Democracy & Participation

What is democracy?

Democracy: Greek word meaning people rule. Defined by Lincoln in 1863 'Government by the people, of the people and for the people'
Liberal Democracy: When a democracy has pluralism, and good rights protection.

Features and examples of Direct Democracy

When there is no distinction between the Government and the Governed, expressing opinions themselves.
Seen in its purest form in Ancient Athens and the Swiss Cantons.
In the UK it can be seen through referendums (EU in 2016, Scottish Independence 2014, AV voting system
2011), the 2015 Recall of MPs Act and petitions. Normal people expressing opinions outside of elections

Advantages of direct democracy

• Gives equal weight to all votes, unlike a rep. system where varying sizes of constituencies mean that votes do not have equal value

• Encourages participation as citizens will feel they make an impact

• Removes the need for reps. who can sometimes fail in their duty

• Purest form of democracy meaning an increase in legitimacy

• It can work in a modern context- referendums and Swiss cantons.

• Means decisions can be made quickly and avoid deadlock

• Decision has greater legitimacy

Disadvantages of direct democracy?

• Impractical in large, heavily populated modern states where decision making needs to be quick and is complicated

• Many people will not want to or will be qualified enough to take part in decision making- with some issues being too complex

• Open to manipulation as some voters will be easily led and too emotional

• Leads to tyranny of the majority, minorities will always be ignored

• Can undermine elected representatives who are usually more professional and educated in political issues.

Features and examples of Representative Democracy

Where people are not involved in every decision but rather pick a representative who will make decisions on their behalf.
Examples in the UK: Represented by MP, MEP, Councilor, Mayor and Assembly Members.
Can also be represented by Pressure Groups and Political Parties.
Representative Democracy relies on constituencies where citizens pick their representative. Constituents
therefore expect their representative to represent them. Because they are elected, they can be legitimate, and if they don't represent well they can be held accountable at the next election

Advantages of representative democracy

• Only practical system in a modern state

• Politicians form parties and ensure there is a clear choice, aided by Pressure Groups, there is a pluralist democracy of many choices

• Reduces chance of the tyranny of the majority as representatives can look our for under-represented groups

• Elections allow representatives to be held to count for decisions

• Politicians are in theory better informed to make momentous decisions

Disadvantages of direct democracy

• May lead to reduced participation as citizens let representatives make decisions

• Parties and Pressure Groups are often run by elite members of society- pursuing their own agendas not actually representing the people

• Minorities still in danger as politicians who want to be elected will side with the majority

• Politicians have teams of media campaigners to avoid accountability and our elections in the UK are every 5 years

• Politicians can become corrupt and incompetent and betray their electorate

What is a good democracy?- use these to analyse UK democracy

• A peaceful transition of power

• Free and fair elections

• Widespread Participation

• Freedom of expression and information

• Freedom of association

• Protection of rights and liberties

• Rule of law and an independent judiciary

• Accountable Government

• All citizens well represented

How democratic is the UK? Good

Peaceful transition of power- election losses are never contested and do not result in violence
Representation is improved by our devolved institutions with Scotland, Wales and N Ireland
Elections are largely free and fair and in secret- universal suffrage
We have an independent judiciary which uphold the rule of law and check the Government
Turnout and participation is increasing
We have a free media that can challenge politicians
We have a pluralist democracy- there are numerous options of Parties and Pressure Groups to support

How democratic is the UK? Bad

Our voting system FPTP is not proportional so minority views are ignored (UKIP 2015)
Parliaments sovereignty means that citizens rights can always be overruled
House of Lords are unelected
Much of the media is owned by wealthy unaccountable business and can sway elections
Participation crisis of recent decades
Money is still very important in our system helping political parties and pressure groups succeed
Suffrage can still be reformed- votes at 16

Is there a participation crisis? Yes

• TO at elections has greatly reduced: averaging nearly 75% between 1979 and 1997, now closer to 65%. 2019 saw a reduction again to 67%

• Party membership has also greatly reduced with 4% of the electorate being members in 1980 compared to 1% today

• Turnout is especially poor at a younger level: 58% in 2017 for 18-24, and 47% in 2019!

