1. Evaluate the extent to which there is a valid case for reform of UK democracy
2. Evaluate the extent to which there is a participation crisis in UK Politics
3. Using the source, evaluate the view that UK democracy is in crisis.
4. Evaluate the extent to which methods determine pressure group success [30]
5. Evaluate the view to which the main political parties disagree over policies
and ideas? (30)
6. Evaluate the recent divisions that exist between the labour and the
conservative parties over the economy, law and order and foreign affairs.
Evaluate the extent to which there is a valid case for reform of UK democracy
1. Other forms of participation Voter turnout is low
2. Democratic Features Undemocratic features
3. Reforms can be effective Limited effectiveness to reforms
• Ways politicians could be more responsive to the public and encourage greater
accountability
• Democratic deficit – when a democracy is not operating effectively because there is a
lack of accountability among political bodies and not all citizens can claim equal
influence over political decision making
1. Undemocratic system
• Negatives – democratic deficit – lacks accountability and democratic impute
• Underrepresentation of minority views from FPTP system - minorities may find
themselves underrepresented as politicians more like to follow views of majority to win
election
• House of lords lacks legitimacy – unelected but cross bench life peers add expertise
• Lack of protection of citizens’ rights – ECHR in 1998 Law – inadequate guarantee of
rights as act doesn’t have legal authority
• Control of sections of media by wealthy, unaccountable business interests – the Times
• House of Commons unrepresentative of women (35/650) and ethnic minorities (8%)
• Lack of protection of rights = HRA is an act of parliament and therefore can be repealed
• Positive democratic features
• Developed government e.g. Scottish parliament, Welsh and NI assembly, elected Majors
in cities
• Independent judiciary – upholds rule of law, protects personal freedom – contradicts lack
of protection of rights as it suggests rights are protected
• Free media – challenges government policy, exposes politicians
• Free and fair elections – free of corruption
• Wide range of political parties and pressure groups
•
2. Participation crisis
• Elected governments who have low participation questionable mandate
• 2017 general election turnout only 68.7%. voted – undermines legitimacy of results
• Lower turnout in second order elections for devolved bodies e.g., Scotland
• Failure to engage in politics – voters are content ‘hapathetic’ but government needs
voter turnout to get a mandate to govern
• Dramatically decreased 2001 Blair election as people liked him and conservatives didn’t
have a suitable alternative and steadily increased after this
• Pressure groups are a way to get involved e.g., issues of environment, Fox hunting, Iraq
war
• Social media emergence enabled young to exchange political views, online campaigns
e.g., e-petitions
• New forms of political engagement but concern people aren’t in traditional politics
• Participation varies on issue e.g. EU 2016 referendum had 72% turnout
•
3. What are the reform options? – proposals for reform are flawed
• Voting age, e-voting
• Voting and encouraging electronic political discussion = higher turnout but is
problematic
, • Voting on phone would encourage easier more voting but it may not be secret and voter
manipulation could increase
• Cyber interference – more open to fraud
• Politicians use twitter can encourage populist sloganeering
• Debate on social media – activists could bully
• Make voting compulsory
• It’s a social duty and right, people should be engaged
• Produce a parliament more representative of population as a whole
• Politicians have to run better quality campaigns and target whole electorate
• Voters still allowed to spoil ballot or select none
• Where voters number candidates in preferential system – if compulsory people may
rank it in order on paper
• Undemocratic to force people
• Not stop politicians focusing their campaigns on marginal seats, neglecting safe seats
where predictable outcome
• Compulsory voting doesn’t address deeper reasons why people decide not to vote
• Reform of Westminster electoral system
• Replace FPTP system within proportional form of election would create a fairer
connection between votes a party gets and its representation
• Says it discourages voting as it limits voter choice by over rewarding Labour and
Conservative parties – harder for other parties to gain representation but this will mean
less wasted votes and safe seats – greater incentive to vote
• 2011 68% electorate voted in favour of not replacing FPTP with AV
• Proportional representation would make coalition governments more likely – harder for
governments to fulfil manifesto commitments
• FPTP isn’t appropriate as UK is multiparty democracy but 2017 general election –
highest % electorate voted Conservative or labour than any other election since 1970 –
82% altogether
• Further devolution - Transfer government powers to local bodies e.g. devolved
powers
• More power devolved from Westminster and giving greater self-determination as well as
the Scottish parliament, the National Assembly for waves and elected mayors should
how decision making brough to public
• Turnout in devolved assembly elections are significantly lower than Westminster e.g.
Wales 2016 45%
• Suggests that providing another layer isn’t effective and 2004 in England, voters in NE
were given opportunity to have own assembly and 78% voted against it .
• Elected mayors don’t get much turnout e.g. 30% Bristol
• Giving public more voting opportunities could discourage participation = democratic
overload
Evaluate the extent to which there is a participation crisis in UK Politics
1. Voter turnout is low hapathy and people vote in important referendums
2. Party membership is low membership has been low for years, doesn’t mean much
3. Suggests traditional politics isn’t successful however new forms of engagement
• UKs representative democracy is criticised there is political disengagement and radical
steps are needed to re-inspire voters
• Participation crisis – a point at which the public has become disengaged from politics
and voting levels have fallen so low that the legitimacy of elected governments can be
questioned
Voter turnout
• Elected governments who have low participation questionable mandate
• 2017 general election turnout only 68.7%. voted – undermines legitimacy of results
• Lower turnout in second order elections for devolved bodies e.g., Scotland
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