Recap
• What is meant by direct
democracy?
• Name at least 2 key
strengths of this as a
system
• Name at least 2
weaknesses of it as a
system
Representative
Democracy
Learning Objectives;
• Understand the meaning of
Representative Democracy
• Assess its strengths and
weaknesses as a system
What are the features of a Representative
Democracy?
In a Representative Democracy…
• What do the people do?
• What do the people not do?
• What Institutions are created by this?
• What groups are created within this
institution?
• What groups are created outside of the
institution?
In a Representative Democracy…
• The people vote for representatives to make
decisions on their behalf
In a Representative Democracy…
• The people vote for representatives to make
decisions on their behalf
• The people do not make decisions but they
delegate this responsibility to the representatives?
In a Representative Democracy…
• The people vote for representatives to make
decisions on their behalf
• The people do not make decisions but they
delegate this responsibility to the representatives?
• Representative Assemblies are created and they
should represent and work for the will of the
people
In a Representative Democracy…
• The people vote for representatives to make
decisions on their behalf
• The people do not make decisions but they
delegate this responsibility to the representatives?
• Representative Assemblies are created and they
should represent and work for the will of the
people
• Representatives with similar views group together
and these become Political Parties
In a Representative Democracy…
• The people vote for representatives to make
decisions on their behalf
• The people do not make decisions but they
delegate this responsibility to the representatives?
• Representative Assemblies are created and they
should represent and work for the will of the
people
• Representatives with similar views group together
and these become Political Parties
• Pressure Groups are formed to continue to express
the will of the people outside of Parliament
Functions of a
representative Democracy
3 Types of
Representatives
• Delegate
• Party Representative
• Burkean
Representative
Delegate
A delegate follows exactly the wishes of the
voters. The representative should vote in the
manner decided on by his constituents.
In theory a fair and decent idea but what happens for
an MP who was elected by only a minority of the voters?
Delegate
A delegate follows exactly the wishes of the
voters. The representative should vote in the
manner decided on by his constituents.
In theory a fair and decent idea but what happens for
an MP who was elected by only a minority of the voters?
In 2015 Tristram Hunt was elected MP for
Stoke-on-Trent. The turnout was only 49.9%. The result
was as follows:
DNV (Did Not Vote) – 50.1% How can he truly
Tristram Hunt 19.6% represent all of his
UKIP – 11.3% constituents?
Conservative -11.2%
Others 7.7%
Party
Representative
• A Party representative
follows the wishes of
the their party leader.
• Why would they follow the wishes of their leader?
• What problem might it cause?
• Ultimately though, why can an MP not totally go
against the wishes of their constituents?
Party
Representative
• A Party representative
follows the wishes of
the their party leader.
• Why would they follow the wishes of their leader?
• Future career aspirations?
• What problem might it cause?
• Ultimately though, why can an MP not totally go
against the wishes of their constituents?
Party
Representative
• A Party representative
follows the wishes of
the their party leader.
• Why would they follow the wishes of their leader?
• Future career aspirations?
• What problem might it cause?
• Not truly democratic? Leader too powerful?
• Ultimately though, why can an MP not totally go
against the wishes of their constituents?
Party
Representative
• A Party representative
follows the wishes of
the their party leader.
• Why would they follow the wishes of their leader?
• Future career aspirations?
• What problem might it cause?
• Not truly democratic? Leader too powerful?
• Ultimately though, why can an MP not totally go
against the wishes of their constituents?
• Still need to be voted in at next election
Burkean
Representative
(also known as the Trustee model)
• Edmund Burke was an 18th
century political thinker and philosopher who argued
that an elected representative should be entrusted to
exercise his own discretion and judgement once
elected and should not be a slave to the voters.
Your representative owes you, not his industry only,
but his judgment; and he betrays, instead of serving
you, if he sacrifices it to your opinion
(E Burke, 1774)
Using the following statements, try to think about the
pros and cons of Representative Democracy…
• Politics affects us 24/7. We all have busy lives and there are many decisions to be made.
• General Elections are only held once every 5 years
• The Environment, Finance, International Security, the European Union etc are all complicated topics
• Some politicians are very career focused (“keen on climbing the greasy-pole”)
• Our voting system allows us to vote for (or against) individual candidates, not just for a party.
• Political parties understand that if more money is to be spent on healthcare, education, welfare etc.
this also means more money is needed in taxes
• Political parties will often fundamentally disagree on key issues (adversary politics)
• Some decisions are very personal (crime & punishment, funding for certain illnesses etc.)
• There are a huge breadth of political decisions to be made. Political parties need to formulate
ideas/policies for all of them
• Most societies now include a huge range of views, races, religions etc.
