Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Democracy & Participation - Coggle Diagram
Democracy & Participation
Different types of democracy
Representative democracy
Most common form of democracy in the UK.
It involves the peopl voting for representatives who then serve in parliament or on councils as MPs or councillors.
Accountability comes in the form of regular elections when voters can endorse or reject candidates at the ballot box.
Advantages
Elected representatives have the knowledge and skill to make often difficult and complex decisions on behalf of voters.
By being responsible for nearly all areas of policy and decision-making, they are able to take a broader view of issues and balance effectively competing claims and issues.
Belonging to a political party enables voters to have a good idea of how representatives will act once in power.
Representative government is more efficient than laying numerous decisions and laws directly before the people for approval or rejection.
It's efficient: a single elected official represents the desires of a large number of people.
It encourages particiaption.
It summarises the government's problem-solving platforms.
Encourages the people's participation.
Quick allocation of resources
Disadvantages
It's not always relia;e: the votes of elected officials in a representative democracy may not always reflect the will of the people.
It can become inefficient: governments shaped by representative democracy may develop into massive bureaucracies.
It can invite corruption: candidates may misrepresent their stances on issues or policy goals in order to achieve political power.
It can limit representatives from serving their jurisdiction.
Deceptive motives.
Focuses on the majority.
The system doesn't hold the elected representative accountable.
Not always reliable in making important decisions.
Invites corruption.
Direct democracy
It entails directly involving the people in policy choice as opposed to leaving it purely to elected officials.
Referendums are commonly associated with this type of democracy.
It is rarely used in the UK.
It is almost exclusively reserved for constitutional issues.
Examples of direct democracy in the UK include the following:
1973 - Northern Ireland: vote on whether it would remain part of the UK.
1975 - whole of the UK: vote on continued membership it would remain part of the UK.
1979 and 1997 - Scotland and Wales: proposed introduction of devolution.
2011 - whole of UK: proposal to replace the FPTP electoral system with the alternative vote (AV)
The UK's use of direct democracy contrasts sharply with some other democracies that make far more use of direct democracy, e.g. Switzerland.
Advantages
It works. Direct democracy, whether referendum or e-petitions, is popular with voters and engages them
It improves political education. People can be motivated to become politically well-informed and research relevant material and points before arriving at a rational and considered decision.
It promotes political participation. People can participate directly in the decision-making process.
It improves accountability. Elected representatives or the government cannot ignore the wishes of the people. It can sometimes provide a useful corrective when the MPs views are out of step with the country at large, such as with Brexit.
It enhances legitimacy. Decisions have the Direct authority and mandate of the people. This gives them greater legitimacy. WHen people vote in elections, they may not necessarily agree with all the policies in a party manifesto.
It is often considered to be a purer form of democracy since it allows and trusts the whole adult population to have a say and decide on issues directly instead of through representatives.
Disadvantages
There is a lack of political education. The public may not fully understand the question that they are voting on. ELected representatives might be better placed to analyse and evaluate the issue. It also undermines representative government.
Turnout is often low for referendums.
Referendums are not binding on the government. In the UK parliamentary sovereignty prevails under the terms of the constitution.
The majority of people may vote for something that undermines the rights of a minority group (tyranny of the majority).
Populists outcomes can prevail. People now vote for emotional or populist short-term reasons rather than taking a more considered and long-term view.
It is impractical. In a large and diverse country, greater use of referendums in particular would be costly and time consuming. If the public were allowed to propose legislation, it could make some aspects of effective government impossible.
E-petitions - are used as a form of direct democracy.
E.g. 2017 around 1.86 million signatures were collected in a petition to stop President Donald Trump from making a state visit to the UK.
Key concepts
Democracy
- A system of government in which the people have ultimate power.
Participation
- The various ways that people can get involved in the political process. These can range in scale from standing for elected office to signing an e-petition. The most central form of participation is voting in elections.
Representative democracy
- A system of democracy in which people vote for elected representatives, for example in local and general elections. Elected representative then make decisions on the people's behalf.
Direct democracy
- A form of democracy in which people decide on policy initiatives directly as opposed to indirectly through their elected representatives, Votes take place on specific questions, e.g. the 2016 EU referendum.
Suffrage
- The right to vote. Universal suffrage effectively equates to democracy.
How suffrage has developed
Great Reform Act (1832)
- Introduced by the Whig government of Lord Grey. It allowed 1/5 male adults to have the vote (5.6% of the population). Also abolished 'rotten boroughs'.
Second Reform Act (1867)
- Introduced by the Conservative government of Benjamin Disraeli. It allowed many working-class men in cities to vote, doubling the size of the electorate (1/3 of all men).
