Democracy and Participation

• what is direct Democracy?

  Direct Democracy is a system of government where citizens directly participate in decision-making and policy-making processes.
• What is representative Democracy? A system of government where citizens elect representatives to make decisions on their behalf.
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  What are the three Advantages of Direct Democracy?

  1. equal weight to the votes
  2. creates a sense of community as people feel more involved
  3. educates the population
• What are three disadvantages to Direct Democracy?

  1. people are not as educated
  2. minorities may not be heard - resulting in tyranny ruling
  3. can divide the community
  4. cannot work well in a populated area
  5. people may become apathetic (showing no interest) because they vote too much
• What are the disadvantages of Representation Democracy?

  1. the people representing may not have the constituent's wants and needs in their minds when voting( open to corruption and self-interest)
  2. disengaged people in politic
  3. not all votes are equal
  4. minorities may still find they are underrepresented- e.g. MP's voted down the idea of the bill that meant child refuges would have been protected in 2020
• What is voter turnout?

  The percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election.- helps the Gov measure the amount of people participating in elections
• What was the voter Turnout in 1979 and 2019?

  1979: 76.0% 2019: 67.3%

  • shows less people are participating in elections
• What are the advantages of representative Democracy?

  1. they can make educated decisions
  2. Accountability-e.g a LibDem lost a seat after bringing up a controversial issue over raising tuition fees
  3. trains future leaders to become the PM
  4. gives a voice to minorities
• What is the 2015 Recall of MPs Act?

  An act that allows constituents to have a petition if the MP has been suspended or imprisoned for more than 21 days- calls for a by-election.
• What are the positive Democratic features in the UK?

  1. free media
  2. free and fair elections - no intimidation
  3. separaterate judicialical system- avoids curruption
  4. Devolped Govs- such as the Scottishttish gov, means decisions are made closer to the people Developed
  5. wide range of political parties
• Why might some people say that the UK has some undemocratic features?

  1. the House of Lords- unelected people who make an impact on the law ( often successive PMs ) , House of Lords Appointments Commission ensured several different professional in each field of experience
  2. First- by the - post: leads to under-representation as there is a mismatch between the votes.
  3. lack of citizen rights: The Gov can "derogate from" certain articles of the Human Rights Act
  4. control of the media: Murdoch group own several newspapers- The Times, The Sun
• What is Party Membership?

  Membership in a political party.
• Barriers to effective democracy in the UK:
• Pluralism:

  • Argues that power is in the hands of a few people and organizations
  • The Institute of Economic Affairs has been accused of using a crash to gain influence over ministers
• Free and fair elections:

  • 16-17-year-olds cannot vote, and prisoners cannot vote
  • First Past the Post system seems unfair
• Corruption:

  • Boris Johnson failed to explain the £15,000 holiday he received from a carphone warehouse
• Human rights:

  • Human rights are not entrenched and could be scrapped at any moment
• Centralized decision-making:

  • 85% of local government budgets come from the central government
• What is pluralism?


  The coexistence of multiple groups or ideas in society.

  Basically- power/ influence is widespread , the legal and cultural area, accepted, parties are free to operate . pressure groups are tolerated.
• What is franchise?


  Refers to the right to vote
• what is the UK suffrage?

  Everyone over 18 can vote in elections

  no groups are discriminated against by the electoral law

  it is the responsibility of each individual to vote
• who is excluded from taking part in parliamentary elections?

  1. people under 18
  2. members in the House of Lords
  3. Prisoners
  4. Corrupt or illegal electoral practice- barred for 5 years
  5. people who are compulsorily detained in a psychiatric hospital
• What was the Great Reform Act of 1832?


  An act of Parliament that reformed the electoral system in England and Wales, increasing the number of eligible voters and redistributing parliamentary seats.

  • abolished separated representation for most underpopulated " rotten boroughs"- such as manchester
  • granted the vote to some new categories of people in counties
  • increased the electorate by 5%
  • not until 1918 did voting become treated as a citizen right
• What did the National Union of Woman's Suffrage societies do?

  
  

  Advocated peacefully for women's rights
• What did the one lady do who was part of the Woman's Social and Political union in 1903 to help woman get suffrage?

  Emmeline Pankhurst threw herself under the King's horse at the Epsom Derby
• When did female suffrage come?

  1918- under the Representation of the People Act

  the act passed mainly because many working-class men had served in the Army and it was seen as unfair that they would have to fight for politics but no be able to have a say

  • Women over the age of 30, and who had a house/ was a wife was able to vote
• What is a pressure group?

  An organized group that seeks to influence government policies and decisions.- outsider organisation
• What type of pressure groups are there?

  • sectional groups/ interest groups: seek to promote the interests of an occupation of a sector in society e.g trade unions negotiate terms with employers
  • cause groups: focus on achieving a particular goal/ drawing attention to it - memberships are usually open to anyone
  • Social movements: usually a specific protest which is politically radical and seeks to achieve a single objective
• An outsider group relies on contacts with ministers and civil servants, having close links with government departments
• Low-profile groups, like the Howard League, rely on discreet behind-the-scenes activities
• High-profile groups, such as the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), supplement their lobbying with the use of media for their case
• what are outsider groups?

  • not consulted by the Gov
  • their objective to be so far outside the political mainstream
  • the Gov is unlikely to enter talks with them
  • some groups can move from outsider to insider, visa versa
• How do pressure group methods vary?

  insiders: may negotiate behind the scenes, talk to lobby MPs briefing them, lawyers for human rights issues

  Outsiders: email campaigns, petitions, staging demonstrations, publicity stunts
• What it is a think tank?

  A group of experts from a different background are brought together to investigate a particular topic and offer solutions

  • some influence policies: E.G. Duncan smith in 2004 looked into solutions for people who lived in disadvantaged communities - he was able to implement some ideas into the welfare system such as the " universal credits"
• What is a lobbyist?


  A lobbyist is a person or organization that seeks to influence government officials or policies on behalf of a particular interest or group.
• Why do some people not like Lobbyists?

  • only seems that the wealthy can hire them
  • 2014 the gov made it a legal requirement that anyone lobbying on behalf of a third party must register their activities discussing policies, legislation, or contracts
  • around £2 billion is spent on lobbying a year
  • David Camron said lobbyists do not affect policy making
• What is a corporation?

  The role of the corporation/ large business in UK politics is a concern for dome pro-democracy campaigners- because some politicians after leaving parliament join these private sectors, therefore bringing their knowledge and contacts with them
• What are some of our Human rights?

  • fair and equal treatment under the law- including the right to a fair trial and freedom from arbitrary arrest
  • Freedom from conscience - including the right to worship
  • vote, and stand for elections / join a party
  • belong to a trade union
  • freedom of movement
• What is the Human right document called?

  1998 Humans Rights Act
• How was the Magna Carta a major step for Human rights?

  • drawn up in 1215
  • many clauses are outdated and not used anymore
  • was meant to stop tyrannical rule
  • meant to limit royal power
  • kinda set the baseline for human rights:
  • no man should be siezed/imprisoned , no unlawful force used against him except by judgment
  • no right to delay justice