UK democracy essay

Does Democracy Promotion Also Promote Peace? Introduction: That democratic nations are more peaceful than any other regime type has been a topic of debate for many years. From Kant to Clinton, political thinkers and statesmen have hailed democracy as a weapon of peace. In this essay, I will discuss the definitions of democracy and peace, the democratic peace theory, and the reasons why democracies are more peaceful and thus how promoting democracy is a means to promoting peace. What is Democracy

Defining Politics and Democracy The word "Politics" is derived from the Greek word for city-state, "Polis". Corporate, religious, academic and every other polity, especially those constrained by limited resources, contain dominance hierarchy and therefore politics. Politics is most often studied in relation to the administration of governments. Politics is the process and method of gaining or maintaining support for public or common action. Although it is generally

Should voting be compulsory in UK general elections? Introduction In 2001, Gareth Thomas, a Labour MP for Harrow West for the past 18 years introduced a Private Members’ Bill for compulsory voting. However it did not progress beyond its first reading. Yet the question has not died out and whether the UK should follow the likes of Australia and Belgium still remains a hotly debated issue. The UK prides itself in being a leading force for democracy worldwide. It is thought to have become truly democratic

a country could be classified as one of the most important structures for democracy; it should not only illustrate the structures and power of a government, but also state the relationship between government and individuals. Constitutionalism can be classified into two distinct categories: a codified written Constitutions (ie: United States), and an uncodified unwritten constitution (ie: United Kingdom). Some consider the UK constitution as a risk to the democratic society due to its flexibility and

marked by the dates of general elections.” (Butler D,1998) Throughout this essay the topic of general elections in the UK will be thoroughly analysed with regards to critique surrounding their nature and the current UK voting system in place. Followed by the negative aspects of employing referendums in democracies such as Britain. Until quite recently, all voting within the UK took place utilising the single member, single plurality system- each constituency had a representative, the winner depended

turnouts in western democratic countries have been constantly declining. The UK, which is regarded as the birthplace of modern democracy, is not an exception. As Peter Dahlgren mentions, democracy is for and about its citizens, and therefore a certain degree of civic involvement is a necessary and sufficient condition for its prosperity (2009, 14p) If the lower level of participation in democracy continues, the word democracy, originated from demos (the people) in Greek, should be changed to elite-carcy

Power is the “The ability of individuals or groups to make there own concerns and interestes count, even when others resist”. ( Anthony Giddens 2001 ). There are three major theoretical frameworks in political sociology—pluralist, elite theory, and social-class perspectives. Classic pluralist see power held by a variety of groups in society; some of which are more powerful than others.The diverse and competing interests of different groups is the basis for a democratic equilibrium. These groups compete

will discuss whether elections in the UK are fair. The viewpoint which I will be arguing for is viewpoint two: we need to make some sensible adjustments to elections by, for example, encouraging people to vote electronically in order to discourage fraud but shouldn 't change much else other than that. I will also evaluate the other viewpoints and why I do not believe these viewpoints are the key to making UK elections fairer and more just . As of now, the UK uses the first-past-the-post system in

What would be the global impacts of reducing the voting age? Voting is a key aspect involved in the function of a democracy in a country, a democracy being a system chosen by the population it governs. Usually the voting population would choose to elect someone as their representative, such as a political party. The victory of a vote is usually dependent upon the majority decision made by participating voters. Not everyone participates in the vote, despite having a right to do so. Some, such as those

Describe the Advantages and Disadvantages of using Referendums in the UK? (25 marks) A referendum is a vote given to the public which is determined by the government, and is used to help answer an important political or constitutional question to which the public must vote a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’. One advantage of using referendums in the UK is that they enable the public that are over 18 to approve or disprove important constitutional changes. An example of a one being used for this purpose is