigns that do not come under PPERA act. left wing watchdogs like DeSmog UK have accused right wing think tanks like Adam smith for using dark money from US pressure groups to implement policies that benefit them into UK

Answer 21

they do not vote in elections but have big impacts on democratic societies as they are vita to the economy. NE England Nissan is a majoy employer. they can pressure the gov into giving corporation welfare (loan) or it'll threaten to relocate comapnies overseas. ex £9m lent in Nissan for the new production of their cars in 2012

Answer 22

NE England Nissan is a majoy employer. they can pressure the gov into giving corporation welfare (loan) or it'll threaten to relocate comapnies overseas. ex £9m lent in Nissan for the new production of their cars in 2012

Answer 23

attempted to fire and rehire workers in dover who striked for higher wage. this led to labour MP Haigh calling them 'cowboys' insisting workers needed more rights. P&O threatened to stop £1B investment into London Port Authority, which was an investment that the new labour gov were interested in. Starmer had to backtrack on the cowboy comment and they resumed investment. this emphasises their importance to suddenly hinder the UK market and economy and threaten job security.

Answer 24

paid individuals who try to influence MPs or gov to act in their interests. ex: jack straw 2015 changed EU rules on behalf of a company for £60K. ex: the city UK is a private sector lobbyist which is referred to as the industries most influential and they promote financial related professional services industry of the UK. they apparently lobbied for the 2016 EU Referendum as it would damage London's status as a global financial centre.

Answer 25

English legal charter ensuring haebus corpus a right to a fair trial by jury

Answer 26

made in 1998 and domesticised ECHR into UK law protecting many human rights set out that were enforced from 2000. it was codified into statute law

Answer 27

brings together 116 separate pieces of legislation into ne act which protects the rights of individuals and advance equality of opportunity for all. it legally protects people from discrimination in the workplace and wider society, replacing previous acts. it sets out different wats in which it is unlawful to treat someone.

Answer 28

a specific geographical area that is represented by each elected MP in HOC.

Answer 29

a Whig MP who formulated the role of a representative THE BURKEAN MODEL OF TRUSTEE

Answer 30

Based on Edmund Burke’s notion of representation. Representation is a moral duty: those with education and understanding should act in the interests of those who are less fortunate. Once elected, representatives should act independently on the grounds that the electors do not know their best interests.

Answer 31

an MP should listen to the views of their constituent but exercise their own judgement on issues and vote accordingly to their conscience.

Answer 32

given clear instructions by their constituents and vote accordingly. they do not use their own judgement and do not vote according to their personal views.

Answer 33

Labour MP Kate Hoey voted for Brexit deal despite 85% if her constituency voting remain Labour MP Chris Byrant voted against Brexit despite their constituency voting leave

Answer 34

mandate refers to the authority to carry out a policy, regarded as given by the electorate to a party or candidate that wins the election.

Answer 35

a document published by a political party before GE setting out policies they would deliver if they win.

Answer 36

voters vote for a candidate but are really voting for the party which has selected the candidate or even the leader of the party that has selected the candidate. this is referred to as a personal mandate

Answer 37

individuals express political opinions themselves Not elective Citizens are more active in decision making

Answer 38

a type of democracy in which a government makes their decisions based off an interplay of various ideas and contrasting arguments from competing groups and organisations

Answer 39

Britain’s membership in the European economic community

Answer 40

whether to change the voting system for the Westminster referendum turnout for AMS 42% against 68%

Answer 41

Brexit referendum turnout 73% remain 48% leave 52%

Answer 42

a perceived deficiency in the way a particular democratic body works, especially in terms of accountability and control over policy making

Answer 43

devolved bodies - transferring power from the UK parliament in London to the scottish parliament in Edinburgh to the Welsh assembly in Cardiff and the Northern Ireland assembly in Belfast

Answer 44

independent judiciary - separate from other branches of government, allowing the law to hold politicians accountable and protects personal freedoms

Answer 45

fair and free elections - elections take part every 5 years, largely free of corruption and sometimes provides opportunities to vote in referendums (in case of a national issue)

