Democracy in the UK
- Created by: belle-madeleine
- Created on: 12-03-18 21:38
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- Democracy in the UK
- History
- The Magna Carter
- No man should be punished without a trial before his peers
- Ancient liberties should be preserved
- The Glorious Revolution
- Limited royal power
- Limited government's ability to detain subjects
- The Magna Carter
- Features of the UK's Democratic System
- Core Features
- Democratic Elections
- Free and Fair
- Secret ballot in 1872
- Ended intimidation at election time
- 'One person, one vote' in 1948
- Abolition of plural voting for business ratepayers and graduates of Oxford and Cambridge
- Proportional representation in 1997
- Electoral Commission in 2000
- Ensure the integrity of the UK's democratic processes
- Fixed-term Parliaments in 2011
- Prevent governments from calling general elections at times that favour their win
- Flaws
- Non-Elected Bodies
- Some key political posts are not filled through elections
- Monarcy
- House of Lords
- Some key political posts are not filled through elections
- The Westminster Voting System
- First-past-the-post distorts electoral preferences
- Plurality rule
- Electoral Malpractice
- Postal ballots and local elections have been accused of electoral malpractice
- Non-Elected Bodies
- Secret ballot in 1872
- Universal Suffrage
- Universal adult suffrage in 1928
- Flaws
- Unenfranchised
- Homeless
- Convicts
- Mentally incapable
- Non-Voting
- Doesn't ensure universal participation
- Impacts quality of democracy
- The poor and disadvantaged
- Unenfranchised
- Competitive and Provide Electoral Choice
- No choice or little choice means that electors have to vote for what is available
- Competition between candidates and parties
- Flaws
- Two-Party System
- Labour
- Conservative
- Consensus Politics
- Little to choose between the policies of the major parties
- Two-Party System
- Free and Fair
- Parliament
- Only popularly elected institution
- Heart of democratic process
- Links government to the people
- Representative and responsible government
- The House of Commons is elected
- MPs represent constituencies
- Debating chamber of the nation
- The House of Commons is elected
- Representative and responsible government
- Deliberative democracy
- Public interest is decided through debate, discussion and argument
- Oversees and scrutinises the actions of government
- Flaws
- The House of Lords
- Unelected
- Weakens representative role of Parliament
- Unelected
- The Party System
- Party discipline prevents MPs from using their own judgement when representing their constituents
- Restricts freedom of debate and voting
- Party discipline prevents MPs from using their own judgement when representing their constituents
- Executive Control
- Parliament's ability to scrutinise the executive is weak because the government of the day has majority control of the House of Commons
- The House of Lords
- Pressure Groups
- Give a political voice to minorities
- Provide a way in which citizens can exert influence between elections
- Flaws
- Concentrated Power
- Pressure groups may concentrate political power rather than distribute it
- Fiancially powerful groups can buy influence
- Fund political parties
- Undermining of Parliament
- Bypass Parliament
- Weakens role of MPs
- Bypass Parliament
- Unaccountable Power
- Pressure group leaders are not elected
- Concentrated Power
- Democratic Elections
- Supplementary Features
- Referendums
- For
- Direct Democracy
- Give the general public direct and unmediated control over government decision-making
- Public's views and interests are articulated
- Not distorted by representatives
- Political Education
- Creates a better informed, more educated and more engaged electorate
- Responsive Government
- Forces government to listen to public opinion
- Government sees opinion on particular issue
- Reduced Government Power
- Provide a check on government power
- Government has less control on outcome
- Provide a check on government power
- Constitutional Changes
- Constitutional changes should be made by referendum as they affect the way the country is governed
- Any newly created body has democratic legitimacy
- Direct Democracy
- Against
- Ill-Informed Decisions
- The public is ill-informed, poorly educated and lacks political experience
- Public's interests are safeguarded by government by polticians
- Weakens Parliament
- Substitutes direct democracy for parliamentary democracy
- Undermines parliamentary sovereignty
- Decisions are not made through deliberation and debate
- Irresponsible Government
- Governments can absolve themselves of responsibility by handing decisions over to the people
- Governments are elected to govern
- Make policy decisions
- Be accountable for decisions
- Make policy decisions
- Strengthens Government
- Governments decide where, when and over what issue to call referendums
- Frame referendum questions
- Dominate the publicity campaign
- Unreliable Views
- Snapshot of opinion in one point of time
- Inappropriate for make constitutional decisions as these have long-term implications
- Ill-Informed Decisions
- Why Referendums?
