Democracy and Participation

• 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