What is Direct Democracy?
REVISION ACTIVITIES
Democracy revision
Democracy class slides
- Explain the nature of democracy
- Define & exemplify direct democracy
- Define and explain the use of referendums
- Describe representation & explain representative democracy
- Understand the nature & types of power, legitimacy, consent & authority
- Explain pluralist democracy
- Explain liberal, parliamentary & presidential democracy
- Describe & exemplify citizenship & political participation
- Analyse the differences between direct & representative democracy, including their relative merits
- Analyse why referendums have been used more often to resolve political issues
- Evaluate whether referendums are a good way of resolving issues
- Explain & exemplify how & why political participation has fallen
- Identify & explain way participation could be increased. How desirable are there proposals?
- How democratic is the UK?
- How representative is the UK political system?
- Explain & critically assess methods of making the UK more democratic
The Concept of Democracy
1.A
Core Definition
o
Democracy is
a form of government in which the major decisions of government and the direction of policy behind these
decisions - rests directly or indirectly on the freely given
consent of the majority of the adults governed.
o
Democracy as
a political process is obviously a matter of degree - depending on the areas
of society open to political debate and participation and the number of adults
qualifying as citizens within the political system.
o
For example,
Britain had major elements of democracy before women got the vote on an equal
basis with men in the 1920s but the act which gave women the vote made Britain more democratic. The HRA,
devolution, reform of the Lords etc. have all increased democratic government
in the UK.
2.
Consent and Participation
o
The democratic way of life presupposes that human beings who are
affected by decisions should have some say in influencing those decisions.
o
The democratic approach, as distinct from the authoritarian
approach, invites open expression and discussion of needs, options, and
alternatives.
o
Citizens may express their views by joining
political parties or joining pressure groups
o
Modern societies are pluralistic – made
up of numerous competing and co-operating groups, such as trade unions,
business organisations, cause groups etc.
3.
Freely Given Consent
o
Freely given
consent exists when there is
no physical coercion or threat of coercion employed against expression of
opinion;
o when there is
no arbitrary restriction placed on freedom of speech, of the press, and of
assembly;
o where many
parties compete for citizen’s votes
o
where there
is no monopoly of propaganda by the ruling party;
o and where
there is no institutional control over the instruments or facilities of communication,
like TV.
3.
Informed Consent
o
A positive
condition for the existence of an effective democracy is the active
participation of the citizens in the processes of government.
o
The more informed and better educated the
electorate, the
healthier the democracy is.
o Participation
is all the more essential as government grows in size and complexity and as
individual citizens may be tempted to succumb to a feeling of ineffectiveness
in the face of anonymous forces controlling their destiny.
4.
Scepticism
o
The possibility of abuse of power both in ordinary and
extraordinary times reinforces another
positive condition for a healthy democracy. This is an intelligent
scepticism concerning claims to absolute truth, the possession of charisma
among leaders, or the infallibility of experts.
o
As indispensable as experts are, the assumption of both democratic
thought and common sense is that one does not have to be an expert to evaluate
the work of experts. In a democracy the citizen is and should be king.
5.
Grass-roots Democracy
o By involving
the greatest number of citizens in different ways and on different levels in
political action, plural centres are developed to counteract the tendency to
expansion and centralisation of government. For example, devolution of power.
6.
Checks and Balances
o
The system
of government in a democracy must embody checks and balances on power. Common checks and balances include :
o
A codified
constitution
o
a Bill of
Rights,
o
two elected
assemblies which check each other,
o
a separation
of powers between the three branches of government, strong regional and local
government,
o
a Freedom of
Information Act.
7.
