1: Democracy and participation
Evaluate the view that direct democracy is superior to representative democracy. (30)
YES - purest form of democracy
- Gives equal weight to all votes
- However, it could lead to the ‘tyranny of the majority’ - in the 2016 EU referendum,
48% of people voted to remain in the EU, but their views were disregarded in the
eventual outcome
- The marginal difference in percentage is particularly important in showing the flaws
NO - in a representative democracy, representatives can be held to account
- Recall of MPs Act 2015, allows a by-election if 10% of the electorate sign the petition
- The first MP had to face a petition in 2018, as Ian Paisley Jr was charged with asking
questions on behalf of a foreign government
- In a direct democracy, the citizens cannot be held to account
PARTLY YES - increased participation
- Direct democracy can help educate the public about political issues
- In a representative democracy, there may be reduced participation as people choose
to hand their responsibility to politicians
- However, politicians are supposed to be much better informed than the average
citizen so they may still have a more informed view on current affairs
Evaluate the extent to which pressure groups enhance democracy in the UK. (30)
P: NO - unlikely to exert influence if not in line with the aims of government or society’s
opinion
E: Countryside Alliance fails to prevent passage of 2004 Hunting Act - because their views
are not in line with dominant views in society. despite the 'Million march' of 750,000
protesting against Iraq 2003 (largest ever), due to Blair's desire to establish good relations
between Labour and the US republican party, and Labor's 412 seats in parliament,
Operation Telic went ahead
A: failure to enhance democracy, as if it represents a minority’s viewpoint, it is likely to be
ignored by the government
P: NO - disproportionality of influence/some ‘ulta insiders’ have disproportionate influence on
govt + well financed pressure groups
E: RSPCA employs over 1,600 staff and gets national attention - puts pressure on govt and
can influence public opinion
A: having good financial resources means that they can be better organised, and so might
be taken more seriously by the government
E: NFU works closely with the government and DEFRA
E: some have argued that they are detrimental to democracy as they distort the influence of
certain groups on government based on their wealth and membership, or insider status
, P: YES - offer extra parliamentary representation and ensure that even minority viewpoints
are amplified
E: help to prevent ‘tyranny of the majority’ and offer diverse viewpoints - e.g., Muslim Council
of Great Britain/represent the homeless who otherwise lack agency
A: lacking in traditional forms of democracy and can serve to protect the interests of minority
groups in a way non elected institutions can = representative democracy
E: groups like Greenpeace (3 million members) allow people to campaign for specific issues
without the need for party affiliation - these are easy to join and participate in
A: especially important in a time of decreasing party membership and relatively low electoral
turnout
P: YES - inform the policy and activity of an elected government; educate the public on
political issues
E: RSPCA - educational campaigns and newsletters as part of their campaign = 2006
Animal Welfare Act
A: RSPCA have a long history of advocating for animals’ rights so are in a good position to
inform the government policy in that area
E: BMA’s campaigns were successful in altering the government’s stance on Junior Doctor
contracts/Greenpeace influenced Corbyn in cutting - emission targets to 2035
= direct point of communication between the public and the government + ensures that they
are actively involved in policy-making
Evaluate how effectively rights and liberties are protected in the UK. (30)
P: the HRA (1998) - the ECHR is able to challenge the govt
E: declarations of incompatibility are not binding on parliament - David Cameron ignored the
declaration of incompatibility and continued to pass legislation disenfranchising prisoners in
2013
A: lack of codification means that rights can be removed and revoked by parliament
P: increased use of judicial review by courts
E: over 3,300 new cases reviewed in court in 2019/Liberty were engaged in a legal
challenge with the Gurkhas - successful in allowing gurkha soldiers to gain the same rights
as British soldiers
A: protects civil liberties check and balance
P: not protected well during emergencies, arguably/protects collective rights rather than
individual rights
E: COVID forced restrictions on individual rights: the UK government’s Coronavirus Act 2020
showed a fundamental clash in the nature of rights: taking away individual rights in an effort
to protect the wider population
E: the 2006 Terrorism Act which allowed for 28-day detention without trial was an
infringement on individual rights, and placed a higher value on the collective rights of society
