Is the UK really a Democracy?

Democracy is " a system or government in which all of the people of a state or country are involved in making decisions about its affairs, typically by voting to elect representatives to a parliament or similar"

• Seem remote from voters
• Campaigning has now moved to the tv and computer screens, and the differences between the parties are not always clear
• Voters feel a weaker sense of partisan identification (the extent to which an individual identifies with a particular political party)
• Main political parties are:
• Conservative -> David Cameron
• Labour -> Ed Milliband
• Liberal Democrat -> Nick Clegg

• Individuals should control and own businesses and services
• Government shouldn't sort out the gap between the rich and the poor
• Low tax, so you keep more money
• Traditional values should be encouraged to build strong communities and families
• Discipline and respect will cut crime and criminals should be treated harshly
• Monarchy and House of Lords are an important part of history, so little interference from the EU
• The UK should stand strong

• Government should work with private companies to provide good public services
• Public services should receive money in order to provide food quality services that are available to everyone
• Government helps close the gap between the rich and the poor
• Different levels of tax depending how much you earn
• Strong communities by promoting tolerance and respect by all
• Britain has an important part to play in Europe and should be taking a leading role

• Between Labour and Conservatives
• Fair and open society, with equality for everyone and strong communities
• Encouraging businesses to flourish but not interfering
• Poor and those in need should receive help from the government, but resulting a increase in tax
• Deal with cause of crime, not just the effects so it can be reduced
• Britain should have a role in Europe, but people should decide how large a part Britain play

• Monitored by the Electoral Commission, which now regulates UK elections
• Some think political parties should be state funding, to keep the democracy healthy
• If it came from Trade Unions,big businesses or wealthy individuals, they could expect favours and influence in return

• First past the post voting- only the votes of the candidate with the most votes in each constituency count
• Doesn't give any guarantee of proportionality e.g. the candidate could win by not even achieving 20% of the vote
• Used in UK elections
• Produces strong  majority governments (pass laws quickly), but that wasn't the case in 2010

• Proportional representation- seeks to give weight to every vote

• All votes are counted and then the governing body is made up of a sample that represents the proportion of votes for each party
• Number of seats won is more equal to number of votes
• More coalitions or minority parties gaining influence
• Used in European Parliament, Scottish and Welsh Assembly and common in other countries

It can be affected by:

• Turnout- Many people don't bother to vote
• Issues- Particular issues can have big effect (1980 conservatives had support from tenants)
• Partisan alignment- 1950's class represented party (Labour-working, Conservatives- middle) but now identification is much weaker
• Age- 18-24 less likely to vote, older voters chose Conservative (but this is changing)
• Education- Graduates tend to vote for "third parties" such as Greens or Lib Dems
• Gender-Women vote for parties with family issues

• A pressure group is an organised group of people who seek to influnce political decisions and policies without seeking election to public office

• Insider pressure groups (NFU) have strong links with government and are often consulted
  
• They respect confidences and don't make public attacks on ministers

• Outsider pressure groups (Trade Unions) don't have the same privileges and the government will be largely indifferent or even hostile towards their views
• Achieve goals in the press, publicising thier blogs and getting on radio or tv by sometimes carrying out illegal acts

The Commonwealth of Nations

• 53 members ( Australia, New Zealand, Canada, India ect)
• Mostly British colonies and there are social and cultural ties between members
• Queen is head and its headquarters are in London
• Not a political union and its main activites are to encouarge networking and education among the member countries
• Every 4 years there is the Commonwealth games

The European Union

• 27 members geographically based in Europe
• UK joined in 1973
• Some countries, such as Norway and Switzerland, remain outside the Union
• Such a the UK, Denmark and Sweden, some countries havn't adopted the euro

NATO- The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

• 26 member
• Ensuring that member countries don't fight with each other and their forces work together for world peace
• NATO used to be a military alliance but now sees a wider role for itself strengthening links with former enemes from the former Soviet Union.
• NATO forces are used where the world has decided urgent military action or international peacekeeping is needed e.g. Afghanistan

The United Nations (UN)

• 192 members so one of the largest international bodies
• Difficult to make decisions on which all members agree
• UK is a permanent member of the Security Council (responsible for international peace and security) which gives us substantial influence in UN decision making