• The new elections may not be helping- 27% turnout for Police and Crime Commissioners in 2016 and less than 30% for Metropolitan Mayor

Is there a participation crisis? No

• Election Turnouts are improving since lowpoint of 59% in 2001, up to 69% in 2017 (has gone down in 2019)

• Recent referendums have shown that on important issues where voting can be seen to make a difference turnout increases- 84% for Scottish independence and 72% for EU Referendum

• Political Party membership is increasing. In wake of Corbynism Labour is now over 500,000 and SNP more than quadrupled beyween 2013 and 2016

• E-Democracy is increasing in popularity with 38 Degrees petitions beginning to get more and more signatures- 3.8 million for a second EU Referendum- 6 million signatures for revoking Article 50

What reforms are there?

Votes at 16
More E-Democracy
Compulsory Voting- This is used in Belgium where turnout is always above 80%. Some argue this would not increase passion and is also undemocratic
More referendums- belief high turnouts of Scot Brexit refs show they are popular and will ensure participation doesn't reduce. However, these 2 were v. important AV referendum of 2011 had a turnout of 42%.
Change Voting system
Get rid of House of Lords
More devolution
Recall elections

Roosevelt quote on democracy

"The government is us; we are the government, you and I." Theodore Roosevelt 26th President of US (1858-1919)
'Let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President and senators and congressmen and government officials, but the voters of this country.' Franklin D. Roosevelt - American President 1933-45

Aung San Suu Kyi quote on democracy

'I've always tried to explain democracy is not perfect. But it gives you a chance to shape your own destiny.' Aung San Suu Kyi - Burmese leader (now criticised for infringing human rights in Burma)

Louis D. Brandeis quote on democracy

'Democracy rests upon two pillars: one, the principle that all men are equally entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; and the other, the conviction that such equal opportunity will most advance civilization.' Louis D. Brandeis - American lawyer and associate justice on the Supreme Court of the United States from 1916 to 1939

Churchill quote on democracy

'Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time....' Winston Churchill UK Prime Minister - 1940-45 & 1951-55

Louis L'Amour quote on democracy

'To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.' Louis L'Amour - American Writer

How can we participate in a democracy?

1). Voting in an election.
2). Signing a petition.
3). Writing letters to elected representatives.
4). Campaigning for a candidate.
5). Running for office.
6). Trying to persuade someone to vote a different way.
7). Lobbying for laws.
8). Demonstrating through marches and other protests.

What is the democracy index?

The Democracy Index is an index which measures the state of democracy in 167 countries.
The index is based on 60 indicators grouped in five different categories, measuring pluralism, civil liberties and political culture. In addition to a numeric score and a ranking, the index categorises each country in one of four regime types: full democracies, flawed democracies, hybrid regimes and authoritarian regimes.

Where do countries come on the index?

No. 1 on the index: Norway
Bottom of the index: Afghanistan
Where is the UK? 18th

What is a state ?

A state is a territory within which sovereignty can be identified with its own gov and borders within a larger country.

What is the state?

The state are institutions within the country. Normally it includes: the army and the security and intelligence establishment, law enforcement, the bureaucracy or civil service (politically neutral bodies which stay in office even when political govs change), other institutions that may/may not be parts of the permanent body of the state, organisations that exist at lower level e.g. local authorities.

What is the government?

The gov is collection of individuals and groups that are politically fuelled and not permanent. In the UK the gov consists of the PM, cabinet, junior ministers and political advisors. Should the gov lose power, all these individuals will lose their positions and be replaced by a new team. The gov usually gives political direction to the state. Senior members of the state are usually appointed by members of the gov.

What is the legislature?

Means law-making body. However, can be misleading (especially in UK) as Parliament (the UK's legislature or known as Congress in the UK) doesn't normally make law. This is the responsibility of the gov. In UK, legislature is primarily focused on giving consent to proposed laws ("promulgation"). Parliament also has limited powers to change proposals ad may (v. rarely) reject a proposed legislation. The legislature includes the Crown, the House of Lords and the House of Commons.

What is the executive?

Has 3 mains roles: develop new legislation + present it to legislature for approval, arrange for implementation of laws, runs state + so administers the country. Includes the Crown and Gov.

What is the judiciary?

The legal system (judges in particular). Most not concerned with politics but with criminal matters and disputes between individuals + organisations. At high levels of judiciary (in UK including High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court) some cases include politics. When there are disputes about meanings of laws, rights are in jeopardy or disputes concerning behaviour of gov/state, the judiciary can have political significance. However, judges are expected to have neutral stance, eventhough they are concerned with political matters.

Evolution of political system - Magna Carta (1215)

Although ancient doc,was important landmark in development of pol culture + constitution. Idea of the rule of law and that no one is above it (especially principle that even monarch, gov in modern times, is under law).

