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democracy and participation - Coggle Diagram
democracy and participation
representative and direct
features
direct
uses initiatives and referendums - public meetings and online consultations
UK is representative democracy that uses direct democracy to resolve constitutional issues
people make key decisions themselves
representative
gov is elected to make key proposals and arrange for their implementation
gov and elected reps accountable to the people
parties campaign to be able to represent the people in government
regular elections key feature - system characterised by rep assemblies such as parliaments
pressure groups operate, representing sections of society and various causes from outside the political system
people elect reps to make political decisions on their behalf
similarities and differences
differences
voters do not elect an individual under DD - they take part in referendums instead - RD involves voting for someone to represent interests
voters consider a range of issues under RD whereas DD often focuses on specific issuess
voters in DD are more actively involved in decision making whereas voters in RD are more passive
similarities
most forms of rep democracy involve some measure of DD and vice versa
some forms of DD such as public meetings also require consultation similar to representative democracy
both systems involves voting and participation only the nature of participation is different
advantages
and disadvantages
of DD
advantages of DD
gives equal weight to all votes
in a referendum all votes are counted and the side with the most votes win - in EU ref 52% voted to leave
encourages popular participation
turnout is important for referendums - often exceeds GE turnout - scottish independence in 2014 had 85% turnout whereas the 2019 GE had just 67%
organisation is easier due to modern tech
growth of e petitions has shown how easy it has become to find out what people think
develops a sense of community and responsibility
GF referendum in NI paves way for catholics and protestants to share power
everyone has a say in the decision
2016 EU referendum was one of the greatest democratic exercises in british political history - more than 33 million people votes
encourages genuine debate
electoral reform society found that the socttish independence referendum was conducted in an open and honest way with reasoned arguments
disadvantages of DD
it can lead to the tyranny of the majority
a majority of voters in england voted for brexit, while a majority in scotland voted to remain - as leave side won socltand as part of the UK has left the EU
lack of accountability
impossible to hold a whole voting population to account if a decision turns out to have unforeseen consequences
impractical for large populations
emergency decisions often have to be made quickly and by only a handful of people
it can divide communities
EU referendum exposed and deepened divides between regions
decisions made by the people in referendums may be at odds with the preferences of their elected representatives - political instability
UK political stability was severely compromised by the brexit referendum
it call allow an ill educated populace to make ill informed decisions
electoral reform society found that many voters in the EU referendum felt confused about the information they received during the campaign
direct
: political system where the people make political decisions - use of referendums
representative
: political system where the citizens elect representatives who make decisions on their behalf and are accountable to them
advantages and disadvantages of RD
advantages
practical for complex issues
addressing the covid 19 pandemic required MPs to weigh up the difficulties faced by small businesses during lockdown alongside the scientific necessity to minimise social contract
gives a voice to minority opinion
parliament has passed several laws extending the rights of citizens - HRA and FOI act
representatives can become experts
yvette cooper MP is chair of the high profile home affairs select committee which focuses on immigration crime and civil rights
trains future leaders of the country
BJ held prominent roles in the cabinets of both DC and TM before becoming PM himself in 2019
accountability the representative can be voted out
many lib dem MPs lost their seats in 2015 - the controversy over raising tuitions fess resulted in the party loosing the trust of its younger supporters
disadvantages
politicians can be incompetent or corrupt
former cabinet minister huhne was found guilty of perverting the course of justice and so was onasanya labour
minority groups might still find that their concerns are unmet
MPs voted down proposed amendments to the bill authorising withdrawal from the EU in 2020 that would have protected child refugees
political parties are dominated by individuals pursuing their own agendas
after claiming there was no magic money tree for public services for the 2017 GE - TM cons signed a confidence and supply deal with the DUP promising £1 billion of investment in NI
not all voters get the representative they want
FPTP has meant that smaller parties are under represented in parliament
representatives do not always do what the people want and may do what they want
lib dem MPs had signed a pledge not to raise tuition fees after the 2010 GE but subsequently voted to do so
widening franchise?
