DEMOCRACY AND PARTICIPATION 0.2

R.A.P.P.L.E

Representation/Accountability/Participation/Power Dispersal/Legitimacy/Education

benefit of direct democracy

if more people feel represented, people are more likely to participate. ensures leaders are held accountable

example of a benefit of direct democracy

In 2020, England footballer Marcus Rashford #EndChildFoodPoverty gained over 1.1 million signatures, persuading the government to commit to free school meals for low-income families during school holidays

disadvantage of direct democract

tyranny of the majority, democratic fatigue can cause less participation

example of disadvantage

2 out of 5 people in Switzerland don’t vote, minarets were banned because the Muslim community weren’t the majority in Switzerland.

benefit of representative democracy

people can pick a representative for the area and so minorities would be represented, representatives have high levels of expertise

examples of benefits for representative democracy

before a parliamentary bill is enacted, it will have been drawn up by ministers and civil servants, been debated in both the House of Lords and the House of Commons

disadvantages of representative democracy

MP’s disengaged from the public and don’t represent their interests

examples of disadvantages of representative democracy

In the 2016 EU membership referendum 52% of the public voted to leave the EU whereas 72% of MP’s had been in favour of remaining

the UK is suffering from a participation crisis

Voters are less likely to fully identify with one party because of partisan dealignment and therefore has less motivation to join one; in 1953 the membership for the Conservative party was 2,806,000 and the Labour party was 1,005,000. In 2026, the membership for Conservatives was 131,000 and 250,000 for the Labour Party

the UK isn’t suffering from a participation crisis

When issues are sufficiently important to the public they can still vote in large numbers; there was an increase of 7.6% in voting from the first to the second referendums on the UK’s membership of the EEC/EU

Sectional pressure group

represents the interests of a particular group. E.G the Muslim Council of Britain

Cause pressure group

Promote a particular issue. E.G Friends of the Earth

Insider pressure group

A group has privileged access to government decision making. E.G The British Medical Association

Outsider pressure group

A group that doesn’t possess access to political decision making. E.G Extinction Rebellion

R.I.P.E

Resources/Ideological compatibility with the government/Popularity/Expertise

Positives of Lobbyists

Representation of minority groups; The Raptor Alliance, who believed racing pigeons were being killed off by the protection of birds of prey, Lobbyists made their cause known in parliament, encouraging the establishment of an All- Party Parliamentary Group for Pigeon racing

Negatives of Lobbyists

Revolving door process —> Lobbyists are former MP’s; in 2021, David Cameron was criticized after he utilized his government contacts when lobbying on behalf of financial services company Greensill Capital

Pluralist Democracy

Power is dispersed, citizen participation occurs through pressure groups, pressure group members allow people to promote diverse views

how the 2022 Elections Act threatens democracy

1. Voter ID - those most likely to be affected by the requirement are social groups that tend not to vote for the Conservatives

2. Permanently enfranchises UK citizens living abroad - problem of ‘dark money’ is likely to increase

less accountability, threatens universal suffrage + participation, free + fair elections are threatened

government legislation limiting protests

2022 Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act + 2023 Public Order Act

1. 2022 empowered police to curtail protests which have a ‘significant impact on people or cause serious disruption to the activities of organizations in the vicinity’

2. 2023 introduced new offenses that were used to arrest and temporarily detain several anti - monarchy campaigners, notably Graham Smith, the chief executive of Republic

how do people feel about democracy

2022 YouGov poll found that 52% were not satisfied with the state of democracy in the UK with only 27% saying the UK system of government mainly worked well