Democracy + participation

What's direct democracy

Form of democracy where the citizens themselves instead of elected representatives make potlicsl decisions (referendums etc)

3 advantages of direct democracy

purest form of democracy where view of public isn't distorted by the elite (MPs or pressure groups), arguably the potential to increase voter turnout and participation by giving ppl a direct say in key decisions, would get rid of corrupt politicians

3 disadvantages of direct democracy except for the obvious that it would be highly impractical in country as large as UK (examples for each)

voters more open to manipulation than parliamentarians who are more informed than the average citizen on things such as the complicated EU membership e.g. misleading media, vote leave bus claiming the NHS would get an extra 350 million a week, referendums can be divisive and controversial causing rifts in society e..g EU referendum, Scottish independence refendeudm, holding. national vote on every deciosn would be very costly e.g. EU referendum cost around £140 million

whats representative democracy

voters elect representatives to make political decision on their behalf

2 Advantages of representative democracy + examples

Representatives have more knowledge and experience therefore more able to make politically educated decisions e.g. parliamentary bill drawn up and scrutinised by lords and commons before passed as well as being analysed in a committee stage before being passed, politicians are also able to take into account consequences on all members of community's to prevent tyranny of the majority which direct democracy would'nt do e.g. Brexit didn't help minority groups household income, career prospects etc, representative democracy also had much easier accountability than direct democracy so public can vote out representatives if they don't approve of their actions e.g. 2019 Jo Swenson voted out her constituency due to her strong remain EU stance

4 disadvantages of representative democracy + examples

Representatives may choose to follow their party rather than their constituents to suit own political advantage e.g. party whips choose members of select committees as well as instructing MPs how to vote using 1-3 line whips, due to FPTP the House of Commons can be seen as lacking in real representation due to the extreme two party domination e.g. Lib Dem's won 11.5% of 2019 vote yet only 11 seats, diversity in Westminster is awful so questions if they really are representative of the population interests of minority groups not properly represented e.g. makeup of parliament primarily white old men e.g. 2019 parliament saw only 10 percent ethnic minority MPs, House of Lords is unelected and therefore unaccountable further undermining parliaments representative function

whats a pluralist democracy

political influence being dispersed among wide variety of elected and non elected bodies (elements of UK democracy can be seen as pluralist such as the range of political parties, role of pressure groups, devoultion etc)

difference between a delegate and a trustee

delegate - where the MP acts and an unantonmous mouthpiece for his/her constituency, voting in whichever way their constituency tells them to, trustee - where constituents elect their MP with the trust that they will use not only their constituents views but their own judgement when voting on their constituencies behalf

meaning of participation crisis

point at which the public has become disengaged from politics and voting levels have fallen so low the legitimacy of the elected government can be questioned

democratic deficit definition

when democracy isn't operating effectively because there is a lack of accountability among political bodies

Example of the UKs democracy in need kf reform

Turnout decreasing over years with highly advertisal election 2017 - 69 % whereas 1992 election turnout - 78%, such a significant number of ppl now choosing too not vote with the legitimacy elected politicians can now claim being significantly reduced

3 examples of direct democracy

Referendums e.g. Scottish independence 2014, EU 2016, electronic petitions if they reach over 100,000 signatures will be considered for debate in House of Commons e.g. second referendum on EU, recall of MPs act 2015 e.g. if an MP has been imprisoned, suspended from commons or convicted of making false expenses claims then a petition by 10% of his or his or her constituents can trigger a by-election like in 2018 when Ian Paisley junior just survived a recall petition (he had been suspended by the House of Commons for not declaring two family holidays paid for by the Sri Lankan government) however only 9.4 % of his constituency signed it

3 arguments suggesting UK democracy isn't in need of democratic reform (with examples)

yes turnout hit rock bottom in 2001 when it was 59.4% but has been fairly steadily increasing since then e.g. 66% 2015 69% 2017, executive has a lot of power though this is only the case when they have won a large mandate and they are still all democratically elected e.g. conservatives won 43.6% of the popular vote in 2019 highest percentage for any party in 1979, FPTP system provides great accountability and strong constituency link e.g. 2015 recall of MPs act and Ian Paisley in 2018

