Democracy and Political Participation Notes
What is democracy
Democracy - a system where power is held by the people
Democracy is seen as the purest and most effective way of ruling the state
In modern democracies, checks are put in place to limit the power given to the people
Certain democracies are presidential, but others are parliamentary, or even rely on a
constitutional monarchy
- How effectively they allow the people to exercise power and whether or not ‘people power’
is in the national interest, is a matter of debate for each type
Direct democracy - a system where the people are able to make decisions directly on an issue,
usually in the form of a yes or no response
Representative democracy - a system where the people elected person or group of people to
represent their interests and make decisions on their behalf
Forms of democracy
Direct democracy
- This refers to any occasion when the citizens are directly involved in the decision-making
process.
Representative democracy
- This describes any system where the people transfer the power to make decisions to an
elected representative.
What are the functions of democracy
Representation
- There must be a means of the people being able to put their views to the government of the
day.
Accountability
- There must be a process by which the government of the day can be made to explain and
take responsibility
Participation
- There must be a way in which the people can be engaged and take part in the political
process
Power dispersal
- There should be a system that ensures power is spread across different political bodies to
avoid one body becoming overly dominant
Legitimacy
1
, - The process for the selection of the different branches of government should have legal
authority and fairly represent the will of the people
Education
- The political process should be open to all and there should be an education and informed
citizenry who are able to understand the issues and make informed decisions
Direct democracy
Refers to a system where the eligible citizens make to the political decisions themselves without
operating through anyone else such as representatives
Direct democracy is seen as the purest form of democracy as the people are able to express
their opinions directly, without being misinterpreted.
- Elements of direct democracy are becoming more common in the UK
Most common form of direct democracy is the use of referendums
- Referendums are called by representatives or those in charge
- Other countries and regions have initiatives (like in US)
Initiatives – a means by which the people, rather than the government, can call for a vote on a
specific issue
- Allows the public more direct control over the issues being considered
- The USA also adopts a system of town hall meetings where members of the public can
attend and put their views directly to the people of power
In the UK, petitions are used as well
- Public petitions: an appeal to make something specific happen, usually by demonstrating a
high level of public support.
Representative democracy (page 207)
The people elect someone to represent them in a legislative body
Nature of the representation can take many forms but essentially the elected representatives
will debate and discuss laws on behalf of the people who have elected them
They may act on what their constituencies want or on what they think would be best for their
constituents, or they may represent wider groups when debating and creating laws
Positive aspects of democracy in the UK
2
, Free and fair elections
The UK has a wide variety of elections, allowing citizens to choose representatives for a range of
local and national bodies, and providing many opportunities for the public to participate in the
Democratic process and be educated by political campaigns
Elections in the UK are free from government manipulation because they conducted by the
Electoral Commission
- The Electoral Commission is independent of any particular party
- There are laws in place about campaigning in and around the ballot stations on the day of an
election
- The UK restricts the amount of broadcast campaigning for each party by ensuring their
party-political broadcasts are allocated according to previous electoral support, are given
the same amount of time, and are broadcast at the same time each day
Turnout
After hitting a historic low of 59% in the general election of 2001, turnout in UK general elections
has been steadily increasing
62% in 2005, 65% in 2010, 66% in 2015 and 69% in 2017
Turnout at the Scottish independence referendum was 84.6% and the EU referendum was 72%,
showing that more people are participating in the political process
Universal suffrage
Building on the idea of fairness, the UK has a system of universal suffrage
Anyone over the age of 18 who is not a prisoner, mentally incapable or a peer has the right to
vote
This means that all votes are equal in value and that there is no distinction based on wealth,
race, gender, class, or any other ground
The party system
The UK has a wide variety of political parties and the number has grown greatly in the past 50
years
Currently, there eight parties represented in the house of commons, with many more contesting
elections and 11 having health seats in the last parliament
The variety provides a wide range of options for voters with different views and visions for the
country
Pressure groups
The UK has thousands of pressure groups, covering every issue possible
3
What is democracy
Democracy - a system where power is held by the people
Democracy is seen as the purest and most effective way of ruling the state
In modern democracies, checks are put in place to limit the power given to the people
Certain democracies are presidential, but others are parliamentary, or even rely on a
constitutional monarchy
- How effectively they allow the people to exercise power and whether or not ‘people power’
is in the national interest, is a matter of debate for each type
Direct democracy - a system where the people are able to make decisions directly on an issue,
usually in the form of a yes or no response
Representative democracy - a system where the people elected person or group of people to
represent their interests and make decisions on their behalf
Forms of democracy
Direct democracy
- This refers to any occasion when the citizens are directly involved in the decision-making
process.
Representative democracy
- This describes any system where the people transfer the power to make decisions to an
elected representative.
What are the functions of democracy
Representation
- There must be a means of the people being able to put their views to the government of the
day.
Accountability
- There must be a process by which the government of the day can be made to explain and
take responsibility
Participation
- There must be a way in which the people can be engaged and take part in the political
process
Power dispersal
- There should be a system that ensures power is spread across different political bodies to
avoid one body becoming overly dominant
Legitimacy
1
, - The process for the selection of the different branches of government should have legal
authority and fairly represent the will of the people
Education
- The political process should be open to all and there should be an education and informed
citizenry who are able to understand the issues and make informed decisions
Direct democracy
Refers to a system where the eligible citizens make to the political decisions themselves without
operating through anyone else such as representatives
Direct democracy is seen as the purest form of democracy as the people are able to express
their opinions directly, without being misinterpreted.
- Elements of direct democracy are becoming more common in the UK
Most common form of direct democracy is the use of referendums
- Referendums are called by representatives or those in charge
- Other countries and regions have initiatives (like in US)
Initiatives – a means by which the people, rather than the government, can call for a vote on a
specific issue
- Allows the public more direct control over the issues being considered
- The USA also adopts a system of town hall meetings where members of the public can
attend and put their views directly to the people of power
In the UK, petitions are used as well
- Public petitions: an appeal to make something specific happen, usually by demonstrating a
high level of public support.
Representative democracy (page 207)
The people elect someone to represent them in a legislative body
Nature of the representation can take many forms but essentially the elected representatives
will debate and discuss laws on behalf of the people who have elected them
They may act on what their constituencies want or on what they think would be best for their
constituents, or they may represent wider groups when debating and creating laws
Positive aspects of democracy in the UK
2
, Free and fair elections
The UK has a wide variety of elections, allowing citizens to choose representatives for a range of
local and national bodies, and providing many opportunities for the public to participate in the
Democratic process and be educated by political campaigns
Elections in the UK are free from government manipulation because they conducted by the
Electoral Commission
- The Electoral Commission is independent of any particular party
- There are laws in place about campaigning in and around the ballot stations on the day of an
election
- The UK restricts the amount of broadcast campaigning for each party by ensuring their
party-political broadcasts are allocated according to previous electoral support, are given
the same amount of time, and are broadcast at the same time each day
Turnout
After hitting a historic low of 59% in the general election of 2001, turnout in UK general elections
has been steadily increasing
62% in 2005, 65% in 2010, 66% in 2015 and 69% in 2017
Turnout at the Scottish independence referendum was 84.6% and the EU referendum was 72%,
showing that more people are participating in the political process
Universal suffrage
Building on the idea of fairness, the UK has a system of universal suffrage
Anyone over the age of 18 who is not a prisoner, mentally incapable or a peer has the right to
vote
This means that all votes are equal in value and that there is no distinction based on wealth,
race, gender, class, or any other ground
The party system
The UK has a wide variety of political parties and the number has grown greatly in the past 50
years
Currently, there eight parties represented in the house of commons, with many more contesting
elections and 11 having health seats in the last parliament
The variety provides a wide range of options for voters with different views and visions for the
country
Pressure groups
The UK has thousands of pressure groups, covering every issue possible
3
