Representative democracy Flashcards
(14 cards)
What are the roles of MP
Act as a figure head for local area. They help their constiuants advising them and repping them in parliment.
There are 650 MPs
Write to your MP
What is s select committee
Group of Cross party MPs able to scrutinise govt.
MP Edmund Burke
your represesntive ows you not his industry only but his judgement
MPs voting against their party Examples
Aug 2013
30 Tory MPs + 9 Lib dems ignored the direction of their coaolition -> voting against possibility of broitish military intervention in syria
Party whips impact on MPs
Use pursasive methods of getting gthem to vote in their parts favour
2.15%of MPs vote against their political 5% and with theior party 95% of the time
Strengths of represenatative democracy
Tyranny of the Majority
Prevents tyranny of the majority (kinda) they include the intrest of the minority making compramises
Strengths of represenatative democracy
Knowlage and judgement
Berkian view your represesntive ows you not his industry only but his judgement
Library service - MPs can do research before entering parlimentary debate. they have the time and space to do so
Strengths of represenatative democracy
Unpopular but necessary policies
2010-2015 coalition govt examples
- Pay cuts - teachers
- cut 10,000 police officers 2010-2011. Then brought back in 10,000 polices officers 2022 (they cut too deep)
- Scrapping disability allowence (personal indep[endence payments PIP)
2021 conservatives
- October 2021 cutting the £20 per week Univerasl credit bonous to claimants (offered during the pandemic)reduced tax payer burden £6.6billion per year
Strengths of represenatative democracy
Accountability
Holding representativesa in govt to account through public scrutiny free speech and the media
John major 1997
Gordan Brown 2010
Plebgate
Weaknesses of represenatative democracy
Voting systems are often impertfect
2010-2015 examples
with FPTP G.E MPs will be elected with minority of consituants pop support - MPs elected with majority of votes cast against winning candidate
* 2010 lib dem simon wright elected in norwich south when he had 29.3% of votes 7/10 didnt vote for him
* 2015 Alasdair Mcdonnell SDLP Belfast south 24.5% vote
Weaknesses of represenatative democracy
Voting systems are often impertfect
2019 - Wasted votes
2019 Boris Johnson majority of 80 came from 44%of votes = 56% of seats
FPTP is deliberatlt inproportunate
25% von by smaller parties almost half the votes were binned effectivley which will in future impact voters turnout
4.5 million ppl voted for non-elected candidates
2015 GE
Weaknesses of represenatative democracy
Voting systems are often impertfect + Smaller extreamist parties
UKIP, SNP
- 2015 G.E - David Cam won with majority of 12 = 36.9% of votes(66% turnout) 2015 was the most disproportiate G.E in history Lib dems won 1/4 of all votes and only gained 10 seats
- UKIP won 12% of the votes and got 1 seat - under a proportinal system it would have been 78 seats
- SNP won 4.7% of votes = 56 MPs
Weaknesses of represenatative democracy
2025 local elections
Reform won 677 council seats biggest loss to conservatives and labour
Weaknesses of represenatative democracy
safe seats and marginal seats
not every vote contributes equally
* Safety seats agerage seats havent changed for 42 yrs
98 labour seats havent changed since WWII, 94 Conservative seats havent changed hands since 1918(10% of seats), 192 seats haven’t changed since 1945 (30% seats)
As of 2023
* Marginal seats also known as swings they determine the outcome of an election and will have an unproportionate level of attention on them.
10% of seats had greaty influence on the outcome of the 2019 GE = 67/650 constituences