- Referendums increased because of the issue of consitutional reform
- Major changes should be made by the public
- In the future a new constitutional convention should be created that major constitutional changes should always be made by referendum
- Liberal Democrats as part of the coalition meant there would be interest in consitutional reform
- Liberal Democrats are committed to the use of referendums in the promotion of democracy
- Examples of Proposed Referendums from the Coalition
- Introduction of the alternative vote
- May 2011
- Further transfer of power to Brussels
- No treaties were introduced
- Further Welsh devolution
- Giving the Welsh Assembly primary legislative powers
- March 2011
- Giving the Welsh Assembly primary legislative powers
- Local referendums on any local issue
- Localism Act 2011
- Introduction of the alternative vote
- For
- Devolution
- Scottish Parliament
- Welsh Assembly
- Northern Ireland Assembly
- Strengths
- Gave the constituent nation their own political voice
- Representation of Scotland, Wales and Ireland was always inadequate as English MPs dominate
- Refined representative democracy
- Allowed constituent nations to express views about national issues and UK issues
- Widned opportunities for political participation
- Strengthened civic engagement and political education
- Gave the constituent nation their own political voice
- Weaknesses
- Limited powers
- Major economic and foreign policy decisions are still made at Westminster and in Whitehall
- The English Question
- Devolution has not advanced representative democracy in England
- Limited powers
- The European Parliament
- European Parliament elections
- Proportional electoral system gives better representation for the Green Party and UKIP
- The Effectiveness of European Parliament Elections in the Promotion Democracy
- Democratic Deficit
- The European Parliament is the weakest of the EU institutions
- Little policy-making influence
- Limited control over the European Commission
- The European Parliament is the weakest of the EU institutions
- Rule From Brussels
- Growing EU influence over UK politics is seen as a threat to the sovereign power of Parliament and the capacity of the UK to function as an independent democratic state
- Democratic Deficit
- European Parliament elections
- Referendums
- Core Features
- What Kind of Democracy?
- The UK is a majoritarian democracy
- Consequence of the UK's Westminster model
- Power is concentrated in ministers who are accountable to Parliament
- When a government has majority control it interprets the public interests
- Consequence of the UK's Westminster model
- Majoritarian Democracy Flaws
- Less effective at protecting minorities and individual freedom
- Anti-terror laws
- Threatened the interests of Muslims and violated civil liberties
- The UK is a majoritarian democracy
- A Participation Crisis?
- Growing political apathy
- Rise of anti-politics
- Trends in Voter Turnout
- Between 1945 and 1992 average turnout was 75%
- In 2001 turnout was 59%
- Lowest since 1918
- In 2005 turnout was 61%
- Widespread use of postal voting
- In 2015 turnout was 61%
- Trends in Membership
- Labour party had 1 million members in the 1950s but in 2015 it had 190,000
- Conservative party had 2.8 million members in the 1950s but in 2015 it had 150,000
- By 2015 less than 1% of electorates belonged to a major political party
- Membership of small parties rose
- UKIP
- SNP
- Green
- Declining party membership is mirrored by decline in voters
- Partisan dealignment
- Upsurge of interest in pressure-group politics and protest movements
- Explaining Declining Participation
- Blame the Public
- Social capital has declined
- The levels of trust and sense of social connectedness that promotes stability, cohesion and prosperity
- Growth of individualism and materialism
- Consumerist society
- People are concerned about themselves and their family rather than the larger society
- Social capital has declined
- Blame the Media
- Climate of cynicism amongst the public
- Disenchantment with politics
- Lack of trust in governments and politicians
- Media must make political coverage attention-grabbing
- Debate and policy analysis receive less attention
- Media focuses on scandals and allegations
- Climate of cynicism amongst the public
- Blame the Politicians
- Lack of Vision
- Believe in nothing except getting elected
- Being a politician is just another career
- Lack vision, sense of moral purpose and direction
- Catch-all parties
- Age of Spin
- Politicians are over-concerned with communication and news management
- Modern politics is about presentation
- How things appear, not how they are
- Lack of Choice
- Consensus poltics
- Labour and Conservative parties have distanced from traditional ideology
- Catch-all politics
- Lack of Vision
- Electoral Strategies
- Target key voters and key seats in an election
- Blame the Public
- Growing political apathy
- History
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