Evolution of political system - The Glorious Revolution and the Bill of Rigts (1688-89)

In 1688, James II was removed from throne. Replaced by William of Orange + wife Mary. Known as 'Glorious Revolution' eventhough mainly peaceful. In exchange for throne, had to agree to number of restrictions. Written in BoR (1689). 5 terms which were v. important were: king would rule alongside permanent Parl, Parl would be result of regular free elections, members of parl would have freedom of speech, monarch would require consent of Parl to levy taxes, monarch would not have power to repeal any laws without consent of Parl. BoR was main practical result of political ideas of philosopher + liberal thinker Locke. Also saw development of 2 party system. Supporters of monarchical power were 'Tories' and Protestant supporters of parl power were 'Whigs'. Most Tories were members of upper class + landed gentry while Whigs were members of new capitalist middle class.

Evolution of political system - The Great Reform Act (1832)

In early 18th C general elections were irregular and corrupt. Constituencies varied in size with some so small that it was an easy task for a wealthy candidate to buy enough votes to win, described as 'rotten boroughs'. Rural parts of country over represented while urban areas under. Effect of bringing H of C into disrepute. Real power was in hands of monarch, his/her courtiers + 'governing class' (few wealthy members). Many MPs rarely attended chamber. Following long campaign (mainly by Whigs) a bill was brought before Parliament in1832. (Find more information)

Sovereignty

Legal sovereignty - ultimate source of all legal authority.
Political sovereignty - consider who ultimately makes political decisions. At elections people are politically sovereign but between it is PM and gov.
Popular sovereignty - form of political sovereignty. Relates to situations where people seem to be making ultimate decisions e.g. at elections. UK's decision to leave EU was good example of popular sovereignty at work.

Role of monarchy

Since 17th C monarch has gradually ceased to be gov and has ceased to have any political role. Everybody in the political system pays lip service to the authority of the monarch out of traditional respect but understands it doesn't really mean anything.

1) What forms of Direct Democracy can you think of? - try to give 3 examples below

Direct Democracy is a form of Democracy where the people themselves make key decisions.
Referendums (nationwide) - whether to keep 1st past the post or have AV (2011), Brexit (2016), whether to stay in EU (1975)
Referendum (regional) - Scottish independence (2014), Wales to have assembly (1997), Scotland to have Parliament (1997), London to have mayor + assembly (1998)

Athens: Where Democracy began

Athens at point was country (no Greece just Athenian city states). Being attacked by the Persians (modern day Iran). Given choice to fight or make deal (let Persia concour). People cast votes (no monarch making decisions) with stones in pots, no women, minorities or slaves vote (not secret ballot). Voted to fight + won. Bottom up decision.

Modern direct democracy - Switzerland

Constitution only changed if overall majority of electorate agrees in referendum + if electorate of majority agrees to. There are frequent minor changes which don't affect ideas/stability of Swiss Political System. There are frequent referendums on minor changes to federal or cantonal constitutions etc. referendumson changes to constitution are mandatory. Referendums on laws are "faculties" - only if 50000 citizens i.e. 1.2% of electorate demand it.
Changes can also be made through popular initiative, where 100,000 citizens (2.5% of electorate) may demand for change of constitution by signing form. Federal parliament then has to discuss initiative and either decide to recommend, reject or propose alternative. When chosen, referendum happens to decide whether to accept initiative, alternative proposal or reject change.

Modern direct democracy - UK

Referendum takes place (local or National) and includes voting on particular question. Decision to hold referendum is made by either national government or authority. Online petitions reach 100000 have potential to be debated on in parliament but have to be sponsored - still controlled through representative democracy. Some of local authorities have power as well.

Modern direct democracy - California

Gives Californians a way to propose laws and constitutional amendments. Their proposals don't need support of governors or legislature.
Process:
1). Write out proposal
2). Submit to attorney general - active measures proposal, inactive measures withdrawn or failed proposal
3). Initiative petitions are circulated, collect signatures
4). Signatures turned into counts for election officials for verification
5). Qualified for ballot or failed by Secretary of State
6). California votes will approve or deny initiative

Representative democracy

because there are too many complicated political decisions to be made, so it would take too much time for the public and may be too complicated for the ordinary citizen to understand. held accountable in regular elections, meaning public ultimately sovereign as they are the ones with the power to vote in the people they want, means MPs cant realistically do whatever they want. As they vote for their constituents, they spend a lot of time their, listening to meetings and surgeries. They hear peoples opinions and then weigh up this opinion with their own wider understanding of the issue and their party's manifesto, to make the best informed decision. If just copied public, would be a delegate, and not very useful. Basically, they act with their best judgement

Representative democracy - advantages

• voting and govt is carried out by proffesionals who are v. well educated in matters and issues, meaning they are more likely to make well informed decisions than members of public, E.g. before a parl. bill is passed been carefully drawn up by ministers + civil servants, debated in both Houses + analysed in committee stage where amendments added.

