ELECTIONS
Evaluate the view that referendums harm representative democracy
The United Kingdom is a representative democracy, this means that
all major decisions are made by elected politicians and not directly
through the public. Since 1997, more referendums have been held
across the UK, this has attempted to create greater participation and
help politicians make challenging decisions. After evaluating recent
referendums, it will be argued that in participation, unity of the
country and public education, referendums have not helped UK’s
representative democracy
1. Creating greater participation
2. Creating unity in a county by resolving major decisions
3. Creating a wider education
CA- Creates greater participation A-doesnt create greater
→ • Labour introduced more participation
referendums as a means to improve
→Scotland was an exception :Turnout in
participation. For years since WWII,
participation in general elections has all other major referendums has been
been declining.Blair saw more direct quite low. →2011 AV was in 42% Mostly in
referendums as a means to create a line with the low turnouts we see for most
participatory democracy elections
→This is because elections are normally → voter fatigue , there are too many
4-5 years apart, and in between, people referendums : All metro mayor elections
are not consulted like in countries like
have been in 20 and 30%
Switzerland, where they have
initiatives. There have been good →Also, referendums are normally set by
examples of how referendums have elites, and we don’t have initiatives that
helped with turnout: allow the people to set the terms of the
→The turnout of 84.65% was the highest for elections
any UK electoral event since the introduction →law making powers for wales : wales
of universal suffrage, significantly trumping referendum 2011 → 35.6%
the 65.1% who voted in the 2010 UK general
election and the 50.6% who bothered to turn
out for the 2011 Scottish parliamentary
elections
→citizens felt greatly empowered by the
, referendum and the role they had in
making such a huge decision
Enfranchisement of 16 and 17-year-olds in
the 2014 Scottish Independence Referendum
catalysed remarkably high levels of voter
turnout among this youngest group and was
accompanied by ongoing political
engagement
→3.6 million turned out to vote in the Scottish
independence referendum. More than
100,000 of the total were 16 to 17-year-olds
who had registered to vote.
→eu referendum 72.2%
Creates unity Doesnt create unity
→Referendums are also to create unity →Recent referendums have not created
in a country and to resolve decisions unity.
that split political elites. →scottish referendum in 2014 led to more
→This allows for decisions to be calls for a second vote : in july 2022 boris
made:After the referendum, the country johnson declined first minister sturgeons
accepts the result and moves on. request to hold a referendum in october
→This was seen in 2011 over the AV ref : 2023 , he stated tht the 2014 vote was a
68% rejectedAt the time, the coalition was ‘once in a generation event’ : 62% of scotland
split - but after this, calls for electoral reform wanted to remain in the EU therefore they
were no longer made.It settled a problem in want a rerun of the independence vote due
the coalition - Lib Dems wanted electoral to then being out of the eu
reform and the Cons didn’t →even though the SNP lost it 45v55 - it
→• It also helps to resolve major hasn’t settled the issue. Recently in
political disputes - the 2016 EU June 2022, the Scottish govt took the
referendum resolved the split within the UK govt to court . They believe that
conservative party there is now a majority for
→helps overspill into violence by giving independence, and they want out
a vent to societal anger on a topic → EU referendum in 2016 led to more
calls for a second vote. Many today
regret their vote due to economic
problems.
→The country is still bitter over both
referendums
Increase education Didnt increase education
→Referendums are meant to increase →EU referendum was built on
education among voters. This is exaggerations and ‘lies’ EG Turkey
because referendums give time for joining the EU soon Or money going to the
public engagement : Elections are stale NHS (350m to the NHS)and how much the
and on too many issues UK pays to the EU
→In Indy ref 2014 - the referendum led → The most googled term the day after was
to more people interested in politics : ‘What is the EU?’
many debates publicised in scotland → People never understood how the EU
→ The EU referendum helped to works, thinking all laws came from
Evaluate the view that referendums harm representative democracy
The United Kingdom is a representative democracy, this means that
all major decisions are made by elected politicians and not directly
through the public. Since 1997, more referendums have been held
across the UK, this has attempted to create greater participation and
help politicians make challenging decisions. After evaluating recent
referendums, it will be argued that in participation, unity of the
country and public education, referendums have not helped UK’s
representative democracy
1. Creating greater participation
2. Creating unity in a county by resolving major decisions
3. Creating a wider education
CA- Creates greater participation A-doesnt create greater
→ • Labour introduced more participation
referendums as a means to improve
→Scotland was an exception :Turnout in
participation. For years since WWII,
participation in general elections has all other major referendums has been
been declining.Blair saw more direct quite low. →2011 AV was in 42% Mostly in
referendums as a means to create a line with the low turnouts we see for most
participatory democracy elections
→This is because elections are normally → voter fatigue , there are too many
4-5 years apart, and in between, people referendums : All metro mayor elections
are not consulted like in countries like
have been in 20 and 30%
Switzerland, where they have
initiatives. There have been good →Also, referendums are normally set by
examples of how referendums have elites, and we don’t have initiatives that
helped with turnout: allow the people to set the terms of the
→The turnout of 84.65% was the highest for elections
any UK electoral event since the introduction →law making powers for wales : wales
of universal suffrage, significantly trumping referendum 2011 → 35.6%
the 65.1% who voted in the 2010 UK general
election and the 50.6% who bothered to turn
out for the 2011 Scottish parliamentary
elections
→citizens felt greatly empowered by the
, referendum and the role they had in
making such a huge decision
Enfranchisement of 16 and 17-year-olds in
the 2014 Scottish Independence Referendum
catalysed remarkably high levels of voter
turnout among this youngest group and was
accompanied by ongoing political
engagement
→3.6 million turned out to vote in the Scottish
independence referendum. More than
100,000 of the total were 16 to 17-year-olds
who had registered to vote.
→eu referendum 72.2%
Creates unity Doesnt create unity
→Referendums are also to create unity →Recent referendums have not created
in a country and to resolve decisions unity.
that split political elites. →scottish referendum in 2014 led to more
→This allows for decisions to be calls for a second vote : in july 2022 boris
made:After the referendum, the country johnson declined first minister sturgeons
accepts the result and moves on. request to hold a referendum in october
→This was seen in 2011 over the AV ref : 2023 , he stated tht the 2014 vote was a
68% rejectedAt the time, the coalition was ‘once in a generation event’ : 62% of scotland
split - but after this, calls for electoral reform wanted to remain in the EU therefore they
were no longer made.It settled a problem in want a rerun of the independence vote due
the coalition - Lib Dems wanted electoral to then being out of the eu
reform and the Cons didn’t →even though the SNP lost it 45v55 - it
→• It also helps to resolve major hasn’t settled the issue. Recently in
political disputes - the 2016 EU June 2022, the Scottish govt took the
referendum resolved the split within the UK govt to court . They believe that
conservative party there is now a majority for
→helps overspill into violence by giving independence, and they want out
a vent to societal anger on a topic → EU referendum in 2016 led to more
calls for a second vote. Many today
regret their vote due to economic
problems.
→The country is still bitter over both
referendums
Increase education Didnt increase education
→Referendums are meant to increase →EU referendum was built on
education among voters. This is exaggerations and ‘lies’ EG Turkey
because referendums give time for joining the EU soon Or money going to the
public engagement : Elections are stale NHS (350m to the NHS)and how much the
and on too many issues UK pays to the EU
→In Indy ref 2014 - the referendum led → The most googled term the day after was
to more people interested in politics : ‘What is the EU?’
many debates publicised in scotland → People never understood how the EU
→ The EU referendum helped to works, thinking all laws came from
