Comprehensive A* politics notes for UK Democracy and Participation. Includes all key areas: direct and representative democracy, suffrage (votes at 16, compulsory voting), rights, and pluralism (pressure groups, think tanks, lobbying). Includes loads of recent examples.
Abraham
Lincoln on
democracy:
"Government
by the people,
of the people
and for the
people"
What is
legitimacy? The wide recognition and popular acceptance of a government to
exercise power. Nowadays, an election usually provides legitimacy.
What is direct democracy? When individuals express opinions themselves rather
than through representatives
Nowadays it is seen mainly in referendums. (These can be divisive, and lead to
recrimination and controversy.)
The people make the decision, so it Can lead to “tyranny of the majority”
is accepted and holds great where the biggest groups always get their
legitimacy. There will be fewer way. Minority viewpoints are disregarded
protests and unrest. (e.g 48% voted against Brexit) so the
majority could oppress their rights.
Encourages participation as well People don’t always participate meaning a
as public education and minority can dictate what happens for the
discussion on key issues. majority. Modern citizens don’t have time
to consider and vote on every single issue.
Some issues may be too complex for the
ordinary citizen to understand.
Prevents power from being Wealthier groups are able to spend more to
concentrated in the hands of the influence the public and therefore the
elite. referendum.
Removes the need for Most votes are based on self-interest
representatives as people take rather than the good of the whole
responsibility for their own population. Public may be unwilling to vote
decisions. for unpopular, but necessary decisions.
Modern population sizes make direct
democracy impractical. It is expensive to
finance votes on every decision and it is a
very long process to count all the votes.
Slows down decision making.
Advantages and disadvantages of direct democracy:
An example of direct democracy is in Switzerland
- Slows down decision making - Legislation to allow same-sex marriage was
only just adopted in September 2021. Women of some Cantons (states) only got
the right to vote in 1991.
- People stop caring about the issues. Weak participation and voter fatigue -
In 2018 two of the four yearly federal votes received less than 40% turnout.
- “Tyranny of the majority” means that minorities suffer. It leads to division -
e.g in 2009 58% voted for banning minarets (towers on a mosque) much to the
frustration of the Swiss Muslim population.
, Different types of representation:
Constituency representation. Pushing for the interests of the constituency
and its individuals, as well as their views on a national issue. This may clash
with their own views e.g MP for Remain-voting Hendon is Mathew Offord, a
Brexiter.
National Interest. May clash with interests of constituents e.g Heathrow
extension.
Party representation. Representing the policies and manifesto promises of
the party who you were elected for. There can be a conflict between party and
constituency.
Occupational or social representation. Occupations such as doctors or
teachers. Social groups such as the elderly, those with disabilities or members
of the LGBT+ community. Labour MPs (supported by Trade Unions) often pursue
the cause of groups of workers. Jess Phillips pursues the problem of violence
against women.
Casual representation. Representing ideas and principles, rather than
specific groups of people. E.g environmental protection, greater equality, animal
rights.
Bodies should reflect the population e.g half of members should be women and a
proportion from different ethnic/religious minorities, classes and ages. This is true
social representation.
More practical with high populations. There is often a short-term focus
Less time-consuming and costly. because officials may only be in power for
a short period of time.
Elected representatives may have By delegating responsibility to
greater expertise and experience to representatives it can lead to public
decide on important issues. They have the disengagement from issues.
time to research properly these issues.
Elected representatives may be more Representatives may not act in the
likely to implement best interests of their constituents
unpopular/unpleasant actions that the due to the influence of their party or their
public shies away from own self-interest.
Avoids tyranny of the majority. All Representative bodies can be
minorities should be represented as in unrepresentative and may ignore the
theory politicians should represent needs and concerns of minorities.
everyone in their constituency.
Representatives are held accountable It can be difficult to hold a
for their actions at the next electionrepresentative to account between
elections. After the election, the citizens
voice is lost, as they just have to put faith
in their representative
Advantages and disadvantages of representative democracy:
Potential democratic reforms for the UK:
Replace HOL (unelected, unaccountable) with an elected chamber. gridlock, loss
of expertise
Replace FPTP system with a more proportional one.
Codify the UK constitution to clarify the UK system, limit the government’s power
and entrench rights and liberties. It might be too rigid, and it gives more power to
unelected judges.
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