• Elected politicians able to balance conflicting interests with reacting a decision

• MPs are held to accountability, as in next election public could decide to vote them out, meaning have control if they decide dislike policies govt are putitng forward. This also puts checks and balances on power/straying away from what oil is want as MPs are cautious that ultimately their job is in the hand of their constituents (the public basically).

The representative function of an MP

Burke speech in 1774 he said "your representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgement and he betrays instead of serving you if he sacrifices it to your opinion." Basically saying that if your MP blindly follows you (the publics opinion), they ar e doing you more harm than good as you have elected them to not only vote on your behalf but alse to bring in their own judgement to the issues at hand. He was an opponent to the slave trade and Bristol's merchant class was founded on slave trade, so brave statement as saying he would follow his own consiocous instead of blindly following public opinion.

Representative democracy - disadvantages

MPs considered disengaged from public, meaning may not effectively understand public interest and what constituents really want, as don't know much about their life. Powerful PGs + lobbyists + London-based media establish self-perpetuating Westminster 'bubble', disconnects voters from representatives.
MPs may have conflict of interests that may influence decision, meaning don't fully represent constituents. E.g. George Osborne (former chancellor exchequer) became editor of Evening Standard while MP.
Parliament may be unrepresentive as elected through FPTP, meaning L and C dominate HoC and minority parties like UKIP and G Party struggle to get appropriate representation, even when poll highly.
Parliament not v. diverse meaning minorities may be poorly represented. critics say interests of poorer voters poorly represented. HoL not elected meaning don't need pub approval + not held accountable, undermining Parls representative function.

How unrepresentative is the Westminster Parliament?

Critics claim it is socially exclusive and therefore out of touch with the general public and therefore poorly representative. However, we should be cautious with this argument. The 2017 general election gave the most diverse House of Commons ever with 8% of MPs from ethnic minorities, 32% are female and 7% are LGBT and the proportion of privately educated MPs was 29%, the lowest it had ever been. However, it is still much higher than the 7% of students that are privately educated and the background of MPs is much more middle class than in 1945. Also, you could argue that MPs don't have to be like their constituents in order to effectively represent their constituents, e.g. the legislation allowing gay marriage was passed by a majority heterosexual parliament.

Direct democracy in the UK

A form of democracy where the citizens themselves make political decisions. The best modern example is referendums. It is consultative and participatory. There is no distinction between the people and government as the decisions are made by the people. Instead there is continuous engagement by the people. However, it would be impossible for a large modern state (like the UK). Even so, elements of direct democracy have been introduced into the UK (e.g. referendums) to keep people engaged in issues that directly effect them (e.g. Brexit) and happy.

To what extent is UK democracy in need of reform?

Some people argue not as general failure to engage in politics mean voters are so content they are 'hapathetic', however, dangerous argument suggests govt should be happy with 0 turnout to elections, which would be dangerous as would give Govt no mandate to govern. People also argue there needs to be big steps taken to re engage people in politics + democratic process as trust in politicians declined + turnout for elections lower than for a while. 2017 GE was highly advertised it only had 66.8% turnout, compared to 1992 GE which had a 77.7% turnout. Since people are choosing not to vote, means legitimacy of elected politicians reduced. Legitimate authority means power that has been legally acquired and is exercised according to the rule of law, e.g. a dictator can claim power but it is not legitimate.

There are three key features of Representative democracy - what are they?

1.Popular Participation in govt is limited: it is infrequent and brief, usually voting in elections every few years.
2.Popular participation is indirect: we do not exercise power ourselves. choose who will rule on our behalf.
3.Popular Participation is mediated: people are linked to govt through representative institutions like parl.

In a representative democracy, it is important that Elections:

Are free, fair and regular: voters can express their own views
Make sure that all adults can vote. (This is called universal suffrage).
have a genuine choice and genuine competition between candidates and parties.
Political Parties must spell out how they will govern in a MANIFESTO. If a party is elected to power, they are given a MANDATE to govern, based on this manifesto.

