Politics-Democracy and Participation

Democracy

literal meaning-”rule by the people”

Refers to political systems in which the people are involved in decision making in some way.

Direct Democracy

-individuals express their opinions themselves rather than through elected representatives, allowing citizens to vote directly on laws and policies.

Representative democracy

people elect representatives who take decisions on their behalf however representatives do not merely take instructions from voters, they are expected to exercise judgment and make informed decisions. If they do not satisfy voters they can be held to account and removed at the next election.

Advantages of Direct Democracy

• gives equal weight to all votes, unlike a representative system where the varying sizes of constituencies mean that votes do not all have equal value

• encourages popular participation in politics by expecting people to take their duties as citizens seriously

• removes the need for trusted representatives, as people can take responsibility for their own decisions

• Develops a sense of community and encourages genuine debate

Disadvantages of Direct democracy

• impractical in a large population where decision making is complicated

• many people will not want to or feel qualified to take part in decision-making, so political activists decide what happens

• open to manipulation by the cleverest and most articulate speakers who will persuade people to support their viewpoint

• will of the majority is not mediated by parliamentary institutions , so minority viewpoints are disregarded

Advantages of representative democracy

• the only practical system in a large modern state , where issues are complex and often need rapid response

• politicians form parties, bringing coherence and giving people a real choice of representative.

• reduces chances of minority rights being overridden by ‘tyranny of the majority’

• elections allow people to hold representatives to account

• politicians are better informed than the average citizen about the many issues on which they must take a view

Disadvantages of representative democracy

• may lead to reduced participation as people choose to hand responsibility to politicians

• parties and pressure groups are often run by elites pursuing their own agendas , not truly representing the people

• minorities still may find themselves under-represented as politicians are more likely to follow the views of the majority to secure election

• politicians are skilful in avoiding accountability ,especially as general elections are five years apart in the UK

• politicians may be corrupt and incompetent ,may betray election promises or put loyalty to their party before responsibility to the electorate

two ways direct democracy can be used within a representative system

• National Referendums- A referendum is a direct vote on a single issue usually requiring a response to a yes or no question.

• The 2015 recall of MPs act - this allows a petition to be triggered in an MP is sentenced to be imprisoned or is suspended from the house of commons for more than 21 days. If 10% of eligible voters in the constituency sign the petition , a by-election is called. Thus holding representatives to account.

Difference between legitimacy and democracy

• legitimacy=consent from the people to rule

• democracy= validates the policies of those who exercise power

positive democratic features

• devolved governments- with powers transferred from the UK parliament in London to the Scottish parliament in Edinburgh, the Welsh assembly in Cardiff and the Northern Ireland assembly in Belfast. Furthermore elected mayors for London and other cities, enabling more decisions to be taken closer to the local people

• Free and fair elections-largely free of corruption and intimidation, in recent years supplemented by opportunities to vote in referendums

• wide range of political parties and pressure groups- to which the people may belong

• free media -that challenges government policy and exposes the misdeeds of politicians

• independent judiciary- separate from the other branches of government that upholds the rule of law and protects a wide range of personal freedoms

arguments for the UK political system being undemocratic

• underrepresentation of minority viewpoints due to the voting system

• house of lords lacks democratic legitimacy

• lack of protection for citizens rights

• control of sections of the media by wealthy, unaccountable business interests

underrepresentation of minority viewpoints due to the voting system

the house of commons is elected by the firs past the post system , which produces a mismatch between the votes cast for UK political parties and the seats that each party wins in parliament.

house of lords lacks democratic legitimacy

UK is unusual for having one chamber of parliament(house of lords) wholly unelected meaning it continues to lack democratic legitimacy

lack of protection for citizens rights

the european convention on human rights, incorperated into uk law in 1998(humans rights act) arguably provides inadequate guarantees for the rights of citizens in their relationship with the state. Governments can ‘derogate from’ articles of the human rights act, officially stating that parts of the act no longer have legal authority in certain situations

control of sections of the media by wealthy, unaccountable business interests

e.g. the powerful murdoch group has owned a number of british newspapers simultaneously, including the times, the sunday times and the sun

participation crisis

a lack of engagement with the political system

e.g. where a large number of people choose not to vote, join a political party or stand for office

the most obvious measure of participation

voter turnout

what is voter turnout

The percentage of eligible voters who cast their ballots in an election, indicating the level of public engagement in the democratic process.

