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Summary Democracy and Participation Notes - A Level
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An A* Document full of Notes fro the first Chapter of Politics Edexcel A Level
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Democracy & Participation1.1
“Government of the people, by the people, for the people” - Abraham Lincoln
Core principles of a democracy:
1) Political Participation = key decisions are made by the public
2) Political Equality = everyone has a free and equal opportunity to influence political decisions.
Universal Suffrage = where everyone may vote exceptions: under 18, convicted of crime, non-citizen.
Direct Democracy :
● Citizens in a direct democracy vote themselves on policies and laws which are made by the government as opposed to
acting through others. In a direct democracy, decisions are reached by a majority voting decision .Most UK decision
decisions are not made by direct democracy.
But some important decisions are made by referendums
Referendums:
● citizens vote on issues and the government creates policy based on the response.
● The United Kingdom European Union referendum 2016 : 33 million million UK citizens on whether to
remain a member of the EU or leave, 51.89% voted to leave
● The Alternative Vote Referendum Referendum 2011 : Over 19 million citizens voted against adopting
the Alternative Vote system and chose to keep the current First Past the Post (FPTP) system.
Online Petitions
● UK Parliament has set up a platform for citizens to make and sign online petitions
● If a petition gains over 100,00 signatures may debate the topic
● But, a topic must be sponsored by the ‘Backbench Business Committee’ so it is not an entire direct democracy.
1. 1.6 million people signed a petition to stop US President Donald Trump from making a State Visit to
UK
2. MPs the debated Trump’s visit to Parliament and changed it from A “state visit” to a “working visit” in
2018
Rallies and Protests
● Groups of people concerned about the government or political actions may gather to demonstrate their
support or disapproval.
● But government don't have to respond to protests
1. In 2017, thousands of citizens gathered to protest in Londo against the government’s economic and
political decisions. People disapproved of austerity measures.
2. In 2010, thousand of students marched in London to protest tuition fee rises
Advantages of Direct Democracy Disadvantages of Direct Democracy
Wishes of the people - direct democracy ensures that Voters may not be experts - direct democracy means that the
the will of the people is clear. So, the governments public makes important political decisions.
will have a clear directive to act Votes may be less knowledgeable and less able to make an
informed decision than raw representative politician
Education - Citizens become educated in key political Impractical - a system of direct democracy is too time
issues. consuming, expensive and may not be practical frequent
The Alternative Voting Referendum in decisions
2011 educated the public on different kinds of voting For a big country with millions of citizens, direct democracy
is especially difficult
Cabinet Office estimated total cost of the 2016 EU
Referendum was £142.2 million (including cost of running
polling stations and counting votes)
, Cooperation - People are more likely to engage in the Can be manipulated - The way in which questionnaire
political process if they believe their opinion will phrased and the vikings of them can manipulate results.
make a difference. The electorate can be influenced, particularly be influential
political figures, campaigns or media.
People may vote with their emotions rather than
considering all of the options available.
Purest form - Direct Democracy is the “purest” type of
democracy and does not involve any interpretation.
Transparency - ensures a strong level of openness
between citizens and the government.
Representative Democracy
● Elected representatives from organised parties make the decisions on the behalf of their votes.
● Regular elections give representatives authority and mae the system legitimate
● The UK is a representative democracy. MPs are elected to Parliament by the electorate in the general election
● MPs in the UK are accountable to the citizens who have voted for them.
● Political Power in the UK is mainly held by representatives not the public.
Members of Parliament:
1. General elections involve voters voting for à candidate to represent their local area, called a constituency -
there are 650 constituencies. In the UK, 650 representatives are voted for by citizens. The winning candidate
gains a seat in the House of Commons.
2. These representatives act on behalf of their constituency in Parliament
UK General Elections:
1. General elections take place every five years in May (a result of the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011)
2. Parliament can decide to hold an election earlier, by voting to support a motion of no confidence in the
Government, or by voting by two-thirds majority in favour of a general election.
3. The most recent election took place in 2017. In 2017, the Conservatives won the most seats with 317 and
Labour the second most with 262.
Laws:
1. The way in which MPs vote on laws in Parliament can be based on representing the views of their constituents
● MPs Ken Clarke and Anna Soubry voted in favour of giving Parliament a vote on any Brexit deal which
is reached, representing their constituents and going against the Conservative Party.
Question Time:
1. MPs question members of the government about issues which they are responsible for, which will often be on
matters of concern to their constituents.
2. Prime Minister’s Question Time: Takes place once a week, where the Leader of the Opposition and then MP’s
question the Prime Minister on significant issues, often on behalf of the voters they represent.
Debate:
1. MPs can propose a debate, and debate themselves in Parliament, on various issues which will have
importance for the voters they represent.
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