Strengths of UK democracy - free and fair elections

Elections largely free of corruption and intimidation (6 cases/people (that were caught) of electoral fraud in 2019 GE, according to electoral commission, which is relatively small but still a concern). To vote, ID shown is address. Cs want more photo ID, because poorer people are less likely to have ID. Increased use of referendums at a local and national level (such as 2011 AV ref - system being considered seen as too complicated and there was low turnout of 42% and many voters used it as opp to punish LDs for broken promise on uni fees, 2014 Scottish Independence ref - high turnout and 55-45 maj against independence but not resulted in issue going away, and 2016 EU ref - EU vote opened up deep rifts in society/country e.g. Scot + Lon vs rest of country ?? And old leaving vs young staying and middle class remain while working class leave) have complemented more free choice.

Strengths of UK democracy - wide range of parties

Ranging from far right to far left parties all stand in elections in Britain and put forward arguments for debate. The number of PGs have grown in last 20 years and range from groups such as RSPB with millions of members to smaller groups such as Horsham based pressure groups Residents Against Greenfield Erosion or RAGE who are campaigning against building of 2500 houses in north Horsham. The RSPCA has more members than the RPCC (what children for charity is called ???). A multitude of voices can be heard and often PGs with directly opposing views exist - e.g. League against Cruel Sports is opposed to fox hunting while Countryside Alliance is pro - healthy for democracy. Also ASH anti smoking group (for health reasons) and FOREST is pro smoking group (for civil liberties/freedom of speech).

Strengths of UK democracy - free media

There are a wide range of print media representing a variety of views. The BBC, ITV and Sky are generally perceived to be free from political influence. The internet allows a wide range of voices to be put across. The UK media is. Free to scrutinise the gov - e.g. the Daily Telegraph exposed the MP's expenses scandal. E-petitions e.g. nearly 4 mill signing up for 2nd EU referendum in 2016.

Strengths of UK democracy - devolved govts

Since 1997, Scot has developed own Parl, Wales and NI have gained own assemblies and London and other metropolitan areas such as Bristol and Manchester have elected mayors. This has enabled more decisions to be taken locally, closer to people who really care about local issues. Distinctive local policies, such as no tutition fees in Scot or new law to promote Welsh language that was unanimously passed by Welsh Assembly have developed according to local preferences. Shift in power towards national minorities and to city regions represents increase in democracy. Decentralises power + brings closer to people. New devolved administrations are more democratic than Westminster.

Strengths of UK democracy - independent judiciary

judiciary uphold rule of law and protects personal freedoms of citizens in UK, lead by most senior court in Britain, The SC. judiciary isn't afraid to challenge gov. Constitutional Reform Act 2005 - created SC. Also intro number of measures to ensure senior judiciary should be independent - now appointed by independent commission + gov made legally responsible for ensuring independence. SC judges taken out of HoL.

Strengths of UK democracy - human rights

HR Act 1998. Followed by Freedom of Info Act 2000. However, Parliament remains sovereign so rights on jeopardy from overmighty gov.

Weaknesses of UK democracy - under representation of minorities due to FPTP

Party whose voters spread out bound to do worse than party with concentrated support e.g. in 2017 GE SP had 977,569 votes and 35 seats whereas LDs had 2,371,910 votes with only 12 seats. Safe seats also issue. In constituency with overwhelming majority all voting 1 way, citizens in constituency who hold min view have v. little chance of preferred candidate having say in parl. Profoundly undemocratic + unfair. Eventhough LDs are 3rd biggest Party, SNP 3rd biggest in Parl as vote is more concentrated. 2019, LDs got 11% so should have got ~ 75 seats but only got 11 (1.7%). In 2019, SNP got 3.9% so should have got ~ 25 seats but actually got 48 (7.4%). 2015, UKIP won nearly 3.9 mill votes (12.6%), they only won 1 seat. If changed, would hurt C most, as other big parties are L wing voters, about 55% voted L wing so right wing (C would be outnumbered)?? L wing vote is less split so C can win more. Only 1 successful party on R and 5 on L (so splitting L vote, hindering vote). If we had PR there would be coalition govt?? Media (which are mainly R wing) would be supportive of keeping FPTP. Failed attempt to replace FPTP in 2011 ref. Critical that elections don't produce govs with clear mandate call into question whole democratic legitimacy of gov.