Answer 46

free media - challenges government policy an exposes the misdeeds of politicians

Answer 47

some believe that political decisions are being made by people whose appointment lacks adequate democratic input and that the UK is undemocratic in certain aspects of he political system, especially in the minority viewpoints due to the voting system ex: the House of Commons is elected by the first past the post system, which is not proportional as it produces a mismatch between the number of votes won and the seats gained in parliament ex: HOL is unelected with 92 hereditary peers, or appointed by prime minister

Answer 48

Arguably provides inadequate guarantees for the rights of citizens in their relationship with the state - governments can derogate from articles of the human rights act officially stating that parts of the act no longer have legal authority in certain situations

Answer 49

a lack of engagement with the political system

Answer 50

one of the most obvious measures of political participation average turn out at general elections from 1945 to 1997 was 76% 2024 general election turn out - 60% lowest since 2001 2019- 68%

Answer 51

60% lowest sinc 2001 where it was 59% this is proof of participation crisis

Answer 52

this allows for a petition to be triggered if an MP is sentenced to be imprisoned or is suspended from the House of Commons for more than 21 days. If 10% of eligible voters in the constituency sign the petition a by- election is called, direct democracy is thus used to hold representatives to account

Answer 53

average turn out in may 2016 local elections in England - 34% Turn out in parliamentary by elections : 2017 stoke-on Trent by election had a 38% turnout

Answer 54

This may be because voters see these less powerful bodies as unlikely to make a major difference to their lives

Answer 55

Gina Miller argued that the UK government could not trigger article 50 without a parliamentary vote or debate. the supreme court was in her favour arguing referendums are non binding and that parliamentary soveirgnty cant be ignored. HOC has a vote.

Answer 56

Leave EU argued NHS would receive £350m if the UK left the EU (argued that this money had previously been an expense as a result of the EU membership). there was no proof of this and this was not the case post-brexit. there was also the immigration issue of 17m turkey citizens having a possibility of free travel if they joined the EU and this was not confirmed either and remained a speculation

Answer 57

the UK left the EU on the 31st January 2020 The changes brought about by this means that EU law is retained in the UK law books - legally referred to as the “Retained EU law” Hundreds of laws can no be unmade by parliament

Answer 58

claim that there was a lack of understanding in the issues involved - eg the claim that £350m would go to the NHS if the uk left the EU. This claim was however only contested after the vote was finalised

Answer 59

another indicator of a participation crisis 2022 - membership was 1.6% (of electorate belonging to one of the 3 main parties) This was a rise from 0.8% in 2013 1983 - 3.8% membership - so overall decrease

Answer 60

Labour- 4320 Conservative- 1720 SNP-1040

Answer 61

a lack of interest or awareness of contemporary events and political issues that affect society

Answer 62

when people are pleased with the political state of the country and see no need to push for political change this could help to account for he unusually low level of voter turnout in 200 and 2005 (the economy was booming) but not for the 2010 election

Answer 63

some MPs had made false claims or mortgage repayments home insurance and other costs 5 former MPs and two members of the House of Lords were sentenced to rishon terms this eroded public trust

Answer 64

In September 2024 British prime minister Keir Starmer faced controversy after reports that he had failed to declare a gift of several thousands pounds worth of clothes to his wife Victoria Starmer by Labour Party donor Waheed Alli

Answer 65

-change voting day from Thursday to the weekend as many work and may be unable to vote in this time. -allow voting to take part anywhere in the constituency as people have to attend a polling station at a certain place making it impractical -allow voting to take place over a number of days to allow for the maximum of people to vote in this time

Answer 66

changing the electoral system for Westminster to one based on proportional representation, so it might more accurately reflect voters’ preferences

Answer 67

to make its processes more democratic and transparent The transfer of more government powers and functions to local bodies - for example devolving power to regions or to an English parliament

Answer 68

ended linkage between the hereditary peerage and membership of the HOL by 1999 many hereditary peers left but section 2 of the act allowed up to 92 hereditary peers

Answer 69

introduced September 5th 2024 to attempt to repeal section 2 of the House of Lords act of 1999, to abolish all hereditary peers

Answer 70

the right to vote in public elections

Answer 71

-under 18 -eu citizens except irish republic -HOL members -Prisoners -Those convicted of corrupt or illegal electoral practice barred for 5y -detained patients of psychiatric hospitals

