DEMOCRACY AND PARTICIPATION

• Turnout 2016 EU referendum 72.2%
• 2014 Scottish independence referendum turnout 84.6%
• Protests after EU referendum- Over one million participants
• 2015 Recall of MPs act- successfully used to remove: Fiona Onasav3 and Christopher 

  Davies- lan Paisley Jr's petition was unsuccessful (signed by 9.4% of constituents) 
• 7.6% voting increase for 2016 EU Referendum
• London 2021 mayoral election= 19.1% 
• 2001 General Election turnout= 59.4%
• 2017 General Election turnout-=68.8%
• In 2019-= Lib Dem's received 19% of seats yet only 2% of vote (against representative 

  democracy, unproportionate representation) 
• Over 89% of 16-17 year olds registered for the Scottish independence referendum
• The elections act 2022= New requirement for Voter ID which could supress voter turnout particularly in areas where people have less authenticated ID, poorer areas cant afford to travel so wont have passports/license and are less likely to vote conservative 
• Measures proposed to weaken independence of electoral commission which supervises elections+investigates breaches of electoral law 
• In 2023, Just Stop Oil abandons disruptive climate protests in the UK after being shamed by Tory Government 
• Fathers4Justice had to abandon methods of civil disobedience such as throwing purple flour on Tony Blair during a commons meeting-> failed to achieve significant change 
• Don't Pay UK (grass roots)- In response to Cost of Living crisis (echoes Anti-Poll Tax Alliance) + 192,000 people had signed up for the campaign 
• Police, Crime and Sentencing Act 2022-=Strengthens polices power to tackle disruptive protests. 

  •  It gives more power to the police, criminal justice, and sentencing legislation, and it encompasses restrictions on "unacceptable" protests, crimes against children, and sentencing limits.
• 77% junior doctors voted to strike in 2023  
• BMA (insider group) = Lobbied policy makers through direct meetings, parliamentary briefings and media work to ensure the Health and Care Act 2022 addressed their concerns 
• 38 Degrees (outside group)= uses social media to effect change and has 2.5 million members 

  • has been successful in stopping the privatisation of Englands forests and  their website allows members to quickly chose and advocate for their own campaign 
• Green Peace (Outsider) = Influenced the decision by Michael Gove to ban bee harming pesticides 

  however: this ban was repealed in 2023 
• Marcus Rashford worked with "Fare Share" on the #MakeTheUTurn, and convinced the government to provide families in England with vouchers for free school meals during the summer for pupils in need 
• Liz Truss- In 2022 had important links with peg liberal think tank "Institute of Economic Affairs"- according the head of IEA- Liz had spoken a more of its events than any other politician over the past 12 years 
• Truss' Senior special advisor, Ruth Porter was communications director at the Institute of 

  Economic Affairs (IEA) 
• Truss' Political secretary, Sophie Jarvis was head of government affairs at the Adam Smith Institute (think tank)
• Think tank, Institute for fiscal studies revealed the "fiscal hole" after the 2022 mini budget- important as gov wouldn't publish broadcast by the independent office of budget responsibility 
• Lobbying:

  2021 Greensill Scandal- Cameron lobbied Rishi Sunak Via text message on behalf of 

  company "Greensill" who paid him $10 million over the course of two and a half years of part time work- accused of exploiting contacts for his own benefit 
• Owen Patterson left the commons after November 2021 after being accused of breaking lobbying rules 
• In 2023, it emerged that Boris Johnson had been warned about Owen Paterson's lobbying activities as early as 2019 but failed to act until 2021 when he resigned from cabinet
• In 2021, it emerged that former health minister Matt Hancock employed lobbyists from public relations firm Hanover Communications while he was still an MP
• S.C declares governments 2004 Civil Partnership Act incompatible with HRA in 2018- 

  government amended act in 2019 
• The government introduced legislation in 2006 which banned all prisoners from voting except those serving sentences of less than four years or life sentence prisoners who have served more than ten years.
• In 2018, the government passed new legislation banning all prisoners from voting
• ECHR rules in 2005 in the case of John Hirst that a blanket ban on allowing prisoners to vote was incompatible with ECHR - allowed 500 prisoners to take legal action through the ECHR 

  However- two convicted murders who argued that the ECHR gave them the right to vote 

  had their appeals dismissed by the S.C in Westminster in 2013 
• In 2018, the government published its white paper 'Voting age consultation', proposing lowering the voting age to 16
• Freedom of Information act 2000- allowed public to access the information of public bodies in the name of transparency and following expense scandals 
• In 2013 the Court of Appeal upheld a legal challenge by five disabled people over the decision to abolish the independent living allowance 
• In the case of Abu Qatada- his deportation to Jordon was blocked due to the belief that the evidence obtained under torture would be used against him.- after 10 years he was eventually deported with the promise of Jordons government to not use the evidence that was obtained under torture 
• Investigatory powers act 2016- Allows for greater state surveillance in Britain- with the police given new powers to collect date from devices and requires web and phone companies to store everyone's web browsing histories for as months and give unprecedented access to the data to police 
• 2022 Police Crime and sentencing bill- criminalises one person protests, gives police power to impose on noisy protests, creates "buffer" around parliament 
• 2023 public order bill- further limits right to protest