Politics and Participation
How Powers are Organised
Key Words
Local Elections:
Lords Spiritual
The 26 bishops of the Church of England who are members of the House of Lords
Voter Turnout
The number of people that actually come to vote.
Voter Apathy
A lack of interest by citizens in the electoral and political process.
Electoral Commission
A government established body that monitors and oversees all UK elections and referendums
Election held for councilors to local councils, held on a fixed date in May after the fixed of office has expired
Elections
You cannot stand for election if you are:
Who can Vote in Elections
Who Can't Vote in elections?
Been detained under certain sections of the Mental Health Act.
Anyone found guilty in the last 5 years of illegal practices in connection with an election
People in prison
Members of the House of Lords
Not suffering any legal incapacity to vote
Anyone 18 and over can register to vote
A British Citizen or a member of the EU or the Commonwealth living in the UK
Who can Stand for election?
Must be at least 18 years old
British citizen, or a citizen of the Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland
You cannot stand for more than one constituency
A Civil Servant; police, in the armed forces; a government nominated director of a commercial company; a judge; peer in the House of Lords including bishops know as the Lords Spiritual
Voter Apathy
There is a concern about the lack of citizen involvement in political process
- Membership of political parties is in decline-particularly amongst young people
- Young people often don't vote in elections
- If young people don't become engaged what is the future of democracy?
- A healthy democratic can be judged on the degree to which citizens are involved in society
- Number of people who vote in elections has declined since WW2.
- Political parties struggle to raise funds
Participation
Barriers to Participation
Language, access to education, poor housing, employment/unemployment, state of health, disability
Young People and Participation
Many young people are involved in political protests via a range of groups and organisations
A large number young people do voluntary work and raise money for people in need
Young people often interested in single issue such as University fees
Responses to Voter Apathy
Make it easier to get a postal vote or consider use of online voting
Having voting over several days- including a Saturday when people have more time to vote
Education about importance of voting and also policies of different parties
Barriers to Participation
People who do not participate give a range of reasons such as:
Lack of interest or Apathy
A belief that their participation will not make a difference
A lack of faith in politicians and the political process
A lack of information or understanding about how to participate
The issues are not important to them
They lead busy lives
Some attempts have been made to make voting and registering easier, including making Citizenship compulsory in schools.
Compulsory Voting
Lowering voting age to 16
Allowing online voting. Allowing weekend voting
Changing polling hours
Opening polling stations in different locations
Encouraging postal voting or telephone voting
Voting Age
Reasons for Lowering Voting Age
It helps 16 year olds seek out information to help inform their judgement previously being doubtful of their own decision making abilities
Lowering the limit will encourage civic-mindedness at an earlier age and establish an interest in the political system, which will be continued throughout a persons life.
Young people should have a say in matters that directly affect them, such as tuition fees
Reasons Against Lowering the Voting Age to 16
16 year olds haven't yet entered the world of home ownership, employment, tax or pensions but these economic issues are often at the forefront of election campaigns
Lack of experience in the matters above prevents young people from making a considered judgement at the ballot box.
18-24 year olds have the lowest turnout of any age group in elections, reflecting an apparent lack of interest in politics so reducing it to 16 wouldn't make any difference
Teenagers who do want to cast their votes would be impressionable and easily influenced by radical politics, or would not fully think things through and would blindly vote for the same party as their parents.
Where does Political Power Reside
Key Words
Constituencies:
A named geographical area consisting on average of about 65, 000 voters which elects a single MP to the UK parliament
First Past the Post
An election system based upon the candidate with the highest number of votes cast being elected
Proportional
A system of voting whereby the number of people elected relates to the number of voters cast.
Supplementary Voting
A voting system used in the UK where voters have a second vote which is used in the election process if no candidate gets 50 percent of the first choice votes
UK Voting Systems
First Past the Post
Used for electing MP's in a General Election in the UK and for electing local councilors in local council elections in England and Wales
For example, for the General Election the country is divided up into constituencies and each one elects an MP. Each person registered to vote gets one vote and cast their vote by placing a single X on their ballot paper aginat the candidate of their choice
The candidate with the most votes wins
Single Transferable Vote
Used in Northern Ireland to elect Members of the European Parliament, Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly and Local Councillors
Voter place candidates in rank order i.e. 1,2,3,4 and so on (1 being your first choice), each electoral elects several people so political parties have several candidates, a candidate is given a specific number of votes they need to be elected
If they have more than the required number of votes required their extra votes are allocated to the second choices on ballot papers, after all the extra votes are allocated to the second choices on ballot papers, after all the extra votes are used up the candidates with the smallest total of votes are eliminated and their votes get redistributed.
Additional Member System
Used for Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly and Greater London Authority.
Each elector has 2 votes, the first vote uses the FPTP system, the second vote is for a party list of candidates, each body using this system, the second vote is for a party list of candidates, each body using this system has a certain amount of member elected by FPTP and certain number chosen from the list
Party List System
Used to elect Members of the European Parliament in England, Scotland and Wales with each country split into regions which elect several MEPs.
Supplementary Vote System
Used to elect directly elected mayors including the Mayor of London
Local and Devolved Government
How Councils Operate
Full Council
Committees
Councillors on committees monitor the council's performance and decision-making process and hold it to account for its actions. In councils without a cabinet, these committees have more power as they vote and decide upon council policy
Cabinet
Like central government where the Prime Minister appoints members of the cabinet who are then responsible for departments, the same concept have been introduced into local government. The party or group that has a majority on the council appoint a leader of the council who words with a small group of councilors who are responsible for a service area.