Weaknesses of UK democracy - HoL lacks democratic legitimacy

Unusual for 1 of 2 chambers of its parl (like UK) to be wholly unelected. Many attempts of reform have failed, leaving UK with mainly appointed 2nd chamber, where greater part of membership has been appointed by prev successive PMs. HoL does continue to lack democratic legitimacy. Unlike HoC, HoL not democratically elected into parl and so could be argued don't adequately represent UK voters. Most recent attempt to reform 2nd chamber failed 2012 when combination of opp. From C and HoL, and lack of pol will from coalition gov defeated proposals for elected house. HoL amended Brexit bill 2 - should be parliamentary vote on final exit deal with EU + guaranteeing residency rights of EU citizens already in country. HoC overturned these + HoL conceded. If can only delay legislation, usefulness questioned.

Weaknesses of UK democracy - Control of media, political parties and pressure groups by wealthy/unaccountable interests

Elitism - belief people who are part of elite tend to dominate in society. Statistics:
27.3% of British media owned by Lord Rothermere
24.9% us owned by Rupert Murdoch
29% of MP's are priv educated whereas UK's population amount of priv educated poeple is 7%.

Weaknesses of UK democracy - Voter turnout and Party Membership

Turnout for GE lowest since WW2 in 2001 (59%) though it has recovered a little recently (68% in 2019). Turnout for local elections poor (33.8% in 2016). Turnout for European elections poor (36.9% in 2019). Turnout in Police and Crime Commissioner elections v poor (27% in 2016). Party membership declining from 3.8% in 1983 to 1.6% now. L and LD membership recovering but C party membership has fallen by 200000 from mid 1990s. However, small party memberships (SNP, Brexit Party) growing. Pol inactive pop in danger of losing democratic rights. Voting for 2 main parties in long-term decline e.g. in 1979 L + C got votes of nearly 81% of pop but by 2015 was about 67%. Party mem rising again, e.g. in early 1980s 2 mill were members of parties but by 2015 was less than 400,000 but have increased since. Higher voting turnout 18-24 year olds, from little over 40% in 2010-15 to nearly 60% in 2017.

Strengths of further devolution

• Encourage greater democratic participation
• Gives people greater self-determination

Limitations of further devotion

•Turnout in elections is sig lower e.g. Scot Parl 1999 had turnout 59.1% but 2016 had turnout 55.6% and 1998 NI Assembly had turnout 69.8% and 2016 had 54.9%
•Suggests providing another layer of gov not that effective at engaging public
•Little enthusiasm for English Parl and when in 2004 voters in North East were given opp to have own assembly 78% voted against it
•Police and crime ommissioners elected in 2016 with on average a turnout of 25%
•Can lead to democratic overload e.g. with mayoral election, 2016 Lon mayoral election had turnout 45.3% + 2017 Bristol mayoral election had turnout 29.7%

Strengths of reform to power of recall

•Broadening criteria on which power of recall could be demanded would give constituents considerably more power e.g. in USA 18 states have recall provisions and in 2003 the governors of California (Davis) was recalled over failure to balance budget

Limitations of reform to power of recall

•Circumstances where this would have to happen are quite extreme - MP need to have been sentenced to prison or suspended from HoC for at least 21 days
•Would make MPs more like delegates so limiting of the Burkean principle of freedom of conscience

Strengths of HoL reform

•Making HoL + elected chamber mean Westminster was fully democratically accountable

What is HoL like right now?

•Is still unelected and unaccountable
•Selected through political patronage e.g. 2013 when DC left office selected 13 peers from political allies

Limitations of HoL reform

•Danger that elected HoL could become rival to HoC, therefore (maybe) creating constitutional gridlock (inability of govt to act because rival parties control different parts of govt)

Strengths of reform to digital democracy

•Will encourage greater political engagement and higher turnout

Limitations of reform to digital democracy

•Voting on phone mean voting no longer carried out in secret and possibility of voter manipulation increase
•Allegations of cyber-interference in Western elections by Russia shows it is more open to fraud
•Way in which politicians use twitter can encourage political sloganeering
•Standard of debate on social media indicates activists can use this as much to bully as to engage in debate

Strengths of reform to electronic petitions

•Gives pub more control over what discussed in Parl
•Have led to important debates on poss legislation on cannabis + extension of meningitis B vaccine to all children
•Making them more powerful (by making them automatically trigger Parl vote) make Parl more accountable
•In 2019 e petition called on UK to stay in EU got over 6 mill signatures (most pop since was intro) clearly showing Parl how controversial issue of Brexit still was and shows how integral e petitions have become to the ways in which UK democracy operates

