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24 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What is Democracy? |
Government of the people; Government by the people; - The people themselves make the important decisions that affect them Government for the people - The government works in the broad interests of the people |
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The Importance of Democracy |
Democracy establishes and protects freedom; Democracy protects minorities; - Ensures all groups have access to the political process, in which case it is often known as pluralist democracy - Ensures minorities have a free voice and are free from discrimination (sometimes described as 'minority rule') Democracy controls government power; - Prevents leaders from accumulating power - Makes government accountable to the people Democracy encourages popular participation; Democracy disperses power more widely; - amongst people and non-governmental associations in what is called civil society
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Citizenship |
Equal rights; Live in a certain state and enjoy all its rights and benefits; Obligation - Obey the law - Pay taxes - Vote? |
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Forms of Political Participation |
Simply being informed about issues; Contributing to live forums or petitions; Voting in various elections; Joining a pressure group; Taking part in physical or e-petitions; Joining a political party; Being active in a political party; Becoming active in a political party; Becoming active in a pressure group; Standing for political office |
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Active Citizenship |
Duty to be politically active |
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David Cameron's Big Society |
Functions of the state should be replaced by local activism - 'Free schools' run by local community groups - Voluntary housing associations to produce subsidised housing for rent - Citizens' action groups to combat crime, provide employment opportunities for the young, and engage in environmental projects |
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Falling Levels of Political Participation |
Turnout - 76% turnout in the 1979 General Election - 66% turnout in the 2015 General Election Party Membership - 4.12% of the electorate in 1980 - 0.80% of the electorate in 2010 Partisan Dealignment - Less people identifying with a single party |
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Increasing Levels of Political Participation via Direct Action |
Pressure group activity has never been higher Pressure group membership has never been higher Regular demonstrations of public opinion - Anti-University tuition fees campaign 2010-11 - Occupy London movement height of campaign in 2012 against the 'excesses' of capitalism Highly successful internet campaigns - 38 Degrees - By February 2012 claimed to have organised 4.6 million political actions of various kinds |
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The Growth of Digital or E-Democracy |
E-Petitions - H.M Government website's petition 'Drop the NHS Reform Bill being legislated' gained 150000+ signatures by February 2012 - 38 Degrees website's campaign to prevent large areas of national forest being sold to private buyers comprised of a large petition, combined with many demonstrations and alliances with other campaign groups and led to the plan being abandoned in Autumn 2010 |
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Online Forums, Blogs, and Networks |
Can create a 'political climate'; Brings political participation to more people; Prominent Forums - Conservative Home - Liberal Democrat Voice - Labour List - Total Politics (general) - Guido Fawkes (generally radical) - Iain Dale's Diary (normally right of centre) |
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How Can Political Participation be Increased? |
Participation Crisis - An inactive citizenry can lead to an arbitrary and autocratic government Compulsory voting; - Could be an infringement on civil liberties, but you could have a none of the above option to counter this Reducing the voting age from 18 to 16; - Might politicize peopel at an earlier age, however 16 and 17 year olds might not be experienced enough to vote Easier voting through internet or text voting, or easier access to polling stations; - Security of electronic voting - Little evidence easier access to polling stations would help Compulsory politics lessons; - Early signs from citizenship lessons are not encouraging Electoral Reform; - Makes more votes count - Disillusionment with party politics combated - More extensive use of referendums can stimulate more interest - David Cameron's Big Society |
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Direct Democracy: The Use of Referendums |
Not binding on UK government as parliament remains sovereign; - Unthinkable of parliament going against one though Yes or No, anything else would be indecisive; Normally only one question is posed; - However 1997 Scottish Devolution and Tax Varying Powers asked Government and parliament determine whether a referendum is to be held and what question is to be asked; - When called for by the people it is called an initiative which are used in some states in the USA |
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Direct Democracy: Why are Referendums Held? |
Effectively entrenches constitutional changes so future parliaments would have to consult the public again to change them Examples and why: - The 1975 European Community Membership referendum was held because the Labour Government were split on whether the UK should remain part of the EC, PM Harold Wilson ordered a referendum to settle the issue and to avoid the collapse of his government. UK voted yes decisively - 1979 referendums on Scottish and Welsh Devolution occurred as the Labour Government didn't have a majority and thus relied on a small group of Liberal Party MPs to survive who pushed for referendums. No votes - 1998 referendum to approve an elected London Mayor required Londoner's consent as it was a change in the governance and also implied an increase in taxation. Low turnout of 34.1% but a Yes vote - 1998 Northern Ireland Good Friday Agreement referendum held the promise of permanent peace and a decisve yes vote was required to ensure all sections of Northern Ireland were in favour. 81% Turnout with 71.7% Yes vote -2004 Referendum in the North East for and elected assembly was a continuation of the devolution under Blair's Labour however a decisive rejection led to the abandonment of plans to set up more regional assemblies - AV UK referendum on reform of the electoral reform was proposed as part of the coalition agreement as the Lib Dems wanted radical proportional representation and the Conservative party opposed reform do they agreed on the less radical reform of AV |
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Direct Democracy: Assessment of Referendum Use |
Tend to support the status quo; - people are normally reluctant to vote for major change and therefore a clear consensus is needed for a referendum to approve change |
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Direct Democracy: The Benefits of Referendum Use |