why is falling turnout important

because it means the governments are elected on a reduced share of the popular vote thus calling into question the strength of their mandate

the average turnout at general elections from 1945-1997

76%

what year experienced the lowest voter turnout since the end of WW1

the year 2001 with only 59.4% voter turnout

in what type of elections is turnout even lower

so called ‘second order’ elections e.g. such as those for devolved bodies in scotland wales and northern ireland and in local council elections

average turnout in the may 2016 local elections in england and why

33.8% - this may be because voters see these less powerful bodies as unlikely to make a major difference to their lives

turnout in parliamentary by elections is often low because…

people are not helping to choose a government.

e.g. in feb 2017 stoke on trent election voter turnout was only 38.2% - this was significantly less than the already low 49.9% turnout in the seat at the 2015 general election.

e.g feb 2017 copeland by election had a turnout of 51.3%, down from 63.8% at the general election

another indicator to measure participation is

party membership

party membership in the uk

• only 1.6% of the electorate now belongs to one of the three main political parties

• whereas the figure in 1983 was 3.8%

conservative party membership

just under 160,000 members by 2016 - a significant drop from an estimated 400,000 in the mid 1990s

labour party membership

• increased in the run up to the 1997 election but fell while the party was still in government to 190,000 members.

• the election of jeremy corbyn as leader has been associated with an increase to 515,000 members by july 2016

liberal democrats party membership

• around 70,000 members in the early 2000s- falling to 49,000during the 2010-15 coalition with the conservatives

• 2016 recovered to about 76,000 members and by 2017 claimed a membership exceeding 82,000

minority parties membership

july 2016

SNP- 120,000 members

Green party- 55,000 members

UKIP- 39,000 members

another way to measure participation

pressure groups membership

the emergence of social media has..

enabled people especially the young to exchange political views and participate in online campaigns on particular issues , without engaging in the real world (e-democracy)

e.g. support for e-petitions which allow people to register a viewpoint online

2007- e-petition on the downing street website against proposals for road-charging was signed by 1.8 million people

the rise of new forms of political engagement could be negative because..

it is still a cause of concern that so many people are uninvolved in traditional politics, this could be due to apathy and hapathy

apathy

a lack of interest or awareness of contemporary events and political issues that affect society

hapathy

a combination of ‘happiness’ and ‘apathy’. peple are generally content with life and see no need for political change

hapathy may be the reason for unusual low levels of voter turnout in 2001 and 2005 because..

the economy was booming abd presumably levels of contentment were higher

apathy may be the reason for low voter turnout in 2010 because..

there was a much less optimistic economic background

levels of participation depend on the type of issue at stake

e.g. sep 2016-scottish independence referendum turnout was 84.6% june 2016- EU referendum turnout was 72.2%

suggests that on critical issues affecting the way that the country is governed people will still express a view

a factor that explains both declining voter turnout and increasing interest in alternative types of political activity is..

the generally negative public perception of politicians in recent decades.

examples of dishonest behaviour by MPs and broken electoral promises together with a general sense that voting does not change anything have reduced levels of trust in democratic politics

the 2009 parliamentary expenses scandal

• featured stories that some MPs made false claims for mortgage repayments, home insurance and other costs including in one case the purchase of a duck house

• daily telegraph published evidence of widespread abuse of the system that allowed MPs to claim expenses for living costs

• led to various apologies, forced repayments and decisions not to contest seats at the next general election

• five former MPs and two members of the house of lords were sentenced to prison terms

proposals to increase turnout by making it easier to vote

• changing the day for elections from Thursday to the weekend

• allowing people to vote anywhere in their constituency, rather than insisting on attendance at a particular polling station

• allowing voting to take place over several day

other suggestions that are more extreme

• use of postal voting and e-voting

• voting age be reduced from 18 to 16

• make voting compulsory - where failure to turn up at the polling station results in a fine

arguments against electronic voting

• potential for hacking and security issues

  e.g. 2004 european parliament elections- when all postal ballots were trialled in four regions there were complaints of an increase in electoral fraud, including multiple voting and intimidation. Voters also disliked being deprived of other means of voting.

