1.5 Explain Why The Wider Use Of Referendums In The UK

To what extent does democracy in the UK suffer from a participation crisis? (25 marks)

The Additional Member System gives voters more choice and better representation than does First Past the Post. Discuss.

Another common criticism of the UK system is that, although most politicians are elected, many powerful people hold their positions without having to face the voters. Over the years criticism has focused on the House of Lords, the civil service and judges. While the people serving these positions may indeed be experts in their field, the citizens of the UK have absolutely no say in who is elected into these positions. This shows a problem in the United Kingdom’s democratic system and one that does not follow a representative democracy.

One factor that was alarming about the “first past the post” system is shown through this example; given four candidates (A, B, C, and D) the one that has the

In this essay I will assess the outcomes of Additional Member system, First Past the Post system and the Closed Party List system. The F-P-T-P system is used to elect the members of House of Commons and local government in England and Wales. Voters select candidates, and do so by marking his or her name with an ‘X’ on the ballot paper. This reflects the principle of ‘one person, one vote’. The Additional Members system is used in Scottish parliament, Welsh assembly, and Northern Ireland Assembly and Greater London assembly. It is a mixed system made up of F-P-T-P and party-list elements. The Regional party list (or the closed party list) is used to elect the

3. Describe at least one connection between the reading and topics from outside class (other classes, news stories you’ve seen, etc.)?

Pressure groups play a vital role within the increasingly complex and multicultural electorate. A single Member of Parliament, Representative or Senator has a diverse constituency base to represent, which makes it difficult to represent a variety of often conflicting interests. This is where pressure groups are critical to representative democracy as they allow the interests of specific groups to be represented by an organisation that is dedicated to them and understands them fully. Whilst this is a positive argument, pressure groups with vast amounts of power make this vital function of representation difficult to carry out fairly for all pressure groups involved.

A voter can be defined as an individual who votes, or has the right to vote, in elections. Voting behaviour is explained using the concepts of expressive voting and strategic voting. A rational voter would act more strategically, that is, the voter would vote to produce an election outcome which is as close as possible to his or her own policy preferences, rather than voting on the basis of party attachment, ideology, or social group membership (expressive voting). Strategic voting has become more important than voting on the basis of political cleavages (expressive voting), so voters have become more rational in their approach, however there is always an element of expressiveness in their behaviour. Political parties were initially formed to represent the interests of particular groups in society however, as these parties became more universal in the appeal of their policy programmes, voting behaviour shifted from expressive to strategic. This essay explores the reasons behind the declining importance of political cleavages, and the rise of strategic voting.

3a) The idea of rotation in office best supports the statement. This system put in term limits so individuals in office would always change, since “more is lost by the long continuance of men in

Democracy, by Abraham Lincoln’s definition, is ‘’government of the people, by the people, for the people’’ and referendums allow this to happen. They allow the people to make direct decisions on issues rather than allowing representatives to do so. This means that everyone gets a say and therefore encouraging and promoting political participation. As Dr. Adam Quinn, a senior professor of international politics at Birmingham University says, referendums “intrinsic worth is an exercise in direct democracy. Referendum campaigns engage national publics, often passive and sometimes actively excluded, in the business of political debate and decision-making. Those who see virtue in the idea of a more direct link between the popular will and the levers of power, therefore, admire them as an instrument of empowerment for the too-often neglected people”. Dr. Quinn describes how, using referendums, the majority of the public can take political matters into their own hands. This can be seen when looking at the 1997 election turnout of 76% compared to the turnout in the 1998 referendum ‘The Good Friday Agreement’ in Northern Ireland that had an 81% turnout, considerably higher than the election turnout. This would suggest that referendums do actively strengthen democracy because it allows the decision to be made by the very same people who will be affected by the

c. Explanation of the central points from the article(s): Avoid just using a quote from a source. Explain what you think the author means.

3). The Athenian democratic system demanded that the population vote on all relevant issues within the city. A modern example of this is Switzerland. Swiss citizens vote regularly on any kind of issue on every political level. From 1995 to 2005, the Swiss voted just over 30 times on about 103 federal issues such as financial approvals. The UK is also a prime example in a modern society. This is the case as; the British government has the First Past the Post system which is used to elect a UK parliament. The Electoral Reform Society along with many members of the population believe that FPTP allows the voter to clearly express who they think should form the next government. Also the Scottish government is a system of proportional representation which was designed in order that no one party would have control. However, this needs to be redesigned as there is clearly, some issues within. By examining direct democracy, it is evident that it is a structure of the past and simply not possible in today’s society. When you compare this with representative and deliberative democracies, it is clear that these are much more

5. In what ways am I able to apply the ideas and concepts gained to my own experience?

The Influence of Pressure Groups on the Government This essay will outline the significance to which pressure groups have an influence on government and explain how they have fared under New Labour governments. Whilst the term ‘pressure groups’ may be relatively new, the concept itself dates back as far as 1787. The Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade was led by William Wilberforce and Thomas Clarkson and successfully campaigned for the abolition of the slave trade.

The active participation of the people regarding their political culture is paramount to the durability and vitality of their regime. That is, a population that fosters a positive spirit in support of their government and ardently engages mutually within it will ultimately support a sturdy democracy. Furthermore, a democracy standing on the virtues of trust and civic engagement within its people will be able to stand tall and powerful because it’s people will be able to cooperate to essentially get more accomplished.