1.1 Democracy And Political Participation (5 Marks)

Front 1

What are the main features of representative democracy? (01/09)

Back 1

Representative democracy is the favoured political system, especially in the West. It involves electing representatives who are expected to represent the people which avoids tyranny of the majority that often occurs if a direct democratic system is used instead. When the representatives are elected by the people they are elected in free, fair and regular elections and on the basis of a majority. For example, in the UK, representatives (i.e. MPs) are elected at general elections which are now fixed-term and are held every five years. Also, under FPTP, the representatives are elected from each constituency based on whoever receives the most votes in that constituency.

Front 2

Define “liberal democracy”. (06/09)

Back 2

Liberal democracy is a type of democracy which combines both liberal and democratic features. It is mainly associated with western developed nations. For example, the UK can be considered to be a liberal democracy. In any liberal democracy, it is of utmost importance that citizens have civil liberties. In the UK, citizens have freedom of speech, association and religion which is stated in the European Convention of Human Rights which is incorporated into UK law. Possibly the most important democratic aspect of a liberal democracy is free and fair elections. In the UK we now have fixed-term elections which are held every five years (the next being in 2020). In a liberal democracy, the representatives elected are held accountable to the people so the representatives should respect the political ideas of its constituents. However, if the MPs or their party do not adequately represent a constituency, it is likely they will be voted against in the next general election e.g. Labour MPs lost seats after voting for the Iraq War in 2003.

Front 3

Define “direct democracy”. (01/10)

Back 3

Direct democracy implies that there is no formal distinction between the government and the citizens because in practice, they are the same as there are no elected representatives representing the views of the people. In order for direct democracy (which can be seen as self-government) to thrive, the people must participate in politics directly and continuously. Direct democracy was most famously used in Ancient Athens through mass meetings with the population but nowadays, it is most commonly seen in the form of referendums. A recent example of direct democracy in the UK is the 2014 referendum of Scottish independence in which the people voted 55% for remaining part of the UK and 45% to become an independent state. An upcoming referendum which is controversial in the UK is the EU referendum to be held on the 23rd June.

Front 4

What is meant by “legitimacy”? (06/10)

Back 4

Legitimacy means rightfulness and can be seen as an approval term which may sanction political behaviour or conduct. Political legitimacy arises from two sources. Firstly, from the consent of the electorate which is sought for at regular and competitive general elections i.e. the party with the most votes has the most legitimacy. Therefore it can be argued that in the UK governments are rarely legitimate because it is very unlikely that a party will win more than 50% of the votes in a general election. Second it is based on rule-governed behaviour, in this UK it is achieved through the existence of a constitution e.g. former PM, Gordon Brown, claimed he should continue as PM after the 2010 election results until coalition terms had been agreed between David Cameron and Nick Clegg as the constitution conferred legitimacy to remain in the post until this time.

Front 5

Apart from voting in elections and referendums, describe two ways of participating in politics. (01/11)

Back 5

A way in which one can participate in politics is by becoming a member of a political party. This can cover a range of participative methods such as becoming well accustomed to the parties agenda, commenting on policies proposed by the party or possibly attending party conferences. Secondly, citizens can become a member of a pressure group which could involve a range of participative roles within that pressure group. Upon joining, they can participate in any events run by the pressure group e.g. in 2003, many people joined in the "million" march opposing the Iraq War. Alternatively, they could fund pressure groups that they believe represent their views in a better way than political parties. By funding, the pressure groups are more likely to have an impact in Parliament than those with little funding.

Front 6

Outline the key features of a referendum. (06/11)

Back 6

Referendums allow the electorate to give a popular vote on an issue of public policy. Usually, the question posed requires a simple yes/no answer which provides a clear and often binding answer to controversial topics within Parliament. For example, in 2014 there was a referendum which concerned the topic of Scottish independence. This was a highly controversial topic in both the Scottish Parliament and Westminster so the decision was then given to the people; the outcome was 45% to leave the UK and 55% to remain in the UK. Referendums are an example of direct democracy as it involves the government directly acknowledging the opinions of the people.

Front 7

How does a referendum differ from an election? (01/12)

Back 7

Referendums are concerned with single issues. A contemporary example is the upcoming election to be held on the 23rd June 2016 which is concerned with whether the UK should remain in the EU. On the other hand, elections provide a mechanism to secure a government which will deal with a wide variety of issues. Also, the results of a referendum in the UK are not legally binding (even though there are no notable examples where the result wasn't accepted) whereas the results of an election are binding and final. Lastly, to hold a referendum Parliament or government must give its permission whereas elections are held every five years due to fixed-term elections which has recently been introduced.

Front 8

Outline two features of the UK’s system of parliamentary democracy. (01/13)

Back 8

One feature of parliamentary democracy in the UK is that the government must be drawn from Parliament i.e. they must also be members of either the House of Commons or the House of Lords as well as a member of government. This ensures members of the government can be made directly accountable to Parliament. Secondly, parliamentary democracy implies that government and the PM are made directly accountable to Parliament by submitting all proposals to Parliament, for example. An example of this feature is "Prime Minister's Questions" in which the PM is directly confronted for his actions each week.

Front 9

Define democratic legitimacy, and outline two ways in which it is achieved. (06/15)

Back 9

Democratic legitimacy is the authority to govern and exercise power over a country from the consent of the people. One way in which is can be obtained is through success in general elections which are now held every five years in the UK (fixed-term elections). When the electorate vote in elections, they essentially grant their mandate to whichever party forms a government - even if they did not directly vote for that party. Once a party has a mandate, they can then enjoy the power to implement policies included in their latest electoral manifesto. A second way in which it can be obtained is through accepting the verdict of a referendum. In the UK, the results of a referendum are not legally binding but democratic legitimacy will not be achieved if the results are not accepted in Parliament.