Democracy and Participation

Cards (39)

  • Direct democracy
    • Democracy of the people in which they make decisions not the government
    • Votes on specific issues
    • Not every single issue is voted on
    • Elements of this are used in the UK specifically through referendums and petitions
  • Advantages of direct democracy
    • People can directly participate
    • Wishes of the people cannot be ignored by their elected representatives
    • People can be motivated to be informed about politics
    • People have direct authority
  • Disadvantages of direct democracy
    • Public may not understand the full question. Better for elected representatives to decide
    • Majority of people may vote for something that undermines the right of the minority - tyranny of the majority
    • People can vote for emotional or populist short term reasons
  • Representative democracy
    • People vote for elected representatives that make decisions for them on their behalf
    • Representatives are part of the legislative assembly
    • Representatives can decide in methods of delegate, mandate or burkean theory
  • Advantages of Representative democracy
    • Representatives have experience in parliament and have a better understanding of issues
    • Representatives are more likely to make rational decisions than the public due to emotion
    • Representatives are accountable to the public
  • Disadvantages of representative democracy
    • Representatives don't present the opinions of the wider population
    • Representative democracy can turn into rule by elites rather than disperse the power
    • Representative democracy is only fair if the elections are fair, which they're not with FPTP
  • Theories
    • Mandate theory = MPs are elected due to their party and represent it by supporting the manifesto
    • Delegate theory = constituencies elect representatives as delegates for their constituency on their behalf
    • Burkean model = MPs should use their own experience and judgement rather than listening to the party
  • Liberal democracy
    • The freedom of the citizens is protected by the government
  • Plural democracy
    • There's no elite groups, and all groups have access to the political system
  • Parliamentary democracy
    • Political parties with the largest representation in parliament forms government
  • Presidential democracy
    • The executive is chosen separately from the legislative making body by the people
  • Evolution of suffrage
    What is a suffrage?
    • Suffrage is the right to vote which is known as a franchise
  • Before 1832 great reform
    • Rich, male landowners could vote
    • Less than 4% could vote
  • Great reform Act 1832
    • 1 in 5 males could vote. Ended rotten borough's which is where MPs would represent but no one lived there
    • Small landowners, tenants, farmers and shopkeepers gain the vote 8%
  • Second Reform Act 1867
    • Allowed working men with property qualifications to vote
    • Doubles the electorate - 16%
    • 2 million could vote
  • Third Reform Act 1884
    • Redistributed constituencies across the UK
    • Agricultural labourers could vote
    • 40% of men still excluded
  • Representation of the people act 1918
    • Women could vote over 30 and had property qualifications
    • 21 million voters by the end of 1918
    • Women were 40% of voters
  • Representation of the people Act 1928
    • All men and women over 21 could vote
    • 96% could vote
  • Representation of the people act 1969
    • All men and women over 18 could vote
    • 97% percent could vote
  • Age
    • Younger people were seen as having insufficient political knowledge
    • Younger people can feel more connected to parties that propose policies that support them because they're not as represented
    • Most parties support the 16 age vote
  • Class
    • People from different classes will support different policies : conservatives will support things that benefit businesses rather than labourers who support tax cuts
    • Working class support socialism, which threatens the welfare of other classes
  • Ethnicity
    • Ethnic backgrounds have improved with voting especially through labour as they appeal for fair legislation and support for immigration
    • Most ethnic minorities are lower class which makes labour more appealing
  • Gender
    • Men more typically vote for conservatives and women vote for labour
    • Due to the welfare protection labour offer which may benefit them more directly
    • More men support the lower taxation
  • Geography
    • Labour tends to do better in large cities whereas conservatives succeed in rural areas
    • People in larger cities tend to support a higher taxation and large public spending
    • People who live in the south tend to be better off so they vote for the conservatives and vice versa for labour
  • Chartists (1838-1848)
    • Set up after the great reform act 1832
    • Campaigned for votes for all men over 21, secret ballots, no property qualifications for MPs, pay for MPs, equal sized constituencies and yearly elections
    • Movement had 3 petitions
  • Significance of the chartists
    • All 3 petitions were rejected by parliament
    • Some chartists called for violence, made the middle class less supportive of the movement
    • Movement died out but the 1867 and 1884 reform acts were passed
  • Suffragists (1860s-1918
    • Campaigned for votes since the 1860s
    • 1897 - NUWSS National Union of Women's suffrage societies
    • Used peaceful methods, speeches, petitions, marches
  • Significance of the Suffragists
    • No closer to getting the vote by 1903 led to the formation of the suffragettes
    • 100,000 members by 1914
    • Millicent fawcet saw the movement as unstoppable but slow
  • Suffragettes (1903-1914)
    • Frustrated with the lack of progress the Suffragists had made - Emmeline Pankhurst formed this
    • Suffragettes used militant methods, window breaking, molotovs,
    • Received harsh prison sentences
    • Emily Davidson died by a horse collision in 1913 and the movement stopped in 1914
  • Significance of the Suffragettes
    • Were force fed by prison officers
    • Attracted national attention
    • Some argue they won the women the vote in 1918, but some argue it through war service
    • Government didn't want to return to violence after WW1 so they have them the vote
  • Suffrage as a human right
    • ECHR ruled that denying any citizen the right to vote is a breach of their human rights
    • Hirst Vs UK (2005). Prisoner in for manslaughter argued the UK was in breach of the 1998 human rights act
    • Some believe voting is a privilege and not a right
  • Participation
    • People's involvement in political activity. It includes:
    • Writing MPs, joining a political party or pressure group, protesting
  • Turnout Arguements For participation crisis
    • Turnout from the 1950s to 2000s has dropped by 20%
    • Some elections have even worse turnouts
    • 2012 police and crime commissions election had a 15% turnout
  • Turnout Arguements against participation crisis
    • Turnout in general elections since 2001 has been rising to 69% in 2017
    • Referendums also have a high turnout with the Scottish independence referendum having a turnout of 85%
    • If people care about an issue, Police and crime commissions Vs Scottish independence. People will vote for the issue they care about
  • Partisan dealignment
  • Partisan dealignment
    • Electorate becoming less affiliated to parties
    • It's reflected in the party membership drop and the increase of floating voters - people who change parties frequently
  • Pluralism
    • Emphasises the benefits of different groups influencing the decision making process - Opposition for example
  • Increasing Participation
    • Votes at 16
    • online voting
    • compulsory voting
    • Changing the electorate system so that it's fairer for everyone
    • Increase in direct democracy
  • Trade Unions
    • Organisations made up of workers, which campaign for better working conditions