Answer 72

all men over 21 and women over 30 enfranchised 75% of adult population could vote

Answer 73

terms for men and women equalised; both sexes can vote at 21, full adult suffrage

Answer 74

voting aged reduced to 18

Answer 75

establishment of the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) in 1897, under the leadership of Millicent-Fawcett known as suffragist middle class women who used nonviolent methods of persuasion and peaceful demonstrations and lobbying MPs

Answer 76

emmeline Pankhurst founder attracted middle class and working class women who used violent demonstrations such as the disruption of political meetings and male dominated activities ex: emily Davison threw herself under the king's horse at the Epsom derby they attracted hostility and sympathy. many were force fed when they underwent hunger strikes or imprisoned their successes was the female and universal franchise of 1918

Answer 77

due to growing pressure to give vote to all working class men and not solely due to suffragettes work

Answer 78

some argue that the undramatic work of the suffragists was not effective and that the suffragettes violent demonstrations alienated supporters others argue that the government granted women the vote due to their willingness to serve in vital industries during the war - however majority of women who filled these jobs were young unmarried women who were not enfranchised in the 1918 representation of people act.

Answer 79

the channel islands brazil australia

Answer 80

traditionally in the UK prisoners lose their right to vote when incarcerated losing the right to vote means they can no longer participate as full members of society - losing part of their citizenship

Answer 81

denying the right to vote removes a sense of civic responsibility making rehabilitation harder for prisoners. if they feel as if they are alienated from society removing these civic responsibilities can just make the seperation even more absolute, as it may be seen that they are a non-person, prisoner the loss of franchise does not always prove to act as a detterent to prisoners, it may be seen as an empty threat, and many may not even take it into consideration the right to vote is a fundamental huma right and to remove this is to infringe on individual freedoms European court of human rights has ruled that the blanket Ban on prisoners is a violation of the human rights act

Answer 82

those who commit a custodial crime against society should lose the right to have a say in how society is run. if they breach certain rules that undermine societal cohesion, then they are no longer apart of a society and should not have luxuries as such. the threat of losing the right to vote prevents crime and enhances civic responsibility, this may act a a deterrent to crime. this can be seen in Hirst v UK a campaign launched by an ex prisoner. giving convicted criminals the right to have a say in how society is run undermines the principles of justice

Answer 83

in 1979 he beat his landlady to death and was convicted of manslaughter in 1980. he spent 24 years in prison. In the 1990s he began a legal campaign to restore a prisoner‘s right to vote The high court dismissed his challenge in 2001 but Hirst launched a new appeal under the HRA (Human rights act) which was successfully upheld by the ECHR in 2005

Answer 84

Declared that the blanket ban on all prisoners was a violation of their human rights

Answer 85

including Howard League for Penal Reform 2000 legal challenges from prisoners being denied the right to vote many have used their insider status to lobby politicians

Answer 86

widened franchise to 1 in 5 males but no females or working class men. it also ended up with rotten borough constituncies that were controlled by rich land owners.

Answer 87

in 1918, middle class women could vote, due to countless protests and hunger strikes in 1928 post war all women could vote, as they had shown they were capable to handle manly jobs.

Answer 88

-they can join the military and pay income tax at 16 so they should be able to have a say -it reduces democratic deficit and participation crisis seen in the 2014 Scottish referendum act where the turnout was X among young people. it can also encourage voting behaviour, immersing young people into politics -18 is just a age they have drawn the line at, there's no proof people will be more politically engaged or educated in 2 years time, and this can be seen in the fact the turnout is low amongt young adults -may still learn politics in school and there is also a youth parliament -16 and 17 year olds were allowed to vote in the Scottish independence referendum in 2014. in the following year the Scottish parliament voted to allow them to take part in elections -electoral reform society supports 16 vote

Answer 89

- young adults are inexperienced to make decisions under 18, they still have to go through education or can join armed forces, yet they do not get deployed under 18, so there are still restrictions on what young people under 18 can do. they do not take on the full responsibilities of adults yet. -this could lead to more adult responsibilities being handed down to younger children if we reduce the threshold of age to 16. -they are legally children and can be swayed or manipulated if they are not politically educated and aware enough of propaganda. this could have an adverse effect on participation crisis, as it is not representative of the people's will. -lack maturity, and many do not takr part in youth parliament The Scottish referendum attracted unusual levels of participation - so unfair to use as evidence Levels of participation in UK elections are lowest for 18-24 year olds, so why would 16-17 year olds set a new trend?

