Direct democracy and representative democracy

Direct Democracy

Where people vote on individual laws

Representative democracy

People vote for politicians who make decisions on their behalf

What are some important political decisions made by?

Referendums

examples of direct democracy

• Referendums

• Online petitions

referendums

A direct vote on issues and the government acts or creates a policy based on the response

Online petition

A digital form of gathering signatures to show public support for a cause

What is a example of a UK referendum?

The 2016 EU referendum (Brexit)

How many UK citizens voted on whether to remain a member of the EU or leave?

33 Million

What percentage of people voted to leave the EU?

51.89%

What is an example of a uk online petition?

President Donald Trump's visit to the uk

How many people signed a petition to stop president Donald trump from a making state visit to the UK?

1.6 million

What was the outcome of the online petition in 2018?

They changed it from a state visit to a working visit

What was the alternative vote referendum 2011?

A referendum to adopt the alternative vote system instead of the FPTP system

How many people voted against the alternative vote system?

19 million citizens

How many signatures is needed for a petition to be debated in parliament?

100,000

What must a topic be sponsored by to be debated in parliament

Backbench business committee

Does the government have to respond to Protests and Rallies?

• No

What are examples of rallies and protests?

• 2017 - Thousands of citizens gathered to protest in London against the governments economic and political decisions

• 2010 - Thousands of students marched in London to protest tuition fee rises

advantages of direct democracy?

• It is the purest form of democracy

• People are more likely to engage in the political process

• It’s transparent by ensuring a strong level of openness between citizens and the government

• Direct democracy ensures that the will of the people is clear

• Citizens become educated in key political issues

• All votes count equally

Constituency

An area whose voters choose a representative

tyranny of the majority

• Majority uses power to harm minority interests

Tyranny of the minority

Smau groups have more power than their size suggests

Political party

Groups aiming to win elections and run the government

Pressure groups

Groups trying to influence government decisions

Pluralist democracy

Government listens to many different groups

Majoritarian democracy

Majority always gets it's way’ even at minority's expense

What are the three nationwide referendums the UK has had?

• 1975 Britains membership of the European Union

• 2011 Alternative Vote

• 2016 Brexit Referendum

2015 Recall of MP’s Act

• Law that allows a petition to be triggered if an is sentenced to be imprisoned or is suspended from the House of Commons for more than 21 days

• If 10% of local voters sign then there’s a new election

What is an example of the Recall of MP’s Act 2025?

• Was successfully used in Wellingborough in December 2023 to remove MP Peter Bone, after he was suspended from the HOC for 6 weeks for breaching the code of conduct of MP’s over bullying and sexual misconduct

What are the disadvantages of Direct Democracy?

• Voters may not be experts

• Impractical

• Can be manipulated

Why can direct democracy be seen as impractical?

• Because it’s too time consuming and expensive

How much did the official cabinet estimate that the total cost of the 2016 EU referendum was?

£142.4M

How can direct democracy be manipulated?

• In referendums the way questions are phrased and the timing of them can manipulate the results.

• The electorate can be influenced by influential political figures, campaigns or the media

What is an example of direct democracy being manipulated

• The wording of the 2016 EU referendum as changed from yes/no to remain/leave, because the yes/no may benefit the yes side

Advantages of representative democracy?

• They are expertise

• Practical

• Accountability

• Representation

• Quicker

Disadvantages of Representative Democracy

• Self interest

• Low participation levels

• Delege vs Trustee

• Inaccurate Representation

What was the Turnout for the EU Parliament election in 2014

• 35.6%

What was the consequence of the turnout for EU Parliament election?

• More marginal and radical groups got seats

Delegate

• A person chosen to represent others

Trustee

• Representative who’s been given the authority to make decisions based on their own judgement

Inaccurate Representation

• 29% of MPs are privately educated but only 7% of the UK is

• A parliament may not have substantive representation

Mandate

When a politician has the authority to put policies in place

Democratic Deficit

• Belief that democracy is not working as intended to

What does democratic deficit refer to in relation to the UK?

• Problems with representative democracy in practice

After what year did the UK election turnout fall?

• 1997

In the UK voting system what does FPTP stand for?

First Past the Post

How does FPTP affect smaller parties without a large, country-wide base?

They find it hard to gain seats

Under FPTP, how can two main parties win a majority of seats?

They can win less than 40% of the vote but still win a majority of seats

What are ‘safe seats’ in FPTP, and why are they problematic?

Seats where one party is almost certain to win;opposition voters may feel unrepresented

What can happen in votes with many candidates under FPTP?

The popular vote may split, allowing a candidate with a low vote share to win

What was the winning vote percentage in Belfast South in 2015?

• 24.5%

Give an example of an EU role that limits UK government control

• The free movement of labor means government can’t restrict immigration from EU

What are the 5 types of Democratic Reform?

• Electoral Reform

• House of Lords Reform

• Lowering voting age

What is a two party system?

where one of two parties are nearly guaranteed to win the majority of seats and have power