UK Democracy and participation

• Sectional/interest pressure groups represent the interests of a particular group in society. Therefore, they lobby government on behalf of these clearly defined social groups.
• Lobbyists are paid to influence decision-makers in the government, including MPs and House of Lords members, to create policies and act in the interests of their clients.
• Cause/promotional groups promote a particular issue. Members are united by their shared interest in a specific cause.
• Insider pressure groups have privileged access to government decision-making.
• Outsider pressure groups do not possess access to political decision-making.
• Factors that help pressure groups to achieve success:

  • Insider status
  • Wealth
  • Celebrity leadership
  • Social media
  • Direct action
• Think-tanks are groups made up of experts in a particular field who can produce ideas that can form the basis for government policy making. Political parties work closely with like-minded think-tanks to develop policies.
• Direct democracy is where the electorate decide on policy initiatives without elected representatives as proxies. They have a direct impact on the outcome. An example of this is referendums.
• Representative democracy is where elected representatives vote on behalf of their constituents.
• Constituencies are areas in which the UK is divided into, each electing one member to the House of Commons. There are 650 constituencies.
• A by-election happens when a seat in the House of Commons becomes vacant between general elections, due to an MP passing, resigning, or being recalled.
• A manifesto is a publication issued by a political party before a general election outlining their aims and proposals.
• A mandate is the authority given to elected members to perform an action or govern a country.
• Legitimacy is the right to govern. Governments or MPs are considered legitimate if they are elected on a high percentage of the vote.
• A participation crisis is where a large proportion of the population do not engage with the political process, for example low turnouts.
• A referendum is a direct vote in which the people are asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal, usually on large, current issues.
• A democratic deficit refers to a time where the principles of democracy are not fulfilled.
• The franchise/suffrage refers to the ability and right of someone to vote in an election.
• Devolution is the decentralisation of governmental power, transferring power from national to local governments.
• Pluralism is the recognition of diversity within a political body, permitting the peaceful coexistence of different interests.