“Evaluate the view that the UK is facing a participation crisis”

Intro:

* Political participation= any action taken to influence the political system
* Political participation is an essential party of a functioning democracy
* Higher levels of participation increase the legitimacy of political actioN, the mandate of politicians and governments and understanding of political processes
* “Participation crisis” refers to the idea that participation is so low that it is undermining the legitimacy and strength of the democratic system
* judgement- It is to soon to tell whether the UK is suffering from a participation crisis- turnout is increasing, pressure group influence is increasing and and so is political activism/trade unionism

1. Turnout is elections

* In 2001 the turnout was only 59.4% in comparison to 83.9% in 1951
* In the 2022 welsh assembly local elections turnout was only 38%- 33.6% in England
* In 2016 turnout for the London Mayoral elections was 45%
* This has allowed for decreased legitimacy in government and a weakened mandate
* Allowed labour to be elected on only 35% of popular vote in 2005
* However-
* Turnout has been increasing since 2001- in the 2019 GE the turnout was 67.3%
* Turnout in 2021 Scottish Parliament election was 63.5% the highest ever in a Scottish parliament elections
* General Election turnout=high- 7.6% voting increase under EU 2016 referendum was 72.2%, 2014 Scottish independence referendum was 84.6%
* Whilst turnout for elections such as 2011 AV Referendum was lower- powerful statement of disinterest
* Judgment- people vote when it matters and turnout is increasing

2. Membership

* Membership of political parties has declined significantly over time
* Highest historic membership numbers were in 1953 2.8 million to conservatives, 1 million labour
* Traditionally party membership was absolutely essential in political participation and attending local party meetings were common
* 2015- only 1% of the electorate was a member of Labour, Conservative or Lib-Dems in comparison to 3.8% in 1983
* 2015- only 30% of public claimed to be a strong supporter of a political party
* SNP members- 119,000 in 2021- 72,000 in 2023
* However:
* In 2022- Labour had 432,000 members (although down from 523,000)- Corbyn Surge
* SNPs membership has grown from 22,000 before 2014 to 72,000 in 2023
* Judgment- people are now engaging in different ways such as social media, pressure groups and online petitions which are a lot more accessible and doesn’t commit a person to a certain group- people are clearly willing to associate with a party when they have views that align- the decrease in members itself can be an example of political participation
* Revoke Article 50 + remain in EU Petition signed by 6.1 million
* Environmental groups have a membership of 4.5 million- 1/10 adults are a part of such groups

3. Pressure group/trade union activity

* Trade unions traditionally allowed people to engage in politics
* 1970s- 13 million brits members of trade unions
* Under thatcher- the state sought to reduce influence of trade unions
* Trade Union Act 2016
* In 2021- 6.4 million in trade in one
* However-
* The number of strikes has increased significantly
* Trade union membership has grown for last four years in a row
* Since January 2023- membership of NFU has increased by 44,000
* In 2023- 98% of Junior Doctors took part in a ballot to strike- record turnout of 77.5%
* Growth in direct action from pressure groups- Just stop oil in 2022/2023

Conclusion:

Political participation is changing- not declining

* The internet has transformed communication within the UK and how people participate in politics
* Allows people to access and partake in political debate from their homes
* Use of E Petitions, Pressure groups, social media etc
* Turnout is increasing gradually- too early to tell if there is a participation crisis