Karteikarten
DEMOCRACY
Karten in diesem Stapel (26)
- 1DEMOCRACYWHAT IS POWER?
The ability to make others do something - 2DEMOCRACYWHAT ARE THE THREE TYPES OF POWER?
+ EXAMPLES
- Coercive/Force (torture, imprisonment)
- Political (politicians, David Cameron)
- Influence (media & social media) - 3DEMOCRACYWHAT IS AUTHORITY?
The right to exercise power - 4DEMOCRACYWHAT ARE THE THREE TYPES OF AUTHORITY? + EXAMPLES
- Traditional - accepted over a long period of time (hereditary monarch, The Sheikhs)
- Charasmatic - persuasive/good leader (Hitler, Obama)
- Legal/rational - elective (UK, David Cameron) - 5DEMOCRACYWHAT IS LEGITIMACY?
The rightful and correct way to exercise power - 6DEMOCRACYWHICH SIX PRINCIPLE EXAMPLES CONSTITUTE LEGITIMACY?
- Tradition - held power with no opposition for a long period of time
- Control - if you can control the state from harm
- Religion - relies on religious belief
- Legality - recognised system of laws and govt works within them
- Morality - judgements about conduct of regimes
- Consent - people being governed consent - 7DEMOCRACYWHAT IS SOVEREIGNTY? + EXAMPLE
Supreme power or authority
EXAMPLE: Parliament - 8DEMOCRACYWHAT IS A REFERENDUM? + EXAMPLES
A vote in which the electorate can express a view on a particular topic
EXAMPLE: AV Ref 201 - 32.1% YES
Scottish Ref 2014 - 55% NO - 9DEMOCRACYADVANTAGES OF REFERENDA
- Direct form of democracy
- If govt is divided over an issue refs can resolve it (AV REF 2011)
- Political education
- Encourages political participation
- Reduces political apathy - 10DEMOCRACYDISADVANTAGES OF REFERENDA
- Biased wording of questions by govt
- Media can influence decisions
- Undermines Parliamentary Sovereignty
- Low turnout, unfair result - 11DEMOCRACYWHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ELECTIONS AND REFERENDA?
- In elections you vote for candiates, in referendums you vote on issues
- Elections are forms of representative democracy, referendums are direct democracy
- Elections are mandatory, referendums can be both advisory and mandatory
- Elections decide who holds power, referendums influence those in power - 12DEMOCRACYWHAT IS DEMOCRACY?
"Government of the people, by the people, for the people" - Abraham Lincoln
A system in which ultimate political power is vested in the people - 13DEMOCRACYWHAT IS DIRECT DEMOCRACY? + EXAMPLE
All o0f the people in the state make the decisions affecting them on a daily basis, decisions made by majority rule
EXAMPLE: referendums, AV '11, Scottish '14 - 14DEMOCRACYWHAT IS REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY?
+ EXAMPLES
Unrealistic for everyone to have a say in the decision-making process. Electing representatives to make decisions on behalf of the electorate, offers a more managable, democratic process
EXAMPLE: Elections - allows representatives to be chosen to govern the country. Enables govt to reflect the repsect and opinions of the people - 15DEMOCRACYFEATURES OF ELECTIONS + EXAMPLES
- Political direction reflects the nation's mood (Tony Blair elected - UK wanted change)
- Conveys legitimacy, provides a basis for govt's authority (controversy over Gordon Brown's elevation to PM - not voted in)
- Turnout relatively low - challenges legitimacy (2005 61%)
- Must be representative of society in terms of politcal opinion and social and ethnic background (Tories often criticised for being middle class)
- MPs must be held accountability for decisions made. MPs are elected to govern and public opinion may be overlooker (Iraq war 2003) - 16DEMOCRACYLIMITATIONS OF DEMOCRACY
- Elections are not free financially
- Smaller parties suffer
- Accountability is blurred - electorate votes against a party regardless of the MP
- Falling turnout questions legitimacy
- Human Rights Act is not embedded into the constitution - 17DEMOCRACYRECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN UK DEMOCRACY
- Constitutional Reforms
- Devolution
- Referendums
- House of Lords Reform
- Human Rights Act
- Proportional Representation - 18DEMOCRACY Recent Developments in UK DemocracyCONSTITUTIONAL REFORMS + EXAMPLES
- Many believe have transformed the constitution into the modern day
- Conservatives believe it has done nothing for democracy
- Lib dems believe New Labour have failed to tackle the problems with the current system
- Tories believe the 1997 Labour majority turned the UK into an elective dictatorship - 19DEMOCRACY Recent Developments in UK DemocracyDEVOLUTION + EXAMPLES
- Labour decentralised power in the UK
- Sovereignty resides with Parliament but power is handed down to sub-national bodies
EXAMPLE: Scottish Parl. & the Welsh Assembly
- Parliament retains the right to vary these powers or completely abolish the sub-nation bodies
- Marks a breakdown in tradition where power resides with Parliament - 20DEMOCRACY Recent Developments in UK DemocracyREFERENDUMS + EXAMPLES
- Labour held refs in Scotland & Wales on their desire for devolved bodies
EXAMPLE: Devolution 1979 & 1997
- Blair increased the use of refs and promised to consult on EU concerns
EXAMPLES: Scottish Devolution Ref - YES
Welsh Devolution Ref - YES - 21DEMOCRACY Recent Developments in UK DemocracyPROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION
+ EXAMPLES
The devolved assemblies are using proportional representation systems
- Arguable that the systems used in the assemblies is more democratic than the House of Commons (FPTP & Closed Party List)
- As a result, extremist parties (UKIP) have been elected - 22DEMOCRACY Recent Development in UK DemocracyHOUSE OF LORDS REFORM + EXAMPLES
- Labour did not like the HofL
- Previous efforts of reforming the HofL in the 1940s and 1960s, Blair's govt took a significant step in aboloshing hereditary peers (only 92 remain)
- First stage of a two-part process
- Hereditary peers are seen as undemocratic
- Gordon Brown vowed to complete the reform and failed - 23DEMOCRACY Recent Developments in UK DemocracyHUMAN RIGHTS ACT 1998 + EXAMPLES
- Introduced by govt
- Clearly sets out citizen's rights
- Citizens no longer seek redress from European Court of Human Rights - 24DEMOCRACYUK FEATURES OF DEMOCRACY
- Free & fair elections
- Representative, mediate with MPs
- Disproportioned
- Unelected monarchy
- Uncodified constitution
- House of Lords, appointed partly
- FPTP electoral system - 25DEMOCRACYIS THERE A PARTICIPATION CRISIS + EXAMPLES
- Historically low turnout - 61% 2005
- Falling party membership
HOWEVER
- Increased pressure group membership
- Increased support for involvement of debates - 26DEMOCRACYWAYS TO IMPROVE DEMOCRACY + EXAMPLES
- Compulsory Voting (Australia, Cyprus)
- Votes for 16/27 year olds (Argentina, Brazil)
- E-Democracy
- Encourage postal voting
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- A Level GOVERNMENT & POLITICS Karteikarten am DEMOCRACY, erstellt von hollie.manning96 am 31/05/2015.
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