Democracy and participation

democracy

the process in which political decisions are made for the people by the people, people have an equal vote

direct democracy

where voters make decisions directly and not through an elected representative

representative democracy

voters elect a representative on their behalf to make political decisions

3 advantages of representative democracy

• MPs know what they are doing as it is their job

• simpler and more practical for a large modern day state

• representatives can be held to account and have to act in constituents interest or be removed

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3 disadvantages of direct democracy

• only the people who voted for the MP are represented in a way that aligns with their views

• MPs don’t legally have to vote along the lines they were elected

• doesn’t encourage much participation as elections rare and for a political class

3 advantages of direct democracy

• transparency

• true wish of the people

• may increase participation as people more likely to engage if they think their opinion will make a difference

• purest form of democracy that doesn’t require any interpretation

• citizens become educated on political issues

• all votes count equally whereas in representative democracies constituency size dictates this

disadvantages of direct democracy

• little regulation of misinformation like the brexit bus, no rules on misleading like in the house

• too time consuming, referendum fatigue

• can be manipulated with question phrasing

• voters may not be experts so less able to make informed decisions

cabinet office estimation of the cost of brexit referendum

142.4 million pounds

types of direct democracy

referendums

online petitions

protest

how many people voted in brexit referendum

33 million with 51.89 voting leave

how many voted against AV

19 million

limitations of online petitions as a form of direct democracy

the petition has to be sponsored by the back bench business committee to be debated so might not be even if it reaches 100,000 vote threshold

example of an e petition

1.6 million people signed a petition to stop Trump making a state visit to the UK in 2018 so MPs debated and changed it from a state visit to a working visit

largest protest in the UK

anti-Iraq War demonstration on 15 February 2003, up to 2 million people in london alone

what percentage of the popular vote did the conservatives win in 2019

43.6%

what percentage of the popular vote did starmer win in 2024

35.7%

example of MPs representing views of constituents over parties

ken clarke and anna soubry voted in favour of giving parliament a vote on any brexit deal as their constituents voted remain even though it went against tory party policy

what percentage of MPs are privately educated

29% vs UK average of 7%

suffrage

the right and ability to engage in politics and vote in an election, extending it means increasing the number of people who can vote in elections

how many people could vote in the early 1800s

400,000

rotten boroughs

wealthy areas with few eligible voters who returned one or more MPs when huge industrial towns full of workers went un represented

Famous example of a rotten borough

Old Sarum in Salisbury had 7 voters living in 3 houses who retuned 2 MPs

when was the great reform act

1832

what did the 1832 great reform act do

scrapped most rotten boroughs

introduced FPTP as we know it today

set a £10 property ownership limit for men to vote

gave representation to some urban areas like manchester

consequences of great reform act

vote given to some middle class people in the boroughs like small landowners and shopkeepers

why did the great reform act come about

political pressure in the aftermath of the Peterloo massacre

what percentage of adult men could vote after 1832 act

18%

when was the second reform act

1867

second reform act content

extended suffrage to all householders or lodgers who paid rent of £10 or more which is about £1400 today

consequences of second reform act

nearly doubled the amount of men who could vote from 1/7 million to 2/7 million

first representation of the people act

1918

what did the 1918 representation of the people act do

• gave all men over 21 the vote

• women who were married, owned property or graduates over 30 given the vote

why was the 1918 representation of the people act passed

intense pressure from the suffragette and suffragist movements as well as pressure to give working class men without property who had fought in the war the right to vote

second representation of the people act

1928

1928 representation of the people act

extended suffrage to all women over the age of 21, was done by a conservative government due to pressure from suffragette/gists

how many women gained the right to vote in 1928

5 million

third representation of the people act

1969

1969 representation of the people act

extended suffrage to people over 18 as attitudes to adulthood had changed

1948 representation of the people act

abolished 12 university constituencies so plural voting removed and 1 person had 1 vote

what is a democratic deficit

an insufficient level of democracy in political institutions and procedures in comparison to the theoretical idea of a democratic government

arguments for democratic deficit in the UK

• FPTP ensures 2 party dominance

• FPTP underrepresents minority viewpoints

• unelected upper chamber

• safe seats

• wasted votes

• elective dictatorship

• west lothian question

arguments against democratic deficit in the uk

• every vote counts equally in the UK

• free and fair press and media

• independent judiciary upholds rule of law fairly

• devolution

• free and fair elections

turnout in 2019 election

67.3%

south west turnout 2019

highest with 73%

NI turnout 2019

61% the lowest

consequences of low turnout

research suggests it leads to underrepresentation of people from poorer backgrounds, biased public policies and lower government responsiveness

safe seats and participation

hinder participation as they give voters a feeling of helplessness

mid sussex majority in 2019

nearly 22,000 conservative majority making it a very safe seat

how many safe seats according to electoral reform society in 2015

over half are safe in the sense that the outcome is not in any serious doubt

adversarial politics

where there is deep and broad disagreement between the main parties

most recent example of adversarial politics

1980s labour and conservatives

UK political system encourages adversarial politics

FPTP means parties don’t have to be seen to be able to work together

commons chamber set up along adversarial lines

how many lords spiritual

26

what is a wasted vote

any vote that doesn’t receive representation in the final election outcome so it includes votes for a losing candidate, party and excess votes for winning candidates

wasted votes in 2019 according to electoral reform society

22 million or 70%

illustration of wasted votes

865,000 voted green in 2019 but they only returned 1 MP

impact of wasted votes

voter apathy

elective dictatorship

a state in which parliament is dominated by the government of the day

Power Inquiry

2006, concluded that the democratic deficit inherent in the UK political system affected political participation

what did Atlee call referendums

a device of demagogues and dictators and alien to our traditions