Uk politics essay plans

Evaluate the view that the UK is facing a 'participation crisis'. - ANS P1 - there is falling participation in elections in recent years. - Turnout in general elections has been falling since 1979 - it was 76% in 1979 and in 2001 it was just 59% - European, local and other elections have seen even lower turnouts - 35.2% in 2014 European elections, 36% in 2018 local elections, 15.1% for police commissioner elections in 2012 - *find stats about referendum P2 - evidence of falling participation in other areas - Party membership has fallen since in 1980s there are fewer party activists, leading to difficulties in recruiting candidates locally - The public is disillusioned with the lack of core differences between political parties leading to partisan dealignment - Voter registration among young people is lower than among older people - Public trust in politicians has been undermined by scandals such as sexual harassment allegations e.g *add example P3 - positive participation suggests turnout levels may not be so bad - Turnout levels have risen in general elections - 59% in 2001 and 69% in 2017 - If we combine voting for all new elections, political participation has risen - The Scottish independence referendum 2014 saw a an engaged population turnout of 85%, 75% of 16- 17 year olds voted + the European Union referendum in 2016 had a very high turnout of 72.2% - Some argue that the election of Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the Labour Party has reinvigorated young people. The 2017 general election saw large numbers of young people registering to vote and then voting. P4 - other forms of participation in politics are continuously growing - The number and membership of pressure groups has increased, suggesting participation has changed - There have been over 26,000 e-petitions on the governments website - Protesting through the use of social media like facebook has become increasingly popula Evaluate the extent to which compulsory voting and lowering the voting age may be the best ways to improve participation in the UK. - ANS P1 - Some argue that compulsory voting would be more representative and legitimate