Most direct form of democracy; - helps to make decisions legitimate If people have given their consent they're more likely to accept the decision; - Good Friday Agreement 1998 Prevents governments making unpopular decisions with a 'no' vote; Resolves key issues government can't; - 1975 EC Referendum Effectively entrenches constitutional changes - Protects decisions from attacks from future governments and it is widely accepted that in order to reverse a decision another referendum must be hekd |
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Direct Democracy: The Problems of Referendum Use |
Many issues may be too complex for the majority of people to understand and make a judgement on; - Simple, emotional arguments may sway opinion - Tabloids may have too much control A side may prevail, only because it has more money; - 1975 EC 'Yes' Campaign spent vastly more money than the opposing side Danger that the referendum may be used as an opportunity to express their dissatisfaction with the government of the day and ignore the issue in question altogether; - AV Referendum 2011 Danger of a tyranny of the majority; - the minority that loses is not taken into account in any way but representatives are in a position to modify decisions to take account of minorities in a way referendum verdicts cannot Low turnouts make decisions dubious - London Mayor Referendum 34.1% turnout |
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Representative Democracy: Britain's Parliamentary Democracy |
1. Parliament is the source of all political authority - Effectively impossible to exercise power without the sanction of parliament 2. The government of the UK has to be drawn from parliament - Members of government must be members of one of the two houses as this ensures they will be directly accountable to parliament 3. Government makes itself constantly accountable to parliament - Submits all proposals to parliament for approval - Ministers must report regularly to parliament on the progress of policies and the results of government actions 4. All citizens are represented by members of parliament - Citizens views should be taken into account, grievances should be taken up by MPs for possible redress 5. Parliament is normally the guardian of the government's electoral mandate - Governing party has a mandate to put its proposals into actions based on its previous election manifesto - Parliament has the task of ensuring that the mandate is not abused and reserves the right to veto actions where the government seeks to step outside or beyond it's mandate 6. Parliament is expected, as a whole to represent the national interest - May involve the defeat of the government on a vote |
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Representative Democracy: Representative Democracy in Britain |
Each MP represents a constituency; Both houses are expected to act as a representative cross section of society as a whole - Neither of the houses can claim to be truly socially representative - All mainstream parties in the UK claim that they represent the whole nation. Parties no longer represent social classes. Each party manifesto claims to represent the national interest; Pressure Groups represent us precisely and accurately by pursuing the interests of a particular section of society or by promoting a particular cause; Can be argued that the media, especially newspapers, represent the general public; - Political leaders now pay more attention to the press than was the case in the past and indeed the 2011 Levenson inquiry was set up to examine, amongst other things, the relationship between politics and the media |
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Direct and Representative Democracy Compared: Relative Advantages of Direct Democracy |
It is the purest form of democracy; It avoids decisions being made by representatives purely in their own interests; People are becoming increasingly well informed and educated and can make their own judgements; When there is disillusionment with representative institutions people prefer to make decisions for themselves; Decisions made by the people directly may now carry more authority |
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Direct and Representative Democracy Compared: Relative Advantages of Representative Democracy |
Elected representatives may use superior knowledge and judgement. This avoids hasty emotional decisions made directly by the people; Representatives and parties are able to mediate between the interests of different sections of society. Direct democracy means the will of the majority always prevails, making minorities very vulnerable; Issues that involve such conflicting interests require complex solutions. Direct democracy tends to reduce all questions to over simplified answers; Demands made by the people are often incoherent and illogical |
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Direct and Representative Democracy Compared: What is a Liberal Democracy? |
Government is accountable to the people; There are free and fair elections; There is a peaceful, orderly transfer of power from one government to the next; Losing parties accept the democratic legitimacy of winning parties; Information is freely available to the citizenry The rights and liberties of citizens are taken into account and protected; The powers of government are controlled and limited by law, or elected institutions, or both; A variety of beliefs, opinions, cultures and lifestyles are tolerated provided they do not threaten the security of the state |
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Direct and Representative Democracy Compared: Is Britain a Liberal Democracy? |
Accountability; - Parliament holds the government to account but may lack the time, expertise, or technical back up to do this effectively Free and fair elections; - Universal suffrage - FPTP is disproportionate and votes are wasted Legitimacy and the transfer of power; - High degree of acceptance of the results of elections Freedom of information; - Little evidence of government attempting to control information coming from the media - National security and warfare are censored, the news is manipulated Rights and Liberties; - European Convention on Human Right and the Social Chapter of the EU, The Human Rights Act - Parliament retains some sovereignties and can ignore the ECHR Limited Government - No written constitution, which means there are no safeguarded fundamental laws and government can do anything with parliament's sanction Tolerance - good at this and celebrated abroad however recent attitudes towards immigration has threatened this |
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The Democratic Deficit |
Three main issues: 1. The problem of falling political participation 2. The persistence of undemocratic institutions within the system of government 3. The increased centralisation of power that is insufficiently accountable within government |
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Summary of Some Proposed Democratic Renewal Measures |
Votes at 16 would improve the engagement with politics amongst the young; - 16 year olds are possibly not mature enough, do not understand issues, and may vote irresponsibly Compulsory voting would force people to become politically active and create greater legitimacy for election results; - This may infringe on civil liberties and may give a false result as the politically unaware will be voting Increased use of Referendums may encourage political engagement with issues as opposed to simply parties - Referendums have many issues as stated above |
