This document discusses whether the UK is a democratic system of government. It begins by defining democracy as a system of government by the population through elected representatives. It then analyzes aspects of the UK that appear democratic, such as voting and elected representatives, and undemocratic, such as unelected bodies and low voter turnout. It also considers issues like the voting system, declining political participation, and debates around direct vs. representative democracy. The document aims to understand democracy, examine the UK system, and debate how democratic it actually is.

1. -To understand
what democracy
is
-To realise the
different aspects
of democracy
-To debate
whether or not
the UK is
democratic
HOW DEMOCRATIC IS
THE UK?

2.  A system of government by the whole population or
all the eligible members of a state, typically through
elected representatives.
 Demos – people; kratos – power.
 “For the people”.
WHAT IS DEMOCRACY?

3.  Signs of democracy in UK include:
 Voting,
 Members from several parties,
 Leader of party is PM.
 House of Commons elected.
IN TERMS OF UK

4.  On the other hand:
 First-past-the-post and minority rule,
 Coalitions,
 Low/dropping political participation,
 Unelected power, (House of Lords & European institutions)
 Minority parties (theoretically) redundant
UK CONTINUED

5.  Pressure groups
 Help get opinions heard
 Increase participation
 Enhance quality of democracy
 Influence the government
 Work against the public interest
 Social immobilisation
 Intense claims of injustice
 Large-scale demonstrations often cause conflict
“Good”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67FHpk3zWIQ
“Bad”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYd9qbRz2fc
A GREY AREA

6.  The decline in political participation, including
protests, running for local MP and public speeches.
 Specifically voting; why has voter turnout dropped?
 Partisan dealignment
 No political education
 All parties for the same thing
 Change in ideologies
 What could be done about this?
A KEY ASPECT

7.  The UK’s voting system, First-past-the-post.
 Incredibly flawed and succumbs to majority rule
 Ends in a two-party system, just like ours.
 Here is a video which explains both the system and
flaws very well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7tWHJfhiyo
ANOTHER ONE…

8.  One “team” is supporting the fact that UK is
democratic - the other is opposing it.
MINI-DEBATE

9.  Direct:
 Direct voting from the people
 Best possible representation of the people (theoretically)
 Constant referendums
 Representative
 MP’s vote on the constituency’s behalf
 MP more suited than individuals
 MP not necessarily representing their people
DIRECT AND REPRESENTATIVE

10.  Their research revealed:
 ‘This year is the first that less than 50% of the population are
certain to vote.’
 ‘The amount of which claim to be reasonably knowledgeable
about politics is as low as 39%.’
 ‘Three out of ten people believe Parliament encourages public
involvement’
 ‘One in four think the Government works well.’
 ‘4% of people can recall being involved in political action.
 ‘6% have taken part in online political engagement’
 ‘Half of the country’s citizens do nothing but vote.’
THE 2012 HANSARD SURVEY

11.  One side believes direct democracy is the better
option for the UK – the other side believes
representative.
MINI-DEBATE!

12.  What is a democracy?
 What makes the UK democratic?
 What makes the UK un-democratic?
QUESTIONS TO RECAP

13.  Around 2 sides
 “How democratic is the UK?”
 In for next Tuesday please!
THE HOMEWORK