rather than individual rights
Evaluate the view that direct democracy is superior to representative democracy. (30)
YES - purest form of democracy
- Gives equal weight to all votes
- However, it could lead to the ‘tyranny of the majority’ - in the 2016 EU referendum,
48% of people voted to remain in the EU, but their views were disregarded in the
eventual outcome
- The marginal difference in percentage is particularly important in showing the flaws
NO - in a representative democracy, representatives can be held to account
- Recall of MPs Act 2015, allows a by-election if 10% of the electorate sign the petition
- The first MP had to face a petition in 2018, as Ian Paisley Jr was charged with asking
questions on behalf of a foreign government
- In a direct democracy, the citizens cannot be held to account
PARTLY YES - increased participation
- Direct democracy can help educate the public about political issues
- In a representative democracy, there may be reduced participation as people choose
to hand their responsibility to politicians
- However, politicians are supposed to be much better informed than the average
citizen so they may still have a more informed view on current affairs
Evaluate the extent to which pressure groups enhance democracy in the UK. (30)
P: NO - unlikely to exert influence if not in line with the aims of government or society’s
opinion
E: Countryside Alliance fails to prevent passage of 2004 Hunting Act - because their views
are not in line with dominant views in society. despite the 'Million march' of 750,000
protesting against Iraq 2003 (largest ever), due to Blair's desire to establish good relations
between Labour and the US republican party, and Labor's 412 seats in parliament,
Operation Telic went ahead
A: failure to enhance democracy, as if it represents a minority’s viewpoint, it is likely to be
ignored by the government
P: NO - disproportionality of influence/some ‘ulta insiders’ have disproportionate influence on
govt + well financed pressure groups
E: RSPCA employs over 1,600 staff and gets national attention - puts pressure on govt and
can influence public opinion
A: having good financial resources means that they can be better organised, and so might
be taken more seriously by the government
E: NFU works closely with the government and DEFRA
E: some have argued that they are detrimental to democracy as they distort the influence of
certain groups on government based on their wealth and membership, or insider status
, P: YES - offer extra parliamentary representation and ensure that even minority viewpoints
are amplified
E: help to prevent ‘tyranny of the majority’ and offer diverse viewpoints - e.g., Muslim Council
of Great Britain/represent the homeless who otherwise lack agency
A: lacking in traditional forms of democracy and can serve to protect the interests of minority
groups in a way non elected institutions can = representative democracy
E: groups like Greenpeace (3 million members) allow people to campaign for specific issues
without the need for party affiliation - these are easy to join and participate in
A: especially important in a time of decreasing party membership and relatively low electoral
turnout
P: YES - inform the policy and activity of an elected government; educate the public on
political issues
E: RSPCA - educational campaigns and newsletters as part of their campaign = 2006
Animal Welfare Act
A: RSPCA have a long history of advocating for animals’ rights so are in a good position to
inform the government policy in that area
E: BMA’s campaigns were successful in altering the government’s stance on Junior Doctor
contracts/Greenpeace influenced Corbyn in cutting - emission targets to 2035
= direct point of communication between the public and the government + ensures that they
are actively involved in policy-making
Evaluate how effectively rights and liberties are protected in the UK. (30)
P: the HRA (1998) - the ECHR is able to challenge the govt
E: declarations of incompatibility are not binding on parliament - David Cameron ignored the
declaration of incompatibility and continued to pass legislation disenfranchising prisoners in
2013
A: lack of codification means that rights can be removed and revoked by parliament
P: increased use of judicial review by courts
E: over 3,300 new cases reviewed in court in 2019/Liberty were engaged in a legal
challenge with the Gurkhas - successful in allowing gurkha soldiers to gain the same rights
as British soldiers
A: protects civil liberties check and balance
P: not protected well during emergencies, arguably/protects collective rights rather than
individual rights
E: COVID forced restrictions on individual rights: the UK government’s Coronavirus Act 2020
showed a fundamental clash in the nature of rights: taking away individual rights in an effort
to protect the wider population
E: the 2006 Terrorism Act which allowed for 28-day detention without trial was an
infringement on individual rights, and placed a higher value on the collective rights of society
rather than individual rights
