Democracy and Participation Edexcel Part A Questions

by cherylbartels4gmailcom (student)

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS (EDEXCEL) – UNIT 1

Democracy and Participation

All Part “A” Questions – January 2009 to January 2010

5 Marks Available per Question

Total Mark: /15

January 2009

. What are the main features of representative democracy?

One main feature of representative democracy is that it is indirect; this means that the public do not have an active role in policy making. This is because the public chose an advocate to speak on their behalf and to debate in the House of Commons to create new policy proposals. An example of this is the 2017 ‘Brexit Bill’ to trigger article 50 which was passed without the input of the public.

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Another feature of representative democracy is that it is not continuous; this means that the public do not have an ongoing dialogue with the government. This is because of the possibility of representative democracy being undermined. This is because the public have elected a group of professional politicians to make decisions on their behalf. An example of this would be that the public only get involved with politics when it is time for general elections or referendums.

One final feature of representative democracy is that it is mediated; this means that the public do not have to involve themselves in continuous meetings to improve their society. This is because the public have elected a group of professional politicians to debate and eloquently put forward their worries to the government. To remove this would undermine representative democracy. An example of this is that Neil Coyle was elected in 2016 as a representative of the constituency; Bermondsey and Old Southwark.

June 2009

. Define liberal democracy.

Liberal democracy is built on the view that the chosen government is legitimate, accountable and chosen with the consent of the people. This would mean that the government was chosen fairly and therefore has a mandate to be carried out, accountable would mean that the government should take the blame for mistakes which are made by them, and affect the people. Consent would be shown through an absolute majority support for the government which is elected in.

There are free, fair and regular elections, this is because in order to continue being legitimate and accountable the government would have to be consistently elected. This is made clearer through the 2011 introduction of the Fixed Term Parliament, this is where a new government is voted in every 5 years. There is universal adult suffrage; this means that every adult over 18 is able to vote. There are guaranteed civil liberties and rights; this means that all people are protected under rules and regulations from the government. This is most evident through the use of the Human Rights Act in the UK which protects all people.

January 2010

. Define direct democracy.

One feature of direct democracy is that it is direct; this means that the public create the policy proposals that they live under. An example of this are the small communities in ancient Athens which lived their daily lives under rules they created in their communities.

Another feature of direct democracy is that it is unmediated; this means that there is no separate class of professional politicians which are advocates on behalf of the electorate. An example of this is that in ancient Athens the people would often gather and debate the politics in their areas, this demonstrates that they take politics directly into their own hands.

One final feature of direct democracy is that it is continuous; this means that the public have a direct and ongoing dialogue with the government because they are the government.