The aim of this lesson is to understand the features of liberal democracy
To understand how democracy functions
To understand the difference between Direct and Indirect Democracy
To begin an evaluation of democracy
To consider arguments for reform
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The Politics Shed- A Free Text Book for all students of Politics.
Lesson 1 Democracy
Why does democracy appear to be so desired, so praised and seen as almost inevitable, and yet also flawed and fragile?
Watch this introduction and try to answer the question: Why does Churchill say democracy is 'the worst system'?
What is Liberal Democracy?
What are the key features of liberal democracy?
Why is it seen as 'true' democracy and inevitable?
Follow these links to explore the issue of direct democracy
Sortition
Sortition
Link The case for Sortition Brett Hennig
What is sortition?
What is a jury?
How might sortition contribute to reforming the House of Lords?
How is direct democracy different to representative democracy?
What is meant by the 'wisdom of crowds'?
What did James Madison fear about crowds?
What is fake or sham consultation?
Why might sortition lead to consensus politics?
Direct Democracy
Direct Democracy
Advantages
A purer form of democracy
Greater legitimacy to a decision
Improves political participation
Increases public engagement
Educates the public
It works
Disadvantages
Not practical
Leads to tyranny of the majority
Undermines elected representatives
Can be low turnout
People do not understand the issues
People decide emotionally
Task: Write a short explanation of each of these points with one example to illustrate
The links below should provide everything you need for an evaluative essay on direct democracy.
Representative Democracy
Representative Democracy
The Participation Crisis
The Participation Crisis
Task below:Link the features of Representative Democracy to the Positive and Negative aspects
Pod Cast Nick de Souza Essay Plan The participation crisis. Nick plans a 30 mark essay for Edexcel
Positive
Regular elections
Increasing since 2001 in general elections
Everyone over 18 with few exceptions can vote
UK has a multi-party system
Campaign for and protect minority interests
Parliament has power to control the government
Spreads power to local communities
Features
Devolution
Turnout
Universal suffrage
Party system
Elections
Parliamentary
Pressure groups
sovereignty
Negative
The monarch and Lords are not elected
Other elections usually below 50%
Case for 16 and 17-year olds to vote, prisoners cannot vote, homeless are often excluded
Safe seats and two-party dominance
Act in own self-interest rather than national good
Parliament is usually dominated by the government
Has created an imbalance in the UK system; the West Lothian question
The Democratic Deficit
The Democratic Deficit
Finish this lesson with some wider reading: Is there a crisis of Democracy
Finish this lesson with some wider reading: Is there a crisis of Democracy
Knowledge Check
1 What are the main types of democracy?
2 What is the role of direct democracy in the UK political system?
3 Why is democracy important?
4 How does representative democracy operate in the UK?
5 What are the problems with UK democracy?
6 How and why should UK democracy be reformed?
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