UK Politics: democracy and participation Flashcards
(33 cards)
What is legitimacy?
a situation whereby the outcome of elections is accepted, and the authority of government is recognised by the public.
What is democracy?
where power is exercised by the mass of the people.
What is direct democracy?
A political system where the people themselves make political decisions. eg. referendums
What is representative democracy?
A political system where the citizens elect representatives who make decisions on their behalf and are accountable to them.
What are the similarities between representative and direct democracy?
-both involve voting and participation, only the nature of participation is different
- some forms of direct democracy eg. public meetings also require consultation, similar to representative democracy
-most forms of representative democracy involve some form of direct democracy. and vice versa.
What are the differences between representative(RD) and direct democracy(DD)?
-under DD voters do not elect an individual whereas under RD someone is voted in to represent voters’ interests
- voters consider a range of issues under RD whereas DD often focuses on a specific issue
-voters in DD are more actively involved in decision making whereas in RD they’re more passive.
Outline and explain two advantages of direct democracy?
-Everyone gets a say in the decision while giving equal weight to all votes: the 2016 EU referendum was one of the greatest democratic exercises in British political history(more that 33 million people voted), in a referendum all votes are counted and side with most votes win(52% of voters opted to leave)
-Encourages popular participation and genuine debate: Turnout for important referendums often exceeds general election turnout (Scottish independence referendum had 85% turnout whereas, 2019 GE had 67%), The electoral Reform Society found that the Scottish independence referendum was conducted in an open and honest way, with reasoned arguments.
Outline and explain two disadvantages of direct democracy?
-It can allow an ill-educated populace to make an ill-informed decision and decisions made in referendums may be at odds with preference of elected representatives causing political instability: The electoral reform society found that many voters in EU referendum felt confused about the information they received during the campaign, The UK’s political stability was severely compromised by the Brexit referendum.
- It can divide communities and lead to the tyranny of the majority: The EU referendum exposed deepened divides between regions, A majority of voters in England voted for Brexit while a majority in Scotland voted to remain. As the leave side won Scotland as part of the UK had to leave the EU
Outline and explain two advantages of representative democracy?
- Practical for complex issues: Addressing the Covid-19 pandemic required MPs to weigh up the difficulties faced by small businesses during lockdown alongside the scientific necessity to minimise social contact
-Trains future leaders and allows representatives to become experts: BJ held prominent roles in cabinets of both PMs Cameron and May before becoming PM himself in 2019, Yvette Cooper is chair of the high profile Home affairs Select Committee which focuses on immigration, crime and civil rights
Outline and explain two disadvantages of representative democracy?
-Political parties are dominated by individuals pursuing their own agendas: after claiming there was no ‘magic money tree’ for public services in 2017 GE ,May’s conservatives signed a deal with the DUP, promising £1 billion investment for NI in return for the party’s support in the House of Commons
-Not all voters get the representative they want and may find their concerns are unmet: The FPTP electoral system has meant that smaller parties are under-represented in parliament, MPs voted down proposed amendments to the bill authorising withdrawal from the EU in 2020 that would have protected child refugees.
What is a pluralist democracy?
A political system/ society where there is widespread acceptance/ tolerance of different groups or lifestyles, freedom of expression and association are respected. Where many parties and PG may operate and power is dispersed.
What is a democratic deficit?
Where standards of a functioning democracy have fallen short.
What is the participation crisis?
A concern that fewer people are taking part in political activity, leading to a crisis in democratic legitimacy
What is convenience voting?
Any measure that makes it easier to vote eg. postal voting, online voting, voting on weekend, voting anywhere in constituency rather than at specific polling booth. and voting over multiple days.
Assess the UK democracy
(What are the features that work?)
(What are the features that don’t work?)
What works:
-Pluralism, power lies in many different places(judges, parliament, pm, etc): 2017 Article 50 decision on Britain leaving the EU involved a number of institutions, not just PM. Parliament voted on it, judged ruled on it and people expressed their opinion in a referendum.
-Corruption and wrongdoing are punished: in 2019, 2 MPs Fiona Onasanya and Chris Davies, were successfully recalled
What doesn’t work:
-Pluralism: others argue power is instead concentrated in the hands of a few people and organisations, The Institute of Economic Affairs has been accused of using cash to gain influence over ministers
-Corruption and wrongdoing are punished: there is a perception of corruption among some representatives( cash for peerages affair and MP’s expenses scandal), in 2020 BJ failed to explain the £15,000 holiday he received from Carphone Warehouse tycoon David Ross
What does the term franchise mean?
This refers to the right to vote
What does suffrage mean?
This is similar to franchise and means the right to vote being extended to all adults.
What are the principles of UK suffrage?
-everyone over 18 has right to vote in elections with regard to the few limited individuals like prisoner, royal family, etc
-no groups are discriminated against in electoral law
- it’s the responsibility of each individual to register to vote.
List some forms of political participation
-voting on elections
-joining political part
-joining a trade union
-joining a pressure group
List some reasons as to why turnout at elections is falling
-people being more concerned with single issued rather than broad ones
-a lack of distinction between parties since 1990s
-the electoral system results in a large number of wasted votes and votes of unequal value
What arguments suggest that there is a participation crisis?
-67.3% turnout in GE: down 1.5% from the 2017 one
-only around 1.7% of the population are members of a political party.
- it’s difficult to claim that taking 3 minutes to sign a petition amounts to meaningful participation
What arguments suggest that there isn’t a participation crisis?
-Labour Party rose considerably after 2015 when Corbyn became leader
-Overall union membership has risen for 4 consecutive years to 2020
- 38 Degrees claims that almost 40 million people have signed an e-petition on its website concerning over 10,000 campaigns.
What are 3 ways of improving participation?
-Lowering the voting age for general elections
-compulsory voting
-voting online
Suggest how the methods of improving participation are good and evaluate
-Lowering voting age: (FOR) 16&17yr olds in Scotland and Wales can already vote in local and regional elections, Youth turnout in the Scottish Independence referendum reached 80% (AGAINST) Many young people don’t vote: only 43% of 18-24 yr olds voted in the 2015 general election
-Compulsory Voting: (FOR) turnout would reach 100%, other countries have compulsory voting e.g Australia (AGAINST) voting is a right not a duty, people may spoil their ballot papers
-Voting online: (FOR) online voting has proven successful in Estonia, It may boost youthful turnout (AGAINST) it is subject to breaches in cyber security, for most people voting in person is already easy enough and it may lead to lower turnout for the elderly as they mayn’t able to operate the system.