Limitations of reform to electronic petitions

•Could weigh Westminster down in unconstitutional + unpractical debates e.g. some of most pop have called for Trump to be banned from UK which is not even Parl's right since responsibility lies with Home Secretary

Strengths of reform to FPTP

•Replacing FPTP with proportional form would create fairer connection between votes and representation
•Claim FPTP discourages voting as limits voter choice by over-rewarding L and C parties
•By making votes count more people argue 'wasted votes' and 'safe seats' would be eliminated + voters would have greater incentive to vote

Limitations of reform to FPTP

•2011, 67.9% of electorate voted in favour of not replacing FPTP with AV
•PR would make coalition govts more likely, making it more difficult for parties to fulfill manifesto promises
•Claim FPTP no longer appropriate (as UK becoming a multiparty democracy) is challenged because in 2017 GE highest % of electorate voted C or L than at any gen election since 1970 (look at table on page 17)

What has happened to GE turnout?

Been sharp DOWNWARD trend in GE TURNOUT 1997 - 2001. 1945 - 1992 - av turnout in GE was above 3 quarters of pop (75%+). It was always above 70%
1997, it stood at 71%. In 2001 election, dropped massively to 59%. 2 in every 5 people in country were not voting in ANY elections.
People hoped this was blip but.... Voting turnout only rose in 2005 to 61% - still 2nd
lowest number since 1918. Turnout in 2010 GE 65% - also below post-war average. 2015 turnout was 66% - an increase - however was closely fought election (and weather was good) so turnout could have been expected to be higher. 2017 went higher, 68%. More young people also voted. 2019, dropped slightly - 67%

What are 2 ways at looking at change in turnout?

There are two ways of looking at this...... EITHER - turnout is slowly recovering from a record low and will continue to rise...... OR - turnout is permanently going to stay below historical average.

Electoral turnout - other elections

• Police + Crime Commissioner Elections, Nov. 2016- Voter turnout ~ 26%, leading Electoral Commission to describe as "a concern for everyone who cares about democracy", HOWEVER was a rise from 2012 when was an even worse 15%. In 2021 turnout rose to 33%.
•Local Elections + EU Elections. 36% of people turned out in England in local elections in 2017. Turnout in local elected Mayoral elections was also low - in West Midlands, was at 26%, in Manchester it reached 29% Turnout in UK for European elections is almost as low as local elections - 36.9% in 2019 and 34.2% in 2014.
Refs have bucked the trend.
• In Scotland, 2014 independence ref saw whopping 84.59%. EU ref of 2016 saw a respectable 72.2%.

C party membership

• Conservative Party had 180,000 members as of December 2019, the latest available estimate published by Conservative Campaign Headquaters (CCHQ).
• Conservative party has seen the greatest decrease in membership, from 2.9million in 1951 to 180,000 today (2019 est.)

L party membership

• L Party has ~ 485,000 members, as of March 2019.
• In 1950, there were 800,000 L Party members. By 2011 this was an estimated 190,000. This increased to an estimated 550, 000 as of Sept 2016. It is thought that the leadership contest encouraged the fastest growth in L party membership for over 60 years. This suggests that participation is holding firm. Membership is now aprrox. 485,000

SNP membership

• The Scottish National Party has around 125,000 members, as of July 2019.
• SNP membership has massively increased in the last decade. In 2003 it had 9,450 members which had increased by 2011 to 20,000 members. The independence referendum saw numbers increase hugely to 75,000 (est. Oct 2014). Today its membership is approximately 125,000

LD membership

• The Liberal Democrat Party has 115,000 members, as of February 2017.

G party membership

• The Green Party (England and Wales) has 55,500 members, as of August 2019.
• Green Party membership more than doubled between 2003 (5,300) and 2010 (12,800). In October 2014 it was approx. 20,000. As of today it is estimated the Green Party has 49,000 members.

UKIP membership

• UKIP has around 29,000 members, as of July 2019.
• In June 2014 membership of UKIP was approx. 39,000. Today it has a reported 29,000 members.

Plaid Cymru membership

• The Plaid Cymru has 10,000 members, as of July 2019.

BNP membership

• 2001-2007: BNP membership increased 5-fold but has since decreased from an all time high in 2009 of 12,600 to 4,200 in 2013 and an estimated 500 members today.

Party membership across Europe

• Political party membership across Europe is declining.
• 1983- 3.8% of the electorate were a member of a political party. In 2011 it was 0.8%, today it is just over 1%.

