need update: Democracy and Participation (Ms Webb)

DIRECT DEMOCRACY

Form of democracy where decisions are directly made from individuals and without representatives. Theres is no distinction between the governement and citizens.

Originating in ancient Athens, this form of government allows people to vote directly on laws and policies through; referendums, initiatives, and citizen assemblies.

DIRECT DEMOCRACY ADVANTAGES

• It engages the public as it gives them more political power in decision making, thus encouraging participation. Greater engagement in the political process creates a more politically educated and civically involved citizenry.

• Makes politicians more responsive to what the public is saying.

• Ensures representatives are kept better informed on developing public attitudes through referendums.

DIRECT DEMOCRACY DISADVANTAGES

• Referendums dangerously simplify questions to binary yes or no when issues are more complex.

• Doesn’t protect the rights of minority groups.

• Would be impossible for countries with a wider population to have full participation.

• May be less participation after a while, due to the frequency of referendums, thus making people diengage. For example; in Switzerland (the only place where it plays such role) on 2 out of 5 participate.

REPRESENTATIV DEMOCRACY

A more modern for of democracy in which an individual selects person or political party to act on behalf of their political choices.

REPRESENTATVE DEMOCRACY ADVANTAGES

• Government is carried out by professional politicians who are required to be well informed about political issues, so can make better and more politically educated decisions.

• Members of public may be swayed to vote depending on emotions and my not fully understand the complexities of a question.

• Legislation has to go through many power dispersals before legitimised in House of Commons and House of Lords.

• Politicians balance conflicting interests before reaching decisions, thus protecting the rights of all citizens including minority groups.

REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY DISADVANTAGES

• MPS represent a metropolitan elite that doesn’t always represent the more traditional values of the public, so doesn’t adequately represent the public interests.

• Have powerful pressure groups which disconnects representative from the issues that are important to their constituents.

REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY IN THE UK

PRIME MINISTER: Following a general election, the leader of the political party that wins the most seats in the House of Commons is invited to form a government and becomes Prime Minister, if there party wins the election.

MPs: There are 650 MPs in the House of Commons that are also elected by the general public.

LORDS: 90 peers are appointed to the job, no elected

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT AND PARLIAMENT

Parliament: is our legislative branch, it debates and approves new laws while scrutinising the work of the government so its living up to its manifesto promises.

Government: is our executive branch, it proposes new laws and then implements them once passed by Parliament. Government is dependent on Parliament.

UK REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY HISTORY

• The 19th Century Reform Acts: The First Reform Act of 1832 was a major step, extending the franchise to more men, though still based on property ownership.

• Expansion of Suffrage (1918-1928): Significant changes, including the Representation of the People Act 1918, gave voting rights to women over 30 and all men over 21. The 1928 Equal Franchise Act finally provided equal voting rights for men and women over 21.

• Modern Era: The voting age was lowered to 18 in 1969.

HOW ELSE CAN YOU PARTICIPATE IN REPRESENTIVE DEMOCRACY

• Writing to or meeting with your local MP to express views

• Joining a political party

• Pressure Groups/ protests

• Consultations with government

• e-petitions, any over 10,000 receive a government response and any over 100,000 are debated within government

• Boycotts

• Marches

• Strikes

• Media Campaigns

PARTICIPATION

Engaging in a political process

THE UK IS SUFFERING FROM A PARTICIPATION CRISIS

• General election turnout from 2005 to 2019 was 65.7%, which is a fall by 8.8% compared to 77.1% in1964 and 1997, suggesting a downward trend

• Lowes turnout in 2019 general election was in Kingston Upon Hull which is a deprived area, where only 45% of the public participated, suggesting that there is a crisis in the more deprived areas.

• UK turnout is significantly lower than other EU countries. For example, 2022 French election, there turnout was 73.7%.

THE UK ISN’T SUFFERING FROM A PARTICIPATION CRISIS

• Voting reached a high point at 68.7% in 2017.

• General election voting has recently increase. In 2001 the turnout was a shocking 59.4%, and over the years this number has marginally increase to 67.3% in 2019.

• Other countries in comparison, par from Europe also have a small turnout, such as the US having a 67% turnout.

• There has been an increase in participation in Scotland and Wales. E.g. Scotland in 1999 turnout was 59.1%, which has not increased to 63.5% in 2021.

• There has also been n increase in lots of other forms of participation par from referendums such as e-petitions and protests. For example, 6.1 million people in the UK signed for a Revoke Article and to Remain in the EU, and 210,000 people participated in BLM protests.

POWER DISPERSAL

There should be a system that ensures power is spread across different political bodies to avoid one body becoming overly dominant.

PRESSURE GROUPS

Is a group of people of like-minded individuals who come together on the basis of shared interests of a commonly held cause in order to put pressure on government.

Example: Suffragettes, RSPCA

DIFFERENT PRESSURE GROUPS

Cause/ Promotional Groups: promote a particular issue.

Sectional/ interest groups: represent the interest of a particular group within society.

Insider Groups: has privileged access to government decision making and information.

Outsider Groups: do not have access to political decision making and may be unprepared to compromise government.

FACTORS THAT HELP PRESSURE GROUPS

Insider status: can use it to their advantage as by being able to consult with members of parliament, they can get specialised information.

Wealth: having financial resources helps to employ well informed researchers, arrange meetings with members of parliament

Celebrity Leadership: having a famous individual will help a group acheive more public recognition.

Social Media: provides new oppurtunites for pressure groups to engage with the public, specifically younger audiences. Also helps keep the public informed on pressure groups activities.

Direct Action: can create immediate publicity and government attention, strikes are often succesful depending on the disruption of them.

THINK TANKS

Think tanks are research institutions and policy institutes that analyse, debate, and influence public policy on topics. They publish reports, hold events, and advise politicians, acting as a bridge between academia, government, and the public to shape legislation and political discourse.

THINKS TANKS SUCCESSES

The King's Fund shapes policy in health and adult social care, frequently providing critical analysis of sector trends.

LOBBYISTS

An individual group whom, for a fee, attempt to influence the governemnt policy on behalf of another individual or group.

They also help expose outdated laws and policies, in order to favour the public or firms and businesses.

SUCCESS FOR LOBBYISTS

Since the Gin Act 1751, small scale production of gin had been forbidden in order to stop bootlegging. However, in 2008 lobbyists succeeded in having the Gin Act removed and now boutique gin is becoming one of the UK’s most enterprising new exports.