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How far back can UK democracy be traced?
The Magna Carta 1215
What did Winston Churchill say in 1947 in the House of Commons about democracy?
'democracy is the worst form of government except for all those other forms'
What is an autocratic form of government?
Power is permanently vested in one individual or group, giving them ultimate power over their people.
What type of democracy is the UK?
Representative democracy
What is representative democracy?
voters elect representatives to make political decisions on their behalf.
What principle is representative democracy based on?
Elected politicians should represent the interests of all their constituents.
How do voters retain sovereignty under a representative democracy?
Politicians are held accountable in regular general elections. Voters decide whether or not to renew the mandate of their representatives.
How many MP's does the Westminster Parliament have?
650
What must elected politicians do under representative democracy?
Weigh up the feelings of the people they represent with their party's manifesto and their detailed understanding of the issue.
What is the primary advantage of representative democracy?
Politicians are required to be well-informed about issues, so they are more likely to make politically educated decisions.
What do elected politicians have to do when making a political decision?
Balance conflicting interests.
Why is balancing conflicting interests important?
To protect the rights of all citizens, especially minorities. Avoiding the tyranny of the majority.
What do critics of representative democracy argue?
MP's represent a metropolitan elite that does not represent the more traditional values of the population.
Name some criticisms of representative democracy.
MP's can be disengaged from the public and so do not represent their interests properly.
Pressure groups, lobbyists, and media also establish a Westminster bubble which disconnects MP's from their constituents.
MP's can have outside interests.
Westminster Parliament is highly unrepresentative because it is elected through FPTP.
What is a statistic to strengthen the disconnection critique of representative democracy?
In the 2016 EU Referendum, 52% of the public voted to leave, whereas 74% of MP's voted to remain.
Who was the Russian anarchist thinker who viewed representative democracy as a sham?
Mikhail Bakunin
What did Mikhail Bakunin say - Democracy seeks to falsely legitimize the rule of the (?)
'the intellectual governing minority, who, while claiming to represent the people, unfailingly exploits them;
What did political activist Emma Goldman say?
'if voting changed anything they'd make it illegal'
What is the problem with the FPTP system in a representative democracy?
The Conservative and Labour parties dominate the House of Commons at the expense of smaller parties.
What is the social make-up of Parliament?
White, male, middle-class.
What is the problem with the House of Lords in a representative democracy?
Lords/Ladies are unelected and unaccountable.
What percentage of the 2019 Westminster Parliament are female and what is the national average?
34%. 51%
What percentage of the 2019 Westminster Parliament are privately educated and what is the national average?
29%. 7%
What percentage of homeless people were registered to vote in 2018?
2%
What is a powerful criticism of representative democracy?
It is least likely to engage the poorest and most marginalized groups in society.
What is direct democracy?
A form of democracy in which decisions are directly made by the public without representatives. There is no distinction between government and citizen.
Why does direct democracy not work in the UK?
There are over 40 million voters.
Why have some elements of direct democracy been introduced to the UK Representative system?
To engage the public more closely in issues that directly concern them.
What are referendums?
A general vote by the public on a single question, enabling the public to engage on single issues.
Why are referendums good?
Result has greater legitimacy, helps to settle controversial issues.
Why are referendums bad?
Require a detailed understanding the public doesn't have.
How many signatures does an E-petition need before it will be considered for debate either in Westminster Hall or the House of Commons?
100,000
Give an example of a successful E-Petition
Marcus Rashford, 1.1 Million signatures #endchildfoodpoverty
Why are E-Petitions not always good?
They can raise false expectations, and consume parliamentary time.
Why are consultative exercises used as a form of direct democracy?
When governing bodies want to assess the likely reaction to their proposed policies.
Why do some people criticise consultative exercises?
The most socially disadvantaged groups are the least likely to engage with it.
What is an open primary?
When the public directly decide who the candidate should be.
Who encouraged open primaries in order to open up politics and get greater political engagement?
David Cameron
What is the term for when a recall petition of 10% of an MP's constituents can trigger a by-election to replace them.
Recall of MP's Act
Name an MP who's voters demanded her recall
Fiona Onasanya (Peterborough MP)
What is an advantage of direct democracy?
Engages the public, encourages more political education, representatives are kept better informed of public attitudes.
What is a disadvantage of direct democracy?
Doesn't balance conflicting interests, or protect the rights of minorities, doesn't let the public make knowledgeable decisions.
What is one reason the UK may be suffering from a participation crisis?
Public trust in MPs and its impact on voting.
What happened in 2009 that made people distrust politicians?
MPs faced allegations that they were overclaiming on their expenses.
What is a large criticism of MP's?
They can exploit their public position for private gain.