Group membership

The National Trust's membership reached four million for the first time in 2011.
Group membership. Trade union membership has decreased from 13.2million in 1979 to 6.5 million in 2013. Nearly half of all "cause" pressure groups have been set up since 1960. The RSPB has over 1 million members. More people in the UK are a member of the RSPB than all of our political parties combined.

Petitions

Parliament E-petitions launched in Aug 2011. In their 1st year they attracted 6.4mill signatures. In 1st year on av, 12 people every minute signed an e-petition.
In 2003, hundreds of thousands of people took to streets of London to voice opposition to Iraq war. Police said it was UK's biggest ever demonstration with at least 750,000 taking part, although organisers put figure closer to two mill. Many of biggest protests in UK History have occurred in last 20 years - from UK Women's March in Jan 2017 in protest at misogyny - especially that of Trump, through 2019 climate crisis marches in UK cities, to People's vote march in 2018 where 700,000 people marched asking for a second Brexit ref

Is there participation crisis? - voter turnout (YES)

Since 1997, no election has reached over 70% of turnout, despite the last over 70% of turnout, despite the last
This is in stark comparison to the period from 1918-1997 when EVERY election reached over 70%.

Is there participation crisis? - voter turnout (NO)

three elections (2010, 2015 and 2017) being some of the most exciting and close in years.
The 2017 & 2019 elections saw a continuing trend of rising turnout. This means that we cannot consider this a participation crisis. According to the FT 64% of young voters between the ages of 18-24 who were registered to vote - the highest number since 1992. Again, this suggests that participation is not in crisis.

Is there participation crisis? - turnout in other elections (YEs)

Turnout remains low in nearly all non-general elections with the pattern of a large majority of people staying at home and not excising their right to vote. Examples: local elections 33.8% in 2016, European elections 36.9% in 2019, Police & Crime Commissioner elections 27% in 2016

Is there participation crisis? - turnout in other elections (NO)

Low turnout is not reflected in referendums. Here, the Scottish referendum saw a record turnout for any such poll, with 84% of the Scottish voting population turning out. The EU referendum saw a higher turnout than for any general election since the 1990's (72.7%) and caught the nations imagination.

Is there participation crisis? - party membership (YES)

The Conservative Party membership has dropped significantly and, until the Corbyn resurgence, Labour was in a similar state. UKIP has seen a drop off since the EU referendum and the fact remains that a tiny percentage of the UK population (around 1% at best) is a member of a political party, suggesting a lack of engagement in the mainstream political process.

Is there participation crisis? - party membership (NO)

Is there participation crisis? - active participation and pressure group membership (YES)

There has been a decline in corporatism. Trade Union membership has almost halved from a peak of 13.2 million in 1979 to under 6 million today. This suggests that people are less likely to assert their political rights in the work place and are less likely to be politically active.

Is there participation crisis? - active participation and pressure group membership (NO)

How has turnout at uk general elections changed in recent decades

why is turnout important in a representative democracy

-Low turnout threatens the government's legitimacy.
-It also questions the wining party's mandate to implement their mainfesto if there is low turnout.

what is differential turnout? Why are average turnout figures so misleading

-Differential turnout- the ranging levels of turnout across the country.
-Average turnout does not show regional differences- e.g. 2017 GE
-Highest turnout- Twickenham with 79.5%.
-Lowest turnout Glasgow North East with 53%.

what evidence is there of partisan disalignment in the uk

what is meant by 'apathy' and 'hapathy'. Why might they affect turnout levels

why might formal political participation by healthier than previously thought

what is e-democracy and what examples of it can be found in the uk

-New opportunities for participation online.
-Goverment e-petitions website- 2001-2015- over 150 petitoipns collected over 10,000 signatures, warranting a government response.
-37 reached over 100,000 repsonses, with 31 being debated in the House of Commons.
-38 Degreee- online community organising space- political issues.
-Social media- easier for constituents to contact their representative or express their view.

what does the 2019 audit of political engagement suggest about the health of representative democracy in the uk

-15 year high in number of people that 'strongly disagree' that political involvement changes the way the UK is run (11%).
-47% felt they had no influence over national decision making, while 32% said they did not want to be involved 'at all' in local decision making.
-30% never discuss politics, and 53% have had no online involvement in politics for at least a year.
-58% said to bring about change they would be willing to vote, but lots were unlikely to take more action than that.

Why was the most relevant parts of the Magna carta for UK democracy?