Politics paper 1, Democracy and Participation

Turnout for EU referendum, 2016

72%

turnout for 2014 Scottish independence referendum

84%

Turnout for 2014 AV referendum

42%

What Act means that voter ID will be required?

2022 Elections Act

How many people were convicted of voter fraud in 2019?

one

How many people don’t carry any form of photo id? and what percentage of white/blacks have driving license

3.5 million, 76% of whites have driving license compared to 56% of blacks

Labour membership 1953, vs 2026

1953 - 1 million+
2026 - under 250k

What Act gives the police more power to restrict the right to protest?

Police, Crime and Sentencing Act

issue with e-petitions are that very few are taken up by government which could…

stop participation in the future

Example of successful e-petition

Marcus Rashford, 2020 end child poverty petition, gaining over 1 million signatures, and in June 2022 the gov made a plan to improve the food system

Example of lack of representation in parliament (minority)

Disabled people make up 24% of uk population but only 1% of parliament

case for reform: Why does the ECHR arguably provide inadequate guarantees of the rights of citizens?

Govs can ‘derogate from’ articles of the HRA in certain situations e.g. Ireland in 1970s

reform: voting system, many feels the system lacks legitimacy as the gov has not….

won more than 50% of the vote since 1931

Reform of uk system: Labour vote/seat share in 2024?

33% votes, 63% of seats

Reform of uk system: Reform UK vote/seat share (number of seats)

14.3% of vote, 5 seats

Evidence no participation crisis: E-petitions are the…

fastest growing method of participation, part of the wider spread of digital democracy

No participation crisis: Reform UK current membership (claims)

260K+ members

No participation crisis: green party membership

200K+

no participation crisis: numerous well-attended demonstrations, such as

People’s vote, 700,000 gathering to call for a second Brexit referendum

No participation crisis: Brexit and scottish independence referendum turnout

72%, 84%

No participation crisis: political consumerism and boycotts

Barclays withdrew sponsorship of music festivals in 2024 due to artist and fan pressure over their investment in arms companies supplying Israel

Yes participation crisis: referendum turnout varies considerably, 2 examples

AV referendum - 42%
1998 should London have an elected mayor - 34%

Yes participation crisis: voter turnout average 1945-1997

76%

Yes participation crisis: voter turnout 2024

59%

Yes participation crisis: voter turnout for ‘second order’ elections - Police and Crime Commissioner 2024 average

24%

Yes participation crisis: party membership of conservatives in 1953 vs 2022?

2.8 million, under 150K

Yes participation crisis: public trust in MP’s survey

Ipsos Mori, 2016, recorded the least trusted profession in the UK was politician, with just 21% believing they tell the truth

Ways to increase participation: Compulsory voting in australia leads to what turnout?

92%

recall of MPs Act 2015 success example

2019, Peterborough MP imprisoned and recalled

How many labour members voted for Keir Starmer 2020?

56%

How many people signed the ‘revoke article 50’ petition and what was the outcome?

6.1 million, but was rejected

example of an outsider pressure group that aims to be neutral and objective

Amnesty International

Example of outsider pressure group using violence

Animal Liberation Front engaged in bombings and breaking into laboratories

How much did Rashford initially help raise with FareShare?

£20 million

example of celebrity endorsement for Gurkha Justice Campaign

Joanne Lumley

gurkha justice campaign, how many signed the petition presented to Downing Street

250,000

Example of an association using wealth to be successful

2015, the British Bankers’ Association paid lobbyists to persuade ministers to cut corporation tax

Example of a PG with large membership = success

in 2015 the RSPB utilised over 500,000 members for its Big Garden Birdwatch

Example of an achievable and legitimate aim = PG success

BMA smoking ban for cars with children, had professional status and public support

Example of good organisation = PG success

the RMT union organised strikes to secure a boost for members during Olympics

Goal contradicting gov policy = NOT SUCCESS pg

BMA campaign against the cons new policies for a 7 day NHS failed

Gov resisting pressure from group = no success for PG

the Stop the War Coalition organised mass rallies and activities to stop Iraq invasion but Blair gov had a large majority and cross-party support

Countervailing forces = LOSER PG

Pro-smoking group Forrest failed to prevent restrictions on smoking because it lost to ASH

unpopular goals = LOSER PG

Coalition for marriage failure because public in favour of gay marriage

alienates public = LOSER PG

Just stop Oil methods

Successes for BMA (2)

• won over £2 mil for members in 2024

• helped pass ban on smoking in car with children

Failures for BMA (2)

• lost case in 2016 concerning new junior doctor contract, controversially suspended strikes

• no outright ban on smoking in cars

Success of Greenpeace

• stop the unsustainable methods of tuna fishing

• Global Ocean Treaty creating ocean sanctuaries now international law

Failures of Greenpeace

• insulting the eating of whale and seal meat, insulted members of the Greenland community who had previously suffered from the ban of sealskin, the result of an earlier greenpeace campaign

• failed to prevent cairn energy from exploring gas reserves on Greenland, 2012, as it could help greenland be fully independent of denmark

Successes for Liberty

• 2013 scrapped ‘go home’ buses

• passed human rights act 1998

failures of Liberty

• failed to stop lockdown

• failed banning facial recognition tech in uk

Lobbyists: 2012, Conservative co-treasurer _____ resigned after secretly filmed footage showed him …

Peter Cruddas, offering access to PM for a donation of £250,000 a year

Lobbying: how much spent annually

£2 billion

Lobbying: 2020, which former PM did what?

Cameron lobbied the government to allow Greensill Capital to join the Covid Financing Scheme and he made £1 mil a year for his part time advice