Democracy & Participation:
How representative in democracy in the UK?
Representative democracy:
- All adult citizens have the right to vote for representatives
- Citiznes elect representatives to make decisions on your behalf
- Citizens delegate their authority to their representative
- Election for representatives are free and fair
- E.g. General elections in the UK
Direct Democracy:
- Athenian democracy is the purest form of this
- Switzerland holds votes about times a year
- Citizens become more active in decision making
- Individuals have the authority to make decision as opposed to representatives
- They express their own opinions individually
Advantages of direct Disadvantages of direct
Every vote is counted and worth the same Expensive
Get a say in any decision made People may be selfish and inconsiderate
Sense of community Time consuming
Encourages political interest and education Impractical
Advantages of representative Disadvantages of representative
MPs can act on your behalf MPs could be biased
Less time consuming ( only have to go to MPs could go against constituency wishes
general elections & occasional referendums)
Politicians are well educated There is no pressure to be informed on politics
constantly
Liquid democracy – combination of both representative and direct democracy
Initiatives – referendums to amend the constitution
STATISTICS FOR ‘ HOW REPRESENTATIVE IS THE UK
GOV?’:
Women:
- 51% of the Uk are women
- there were only 208 female MPs in the Houses of Parliament in 2017
- 2019- 220 female MPs (34%)- NOT REPRESENTATIVE OF THE UK AS A WHOLE
BAME:
- Only 52 MPs from BAME background (2017)
About 14% of UK population are BAME (2011 consensus)
- There are no BAME representatives for Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland
How representative in democracy in the UK?
Representative democracy:
- All adult citizens have the right to vote for representatives
- Citiznes elect representatives to make decisions on your behalf
- Citizens delegate their authority to their representative
- Election for representatives are free and fair
- E.g. General elections in the UK
Direct Democracy:
- Athenian democracy is the purest form of this
- Switzerland holds votes about times a year
- Citizens become more active in decision making
- Individuals have the authority to make decision as opposed to representatives
- They express their own opinions individually
Advantages of direct Disadvantages of direct
Every vote is counted and worth the same Expensive
Get a say in any decision made People may be selfish and inconsiderate
Sense of community Time consuming
Encourages political interest and education Impractical
Advantages of representative Disadvantages of representative
MPs can act on your behalf MPs could be biased
Less time consuming ( only have to go to MPs could go against constituency wishes
general elections & occasional referendums)
Politicians are well educated There is no pressure to be informed on politics
constantly
Liquid democracy – combination of both representative and direct democracy
Initiatives – referendums to amend the constitution
STATISTICS FOR ‘ HOW REPRESENTATIVE IS THE UK
GOV?’:
Women:
- 51% of the Uk are women
- there were only 208 female MPs in the Houses of Parliament in 2017
- 2019- 220 female MPs (34%)- NOT REPRESENTATIVE OF THE UK AS A WHOLE
BAME:
- Only 52 MPs from BAME background (2017)
About 14% of UK population are BAME (2011 consensus)
- There are no BAME representatives for Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland
