Democracy and Partiipation
Democracy and Partiipation
Democracy and Partiipation
What is democracy?
Democracy means “rule by
the people.” What is a democratic country?
Democracy is based on A democratic country is where
two values: the major decisions that
affect society are made by
I.)POLITICAL the people, whether directly
PARTICIPATION- or indirectly. Each person has
where key decisions are an equal right to make their
made by the people, opinion count. The more
reflecting the notion of popular consent or agreement
government by the people. on a policy, law,
In this context the representative or
“participants” are the government, the more
electorate. “legitimate” it is.
II.)POLITICAL EQUALITY-
where
each citizen is free and has
Types of
democracy
There are two types of democracy
I.) DIRECT DEMOCRACY- where the people make the key political
decisions by themselves. This abolishes any distinction between the
state and the citizens as it is a form of self-government. The
effectiveness of this model of democracy is directly proportional to
the extent of popular participation.
democracy
Drawbacks of
representative democracy: A liberal democracy is a form of
representative democracy, therefore
I.) Representative democracy in indirect. The right to rule and govern is
theory is a formality. This is gained through electoral success based
on political equality (one person, one
because the act of voting is when
vote). It combines the liberal goal of
the government decides the limited government with a commitment
election. The people in theory do to democracy and popular participation.
not hold any control over the
government between elections, In a liberal democracy, the
making representative basic conditions must be met:
democracy unsuccessful.
-Elections must respect the principle of
universal suffrage and are to be free
II.) There has been a growing
and fair.
concern of how politicians -Civil liberties and individual rights
represent the people, whether it is are guaranteed
through the doctrine of the -The government must operate in a
mandate, the delegate model, legal, constitutional framework
trusteeship or by descriptive -A capitalist or private enterprise
representation. Seems that all economy.
have failed to represent those
A Liberal democracy attempts to
who they claim to represent.
balance the need for democracy with
Liberal
democracy
I.) There is CONSTITUTIONAL DEMOCRACY where the government operates
There are 2 main types of liberal democracy:
within clear constitutional guidelines, ensuring the protection of individual and
minority rights. Constitutional democracy is associated with countries that
have a codified constitution, USA, France and Germany.
Elections
Elections in Britain are free and fair as they are based on universal suffrage and they
provide electoral choice. Also votes are cast via the secret ballot bringing an end to
bribery and intimidation which ensures that voters can freely express their views at
election time.
In 1948, Parliament passed another reform which established the idea of “one person,
one vote” creating political equality. Before this reform many privileged members of
society were able to vote plurally.
In 2000, the Electoral Commission had been established aiming to restore confidence
and integrity in British democracy.
I.) Certain key political posts remain unelected, like the Head of State, the House of Lords.
Both institutions lack democratic legitimacy.
II.) The first-past-the-post method has been criticised as many votes are wasted as the
winner needs to achieve a simple plurality of votes. Incredibly tight elections distort the
real preferences of the public.
Democracy in the
UK
Universal Suffrage
However
II.) Although a right to vote is guaranteed, this does not ensure that all
eligible members of society do vote. There have been growing levels
of voter apathy especially in the 1997, 2001 and 2005 elections.
Furthermore, non-voting is common amongst the poor and the most
disadvantaged in society.
Democracy in the
UK
Electoral Choice
BUT
I.) The two-party system still remains in Westminster as Labour and the
Conservatives remain the dominant parties, despite the Liberal
Democrats.
Pressure groups add to the democratic process as they give a voice to those who
are ignored by the majoritarian system. By joining pressure groups citizens exert
influence over the government through elections as they provide a vehicle for
participation beyond the act of voting. Thus pressure groups supplements
democracy as it promotes pluralist democracy leading to real developments in
political equality.
BUT
I.) Some pressure groups concentrate power rather than distribute it. Financially
powerful groups are able to buy influence through donation to political parties.
Many argue that business groups have an unfair advantage as the government
relies on their cooperation for the economic proposals.
BUT
I.) Devolution has fallen short as many powers are in reality limited and
can be overturned by Westminster. Major economic decisions and
foreign policy lies with the cabinet and Whitehall.
II.) Devolution has raised the West Lothian Question. Devolution has
failed to advance English democracy. Tam Dayell has called for a
separate English assembly as most British people in England.
Democracy in the
UK
The European Union
Britons are able to exercise their influence through the European Union.
This is done via the proportional, fixed term elections to the EU. The
proportional voting system has strengthened the democratic process as
parties gain a fair share of seats from their votes, for example the Green
Party, UKIP and the BNP have done well in the EU elections.
But
I.) Many eurosceptics have argued that the growth in EU power has come
at the expense of Westminster’s. The sovereignty of Parliament has been
undermined and threatened.
II.) In reality the EU has very little influence and control over the
European Commission with little policy-making powers, suffering
from an internal democratic deficit.
A democratic deficit?
Is the UK a truly democratic nation?
