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50 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
- 3rd side (hint)
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Direct Democracy |
Decisions made by the people rather than on their behalf. |
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Representative Democracy |
A form of electoral democracy in which the people are given the power to vote for someone to represent their views in Parliament. |
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Liberal Democracy |
Democracy based on the individual rights and freedoms, in which decisions from direct or representative processes prevail in many policy areas. |
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Positives of direct democracy |
Continues participation of citizens Keeps citizens informed People make decisions on policies on their own. |
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Negatives of direct democracy |
The people are the government Hard to coordinate Based on popular participation Only works on small scale decision making |
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Positives of representative democracy |
Only politicians who serve the people are elected Practical over a large scale |
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Negatives of representative democracy |
Operates on popular control Not everyone's views can be represented
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Positives of liberal democracy |
Elected representatives Limits government power Separates powers into different branches of government Lots of variations, governments can easily change it to suit them |
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Negatives of liberal democracy |
Some don't use secret ballots Lots of variations, governments can easily change it to suit them Power isn't concentrated |
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Functions of Democracy |
Universal Suffrage Electoral choice Devolution Free and fair elections Referendums The European Parliament Pressure groups |
U E D F R T P |
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Universal Suffrage |
Gives all adults the right to vote no matter what race or religion they are. However this excludes the homeless |
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Positives of universal suffrage |
More people are informed about the parties Any adult over 18 can vote -increases participation |
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Negatives of universal suffrage |
You must be amongst a certain category to vote Not yet across all countries Parties only focus on groups that can vote Participation crisis |
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Electoral choice |
Allows citizens to vote for the policies or party they prefer |
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Positives of electoral choice |
Let's citizens vote for who they prefer Has lead to smaller parties emerging |
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Negatives of electoral choice |
Very little choice between the main parties |
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Devolution |
In 1998 the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Assembly and the Northern Ireland Assembly was created. |
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Positives of devolution |
Gives other nations within the UK a political voice More opportunities for political participation Strengthens political education |
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Negatives of devolution |
Expensive to run Creates a slow decision making process |
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Free and fair elections |
Elements of a democracy that make it as fair as possible for citizens. |
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Free and fair elections |
Elements of a democracy that make it as fair as possible for citizens. |
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Positives of free and fair elections |
Secret ballot-1872 Fixed Term Parliaments Electoral commission prevents electoral malpractice |
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Negatives of free and fair elections |
Whipped majority Non elected bodies FPTP is unfair to smaller parties |
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Referendums |
When the citizens vote on a constitutional or national issue and are held accountabke for it. |
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Positives of referendums |
Increases participation Focuses on a specific issue Allows the public to make political decisions |
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Negatives of referendums |
Undermines Parliamentary Sovereignty Political education Question can be biased depending on how it's phrased Government can avoid being accountable |
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The European Parliament |
UK citizens have the opportunity to elect representatives to be in the European Parliament |
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Positives of the European Parliament |
Party List gives smaller parties a better chance of being elected Keeps the public informed on what each party stands for when it comes to the EU UK citizens can influence the EU |
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Negatives of the European Parliament |
EU have power over all UK policies Therefore the EU has been interpreted as a threat |
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Pressure Groups |
Small groups of people who try and influence Parliament based on political or moral views. |
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Positives of Pressure Groups |
A political voice for minorities Provide political participation Citizens can influence Parliament between elections |
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Negatives of Pressure Groups |
May 'buy' influence by funding parties Don't distribute political power Unelected>unaccountable They can appeal directly to parliament with undermines the government |
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The participation crisis |
The UK has had a decline in participation by the public |
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Voter Turnout |
The Turnout rate has been gradually declining in the UK, but rose slightly in the 2015 election. |
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Arguments for a participation crisis |
Some people can't vote Turnout was 65% in 2010 compared to 71% in 1997 Some people have lost faith in the responsiveness of the government |
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Arguments against a participation crisis |
More people are being encouraged to participate between elections Due to this people are becoming more informed and involved in politics Goods have been boycotted due to political/ ethical reasons |
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Arguments for party membership crisis |
Fewer people show loyalty to a party Lack of electoral choice Some parties are only interested in getting elected |
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Arguments against a party membership crisis |
Some parties offer to take people to the polling station, because they'll vote for them - bribery |
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Arguments for a pressure group crisis |
Can act illegally to get attention Some minorities are over represented Not all pressure groups have the same level of influence and resources |
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Arguments against a pressure group crisis |
The number of people joining pressure groups is increasing Easy to access and join A large variety to choose from The government can't continue without them |
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Blame the public |
ATOMISATION - the public have broken off into singular parts Too lazy to vote Think that they're vote won't count Some people don't care |
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Blame the media |
The papers are biased They don't take politics seriously Publish scandals which take away from actual politics |
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Blame the politicians |
Can go back on their policies Public can't identify with the policies Diagreements between politicians Lack of vision-they talk about the same things The media criticise them whatever they do |
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For referendums |
Representation of the public Political education Responsive government Reduced government power |
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Against referendums |
Unreliable short term views Poor political education Accountability Strengthens government -they decide when it takes place and what the question is Weakens Parliament - the decision isn't made over careful deliberation and debate |
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Focus groups |
Small group of people's opinions that represent society - used frequently by labour 1997 - 2010. |
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Recall election |
A petition demands that an official should seek re election The petition must be signed by 10% of constituents The recall of MPs bill was introduced on the 11/09/2014 |
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Citizens juries |
Non specialists randomly chosen to express views about issues of public policy. Used in the USA, Denmark and Germany |
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Primary election |
And election held to select a candidate for a general election. Labour leadership |
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For reducing the voting age |
Responsibilities without rights Youth interests ignored Stronger political engagement Irrational cut off age |
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