There are many arguments as to why we should or shouldn’t have more referenda in the UK. Both arguments are fair and it is simply a matter of opinion. There are also many reasons as to why we should have more referenda in the UK. Referenda are a device of direct democracy, giving the public some decision-making of the country. This makes sure that the public’s views and interested are truly presented, rather than being distorted by politicians who want more people to support their party.
This shows that the PM, whether he feels that it is necessary or not, must ask advice of his cabinet ministers and especially of those who are Liberal Democrats in order to prevent unfairness in the cabinet. As a result, it is clear that the limitations within a coalition government is of full awareness to Cameron. Yet, it could be argued that David Cameron’s powers within the cabinet can considerably enhance his parliamentary power. Evidence of this can be brought from the fact that he can make the decision of which ministers get to continue with their jobs in the form of cabinet reshuffles. Thus, this can give enrichment to Cameron’s power as this can ensure that he gains a majority of support from his cabinet by simply removing those who he feels are untrustworthy despite the fact that he cannot remove every single minister he dislikes.
Cameron in turn, should expect to enjoy less power as he had to form a coalition government with the Liberal Democrats, in order to achieve a majority. This would mean that the likes of the Prime Minister would in many situations have to be compromised. Another essential factor which would influence the degree of Prime Ministerial power is the unity of the ruling party or coalition. In Blair’s situation, he enjoyed an exceptionally united group, therefore being able to enjoy several years of complete domination. When Blair resigned, Brown was said to enjoy similar power, at least when he still enjoyed popularity.
Individual members have little or no power, how accurate is this statement? (25marks). Some people believe that individual members are not important in party politics, as they have little or no power, but different party members have different responsibilities than others. In the Labour party the members, union and MP's can vote for the leader of the party, they all have 33% of the vote so they all have equal amount of power in that aspect of party politics. The election of the leader is very important part of political parties as people now vote more for a prime minster than governing party, for example conservative’s won over Labour because David Cameron was seen as more enthusiastic and inspirational then Gordon brown, where he was seen as dull and boring.
How effective are back bench MP’s Backbench MP’s are critical for UK democracy. They are effective because they allow for high standard scrutiny of the government which holds them accountable for their actions to the people. They help in representing the electorate. However there are some circumstances in which MPs are less effective and have little control, for example the UK party system which is enforced by whips. Firstly, back bench MPs are effective because they are a good way of increasing legitimacy and representation in terms of their constituency as they have been voted in by their electorate and therefore should represent the views of those in their constituency.
It gives a chance for popular independent candidates to be elected. This may be particularly important in developing party systems. First Past the Post system doesn’t require complicated calculation unlike the Single Transferable Vote system which needs calculation to achieve the final results. This also confuses the voter as well on how the system works and that what impact will their vote have on the final results. This leads the voters in hesitation on whom to vote for.
“In what senses can the UK be described as a democracy?” In general, a democracy is a variety of different political systems that are organised on the basis that government should serve the interests of the people. In liberal democracies it is also expected that citizens should influence decisions or make decisions themselves. It is also expected that government should be accountable, in various ways to the people. In this essay, I plan to demonstrate in what senses the UK can be described as a democracy. Firstly on of the fundamental features of democracy is that it establishes and protects freedom.
Introduced by government when we need to change our constitution or make a decision on a controversial issue where government needs approval of electorate. If the party in power's mandate was not very big, the party didn't have enough support. If a Referendum is held makes the government look stronger. Extending the wider use of referendums will affect democracy in the UK, this essay will explain if using referendums more often will improve democracy in the UK. Increasing the use of referendums will help make the system more like a direct democracy.
Demos and Crasos: Power and People. It derives from giving the power to run the country to the people. Some may say that there are ways of improving democracy in the UK, whereas others say there is no point in changing anything if it works. In this essay I intend to look at whether it should be changed and critically analyse each point to make an unbiased and justified decision. One potential way in which democracy could be improved is to have more frequent elections.
* Makes control of people easier, as they will be more like to support the Party if they think the party has brought positive changes. This Party slogan gives an insight into the technique used by the government of manipulating history, and in some cases using completely made up history, in order to keep control of the people. This is because having control of the past allows the government to have control of the future. This is because the future is a direct consequence of the past, and the outcome will be in direct relation to what has happened in the past. So, when the Party portrays the past a hellish world full of poverty, destruction and slavery - the people will begin to believed the Party has rescued them from this, especially when the party feeds them more lies about all the things they have done to help the people.