Assess the strengths of representative democracy as it operates in the UK. (25) Representative democracy in the UK is elected MPs, Peers, parties and pressure groups effectively mobilising the views in the best interests of the country. A representative democracy is arguably government Representative democracy in the UK is elected MPs, Peers, parties and pressure groups effectively mobilising the views in the best interests of the country. A representative democracy is arguably government for the people where citizens interests are at the focal point of representative’s minds. Representative democracy has been able to flourish in recent years as elected individuals who make decisions are arguably more knowledgeable than the electorate themselves.
Supporters would argue that referendums should be used in the UK. This is for many reasons, such as allowing the public to have control over decision making. In doing so, making that decision is far more representative because it would be the popular choice, therefore making it far more legitimate. Also, because they’re secret ballots it means the voters can be non-partisan furthermore granting the final outcome to be a more justifiable choice due to f the vast amount of voters. In addition, referendums are a form of direct democracy, consequently giving the public control over decision making.
Discuss the advantages of law making in Parliament There are many advantages within the law making system. One of the main advantages is that a law is made by our elected representatives, making it democratic. The House of Commons is an elected body which could potentially be changed every five years due to a general election, if the government has not performed as the public expected. However, the public vote in the MP’s within the House of Commons, therefore the HOC has the public’s support with certain decisions making it efficient. On the other hand, the House of Lords is not elected but is made up of a wide variety of people with different background and specialised expertise therefore allowing decisions that are made to be less biased and more thorough.
Democracy may be defined as a political system in which people exercise power over the decisions which affect their lives. In the case of the UK, there is much evidence to support the claim that it is democratic, but there are features which undermine this claim and this essay will attempt to examine the evidence. One of the strongest arguments in support of the claim that the UK is a genuine democracy is that we have universal adult suffrage, which means that all UK citizens aged 18 or above have the right to vote for representatives to make decisions on their behalf. In addition, democracy is also strengthened by the fact that the electorate can choose representatives at local, regional, national and international (EU Parliament) levels. In addition, the elections are held at regular intervals, which ensures that the representatives are accountable to the electorate.
Party's can rely on their loyal MPs to vote in favour of their bills, for example; from 1997-2005 Blair's government didn't lose a single vote in the House of Commons because he had such a high majority. The efficiency of this majority also means the government is able to act quickly and decisively in an emergency, where as if there was no single party with popular support, legislation could be chaotic and it would be difficult to come to a decision. For example, the Terrorism Act of 1999 was passed in just 48
These are all still with Westminster. The electoral system for the NIA was a single transferable vote and when there was a vote for devolution, a majority voted yes. Overall, Northern Ireland have gained power to an extent, however, it has been more difficult to form a permanent government. This is because there has been a lack of trust between the main parties therefore direct rule from London was restored. On the other hand, in February 2010, all parties agreed to transfer of law and order and security issues to the Northern Ireland Executive which was seen as a highly significant event.
This allowed men from all classes to vote rather than the richer classes having the majority of voters meaning that Germany was starting to become well represented in parliament. Voting also included a secret ballot which meant that German citizens could vote without the fear of persecution, so the votes would be the honest opinions of German citizens. This links in with the idea that citizens were starting to take advantage of Rechtsstaact, the turn out for Reichstag elections increased substantially from 50% in 1871 to 85% in 1912. The growth of the Social Democratic party was also a clear indication for the growing parliamentary democracy and the nations want for change. In the 1912 election the SPD polled 4,250,000 votes and became the largest party in the Reichstag with 110 deputies.
According to John (2007), in the 109th Congress, the Republican Party was the top one Party both in House and Senate, so, at that time, the decisions made were mostly inclined to the Republican Party, as no other Party can contend with it. So, that situation is easy for the occurrence of political
Pressure groups are a product of freedom of association, which is a fundamental principle of liberal democracy. Freely operating pressure groups are essential to the effective functioning of liberal democracy in three main ways: they serve as vital intermediary institutions between government and society; they assist in the dispersal of political power; and they provide important counterweights to balance the concentration of power. Pluralists believe that pressure groups overcome the democratic deficit that builds up as most people’s political participation is to cast a vote every five years, this leading to people having little or no influence over decisions made between elections, and minority views not being represented. Pressure groups increase participation and access to the political system, thereby enhancing the quality of democracy. They complement and add to electoral democracy in two main ways: first, by providing an important mechanism by which citizens can influence government between elections; and second by enabling opinions to be weighed as well as counted.
|Essay Topic | |For new democracies in the developing world, which system— | |presidentialism or parliamentarism— is more likely to ensure political | |stability? Why? And do we have a universal answer for all countries? | Introduction According to Mahler (2008), the presidential system and the parliamentary system are the most popular approaches to the executive institutions that can be found in political systems around the world. Those studying Comparative Politics have always been keen on finding out whether the presidential or parliamentary form of government is more conducive to a stable government and democracy.