Democracy + Participation

• Direct democracy - Where individuals express their opinions of themselves + not through representatives acting on their behalf.
• Representative democracy - Where people elect representatives who make decisions on their behalf.
• Pluralist democracy - A type of democracy in which a government makes decisions as a result of the interplay of various ideas + contrasting arguments from competing groups + organisations.
• Legitimacy - legal right to exercise power.
• Participation crisis - lack of engagement with the political system.
• Suffrage - ability or right to vote in public elections
• UK has a representative democracy.
• Main purposes of a democracy:

  1. Representation
  2. Accountability
  3. Participation
  4. Education
• Majoritarian democracy - desires of the majority of the population are the prime considerations of the government.
• Great reform Act 1832 - allowed property owners to vote.
• Representation of the People Act 1918 - allowed women over 30 to vote.
• Representation of the People Act 1928 - meant all women + men over 21 could vote.
• Representation of the People Act 1969 - voting age lowered to 18.
• Adv of direct democracy:

  • encourage popular participation in politics
  • equal weight to all votes
  • removes need for trusted representatives
  • develops sense of community
• Disadv of direct democracy:

  • impractical
  • many will not want to/feel qualified to take part
  • open to manipulation
• Adv of representative democracy:

  • practical in a large, modern state where issues are complex + need rapid response
  • elections allow people to hold representatives to account
  • politicians are better informed than the average citizen about many issues
• Disadv of representative democracy:

  • lead to reduced participation as responsibility handed to politicians
  • parties/pressure groups run by elites pursuing own agendas

  minorities find themselves underrepresented

  • politicians may be corrupt
• Arguments suggesting UK isn’t democratic:

  • underrepresentation of minority
  • HOL lacks democratic legitimacy (unelected)
  • lack of protection for citizen’s rights
  • control of sections of the media by wealthy e.g Rupert Murdoch
• Arguments suggesting UK is democractic:

  • free media that challenges government policy
  • devolved government for Scotland, Wales + Northern Ireland
  • wide range of political parties + pressure groups to which people may belong
• Think tank - an institute that performs research for concerning topics