3 arguments suggesting the UK democracy is need of reform (with examples)

turnout lower than it used to be and in recent years decreasing again e.g. 2017 69% 2019 67% all the way down to 60% in the 2024 election, lack of scrutiny in powerful goverments due to the executive in the UK being able to dominant the commons with few constitutional restraints (blairs 1997 majority, Johnsons 2019 majority, despite both having a democratic mandate its clear they can dominate the political system to a degree where not event he public agrees with it) leading to only 4 Blair bills being defeated in 10 years, Johnson attempting to prorogue parliament and Blair going to war in Iraq, FPTP offers false majorities with he 43.6% one the conservatives got in 2019 not even being the majority of voters, it also excludes third parties such as the Lib Dems gaining 11.5 % of the vote in 2019 yet only 11 seats essentially the system fails to represent third party voters as well as offering false majorities and even super majorities to either one of the two parties which they decide to favour (exacerbating the negative effects of electoral dictatorships)

evidence of turnout decreasing again

after hitting 69% in 2017, turnout went down in 2019 to 67% and hit a shocking low of 60% in 2024

example of decrease in party membership and counter to this suggestion that democracy failing

Party membership much lower than in the 1950s e.g. in 1950s conservatives had around 2.8 million members now have less than half a million BUT this doesn't necessarily mean democratic deficit as ppl are engaging in democracy in other ways such as pressure groups with 40 to 50% of the population now involved with at least 1 pressure group

3 convincing proposals for the reform of the UKs democracy

further devolution (regional mayors and the Scottish welsh and Northern Irish parliaments show how this decision making can be brought closer to the public), House of Lords reform (unelected and unaccountable currently e.g. in 2016 when Cameron left office he appointed 13 peers from among his political allies), reform of FPTP to better reflect the fact that the UK is becoming a multiparty democracy (UK becoming a multiparty democracy yet in 2017 tories and labour won 82% share of the vote)

example for the counter of further devolution helping to politically engage public more

turnout in devolved bodies and elected mayors always lower than Westminster elections and have declined since established e.g. in all there devolved bodies turnout has declined since establishment for example Northern Irish assembly saw 70 % turnout in 1999 yet only 55% in 2016

example of low turnout in elected mayors

2016 London mayor election turnout of only 45% percent, 2017 Bristol mayor 30%

cons and example of house of lords reform

despite reform on paper sounding good with Westminster finally being a fully democratically elected accountable body BUT more danger than good would come of this, an elected HoL could rival the commons potentially creating constitutional gridlock and giving up the expertise of the current lords for another elected chamber would be very controversial (furthermore delisted being unelected, this is taken into account with the Lords power limited through the salisbury convention etc)

cons and example of FPTP reform

promotional representative alternatives would make coalition governments more likely (which are overall weaker, more divided and harder for parties to fufill manifesto) and more importantly this was already put to question and the electorate declined reform in the 2011 AV referendum in which there was a decisive 68% no answer

what was the 4 big reforms of voting suffrage in British history

great reform act 1832 - vote extended to some male members of the middle classes, Representation of the People act 1918 - most adult men and women over 30 who fulfilled a property qualification, representation of the people act 1928 - extended vote to all adults over 21 including women, representation of the people act 1969 - voting age in the UK reduced from 21 to 18

work of suffragists compared to suffragettes

suffragists (formed in 1897 established by millicent Fawcett) to lobby parliament and extend franchise to women thought heir effort were not sufficient, suffragettes (formed in 1903 by emmeline Pankhurst) adopted more violent disruptive action such as burning letterboxes and assaulting leasing anti suffrage politicans

what 2 suffrage issues are still being debated today (examples)

how you register to vote - until 2014 you registered to vote as a household, when the coalition goverment got rid of this up to 1 million ppl lost the right to vote due to a fall in voter registration (though voter registration has recovered to level seen before it was introduced today), voter ID legislation - in 2022 gov brought in new legislation requiring everyone to bring ID with them when they vote though this affected the disabled, younger ppl and those from ethnic minority background the most who already turned out less so why make this worse but type of acceptable ID was increased in may 2023

suffrage issue around prisoner voting, overview of Hirst case and why is prisoner voting not gonna happen

currently not eligible to vote, should be able to - Hirst case was brought to the ECHR in 2004 and declared that the UKs blanket ban of prisoner voting was in defiance with article 3, since then has been a constant source of friction between ECHR and British goverment therefore in 2017 the goverment offered a small number of prisoners on day resale the right to vote to resolve the issue - overall the 2017 concession saw little public interest showing that there is far to little public enthusiasm in prisoner voting necessary for the law to change anytime soon

example of lack of parliamentary intrest in prisoner suffrage

when it was debated in the commons in 2011 it gained cross party condemnation

pros and cons of compulsory voting with examples

pros - high turnout making gov very democratically legitimate and with decreasing turnout in liberal democracies compulsory voting would fix this issue e.g. in australia voting is compulsory with its 2016 federal election seeing a 91% turnout, cons - not voting within itself can be a potlcial statement of disapproval