Elections and Representative Democracy :Parliamentary and Presidential
o
Elections are
the formal procedure by which public offices are filled and specific policy
measures are decided.
o
Elections
are procedures for choosing officers or
making binding decisions concerning policy by the vote of those formally
qualified to participate.
o
Elections are
the central feature of democratic government serving crucial purposes –
o
choosing a
representative assembly, or assemblies,
o holding
governments accountable. Elections hold individuals and governments responsible
for policies pursued during their period in office. Thus in the USA in 1992,
President Bush was not re-elected and in the UK in 2010, the Labour Party
were ejected.
o
allowing the
citizens a choice of policies.
o In many
countries elections also have a symbolic and educational function. Citizens
derive a sense of satisfaction from participating in the selection of their
governmental leaders, and the selection of leaders through regularized election
procedures appears to give the government a base of support- a sense of
legitimacy - among the mass public. In the election campaign voters have an
opportunity to learn about key issues.
o The Presidential system of government
exists in the United States and predominates in Latin America.
o
It usually features the presidential form of government, a
separation of legislative and executive branches, and
o
firm fixed dates for the election of both the legislature and the
president.
o
Individual voters may vote for president either directly or
formally, as in the United States, by voting for members of a special Electoral
College which then elects the president.
o
The mass electorate also votes directly for legislators.
o
The parliamentary system of government is
followed in Britain and in most countries of western Europe and the Commonwealth of
Nations.
o
Elections in a parliamentary system are linked with Prime Ministerial & Cabinet
government and a fusion of the executive and legislative branches.
o
The voters elect members of the legislature, or parliament.
o
These legislators, in turn, elect a prime minister, usually a
member of the legislature. Other political leaders are chosen by the prime
minister to serve in the cabinet as ministers. Together with the prime
minister, they serve as the formal leaders of the executive branch
o
The executive is checked by Members of Parliament, especially
o
An official Opposition
8. Direct Democracy
o A Referendum is
§ 'A vote of the people on a proposed law, policy or public expenditure'.
§ An arrangement whereby a law or policy does not go into force until it has been approved by the voters.
§ Normally proposed by the government of the day.
§ Citizens can accept or reject Government’s proposals.
o An Initiative is
§ An arrangement whereby citizens\ propose a law or constitutional amendment and have it
o The arguments for referendums and initiatives:
o They encourage participation and
act as an educational force.
o They offer constitutional
protection.
o They enable precision in posing
and answering questions about what the voters want.
o They are valuable on issues
involving the transfer of parliamentary powers, when
divisions of opinion among the people do not follow party political lines and
when a nation makes a change in a system of election.
9.
Majority Rule and Minority Rights
o
Majorities can do everything except deprive minorities of their
civil rights, including freedom of speech, of the press, and of assembly and
the right to a fair trial.
o
Minorities can do everything within the context of these human
rights to present their case, but are bound by the outcome of majority decisions.
o No one is to
be denied political standing on the grounds of an unchangeable characteristic
such as race or gender.
10.
Democracy and Freedom
o
So long as
there is recognition of the area of personal privacy that may not be invaded by
public power, freedom faces no intolerable threats. This area of personal privacy is
sometimes referered to as civil society - an area beyond government control and
embracing , for example, sexual orientation.
o
There is
great allowance for, and tolerance of, differing ideas and practices in all areas
of personal life in contemporary democratic society.
o
This is
particularly true in the United States - e.g. constitutional right to bear arms
o
Balancing
individual rights against one another in light of the legitimate need of
communities for safety and security promises to be one of the great democratic
challenges of the 21st century.
o Rights and liberties may be restricted but when democratic
government moves to restrict or abridge civil rights;
1. it does
so slowly and reluctantly.
2. Second,
if and when the exercise of a civil right creates a clear and present danger of
a social evil that threatens other human rights, it is abridged only for a limited
period of time and is restored as soon as normalcy returns.
3. Finally,
the restrictions imposed by government agencies on every level in a democracy
are subject to appeal, review, and check by an independent judiciary.
11.
