2. Is Britain democratic?
YES NO
• Almost everyone has the right to • Peers are unelected, as is the
vote Head of State
• The rule of law exists • The executive has too much
• The executive is held to account power - what Lord Hailsham
by the legislature termed the “elected dictatorship”
• There are free and fair elections • Parliament can restrict our
• Civil liberties are protected by freedoms simply by passing an
Act of Parliament (e.g. the right
the law
to silence has been removed for
• Elements of all the different
some middle-range offences)
types of democracy exist
• The FPTP system is unfair to
• A choice of political parties is
smaller parties
provided
• Under-representation of
• Most representatives are
minorities, and women
elected
Politics – Participation and Democracy

3. To what extent is the UK democratic?
• There is no such thing as a perfect democracy
• However, the UK is a relatively democratic country in
comparison to other countries
• We are also more democratic now than in previous
generations
• It is worth noting that “without laws, man has no freedom.”
Therefore, rights and liberties can only be upheld via the
rule of law. Inevitably, some laws will restrict certain
freedoms in order to ensure order within society (e.g. ID
cards)
Politics – Participation and Democracy

4. Has Britain become more democratic since
1997?
YES NO
• Devolution to Scotland, Wales • The government remains an
and Northern Ireland “elected dictatorship”
• PR now used for most elections • The Lords remains unelected
• 34 referendums held • Electoral turnout has declined
• Reform of the Lords since 1997
• FOIA 2000, and the HRA 1998 • The government has ignored
public opinion on several
occasions (e.g. Iraq war)
Politics – Participation and Democracy

5. What is meant by the term government ?
• Two meanings;
– The party that forms the executive (i.e. the Labour government)
– The institutions of the state (i.e. the British government)
• The government performs two functions …
– Protects our rights
– Limits our freedom
• … and is made up of three branches (legislature, executive
and judiciary)
Politics – Participation and Democracy

6. What are rights?
• A right is an entitlement, and can be either legal or moral
• A legal right is specified by a system of rules, and is
enforceable by the law
• A moral right exists only as a moral claim
• In a democracy the people possess several rights and
freedoms
• There are many different types of rights such as human
rights, animal rights, children’s rights, etc.
Politics – Participation and Democracy

7. But rights require us to accept duties
• Right to life • Duty not to deprive anyone else
of the right to life. If you do, you
will be punished (e.g. sent to
prison)
• Duty not to prevent others from
• Right to vote
exercising their democratic
rights. That is why there are
laws against postal fraud
Politics – Participation and Democracy

8. Rights can also conflict with other rights
• Right to life conflicts with the right of a woman to choose an
abortion
• Right to free speech conflicts with freedom from religious
persecution
• Most cases of political violence consist of the rights of one
group conflicting with the rights of another. Examples
include the Middle East, Sri Lanka and Northern Ireland
Politics – Participation and Democracy

9. Civil rights
• A particular type of rights that reflect the relationship
between the state, and the citizen
• Covers a wide range of freedoms such as freedom of
speech (which is defended under Article 10 of the Human
Rights Act)
• In the US, civil rights are laid down in the Bill of Rights
• In the UK, civil rights derive from Parliament and common
law
• Civil rights can also be taken away by an Act of Parliament
• Civil rights are linked to the concept of citizenship
Politics – Participation and Democracy

10. Citizenship
• Citizenship refers to the relationship between the state and
the citizen
• The concept of citizenship defines the balance between
rights and responsibilities (or duties)
• The state protects Britain against terrorism, foreign
invasion, anarchy, etc. in return for the people awarding the
state with legitimacy
• We therefore obey the law in return for the protection
offered by the state (e.g. maintain an army, a police force,
etc.)
Politics – Participation and Democracy

