Democracy Participation Crisis??

What % of 16-17 year olds voted in the Scottish Indy Ref

75%

Turnout at the 2015 General Election was X

66%

Turnout at the 1974 General Election was X

79%

Turnout at the 2019 General Election was X

67.3%

Of the 66.1% of the electorate that participated in 2015, only X voted for the Conservative Party.
This means that the Conservative majority Government of Cameron was endorsed by just X of potential voters.

37%, 25%

As a X X, it is vital that turnout is high so that the resulting government can claim to have a legitimate mandate to enact the policies in their manifesto.

Representative Democracy

In 2019, X MPs were elected with less than 50% of the popular vote

229

Nearly X voters are in seats that have not changed hands since the Second World War, a study has found.

14 million

Almost 200 constituencies in the Commons have not changed allegiance since 1945, with the average seat in the UK having been won by the same political party for X years, new analysis by the Electoral Reform Society shows.

42

The data highlights one in ten of the 650 seats in the Commons - X Conservative and X Labour - have not swapped colour since 1918

54, 11

Turnout of the Local elections in 2021 - X

36%

Turnout is getting better?
Turnout at the 2005 General Election was X

61%

Turnout at the 2002 General Election was X

59%

The 2014 Scottish independence referendum had turnout of X, and even included 16 and 17-year-old voters for the first time, with around 75% participating.

84.5%

X of 16-17 years olds who voted in the IndyRef said that they would vote again in future referendums.

97%

The EU referendum experienced X% turnout, a record high for a UK-wide referendum

72%

In 2019, only X% of the electorate was a member of the Labour, Conservative or Liberal Democrat parties

1.5%

Total % of the population that is a member of a political party

2\.11%

In 1983, X of the electorate was a member of the Labour, Conservative or Liberal Democrat parties

4%

The Conservative Party had almost X million members in the 1950s

3

The Conservative Party has around X members as of September 2022 (Financial Times article)

175,000

The SNP has around X members, as of March 2023 (reported by the BBC). This was down from around 104,000 members, as of December 2021 (Electoral Commission data)

75,000

Conservative party membership in 1953 was X million, Labours was X million

3, 1

Also - decline in the membership of trade union movements
In 1979 there were 13.2 million, now it is estimated that in 2017 there were X million members

6

The SNP's membership has grown from around 22,000 prior to the 2014 independence referendum, to over X by 2017

120,000

SNP membership prior to Indy Ref

22,000

High quality participation among those that are members - Sunak was chosen as leader in 2019 on a turnout of X of party members.

83%

Whilst people are maybe not members of political parties, they still vote for the main parties... (X of voters chose red or blue in 2019

76%

Quality of participation - very low - refers to the participation that arises from the proliferation of a single click 'flagging' buttons present on the main social media platforms - like a like button

Clictivism

On Twitter the conservatives have X followers, Labour X

607,000, 1m

Petition to Revoke Article 50 and remain in the EU was signed by X million people in 2019

6\.1m

Petition to prevent Donald Trump from making a State Visit to the United Kingdom was signed by X million people in 2017

1.9m

Petition to not prorogue parliament was signed by X million people in 2019

1\.7m

Estimated that X of individuals are members of a pressure group, of sorts

40-50%

Using their buying power to effect societal changes directly or indirectly. Move away from fast fashion to raise with the government the issue of workers rights and fair pay

Political consumerism

Rise in X - where citizens use their purchasing power to actively support certain products or services

Buycotts

Fairtrade - The 1.66 million farmers in the Fairtrade network form a speck within the 2 billion or so people who make their living from agriculture. The sale value of Fairtrade's products may add up to $9bn
X - Sell fairtrade products

Tesco

RSPB - Over X members, including more than 200,000 youth volunteers. X volunteers for every paid worker.

1m, 6

RSPB initiative

Big Garden Birdwatch

Marches - The BREXIT march in London, under 'The peoples vote' amassed many many people.
According to the Guardian, official figures put the march at X million people.

1

Trade union membership has gone from X million in 1979 to X million.

13\.2, 6.2

Limited time away from work

Trade Unions Bill 2016

X working its way through parliament which once more limits the capacity of strike action.

Minimum Services Bill

‘Write to your MP about Islamophobia’

Muslim Council of Britain