Answer 90

yes- it can increase participatuion levels and forces elected representatives to take account for the views of all social groups, increasing democratic legitimacy. yes- it encourages voting behaviour and educates people on politics, makinf them more politically engaged. ex:brexit referendum had a 73% turnout as many were engaged and politically educated. scottish referendum had a 85% turnout. whereas, ams was 42% turnout as people were not politically engaged with it - voting is a social duty as well as a right and people shound engage with political processes that affect theur lives. this would produce a parliament that is more representative to the population -politicians would then run better quality campaigns immersing people into politics and parties would frame manifesto policies with the whole electorate in mind

Answer 91

no- forcing is undemocratic, infringing on liberty, and it may lead to wasted ballots, and upset voter. they may vote for parties or mps that do not represent their ideologies, and not being able to refuse their vote is withholding of their liberty to be involved in politics. they may even want to not vote as a political statement to hold the gov and the electoral systems accountable. furthermore, many still do not vote in 2022 aus turnout fell below 90%. many do receive fines, however this is not always imposed ex in Belgium. furthermore, this is a waste of time and resources and many may be infuriated. it is undemocratic to force people to take part in something that should be a matter of choice it would not stop politicians from focusing their campaigns on marginal seats ad neglecting safe seat where the outcome is predictable compulsory voting does not address the deeper reason why people do not vote

Answer 92

- a reason to reform the uk political system elective dictatorship is when the gov is elected enabling them to essentially do as they please. uk gov has a very powerful position in parliament. since 1945, gov majority is 58% estimated and yet they have won 99% of votes in HOC. it was weakened with Mays gov in 2017-19 having many defeats in common, but Starmers 2024 landslide victory of 174, reinforces elective dictatorship, which is also reinforced through the winners bonus.

Answer 93

he was considered a security threat as he was accused of being a terrorist. however he argued that he could not be sent back to Jordan as the HRA protected him under article 3 - freedom from torture. he was eventually sent back years later.

Answer 94

many argue yes due to judicial review and the use of it to challenge parliament upholding rights

Answer 95

conservatives are looking to implemnt British Bill of Rights which replaces the HRA and takes supremacy of British Courts over ECHR. it faced criticism for potentially weakening human rights protection and empowering the government at the expense of citizens. Critics argued it would make it harder for individuals to seek redress for human rights breaches, create new barriers to justice, and limit the role of the European Court of Human Rights.

Answer 96

liberty and amnesty international

Answer 97

they were detained foreign suspects without trial and this breached human right laws. the uk high court ruled ending indefinite detention.

Answer 98

2005- separation of powers between the law lords and the HOL

Answer 99

extended the maximum period of pre charge detention to 28days

Answer 100

HRA has given judges added power to prevent gov going beyond their powers by threatening human rights, called ultra vires.

Answer 101

accusations of growing judicial activism and tyranny whereby the courts and judges are making law rather than just reinterpreting it. also not having a codified constitution and an existence of ill defined gov power make it difficult to judge if power has been abused

Answer 102

judicial review is seen in MILLER 1 AND 2, on brexit and in 2023 when Sunak gov pledged to stop boats via Rwanda plan which was declared unlawful by sc judicial review. parliamentary sovereignty means a gov that controls parliamentary majority can grant powers to itself and departments through legislation and it cannot be prevented. so sunak used elective dictatorship (using cons majority) to pass controversial Safety of Rwanda Act which legally overturned sc. so SC can declare a DECLARATION OF INCOMPATIBILITY to with S4 of HRA believing a provision of the legislation is incompatible with a convention, but it doesn't invalidate the law, rather signals to parliament that they should amend it. so SC is powerless against an elective dictatorship due to parliamentary sovereignty.

paper one participation and democracy Flashcards

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