11. What is party government ?
• Consists of competition between two or more political
parties, and occurs where MPs owe their loyalty to the
party rather than their constituents, or even the national
interest
• Party government therefore requires strong party loyalty.
However, party loyalty among Labour MPs has declined
since the 2001 General Election
• In Britain the main opposition (the Tories) forms a Shadow
Cabinet, and acts as a government-in-waiting
• Britain has a long tradition of single-party government. This
is primarily due to the FPTP electoral system
• Last time a coalition was formed at Westminster was during
the late 1970s
Politics – Participation and Democracy

12. What’s the difference between the government,
and the state?
• The state is “an organisation, • The term government refers to
usually a country, that exercises those “institutions concerned
through its’ institutions power with making, implementing and
over its’ citizens” enforcing laws”
• Various institutions of the state • There are 3 branches of
(e.g. the police, the judiciary, the government;
army, etc.) exercise power over • Law making (the legislature),
its’ citizens implementation of the law (the
executive) and enforcing the law
(the judiciary)
Politics – Participation and Democracy

13. How does a government gain legitimacy?
• A government needs to be legitimate in order to gain
authority
• Authority refers to the “right to govern”
• In a democracy, legitimacy ultimately derives from… the
people
Politics – Participation and Democracy

14. Why is the government legitimate?
• Legitimacy was gained by the Labour party when they won
a majority of seats at the 2005 General Election
• The Labour government has also consulted with the people
(e.g. Labour’s Big Conversation in 2004), held 34
referendums since 1997, and consulted with elected
representatives in the House of Commons
• If Britain went to war, then elections would probably be
suspended. The government of the day would then attempt
to gain legitimacy via appeals to the war effort, and
patriotism
Politics – Participation and Democracy

15. What is the purpose of elections?
• Elections help to form governments
• Elections provide us with a choice of parties
• They provide a link between the citizen and the state
• They supply governments with legitimacy – which is the
basis of all authority in a democracy
• They also generate new ideas and direction for political
parties (e.g. Since the Tories lost the 2005 election, David
Cameron has focused on issues such as the environment
and the work-life balance)
Politics – Participation and Democracy

16. What is the purpose of elections?
• Elections reflect public opinion
• They provide representation of the people
• Elections ensure that elected representatives and the
government are directly accountable to the people
• They can be used to register approval / disapproval with
the government of the day
• Enables citizens to participate in the political process
• As a means to achieve peaceful change
Politics – Participation and Democracy

17. What is a General Election?
• Occurs once every four to five years
• The next GE must occur before May 5th 2010
• All 646 seats are up for election
• Party with the most seats (not necessarily the most votes)
forms the executive
• A GE is democratic because it consists of a choice of
parties, and provides everyone with the right to vote via
secret ballot
• Once a candidate is elected, he or she becomes an MP
• The electoral system used is called FPTP (First Past The
Post)
Politics – Participation and Democracy

18. The two main types of election
MAJORITARIAN PROPORTIONAL
• Includes FPTP (First Past the • Includes STV (Single
Post), SV (Supplementary Vote), Transferable Vote), and the
AV (Alternative Vote) and Party list system
Second Ballot • STV used in Northern Ireland,
• FPTP used at Westminster and the Party list is used for
• SV used for Mayoral elections elections to the European
• The Second Ballot is used for Parliament
French Presidential elections • Can also have a mix of the two
called a HYBRID, such as AMS
(Additional Member System)
Politics – Participation and Democracy

19. How does the Government gain a mandate?
• All parties issue a manifesto that outlines what they would
do if they won the GE
• The winning party can then claim a mandate in order to
implement its manifesto
• At the 2005 GE a mandate was gained by the Labour party
(the party with the most seats)
Politics – Participation and Democracy

20. What problems exist with the idea of a mandate?
• Extremely few people actually read any of the party’s
manifestoes
• The idea of a mandate is based upon the support of a
minority. In 2005, the Labour party gained the support of
just over 1 in 5 of those registered to vote
• Events such as the Iraq war can blow a government off-
course
• Wording is often vague and rather meaningless
• The Government often ignores its own manifesto. For
example, the Labour government did a U-turn on top-up
fees for Higher Education in January 2004
Politics – Participation and Democracy