Argument agsnit the diversitfyijg of parliament

you don't have to have to same characteristics as ppl to vote in their favour - David Camerons predominantly heterosexual parliament passing gay marriage act

How many spoiled ballots are there roughly at every election and how does this link to compulsory voting

500,000, this would increase with compulsory voting

main factor in pressure groups success and how is this determined + example

being an insider pressure group (privileged access to the goverment in decision making) this can be determined by the goverments potlcial bias e.g. during labour goverments trade union who provide funds to labour are more likely to enjoy insider status than under conservative goverments

example of an insider pressure group gaining success under the coalition goverment

during 2010 to 2015 coalition government, the Lib Dems infleucne helped ensure that groups campaigning on behalf of the poor such as Child Poverty Action Group were successful I reducing tax burden on low income workers

Examples of insider pressure groups for tories

the Taxpayers Alliance (focuses on small government) and the Institute of directors for big businesses - both these pressure groups will be more influential under a conservative administration

2 examples of how wealth can lead to the success of a pressure group

wealthier pressure groups can not only afford vastly better resources and lobbyists but can afford offices in expensive access points such as London e.g. the the CBI (confederation of british industry a very successful pressure group) has offices in leading commercial centres across the UK, pressure groups such as Friends of the Earth run offices in Edinburgh and Cardiff for access points of the devolved bodies

what other factor is key in the success of a pressure group + 2 examples

size and popularity of pressure group e.g. Age UK represents large portion of the population and therefore has sen much legislative success, groups campaigning on behalf of the LGBTQ community saw success over gay marriage being legalised in 2013 showing how public pressure on lawmakers can lead to success of pressure group

3 other ways outsider pressure groups exert influence over parliament

can engage in civivl disobencde to achieve aims e.g. just stop oil vandalising stone henge June 2024, trade unions can deploy industrial actions e.g. RMT train strikes against the attempt to introduce driver only operated trains that would jeopardise job of conductors, social media which can be a valuable way of keeping ppl updated on pressure groups activities as well as websites providing links to donations, online petitions etc e.g. amnesty international, Oxfam and friends of the earth all appreciate the importance of having a considerable internet influence in order to gain public support

RIP - why are some pressure groups more successful than others

R- resources - wealthy groups can afford expensive campaigns such as CBI receiving favourable treatment from the gov - I - ideological compaitblty with the gov determines insider or outsider status such as during coalition groups such as Child Poverty Action Group managed to reduce tax burden on low income workers under coalition - P - popularity more supporters a group has more pressure puts on gov Age UK for example who campaign on behalf of elderly represent large part of the UK been very successful

what three things can make a pressure group not sucessful + examples

limited funds - typical among groups representing rare medical conditions - unsympathetic gov - trade unions limited influence under tory while anti social reform groups such as anti LGBTQ and anti abortion groups lacking power under labour gov - powerful counteractive groups - forest, a pro smoking campaign been regularly out performed by anti smoking pressure groups that have public opinion and gov on their side e.g. vape and smoking ban

example of pressure group that does crazy stuff (civl disobedience to get attention) + failing

Fathers4Justice - change laws on rights of fathers in divorce - superhero theme stunts such as scaling Buckingham palace in batman outfit - dogged down by negative publicity and facing failures in attempts

overview of the pressure group Fathers4justice (methods, aims and results_

campaigned to change law on behalf of fathers rights in cases of divorce, initially gained public attention t through a number of high profile stunts often with a superhero theme such as scaling Buckingham place dressed as batman, in 2004 purple flour bombs were also hurled at Tony Blair during prime minsters question time though in an attempt to maintin the momentum fo the campaign the stunts became more outlandish such as a naked protest in marl's and Spencer on Oxford street etc. these failures mean that in more recent years the pressure group has focused on engaging with the public more through the positive use of social media in an attempt to distance itself from violence and civil disobdiecne - group still dogged down by negativie publicity

overview of the pressure group liberty (methods aims and results)

exposes discrimination and highlights infringements of the human rights act, fights the gov when they try to restrict civil liberties - like many outsider pressure groups engages with the public through online campaigns, use of professional lobbying companies to work with like minded MPs, as well as launching judicial reviews in cases were it believes the goverment has exceeded its powers for example in 2017 when they challenged the legality of the Investigatory Powers Act on the grounds of ECHR