key milestones
1918 representation of the people act
1928 representation of the people act
1832 great reform act
1969 representation of the people act
suffrage
suffragists/suffragettes
chartist
current
lowering voting age for GE
youth turn out in scottish independence referendum reached 80%
BUT many young people do not vote - only 43% of 18-24 year olds voted in the 2015 GE
16/17 year olds in scotland and wales can already vote in local and regional elections
compulsory voting
people may spoil their ballot papers
voting is a right not a duty
other countries have compulsory voting such as australia
turnout would reach 100%
voting online
may boost youth turnout
subject to breaches in cybersecurity
online voting has proven successful in estonia
for most people voting in person is already easy enough
franchise
everyone over the age of 18 has the right to vote in elections - minus prisoners, royal family
no groups are discriminated against in electoral law
responsibility of each individual to register to vote
rights in context
milestones
1215 magna carta
first document that set out limits of kings power sought to prevent exploiting of power - rule of law
1998 HRA
brought the ECHR into UK law - wide range of rights and freedoms enforced
equalities act 2010
legally protects people against discrimination in the workplace and in wider society
common law
rights that are recognised as existing and commonly enforced - confirmed by judicial precedent - rule of law guaranteeing equal treatment under the law
statutes
parliamentary law may guarantee rights - FOI
how well are rights protected in the uk?
strengths
UK is subject to the ECHR - eg. E court of HR ruled that prisoners in the UK have the right to vote
judiciary has reputation for being independent and upholding the rule of law even against wishes of gov and parliament - eg. april 2016 judges overturned gov plans to deny legal aid to people who have not lived in the UK continuously for at least 12 months
strong common law tradition - eg. the rights of cohabiting couples; right to a fair trial
weaknesses
parliament remains sovereign and so can ignore the ECHR and repeal the HRA - eg. prisoners have not yet been given the opportunity in the UK, despite the ECHR ruling
increasing pressure on gov as result of international terrorism to curtail rights in the interest of national security - right to privacy, right of association and expression as well as freedom from imprisonment without trial - eg. 2016 con gov passed the investigatory powers act
common law can be vague and disputed - can also be set aside by parliamentary statutes - eg. gov introduced interment in northern ireland in 1970s - imprisonment without trial of suspected terrorists
conflict between individual and collective rights
collective
collective right of the press to report on matters of public interest
right of the community to their own freedom of movement
right of the community to be protected from terrorism by security services which may listen in on private communications
the right of the community to expect good service from public servants who are paid from taxation
the rights of minority groups not to be subjected to hate speech
individual
individual right to privacy
right to demonstrate in public places (right of association and free movement)
the right to privacy
right to strike in pursuit of pay and employment rights
freedom of expression
case study
UKSC ruled that baker could not be compelled to write support gay marriage on a cake which was requested by a customer for same sex wedding
upheld the individual right of the baked to their freedom of conscience
ashers bakery case - october 2018
court may have affected the collective right of the LGBTQ+ community to equal access to services - in this instance buying a cake of their choice
political participation
voting in elections
joining a political party
becoming an active member of a party
joining a trade union
standing for election to office
joining a pressure group
becoming an active in a pressure group
taking part in a political campaign online or on the ground
signing an petition
reasons for falling turnout in GE
people being more concerned with single issues than with broad politices
lack of distinction between the parties since the 1990s
disillusionment with political parties, among young people, failing commitment to parties (partisan dealignment)
electoral system results in large number of waste votes - for similar parties in safe seats - and votes of unequal value (marginal vs safe seats) also results in disproportional outcomes for third place
emergence of referendums voters prefer direct democracy
participation crisis?
union membership
number of private sector employees belonging to a trade union constitutes only 13% of the private sector workforce
overall union membership has risen fo four consecutive years to 2020
signing petitions
difficult to claim that taking 3 mins to sign petition amounts to meaningful participation
38 degrees claims that almost 40 million people have signed an e petition on its website - concerning over 10,000 campaigns
joining party
only 1/7% of population are members of a political party
labour party membership rose considerably after 2015 when JC became leader
joining pressure group
many cheque book members pay membership fees and do little else
fair funding for schools engaged teachers and headteachers and parents in campaigning against education cuts
voting in GE
figure is well below the high levels of the 1970s where turnout reached 78.8% in 1974
from 2001 to 2017 GE turnout has steadily increased
67.3% turnout in the 2019 GE down from 1.5% from 2017
could be several reasons why turnout fell in 2019 - including time of year