Evaluate the view that UK Democracy is in a Participation Crisis (30)

Disagree 1 - UK has high engagement in referendums

• High turnout in major votes = engagement on key issues: 84.6% in 2014 Scottish independence ref and 72.2% in the 2016 EU ref

• Suggests public participates when they feel their vote can make a real difference, even if trust in professional politicians is low following scandals like the 2010 Expenses Scandal, Partygate, and concerns over MPs’ second jobs

• An alternative explanation is “hapathy” – people are generally content and see no need to push for change. While this may explain low turnout in 2001 and 2005 during economic booms, it does not fully account for the low turnout in 2010 and 2024

Agree 1: The UK does have a participation crisis – low turnout & distrust

• Recent turnout in general elections is below 1945-1997 average of 76%. In 2024 it fell to just 59.8%. Turnout is even lower in “second order” election. Devolved elections saw 63.5% turnout in 2021 Scottish Parliament & 2022 Northern Ireland Assembly elections. This was just 46.6% in 2021 Senedd election

• Low turnout = govs are elected on a reduced share of popular vote so weak democratic mandate

• Key cause = political apathy (high among youths). Turnout among 65+ in 2017 was around 25 points higher than for 18–24-year-olds, limiting how responsive political institutions are to youth voters

• Distrust in politicians. A 2024 YouGov poll found 49% “almost never” trust gov, up from 29% in 2019 amid scandals including 23 by-elections for MPs resigning over misconduct. 2024 Wellingborough by-election followed the recall of Peter Bone for bullying and sexual harassment

• Distrust persisted after Labour’s 2024 victory fuelled by ‘freebiegate’ scandal. Labour faced accusation of cronyism after accepting large gifts from donor Lord Alli - was later granted a Downing Street security pass

• Claims that Starmer accepted clothing & eyewear worth over £16,000 raised concerns that Alli may have been given privileged access/influence

Disagree 2: The UK doesn’t have a participation crisis - still party membership

• Political party membership surges when parties offer radical/appealing options. Labour membership rose to 500,000+ in 2015 after joining made £3

• SNP reached 125,000 members by April 2018 following first Scottish Independence Ref. Feb 2025, Nigel Farage claimed Reform UK had 200,000+ members

• Suggests public engages politically, but increasingly outside traditional major parties. Declining support for Labour and Conservatives is reflected in the 2024 election, when they received just 57.4% of the vote.

• From a protective perspective, mass participation isn’t necessary for a functioning democracy – sufficient engagement to grant legitimacy, along with respect for individual freedoms, ensures democracy is not in crisis.

Agree 2: UK does have a participation crisis - declining party membership

• Only 1.6% of electorate belongs to a political party, down from 3.8% in 1983, with variation between parties

• Conservative Party has around 100,000 members = sharp fall from 400,000 in the mid-1990s

• Labour membership has also declined, from 500,000 under Corbyn to 370,000 today, partly due to perceptions that Keir Starmer’s centrist policies betray promises made during his leadership campaign

• Decline in trad political participation reflects negative MPs following scandals and broken promises. From a developmental perspective, which values active public engagement as essential for democracy, these trend suggest weakening democratic involvement

Disagree 3: The UK doesn’t have a participation crisis – alternative forms of participation shows engagement

• PGs membership and activism, particularly among young people, has been rising. Demonstrations on issues like the Iraq War, Brexit, Black Lives Matter, the climate crisis, and Gaza in 2024 show that people are engaging directly when conventional politics falls short. These actions pressured both Labour and Conservative parties, with the Conservative Foreign Secretary calling for-escalation in early 2024 and Labour suspending some arms export licenses to Israel in Sept 2024

• E-petitions also indicate engagement between elections. Between 2019 – 2024, 202 petitions were debated in Parliament, including the 2019 Revoke Article 50 petition with over 6 million signatures. Age UK’s 2024 on Winter Fuel Payments gathered over 590,000 signatures

• These examples suggest that the public remains politically active, but increasingly outside traditional party politics, indicating engagement rather than a participation crisis

Agree 3: The UK does have a participation crisis – online engagement and PGs are insufficient

• Other forms of political involvement, such as e-petitions or online activism, are arguably less impactful than voting and party membership. They are often “slacktivism,” requiring little effort and producing minimal real change

• For example, on 24 November 2024, a petition calling for an immediate general election received 2.9 million signatures and will be debated in Parliament in 2025 but is unlikely to result in any action

• Traditional participation – voting and party membership – is crucial for granting legitimacy to the UK’s democratic system. If PGs and demonstrations are frequently ignored by politicians, this further suggests a participation crisis