One of the ways direct democracy is implemented in the UK is through the use of referendums. A referendum is called by the government to allow people to vote directly on an issue. One example of a recent referendum was the 2010 referendum to decide whether the UK should switch from the First past the post vote system to the AV system. The result was a 67.9% majority against changing the system. This shows hope the people can directly influence the way in which their democracy works and so is hence very democratic.
Parliament can make laws on any matter due to Dicey in ‘Law of the Constitution (1885).’ He said that ‘in theory Parliament has total power. It is sovereign'. He states a number of reasons as to how this is possible. Firstly Dicey points out that Parliament can pass laws on any subject without legal restriction therefore it is sovereign. This principle is a result of the election of the Members of Parliament (MPs), by the electorate which gives them authority to represent and pass legislation on their behalf.
Political parties are important because the relationships between them are crucial in making the political system work. The mainstream view of UK politics is that it is dominated by the two-party system. However, changes in politics have caused people to disagree about the extent of the UK being a two party system. In 1998, devolution (the statutory granting of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to government at a subnational level, such as a regional, local, or state level) took place through the creation of a Scottish Parliament, a Welsh Assembly and a Northern Ireland Assembly. Devolution has made nationalist parties more prominent.
These include the franchise, a fair voting system, accountability, a choice of party, access to information, a national party system and participation – the right to stand for election to parliament. Historians debate the extent to which Britain had become a fully democratic country by 1928. This essay will argue that whilst Britain was essentially a fully democratic country by 1928, a number of imperfections remained to be addressed within Britain’s democratic system. Arguably, the most important hallmark of a democracy is the franchise. For a country to be democratic there should be universal suffrage – all adults should have the right to vote.
Britain aimed to become a democratic country throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. By 1928, a democracy was very close to being achieved. For a democracy in Britain, there had to be universal suffrage, where every man and women have the right to vote regardless of class or status. Furthermore a secret ballot must be in place to prevent corruption. Equal sizes of constitutions had to be imposed, with regular elections and elected members of government.
A) What do you understand by the term ‘representative’ democracy? Representative democracy is where citizens elect representatives (MPs) on behalf of the majority to make decisions for them and formulate legislations. It's practical and it allows for people's views to be put into consideration, however, representatives are not bound and can go against the majority. For example; the UK is a representative democracy because citizens elect a representative party for with an appointed leader which make decisions on their behalf, the majority electorate elects the Prime Minister and his party in power to make legislation for the country. B) What are the principle features of democracy in the UK?
The pathway essay The United States is built around freedom, equality and individual right. These basic rights include the right to vote, express religion, due process and many more. The United States is a democracy, meaning that all citizens have the right to participate in government actions. Although the United States is considered a democracy, it is not a pure democracy, but actually a republic. Within a republic there are still government positions, each possessing specific powers and even rank.
Direct Democracy has been practiced in Switzerland, United States and in the New England Town Meetings. At these meetings, which can include all of the voters who live in the town important decisions such as: levying taxes, hiring city officials and deciding local ordinances are made by a majority vote. Some states also provide a modern adaptation of direct democracy for their citizens. As to every political theory or ideology there will always be pros and cons, with Direct Democracy there is a chance of instability or even growth within the states. In America, there are cons to Direct Democracy.
c) Make out a case in favour of retaining the F.P.T.P electoral system for the House of Commons? (25) F.P.T.P is an electoral system used at Westminster, a ‘plurality of votes’ need to be acquired to be elected and this has to be one more than their nearest opponent. You have one vote for one MP of a single member constituency. The system on the whole is pretty broad and representative and consists of a group of people chosen to act and speak on behalf of a wider group. This system works because it produces strong, stable, decisive governments, this means that they can carry out their manifestos and have clear mandates, this means that voters have a clear understanding of the leading parties policies.
Thus the public will now be able to vote in referendums on whether they want to accept council tax increases greater than 3.5%, as well as being able to elect police commissioners who will be responsible for local policing. The increasing number of consultative exercises being initiated by local councils, as well as initiatives, such as the one in Tower Hamlets, whereby residents were able to decide how their council tax was spent, all suggests that the government is taking seriously plans to encourage democracy in the UK. Certainly, too, the huge popularity of E Petitions, on issues as diverse as our membership of the European Union and the full publication of government documents relating to the Hillsborough Disaster suggest that there is a great deal of public enthusiasm for these sorts of reform. It is likely, too, that politicians will become more responsive to the will of the public as open primaries are tested out for the nomination of candidates and the government introduces power of recall, whereby constituents will be able to provoke a by election if their MP has acted