Democracy and Participation

• Direct Democracy 


  People vote directly and make key decisions
• Representative Democracy 


  People elect a representative to make decisions on behalf of them
• Advantages of direct democracy

  • purest form of democracy
  • avoids deadlock and delay
  • legitimacy is greater
• Disadvantages of Direct Democracy

  • tyranny of the majority
  • people are swayed by appeals
  • issues are too complex for citizens to understand
• Advantages of representative democracy

  • experts in their fields
  • are held to account
  • deal with complex issues
  • cheap
• Disadvantages of direct democracy

  • don't act in best interest of constituents
  • hard to hold representatives to account during elections
  • unrepresentative
• Manifesto


  produced to show a parties policies and changes introduced - for public to vote on
• Mandate


  the authority to emplace manifesto campaign and to produce the democratic right for the government to hold legitimacy
• Constituency Representation

  • MPs represent constituencies as a whole (funding social change) e.g. - Heathrow and the third runway
  • Represent individual constituents (redress of grievance) eg NHS, tax, miscarriage of justice
  • Listen to constituents on national issues = conflict between constituents (tyranny of majority)
• Party representation

  • represent a political party
  • party outline policies on key belief
  • MPs want to be elected therefore representing their party and the campaign
  • Within MPs
• Functional representation 


  represent constituencies, social and occupation groups
• Casual Representation

  • representatives may represent social change
  • eg environmental concerns, rights equality pressure groups
• Examples of Representative democracy in the UK

  • parish town councils
  • local councils
  • metropolitan authorities
  • devolved government
  • national government
• Constituencies

  • Rep has council accountable, grievances should have grievances heard
• Parties

  • significant in UK politics
• Peaceful transition of power

  • those who lose power by accepting winning
  • no conflict
• Free elections


  Adults are free to vote and stand for office
• Fair elections


  all have one vote safeguarded
• Widespread participation 


  large % of population informed

  PG membership

  E democracy

  • Election turnout is decreasing
• Freedom of expression

  • access to independent information
  • media is free, broadcasting
  • ownership of press in hands of few
• Freedom of association

  • Freedom to form political parties or PGs
• Stand for Office


  local council anyone can stand for office
• Membership


  few members of a party active = attend meetings or campaign locally
• PG member


  raise money and awareness and support
• Voting


  least taxing, most convenient
• Political parties issues

  • SNP grew by 100,000 during referendum
  • Ed Milliband reduced labour fees
  • 1960 - 1,695,000 members across three main parties
  • 2016 - dropped to 490,000
• Voting

  • decline in voter turnout
  • referendum turnout varies amongst issues
  • EG AV= 42% compared to EU= 72%
  • turnout depends on issue
  • 1979 = 76%, 1997= 71%, 2017= 68%, 2019=67%,
• E petitions and E democracy

  • fast growing
  • part of digital democracy
  • 2016: Should there be a second EU referendum? = 3.8 million signatures
• Pressure groups

  • Rely on active support and membership
  • activism in political parties has declined
  • engagement within political parties
  • RSPCA, Amnesty International, Greenpeace
• Social media 


  turnout decreasing but there are other ways to participate

  change.org

  38degrees
• Franchise


  the people who can vote
• 1832 Great Reform Act


  New class of shopkeepers etc

  £10 per annum
• 1867 Second Reform Act

  Right to vote increased by 2 million
• 1872 Ballot Act


  Secret ballot, votes cannot be bought
• 1884 Third Reform Act


  Extended to most men (60% of over 21s)
• 1918 Representation of the people act

  most adult men and women over thirty who were married or owned property can vote
• 1928 Representation of the people act


  extended the franchise to everyone over 21
• 1948 Representation of the people act


  some universities allowed two votes (1 MP, 1 vote) = now 1 person 1 vote
• 1969 Representation of the people act


  everyone over age of 18 can vote
• 2016 Scottish Elections 


  16 year olds can vote in the independence referendum