• E-voting is open to problems arising from cyberattack and the possibility of online impersonation of voters

• not everyone has access to technology

  e.g. older people are less familiar with it and poorer voters who might not being able to afford a computer

arguments for voting to be made compulsory

• voting is a social duty as well as a right - people should be engaged with the process that affects their lives

• it would produce a parliament that is more representative of the population as a whole

• politicians would have to run better quality campaigns and governments would have to frame their policies with the whole electorate in mind

• voters are not obliged to vote for one of the candidates if they conscientiously cannot do so; it would be legal to spoil ones ballot paper or none of the above box could be provided on the paper

• increases political engagement and voter turnout

• countries like belgium and australia already practise this

broader reforms of the UK democratic system if the reasons for non-participation lie deeper than apathy or inconvenience of actually taking part in the electoral process

• changing the electoral system to proportional representation so that it more accurately reflects voters preferences. people who wish to vote for a minority party might feel their viewpoint is more represented

• further reform of parliament - to make its processes more democratic and transparent and enabling it to bring governments more effectively to account for their actions

• the transfer of more government powers and functions to local bodies e.g. devolving power to the english regions or to an english parliament

suffrage (franchise)

is the ability or right to vote in public elections

who can vote in the UK

• all adults over age of 18

• British and irish citizens have reciprocal rights to vote in each others countries

• commonwealth citizens are allowed to vote

• UK nationals who have lived abroad for less than 15 years

who cannot vote in the UK

• people under age of 18

• EU citizens( apart from those from the irish republic)

• members of the house of lords

• prisoners

• those convicted of a corrupt or illegal electoral practise, who are barred for five years

• people who are compulsorily detained in a psychiatric hospital

widening of the franchise by the 19th century

• there were two types of constituency:the counties and the boroughs. counties= right to vote was restricted to those who owned property worth atleast 40 shilling (£2) boroughs=voting restrictions varied depending on the area

when was the FIRST great reform act

1832

what did the great reform act 1832 change

• abolishing the separate representation of the most underpopulated ‘rotten boroughs’ and creating seats for urban areas e.g.Manchester

• granting the vote to some new categories of people in the counties including tenant farmers and smaller property holders

• creating a standard qualification for the franchise in the boroughs so it now applied to all male householders living in properties who paid a yearly rental of £10 or more i.e. the middle classes

how much did the electorate increase to as a result of the great reform act

650,000 - 5 percent of the adult population

what year and who could vote

• 1867- borough householders=electorate 1.2 million - 13percent of the adult population

• 1884 - rural householders= electorate over 5 million - 25 percent

• 1918 - all men over 21 and women over 30= 75 percent

• 1928 - all men and women over 21 = 100 percent of adults

• 1948 - end of plural voting = one person , one vote

• 1969 - voting age reduced to 18= reflecting changing attitudes in society about adulthood

the exclusion of women was challenged until when

19th century

why did people think women didn’t need to vote

assumed that married women were represented by the votes cast by their husbands

why were women not allowed to vote in parliamentary elections

believed only med should have a say in issues of national and imperial importance

what type of elections were women allowed to vote in

local council elections

what does the NUWSS stand for

National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies

when was the NUWSS established

1897

who led the NUWSS

millicent fawcett

suffragists

• middle-class women

• believed in non-violent methods of persuasion e.g.peaceful demonstrations , petitions and lobbying MPs

what does WSPU stand for

Women's Social and Political Union

when was the womens social and political union formed

1903

who formed the womens social and political union

emmeline pankhurst and her daughter christabel pankhurst

suffragettes

• working and middle-class women

• used more militant tactics than the NUWSS e.g. hunger strikes, protests, and property damage to campaign

