The existence of pressure groups such as green peace is legal and has support within British society, as so long as what they pressurise about and the manner in which they go about it is legal. This encourages decisions to be made appropriately and shows the beliefs and issues of the members of the pressure groups.
These rights founded in Athens in the fifth century BC are fundamental to democracy and ensure that any full citizen can be part of Britain’s political direction. Within Britain the electorate also have the choice whether to or not to vote, this principle of electoral freedom also shows how democratic the UK is, with citizens having the choice whether to vote or not. The ballot is secret so the likelihood of political corruption is rare, as technically it should not be possible for the electorates vote to be traced to a particular party. Hence bribery and blackmail nowadays in society have minimal or no effect on the outcome of an election.
The large numbers of tiers, which make up the British democratic system, also shows the level of democracy. Voting is used to elect local councillors and members of parliament. This form of representative democracy allows the electorates view to be voiced on a range of issues from local and national, the constituent also has the power to communicate with their MP to help them make well-informed decisions with regard their constituent’s opinion. Since devolution of power Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales the electorate are also able to choose the ministers for their own assemblies. These assemblies decide on issues such as culture, national language and tourism, allowing each of the 3 countries to gain an amount of independence from the Commons. The ministers concerned with their own country can make more intelligent decisions.
Referenda may also be used on difficult issues on which the Commons is particularly undecided, this increases the level of democracy, and instead of being a representative democracy it is a direct democracy. Meaning that the electorate’s power is increased. Unfortunately this form of direct democracy cannot be used for every issue raised in the House of Commons as it would soon loose its appeal and the electorate would become bored of the system. Hence by using a representative democracy is the most effective manner in which to control the political management of the country of a great size.
The House of Commons where the elected members of parliament sit is the fundamental home of British democracy. The chamber allows open debate from the representatives of each constituent. It is a key factor that there is a large amount of political opposition, from parties with a lesser majority than the government. The government hold legal and constitutional limitations on power, a true sign of democracy. Meaning that they have to respect and abide by the rule of law. The government is also responsible to parliament and its decisions can be challenged by the opposition, meaning unpopular moves will always be challenged. Meaning that the country could never become a totalitarian state due to the level, intensity and diversity of the opposition within British politics.
The House of Lords previously seen as undemocratic has seen reforms that have changed public opinion as many of the hereditary peers have been removed from their positions and have been replaced by the elected government. This not only makes the system more fair as people are less likely to be born into the political system but also gives a larger sense of democracy as the representatives elected whom get to government decide on the Lords, meaning the Lords themselves are more deserving of their position. The so-called “second chamber” prevents unpopular bills that do get passed can be stopped in the Lords. Having this second chamber shows the high level of debate and discussion within the country as well as the preventative measures in place.
The British legal system is also evidence for a high level of democracy; juries are now decided from the electoral register randomly meaning that interference/ influence is less common. In any democracy the independence of the judiciary from political control is a fundamental protector of civil freedoms. By having these juries the decisions made within the courts of laws are less biased and do not have the influence of politicians or the monarchy.
The British media, unlike many others in the World have freedom of speech, thought and expression, just as the citizens of Britain have although there are needed legal restrictions on this. This means that the public can gain a relatively knowledgeable account of the true political situation in Britain. Hence there is very little propaganda and censorship (except with regard intelligence), deriving from the government allowing independent thought.
There are a great number of factors that contribute to the democratic features in Britain that are generic throughout many of the world’s democracy’s such as: USA and Japan. These countries like most democracies have a growing middle class and have capitalist companies that are key to their economy.