Leader or Directly Elected Mayor
Now, councils formally have a leader of the council: the leader of the largest group of Councillors or a directly elected mayor who appoint their own cabinet. Many councils still keep the role of a ceremonial mayor. The Councillors who accept these more important roles or who are directly elected mayors receive a much higher level of payment than ordinary Councillors
The full council is made up of all elected councilors. The full council debates and decides upon policy based on reports from the various committees.
Roles and Accountability of Local Councilors
Roles of Local Councillors
They represent eh interest of the local community they are elected to serve
They represent their political party on the council if they stood under a party label
They campaign for the best interests of the whole council area
They attend civic and community functions
They serve on council committees.
Accountability of Local Councillors
The local media report on the work of local Councillors
Their political party hold them to account for their work as a Councillor and can deselect them
The financial expenses claimed from the council by Councillors are published
How Parliament Works
What is the Roles of an MP
MP's are elected by their constituents at general elections to represent interests and concerns in the House of Commons
They split their time between working in parliament and their constituency
There are 650 MP's in the UK- one for each constituency. They usually represent a party, but can be independent
In Parliament
MP's raise constituency issues with the government
The attend debates and vote on new laws
They are usually also members of committees
In their Constituency
MP's hold surgeries where they can discuss matters with constituents they attend local events and engage with the community
They may also campaign for local elections and referendums
Power of the PM and the Cabinet
The PM has certain constitutional powers
Although there is a cabinet government in the UK, the PM's power is still assured through 'primus inter pares': first among equals
How well they use these powers depends on their personality and political style
The PM is not directly elected by voters and thus does not have the power that the US president has
The governing party can replace the prime minister without consulting the voters, as labour did when it elected Gordon Brown to replace Tony Blair in 2007
Once a cabinet meeting, chaired by the
Prime Minister makes a decision, all cabinet Ministers must support it, whether they agree with it or not. If they speak out in public, they must resign
The Prime Minister can re-shuffle Cabinet
Ministers to different Cabinet Posts. He has the Power of appointment of junior minister, junior civil servants, bishops and judges
Special Advisers
PM's often appoint special advisers.
They are additional resource for the Minister, providing assistance from a standpoint that is more politically committed and politically aware than would be available to them from the Civil Service
Some are critical of how much special advisers are consulted compared to Cabinet colleagues
The Concept of Democracy
Key Words
Democracy
A system of government by the entire population or a majority of eligible citizens, usually through elected representatives
Liberal Democracy
A system of the government based on representative democracy and linked to freedoms and rights for citizens. USA, UK and EU follow this type of democracy
Direct Democracy
A system of government where all citizens take part in the decision making. A modern example of this is the use of referendums
Representative Democracy
A system of government where citizens are elected to represent others in an assembly. A UK examaple would be a MP or a Councillor
Types of Government
Monarchy
Government by a family who have inherited the title of monarch
Dictatorship
Rule by an individual or group with no democratic aspects, total control by one person or group
Communist
Government by one party; choice limited to officially approved candidates (china)
One Party State- A state where only one political party exists and runs the country and is often associated with communist forms of government, E.g. Vietnam and Cuba.
Oligarchy
Government by a privileged few- normally self appointed
Anarchy
A country with no political leader and a total social breakdown usually after a civil war
Theocracy
Where the religious leaders run the country e.g. Iran
Democracy includes the following aspects:
Regular and fair elections
An electoral system where there is a secret ballot and where the result reflect the view of the people. There result must also accountable
Any citizen can stand for election
Candidates can campaign equally without any fear of intimidation or bribery
The media can freely report on the work of Government
The judiciary is separate from government and citizens can use the legal process to hold government to account
The Values Underpinning Democracy
Rights
These are our legal, social and the ethical entitlements and all citizens enjoy them equally. This structures how government operates, the law and morality of society. E.g. human rights, children's rights.
Responsibilities
The state or fact of having to do something. We have duties as citizens of a society. E.g. pay taxes, obey the law, be called for jury service, conscription during war. These are not optional and underpinned by the law
Freedoms
The ability to act, speak or think as one wants. E.g. freedom of choice, freedom of the press, freedom of movement
The Rule of Law
Everyone must obey the law not matter who they are e.g. gender, class, wealth, religion
Equality- This is how society treats its members. There should be equal treatment for all. There is legislation protecting different groups e.g. Race Relations Act 1965, 1968, 1976, 2000 etc.
The Institutions of the British Constitution
Power of government
Government which is a body that makes, proposes and carries out the policy and laws
The Prime Minister and Cabinet
The sovereignty of Parliament
The roles of the Legislature
The opposition
Political Parties
The Monarch
Citizens
The Judiciary
The police
The Civil Service
Only Parliament can make and change laws
Another name for Parliament which can make laws. This can be done through the House of Commons or House of Lords
The official oppositions is the name given to the largest party in the Commons not in power. The opposition are MP's representing parties not in government
The Civil Service is based upon three core principles:
Impartiality- Civil Service serves the Crown and not a specific government.
Anonymity- They should not be identified or associated with specific policies
Permanence- They stay in post when a government leaves office. They serve whichever government is in power
The UK Constitution is Described as being Unwritten and Uncodified
Unwritten
There is no single written document that is called the British Constitution. There are constitutional laws and conventions
This makes changing aspects of constitutional law easy, no different than any other type of law
Gives power to the government of the day to make any changes it wishes. Other countries such as the USA have formal written documents and have laid out ways to make changes that involve each state
Uncodified
There is a range of documents containing aspects of constitutional arrangements. they are not linked or identified as being constitutional arrangements. They are not linked or identified as being constitutional.
It enables changes to be made easily, for example lowering the voting age can be looked at in isolation from, say, changing the parliamentary boundaries
It enables changes to be made piecemeal that could undermine existing constitutional rights when taken together.
click to edit