Politics edexel a level year one

Manifesto

comparison document including pledges and policies

Mandate

The successful party in an election claims that it has the authority to implement its manifesto

Policy mandate

Mandate claimed by the government showing that public consents to manifesto

Governing mandate

Mandate which the government claims to have authority to act according to events

What do policy mandates suggest?

Policy mandates suggest a government only has authority to pursue policies clearly stated in its manifesto

Direct democracy

Decisions are made directly by the citizens

Representative democracy

Democracy where citizens elect representatives

Power

The ability of individuals to make us do something

Authority

The right to use power.

Legitimacy is conditional with the right to use it

Legitimacy

The rightful use of power in accordance with pre-set criteria or widely-held agreements, such as government's right to rule following an election or a monarch's succession based on the agreed rules.

Pluralist democracy

democracy in which a government makes decisions as a result of various ideas and contrasting arguments from competing groups and organisations.

Democratic deficit

A flaw in the democratic process where decisions are taken by people who lack legitimacy

Participation crisis

A lack of engagement by a significant number of citizens to relate to the political process

Reasons for participation crisis

• choosing not to vote or to join

• become members of political parties to offer themselves for public office.

Franchise/suffrage

The right to vote in public elections

Think tanks

A body of experts brought together to collectively focus on a certain topic(s)

Constitution

A set of rules defining the relationship between government and law

Mandate

Expression of public support for a government’s policies and manifesto

Doctrine of the mandate

Model of representative democracy which helps to give meaning to the election results

What does the doctrine of the mandate suggest

it suggests that the government should be allowed to fulfill the promises made in their election manifesto

Features of Liberal Democracy

• Public has genuine influence over political decision making

• Government is held accountable

• The rule of law is respected

• Regular, free and fair elections with universal suffrage

• Elections which provide legitimacy for government

• Wide range of competing poitical views(Pluralism)

Issues with the doctrine of the mandate

• Voters are usually not aware of all the policies set out in a manifesto

• A policy mandate is not practical

• Elections provide a false mandate

• Individual policies within a manifesto have no mandate. Policies can’t be isolated from the whole manifesto

Lobbyists

A lobbyist is paid by clients to try to influence the government and/or MPs and members of the House of Lords to act in their clients' interests, particularly when legislation is under consideration.

Why are Referenda held?

Referenda are held to gauge public opinion on specific issues or policies, allowing citizens to directly vote on major legislative decisions or constitutional amendments.

Have referendums had a positive impact on UK politics?

• Referendums can diffuse political tensions

• Allows the public to express a clear mandate 

Northern Ireland Referendum example

1998

• provided crucial confirmation of public support for the good Friday peace agreement

• Ended a century of political violence

• Turnout of 75%

1975 EEC Referendum example

• helped to resolve splits in Labour government

What is the turnout in the 2024 election for:

• UK

• France

• Belgium

The election turnouts for 2024 are:

UK - 59.7%

France - 66.6%

Belgium - 87.4%

Why did vote turnout decline after 1997

• Post-Thatcherite consensus

• Economic boom(‘Happathy’)

• Political scandals - 1990’s sleaze scandals

Why was the 2024 election turnout so low?

The 2024 election turnout was so low because opinion polls predict a clear winner in the weeks leading up to the election

• Evidence suggests that the crisis is more prevalent in younger age groups - voter turnout(18-24)

How many more times are over 65 year olds more likely to vote than over 18 year olds

Twice as many times

Evidence for a participation crisis

• Conservatives suffered a series of ‘sleaze’

• Conservative reputation suffered nicknamed the ‘nasty party’

Analysis: read

• Uk trend is similar to other western democracy

• Why? neoliberal consensus - a regulation of socialism across Europe

• Fall of Belrin wall 1989

Why has party membership increased recently?

• Surge in Labour party membership in 2015 under leader, Ed Miliband helped by lowering fees to just £3 a year 

• Corbyn’s leadership shifted Labour back to the left providing contrast with right-leaning categories 

Examples of digital democracy:

• Campaign groups

• Social media

• Internet to promote their causes