Some Problems of a Democratic Society
o
Mass Media - it
is especially difficult to define the role of the press and other mass media in
a democratic society. Everyone believes that the press should be free within
the confines of laws against personal libel, the scope and severity of which
vary from country to country. But beyond this, the issue of ownership of the
press is crucial to determining its degree of freedom and its responsibilities
to the society in which it functions.
o
For obvious reasons a free press cannot be a government-owned
press. In democratic countries the press is usually privately owned; yet the
very nature of this ownership sometimes shapes its news or may result in the
exploitation of stories for sensational purposes. Ideally, a free press should
be a "responsible" press, responsible to truth, balanced, fair, and
careful to distinguish between reports of fact and statements of political
opinion, but these terms are difficult to define—let alone realise—to
everyone's satisfaction.
o Money in Elections – In the
USA in particular, money dominates election campaigns and this produces serious
dilemmas. Relying on private funds brings charges of corruption. Limiting the
rights of individuals to spend their money on supporting parties or
individuals, limits free speech. The answer is regulation ,but the details are
difficult to agree on.
Arguments for & against DIRECT DEMOCRACY
(Arguments in favor of direct democracy tend to focus on perceived flaws of
representative democracy)
- More informed
& educated citizens. As a result of
the involvement directly in the process of policy making, it could be
argued that as a result citizens are likely to be become better educted
through participation
- Better representation. Individuals elected to office in a representative democracy tend not
to be demographically representative of their constituency. They tend to
be wealthier and more educated, and are also more predominantly male as
well as members of the majority race, ethnic group, and religion than a
random sample would produce.
- Conflict of interest. The interests of elected representatives do not necessarily
correspond with those of their constituents. An example is that
representatives often get to vote to determine their own salaries.
- Corruption. The concentration of power intrinsic to representative government is
seen by some as tending to create corruption. In direct democracy, the
possibility for corruption is reduced.
- Political parties. The formation of political parties is considered by some to be a
"necessary evil" of representative democracy, where combined
resources are often needed to get candidates elected. However, such
parties mean that individual representatives must compromise their own
values and those of the electorate, in order to fall in line with the
party platform.
- Government transition. The change from one ruling party to another, or to a lesser extent
from one representative to another, may cause a substantial governmental
disruption and change of laws.
- Cost of elections. Many resources are spent on elections which could be applied
elsewhere
- Patronage and nepotism. Elected individuals frequently appoint people to high positions based
on their mutual loyalty, as opposed to their competence.
- Lack of transparency. Supporters argue that direct democracy, where people vote directly
for issues concerning them, would result in greater political transparency
than representative democracy.
- Lack of accountability. Once elected, representatives are free to act as
they please. An instant recall process would, in fact, be a form of direct
democracy.
- Voter apathy. If voters have more influence on decisions, it is argued that they
will take more interest in and participate more in deciding those issues.
Arguments against direct democracy
Scale. Direct democracy works on a small system. The use of direct democracy on a
larger scale has historically been more difficult. Think through some examples,
comparisons… Practicality and efficiency. Another objection to direct
democracy is that of practicality and efficiency. Deciding all or most matters
of public importance by direct referendum is slow and expensive. Again, think
this though, that would it involve
Demagoguery. A fundamental objection to direct democracy is that the public generally
gives only superficial attention to political issues and is thus susceptible to
charismatic argument or demagoguery. What does this mean?
Complexity. A further objection is that policy
matters are often so complicated that not all voters understand them. The
average voter may have little knowledge regarding the issues that should be
decided. Think of some examples, who might be able to benefit from this?
Voter apathy. The average voter may not be
interested in politics and therefore may not participate.
What might happen as a result?
Self-interest. The voter will tend to look after
his or her own interest rather than considering the needs and values of a
society as a whole. Why might this happen with direct democracy but not with
the system used to day – representative democracy?
Manipulation by timing and framing. If voters are to decide on an issue in a referendum, a day (or other
period of time) must be set for the vote and the question must be framed, but
since the date on which the question is set and different formulations of the
same question evoke different responses, whoever sets the date of the vote and
frames the question has the possibility of influencing the result of the vote
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