Third Reform Act (1884)
- Introduced by William Gladstone's Liberal government. All working men who met property qualification could now vote. (40% of adult men were still excluded).
Representation of the People Act (1918)
- Introduced by David Lloyd George wartime coalition government. All men over the age of 21 (19 for veterans) could vote. Women over 30 who met the property qualification could now vote.
Representation of the People Act (1928)
- Introduced by Stanley Baldwin's Conservative government. All men and women over 21 could now vote and property qualifications were removed.
Representation of the People Act (1969)
- Introduced by Harold Wilson's Labour government. The voting age was lowered to 18.
Chartists
They emerged as an early example of a pressure group for major political reform. This happened after the Great Reform Act 1932, did virtually nothing to extend the vote to the working class.
Their Six points
All men to have the vote irrespective of wealth or property oxnership.
Voting should take place by secret ballot.
Parliamentary elections every year.
Equally sized constituencies.
Members of Parliament should be paid.
The property qualification for becoming a member of parliament should be abolished.
Eventually all of these were achieved except for parliamentary elections every year as that is seen as unrealistic.
Their main tactic were petitions. They had 3 monster petitions in 1839, 1842 and 1848. Non of them were successful.
The wealthy were scared of the working class and starting a revolution.
Suffragettes/Suffragists
Women's suffrage movement originated in the 1860s.
Suffragists - National Union of Women's suffrage Societies, formed in 1897 from the merging of several suffrage groups. - More peaceful methods that included petitions and marches.
Suffragettes - Women's Social and Political Union led by Emmeline Pankhurst. - More militant and prepared to break the law: they chained themselves to railings. When imprisoned, they frequently went on hunger strike (Cat and Mouse Act was passed to legally force feed them.)
Key aims
Women are the intellectual equals of men.
Women paid equivalent taxes and obeyed the same laws as men.
Women could have the vote in local elections, serve as mayors and become doctors and teachers.
Broader aims
- They wanted women to be equal in politics, employment and marriage to men.
Most women were given the vote in 1918 and the remainder in 1928 thanks to the suffragists and suffragettes.
Participation
Traditional forms of political participation
Voting in a range of elections including national, local, regional and referendums.
Membership of a political party, attending meetings and actively campaigning.
Standing as a candidate in elections
Joining a pressure group.
Writing letters to MPs and councillors.
Going on a march.
Going on strike.
Recent developments in political participation
Signing e-petitions
Following, retweeting and liking political posts on social media such as Twitter and Facebook.
Organising and participating in protests such as those associated with Black Live Matter via social media.
Boycotting certain goods and business out of political and moral principle.
Participation Through Voting
Overall, turnout in general elections is currently lower than it has been historically.
In 2019 it fell to 67.3% across the UK, a decrease of 1.5% points from 2017 (68.8%). But this was still the second-highest turnout since 1997.
Debate over ethnicity, age and the vote
There has never been systematic or quasi-legal exclusion of minority ethnic groups from being able to vote in the UK.
People from minority ethnic groups have been significantly and historically underrepresented in politics.
It took until 1987 for the first people of colour to be elected as MPs in a fully democratic UK.
The Electoral Commission reported in November 2019 that 25% of black voters in GB and 24% of Asian voters had not yet registered to vote.
2019 was the most diverse yet with around 20% of MPs from a minority ethic background.
The argument for giving the vote to 16- and 17-year-olds nationwide is primarily due to the existing rights and responsibilities they enjoy.
Paying income tax and National Insurance.
Obtaining tax credits and welfare benefits in their own right.
Consenting to sexual relationships and getting married.
Joining the armed forces.
Should prisoners have the right to vote?
Yes
Voting is part of civic responsibility and removing it makes rehabilitation harder.
Voting is a fundamental right that cannot be removed.
There is no evidence that taking away the vote acts as an effective deterrent.
Removal of the vote makes a prisoner a non-person and alienates them further from society.
The ECtHR has ruled against a blanket ban, so the UK government must honour its commitment to abide by the court’s rulings whether or not it disagrees with them. The rule of law applies.
No
Those who commit serious crimes against society should lose (usually temporarily except in the case of lifers) the right to have a say in how that society is run. Rights come with responsibilities.
Losing the vote serves as another deterrent against law breaking.
Prisoners are concentrated in certain constituencies that have large prisons, yet are not normally permanent members of those communities so should not play a part in selecting MPs for such areas.
Public opinion is strongly against such a change.
It undermines parliamentary sovereignty.
The ECtHR ruling and its interpretation of the ECHR goes far beyond the original intent of its framers. It is a classic example of judicial overreach.