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Democracy and Participation (Pressure Groups (Factors (Tactics and…
Democracy and Participation
Direct Democracy
Individuals
represent themselves
Advantages
Encourages
Participation
No risk
that representatives
misrepresent
their constituents
Equal weight
to votes (not FPTP)
Only truly popular actions will be taken
Disadvantages
Creates
more gridlock
Open to
manipulation
and
corruption
(easily persuaded -
no safeguards
)
People
lack the knowledge
to decide on matters for themselves
Greater
negative participation
Representative Democracy
People
elect representatives
to represent them
on their behalf
Advantages
Political parties
and
Pressure Groups
formed to
represent specific people
and
specific needs
- encouraging
Pluralist Democracy
Prevents Tyranny of the Majority
Practical
- ensures things get done
Representatives are
held to account
Representatives often
more informed
Are
Safeguards
:
Referendums
and
2015 Recall of MPs Act
Disadvantages
Representatives
prefer to be in line with majority
opinion in order
to be elected
. Therefore
minority often neglected
Easy to
avoid accountability
- elections held
every 5-years
Parties
and
PG's
often run by the
rich and elite
(
not truly representative
)
Representatives can
ignore will of constituents
: placing
own views
first, or the
parties views
Reduced participation
- less of a role in politics
Pluralist Democracy
A democracy in which a government makes decisions
as a result of an interplay of various ideas
and contrasting arguments from competing groups and organisations. For instance,
PG's, Trade Unions and Political Parties
Case for Reform
FTPT
neglects minorities
HoL un-elected
Lack of rights protection
, government can
derogate from articles of the HRA
Media
controlled by wealthy
:
Murdoch group
owns
Times, Sunday Times and The Sun
Participation Crisis
The
lack of engagement
with the political system, for instance
low turnouts
Average Turnout
1945-1997 = 76%
Average Turnout
2001-2019 = 64% approx
Low turnouts
local council elections
,
May 2016 (England) 33.6%
By-elections low turnout
-
Stoke on Trent Feb 2017 38.2%
(compared with
2015 general election 49.9%
)
Only 1.6% of electorate belongs to one of the three main UK-wide Parties. This compared with 1983, 3.8%
BUT
Increased membership of smaller parties
,
2015 G.E.
a record
24.8% of vote went to parties other than the Big 3
Membership of PG's
(particularly
single issue
) have
increased over last two decades
Protests: fuel prices, Iraq War, fox hunting and tuition fees
Rise of E-democracy and E-petitions
. In
2007
a petition
against road-charging
was signed by
1.8 million people
High recent levels of turnout
:
Scottish Independence 2014 - 84.6%
.
Brexit Referendum 2016 - 72.2%
Solutions
Lower voting age from 16 to 18
Change the election day
from
Thursday to Weekend
E-voting
or
greater polling stations
Compulsory Voting
Proportional Representation
Pressure Groups
Sectional Groups
Promote interests of a specific group
in society. For instance,
Trade Unions
holding government to
account on working conditions
Cause Groups
Focus on a
particular goal
. For instance
Greenpeace
pushing for
better environmental policy
Social Movements
Similar to 'Cause Groups' but more loosely structured. Usually are
politically radical
and
seek one objective - Extinction Rebellion in 2019
Insider Groups
Rely on
contacts with ministers and civil servants
. For instance,
Nation Union of Farmers rely on Defra (gov department)
. Tend to be
in line with the views of government.
Low Profile = behind the scenes
whereas
High Profile
(e.g.
Confederation of British Industry
) supplement lobbying with
media
.
Outsider Groups
Not consulted by the government
, ideas
out of political mainstream
- e.g.
animal rights protesters
who
intimidate
testing labs to stop them functioning. Or
Occupy who held sit-ins
in
2011 to counter the capitalist government.
Factors
Tactics and Leadership
Public Support
Resources
Government Ideological Stance
Rights
ECHR
- drawn in
1950
, UK joined the
Council of Europe's initiative
HRA 1998
-
Incorporated the ECHR into UK law.
For instance,
right to life
, prohibition of torture, freedom from arbitrary arrest,
free trail and privacy
.
Equality Act 2010
Made discrimination on the following grounds
illegal
:
Age, disability, gender, marriage status, pregnancy, race, religion and sexual orientation.
Vs.
Parliamentary Sovereignty