aim of the suffragettes and how did they try to achieve their aim

to attract publicity and put pressure on parliament through attacks on well- known institutions and the disruption of political meetings and other prominent male-dominated public activities to secure women's voting rights in the UK

the most known example of suffragette protest

1913 - emily davison threw herself under the king’s horse at the epsom derby

what suffragettes do when they were imprisoned

go on hunger strike - leading the authorities to force-feeding

when and why did the suffragettes have to suspend their campaign

1914 because of the outbreak of WW1

when did female enfranchisement come into place

1918 - through the representation of the peoples act

what type of women got the vote as a result of the 1918 representation of the people act

women over the age of 30 who were householders or wives of householders

why did WW1 potentially help women get the vote

the willingness of the women to serve in vital industries during the war and filling the gaps left by men on military service - persuaded the government of their fitness for the vote

what type of women were the majority of female war workers

young and unmarried women

when and where were 16 and 17 year olds allowed to vote

scottish independence referendum in 2014

what year did the scottish parliament vote to allow 16 and 17 year olds to take part in its own elections

2015

by the time of the 2015 general election what was the only party NOT in favour of extending the vote to 16 -17 year olds

conservatives

advantages for extending the franchise to 16 and 17 year olds

• 16-17 year olds have other legal rights - to leave school,start work and pay tax,join the armed forces , have sex and get medical treatment so why not the right to vote?

• 16-17 year olds have citizenship lessons in school so they know about politics and can already take part in political debate

• if 16-17 year olds could vote more people would take part in politics and increase political participation - three quarters of 16/17 year olds voted in the scottish referendum

• 16-17 year olds would give them a say on issues that mean a lot to them - like university tuition fees - and would let them make sure that political parties think about the future when they shape their policies too

disadvantages of extending the vote to 16 and 17 year olds

• some of the legal rights 16-17 year olds have are limited in practise e.g. 16 year olds need parental agreement to marry and few 16 year olds are in full time employment

• argument that at 16 young people lack the necessary life experience and maturity to vote - relatively few take part in youth parliament or in similar enterprises

• many young people don’t want to vote and want to leave decision-making to adults

• the scottish referendum attracted unusually high levels of participation for all age groups so it is not a fair argument

• 18-24 year olds are the the age group with the lowest turnout in UK elections so why would participation be high for 16 and 17 year olds

• few countries allow 16 year olds to vote ; brazil , channel islands , austria and some elections in malta , germany and norway

pressure group

an organization that seeks to influence government policy and decision-making on specific issues

why does a pressure group differ from a political party

they do not enter their own candidates at elections and do not seek to exercise power themselves

types of pressure groups

• sectional groups

• cause groups

• social movements

sectional groups

• seek to promote the interests of an occupation or another group in society

• e.g. trade unions represent their members in negotiations with employers over wages and working conditions

• membership of s sectional group is usually restricted to people who meet specific requirements such as professional qualifications in a particular field e.g. the law society is open to solicitors in england and wales

cause groups

• focussed on achieving a particular goal or drawing attention to an issue or group of relates issues

• membership is open to anyone who emphasises with their aims

• e.g. greenpeace promotes awareness of environmental concerns and tried to influence the government to adopt green causes

special category of a cause group

• promotes the interests of a group in society - usually one that cannot stand up for itself

• members do not belong to the social group for which they campaign e.g. members of a housing charity shelter are not themselves homeless

social movements

• similar to cause groups but are more loosely structured

• some participants may belong to more traditional pressure groups - while others are simply moved to take part in a specific protest

• usually politically radical and seek to achieve a single objective e.g. camps for climate change were created for short periods in 2006-10 to protest against the expansion of heathrow airport , coal fired power stations in yorkshire and other environmental targets

types of pressure groups regarding their relationship with the government

• insider

• outsider

outsider pressure group

• work with the government through contacts with ministers and civil servants to achieve their aims

• aims tend to align and are similar to the governments

• insider groups are also subdivided into low profile groups and high profile groups

what pressure group typically moves from outsider to insider depending on the government in power

trade unions

when and who excluded trade unions from power and influence

1979 thatcher

insider group choice of methods