British democracy has come under attack by the conflicting ideas of popular
democracy and parliamentary democracy. For example the majority of Britons
opposed the Iraq invasion, yet Parliament declared war. The UK conforms to a
majoritarian democracy. The executive is accountable to Parliament; however
public interest is determined by the executive, not by the public themselves? If
the UK ensures majority rule, civil liberties are likely to be threatened or
curtailed.
In 1997 only 71% of the electorate actually voted, New Labour’s “landslide” victory
was won by more votes that the narrow result of the 1992 election! The
membership of the UK’s political parties has dramatically decreased over the
years.
Party loyalty has declined. Many people do not identify themselves with a party
or a set of values. This leads to more marginal seats and more “floating voters.”
However the growth of pressure group membership and activism has
increased, negating the notion of a participation crisis. Maybe the problem
A democratic deficit?
There are three main factors that could explain declining turnouts
at election time.
Blame the electorate- it could be argued that society in general has become more
materialistic in this current consumerist society. Thatcher asserted that “there is no such
thing as society.” have we become individuals concerned with our self-welfare. The declining
turnout can be seen as an epidemic with union membership and church attendance also are
at an all time low.
Blame the media- the media have caused immense problems for the public to trust and put
their faith into politics. The media have moved away from political analysis to scandalous
allegations to sell papers. Examples include the expenses scandal, cash for honours and the
Tory Sleaze during the 1990s.
Blame the politicians- politicians have done nothing to improve and restore faith back
into politics.
Politicians seem to care about nothing other than getting elected, thus lacking a sense
of direction and moral values. “Bigotgate” proved to be the final nail in the coffin for
Labour’s 2010 defeat. This claim is also supported by the transition from programmatic
parties to catch all ones.
There has been a growth in spin-doctoring. Parties distort the truth to establish a
favourable response in order to gain support. Politics has become “style over substance.”
Politicians seem to create the impression of being lying snakes desperate to have a career.
Parties have distanced themselves from their grass root ideologies. The consensus
politics have explained electoral decline as parties seek to gain the support of middle
Enhancing democracy
For referendums Against referendums
Many reforms have been
advocated in order to As referendums constitute Referendums only provide
improve democracy in the direct democracy, any changes public opinion at a given time.
based on the result of a They are unreliable guide to
UK. referendum would be the public interest in the long
democratically legitimate term.
I.) Widening Direct Participation- Although many supported
the entry to the EU in the
this reform includes the wider use 1970s, many wish to
of referendums. A referendum is withdraw from it today.
a popular vote by which the Referendums promote political Referendums undermine
electorate expresses their view education. They act as an agent parliamentary sovereignty and
on a particular policy. They are to widening participation, parliamentary democracy;
sparking debate on particular decisions are not made through
used to inform the government issues, leading to an informed deliberation and government
regarding public opinion. They and educated electorate by experts but by a public who
differ from elections as they do are uneducated on policy
not fill a public office. matters in depth.
Referendums are a device of
direct democracy.
However referendums are only Referendums are a check on Referendums also lead to
used when decided by the the government’s power as irresponsible government
government. Citizens cannot Parliament has little control neglecting their purpose.
over the outcome. Governments are elected to
initiate them. Government only
govern; they make policy
call referendums that they are proposals and implement
likely to win. Examples include them and are called to
entry to the EU and the issue of account for their decisions.
devolution.
Enhancing democracy
Compulsory voting will lead to greater legitimacy. Compulsory voting may lead to further wasted
Governments that are formed based on votes. Those who do not vote usually are those
compulsory voting would depend on a popular who are the least interested and uneducated in
majority, thus strengthening legitimacy of these matters.
governments. Popular support must be Forcing those that fit this description to vote would
widespread for the government’s right to rule. inevitably lead to irrational votes being cast.
People may choose to vote based on artificial
reasons, which may disaffect regular voters.
By default compulsory voting would lead to greater Compulsory voting may lead to parties changing
turnout rates. As electoral turnout is vital to their strategies by developing policies to fit
representative democracy, in theory the marginal voters rather than the mass of the
participation crisis would be resolved. Genuine electorate, thus distorting the ideological mood of
political equality requires that not only do we have the nation.
a right to vote, but all do vote.
Enhancing democracy
It does seems extremely unfair that mature By lowering the voting age, it seems that
16 year olds are denied the right to vote we are forcing children to accept adult
yet uneducated, ignorant adults have this responsibilities. It is not a question of their
right and in fact choose not to. maturity, but during the difficult time of
adolescence, that state expects them to
make political judgements?
By lowering the voting age the youth maybe The belief that young people suffer from
strengthen their interests in politics making political injustice is absurd. Their votes are
the matter more meaningful. This leads to only delayed; their representation is
stronger political engagement as another deferred. 18 year old are likely to be in
section of society participate in politics. touch with in interests of 16 and 17 year
olds.
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