What are think tanks

A group established in order to generate ideas, potlicsl parties often work closely with like minded think tanks in order to develop polkcy - the right wing Adam smith institute or more left wing Fabian society work with the conservative and labour parties to develop policy

What's lobbying

Lobbyists represent the interests of a particular group or cause snd seek to influence politicians in its favour - apple and google as well as fhe major interests such as banking digital and media will all try to be as closely involved in the decision making process as possible to advance their interests

Example that lobbyists are necessary ti democracy

They broaden the debate so all sides are heard - since the gin act 1751 small scale production had been forbidden in order to stop bootlegging however in 2008 lobbyists succeeded in having the gin act repealed, now boutique gin is becoming one the UKs most enterprising new exports

example that lobbyists hinder democracy

criticised for allowing powerful interests to buy influence - in 2015 two former foreign secretaries were secretly filmed offering to 'provide access for cash' to key diplomatic and political figures for a fake firm

overview of the significant of magna Carter, human rights act 1998 and equality act 2010

magna Carter - provided a foundation for british rights and liberties by stating that the law is impartial anon freeman should be convicted without a fair trial - human rights act 1998 - Britain joined the European court of human rights, making it enforceable in British courts - equality act 2010 - parliament established equality before the law for all citizens

when are civil liberties restricted + 2 examples

if seen as endangering the collective good of society e.g. controversial anti terorism and crime security act 2001 following 9/11 stated gov had legal power to imprison foreign terror suspects indefinitely without trial, 2016 parliament passed the Investigatory Power Act which authorises the retention of personal electronic data and its access for law enforcement

what was the decided legal status of the anti terrorism and crime act 2001

courts found it to clash with the ECHR as discriminating against foreign terror suspects and gov gave in and realised detainees from belmarsh prison (showing tensions between individual nd collective rights)

what 3 other cases are there in accordance with the HRA (sentencing, mental health issues ad treatment of prisoners)

sentencing - 2012 Winter and others vs UK, court ruled that whole life sentences must be reviewable (while still can her given out must be a chance these sentences can be reveiewed) - mental health issues - 2014 P vs Cheshire West - mentaly incapacitated person has the same rights or liberty as those without - treatment of prisoners - regina vs secretary of states 2001 - prisoners have right to private correspondence with lawyers even if in jail

argument that despite the HRA, civil liberties aren't fully protected in the UK + 2 examples showing this

since human rights act is an act or parliament, can be repealed at any time due to parliemtary soivengty and unmodified nature of UK constitution - tories threatening British bill of rights, even though Blair gov accepted the release of the belmarsh detainees following the high court ruling it quickly introduced legislation to keep them under close surveillance through control orders

how are civil liberties pressure groups therefore so important +example of this

especially important due to the lack of power of the HRA in the face of parliamentary sovereignty in alerting the public to any erosion in their civil liberties as well as raising awareness of ways in which minorities might still be discriminated agansit - liberty for example campaigns to increase public consciousness of ways in which civil liberties of minorities might be challenged through for example the power of surveillance contained in the Investigatory Powers Act

what else is important to recognise in the face of parliament and civil liberties + 2 examples

as representatives of public intrest, parliament itself can use its power to protect civil liberties - 2010 colation goverment committed itself to the repeal of identity cards as an infringement on civil liberties, 2005 Blair govermtn attempt to increase the time a terror suspect could be impriosned was defeated by the commons with a large number of labour MPs voting agsanit their own goverment in the defence of civil liberties

what were identity cards

post 9/11 concerns about terrorism convinced the Blair and brown goverments of the need to introduce identity cards, in 2006 the identity cards act was passed which created these cards and a national identity register which would store information about citizens

what was the controversy around a british bill of human rights

number of conservative potlcians have signalled they would favour replacing the HRA with a British bill of rights since they argue that the European convention has a habit of favouring the bad ppl over the good ppl