Ancient Greece where all the
members of a state met to
discuss matters and make
votes on things daily
Principles surviving in modern democracy:
All citizens have right to vote and stand
for office
Duty of all citizens to actively participate
Decisions should be made by majority vote
Why it is not practical
Today's society is too large
Needs time, commitment
and informed citizens
Representative Democracy
People choose someone to
make decisions for them
Elective representative
Democracy Definition
A system where the power is
ultimately in the hands of the people
A political system organised on the basis
that the government should serve the
interests of the people
Manifesto Defintion
The document that sets out the party's
intentions for the bills that they will
introduce should they be elected
Voters base their decision on the manifesto
Winning party's manifesto forms
the basis of the mandate
Mandate Definition
The authority to govern, granted to the
party that wins the general election
Government must introduce measures
from their election mainfesto unless they
have a good reason not to
Parliament tries to ensure manifesto commitments
are stuck to
Gives the government the authority to take whatever action it
deems necessary in an emergency
Democratic Deficit
Is a lack of people taking part in
political life and a lack of actual
power they can use to influence
political decisions
Welsh devolution referendum
had a total turnout of 35.2%
63.5 voted yes
Tyranny of
the minority
Non-elected posts in politics e.g HoL
FPTP disadvantages smaller parties
Labour party need 33,000 votes
when the Lib Dems need 120,000
Parliament ineffective in scrutinising
government
EU Parliament has jurisdiction over UK Parliament
Participation crisis
Party membership declining
only 500,000 party members
(1.3% of electorate) in 2006
in 1981 it was 1.5million
(4% of the electorate)
Tories have had the biggest
drop from 1.25m to 250,000
Voter turnout
General election results
1998- 78%
2001- 59%
2005- 61%
Partisan dealignment
Fewer feel naturally drawn to
a particular party
Fewer take active part in politics
Due to rising income levels blurring class lines
Improvements
Use of 'e=democracy'
Fraud risk seems frivolous
Compulsory voting
Devalues a vote
New forms of political
participation
Pressure groups
E-Petitions
1.8 million people signed a petition
about road pricing in 2007
2011-Hillsborough had
156,202 signatures
Led to an inquest
Protest
2003- 1 million march in Iraq
(link to pressure groups)
Ignored by government
Protests are usually ignored except in
the case of the poll tax riots in 1990
Outcme of it
Could make British politics more democratic by
according to Power Commission Report 2007
Capping donations
Reforming electoral system
Elect HoL
Each voter allocation £3 of
public money to a party
Lowering voting age
Logging and listing ministerial meetings
Referenda
Government can chose to
ignore results
Would be a foolish
government to ignore it
Results usually come out in
the government's favour
They pick the timing, wording and
existence of the referendum
Expensive – possible that one side
can fail due to lack of resources e.g.
1975 EU referendum when 'yes' side
spent far more than 'no', had support
of business – therefore money
Issues can often be oversimplified by the tabloid press, could lead people to
make a decision that they believe to be informed when they have only been
informed by the likes of Rupert Murdoch – gives editors and proprietors too
much influence.
Examples of Referenda
1975 referendum about staying in EU
Wilson's Labour government was split over
issue, but a decisive 67.2% 'yes' vote saved the
government & resolved deadlock
1998 referendum on introduction of a London Mayor.
Changed governance and implied
rise in taxation, made consent
essential
1998 Good Friday Agreement
A decisive 'yes' vote was needed to make sure all
sections of society were in favour & end violence. In
1973 there was a similar vote, but most Catholics
boycotted it, so the result became irrelevant.
2004 referendum on NE Assembly
Decisive (77.9%) 'no' vote made
government drop plans for more regional
devolved assemblies. May have been lost
due to the fact that the proposing minister,
Prescott, was deeply unpopular.
Power Definition
Ability to get people to do
what you want them to
Can exist without authority
person brandishing gun has power but no
authority; armed policeman has power and
authority
Authority Definition
The right to tell people
what to do or the right
to govern
Can exist without
much or any power
Three types of authority
Traditional authority
Rulers call for the
consent of the
people, on the basis
of continuity, history,
respect for
institutions and
religious tradition..
Example: Monarcies
Charismatic authority
Authority based on the
charisma of the leader –
a 'cult of personality'
Example: Tony Blair
Rational Legal
Based on
elections
Sovereignty
Can be used
in various
contexts
Legal- ultimate
political authority
Power to make enforceable
laws, exercised by the UK
Parliament but shared with EU
Political- ultimate
political power
In a democracy, political
sovereignty is held by the people at
elections and the government
between them
External
Legitimacy within a territory, as
recognised by other states. Where
right to govern is widely recognised,
state can claim sovereignty
Potential Questions
5 marker
Define representative
democracy (5)
Define direct democracy (5)
Apart from voting in elections and
referendums, describe two ways of
participating in politics
How does a referendum differ
from an election
Using an example, define direct democracy
10 marker
What are the main features of the UK's
democratic system (10)
In what ways has political participation declined in the UK in
recent years (10)
Explain three forms of democratic participation
Explain the arguements in favour of lowering the voting
age
Explain the arguments in favour of making voting compulsory
Explain three criticisms of representative democracy
25 marker
How and why has the UK
democratic system been
criticised
Evaluate the effectiveness
of the various ways in which
participation and democracy
could be strengthened in
the UK
Assess the arguements in favour
of the greater use of direct
democracy in the UK
To what extent would the wider us of referendums improve
democracy in the UK
How effectively does representative democracy operate in the UK
Assess the various measures, other than electoral
reform, that have been suggested to improve
democracy in the UK