Using the following statements, try to think about the
pros and cons of Representative Democracy…
• Politics affects us 24/7. We all have busy lives and there are many decisions to be made.
PRO - Most people do not have time to be continually involved. Reps act on our behalf.
• General Elections are only held once every 5 years
• The Environment, Finance, International Security, the European Union etc are all complicated topics
• Some politicians are very career focused (“keen on climbing the greasy-pole”)
• Our voting system allows us to vote for (or against) individual candidates, not just for a party.
• Political parties understand that if more money is to be spent on healthcare, education, welfare etc.
this also means more money is needed in taxes
• Political parties will often fundamentally disagree on key issues (adversary politics)
• Some decisions are very personal (crime & punishment, funding for certain illnesses etc.)
• There are a huge breadth of political decisions to be made. Political parties need to formulate
ideas/policies for all of them, held within their manifesto.
• Most societies now include a huge range of views, races, religions etc.
Using the following statements, try to think about the
pros and cons of Representative Democracy…
• Politics affects us 24/7. We all have busy lives and there are many decisions to be made.
PRO - Most people do not have time to be continually involved. Reps act on our behalf.
• General Elections are only held once every 5 years
CON – It can be difficult to hold our representatives to account between elections
• The Environment, Finance, International Security, the European Union etc are all complicated topics
• Some politicians are very career focused (“keen on climbing the greasy-pole”)
• Our voting system allows us to vote for (or against) individual candidates, not just for a party.
• Political parties understand that if more money is to be spent on healthcare, education, welfare etc.
this also means more money is needed in taxes
• Political parties will often fundamentally disagree on key issues (adversary politics)
• Some decisions are very personal (crime & punishment, funding for certain illnesses etc.)
• There are a huge breadth of political decisions to be made. Political parties need to formulate
ideas/policies for all of them, held within their manifesto.
• Most societies now include a huge range of views, races, religions etc.
Using the following statements, try to think about the
pros and cons of Representative Democracy…
• Politics affects us 24/7. We all have busy lives and there are many decisions to be made.
PRO - Most people do not have time to be continually involved. Reps act on our behalf.
• General Elections are only held once every 5 years
CON – It can be difficult to hold our representatives to account between elections
• The Environment, Finance, International Security, the European Union etc are all complicated topics
PRO – Reps will have more expertise and experience on topics and can educate us
• Some politicians are very career focused (“keen on climbing the greasy-pole”)
• Our voting system allows us to vote for (or against) individual candidates, not just for a party.
• Political parties understand that if more money is to be spent on healthcare, education, welfare etc.
this also means more money is needed in taxes
• Political parties will often fundamentally disagree on key issues (adversary politics)
• Some decisions are very personal (crime & punishment, funding for certain illnesses etc.)
• There are a huge breadth of political decisions to be made. Political parties need to formulate
ideas/policies for all of them, held within their manifesto.
• Most societies now include a huge range of views, races, religions etc.
Using the following statements, try to think about the
pros and cons of Representative Democracy…
• Politics affects us 24/7. We all have busy lives and there are many decisions to be made.
PRO - Most people do not have time to be continually involved. Reps act on our behalf.
• General Elections are only held once every 5 years
CON – It can be difficult to hold our representatives to account between elections
• The Environment, Finance, International Security, the European Union etc are all complicated topics
PRO – Reps will have more expertise and experience on topics and can educate us
• Some politicians are very career focused (“keen on climbing the greasy-pole”)
CON – Reps may suit themselves and not work on behalf of voters
• Our voting system allows us to vote for (or against) individual candidates, not just for a party.
• Political parties understand that if more money is to be spent on healthcare, education, welfare etc.
this also means more money is needed in taxes
• Political parties will often fundamentally disagree on key issues (adversary politics)
• Some decisions are very personal (crime & punishment, funding for certain illnesses etc.)
• There are a huge breadth of political decisions to be made. Political parties need to formulate
ideas/policies for all of them, held within their manifesto.
• Most societies now include a huge range of views, races, religions etc.
Using the following statements, try to think about the
pros and cons of Representative Democracy…
• Politics affects us 24/7. We all have busy lives and there are many decisions to be made.
PRO - Most people do not have time to be continually involved. Reps act on our behalf.
• General Elections are only held once every 5 years
CON – It can be difficult to hold our representatives to account between elections
• The Environment, Finance, International Security, the European Union etc are all complicated topics
PRO – Reps will have more expertise and experience on topics and can educate us
• Some politicians are very career focused (“keen on climbing the greasy-pole”)
CON – Reps may suit themselves and not work on behalf of voters
• Our voting system allows us to vote for (or against) individual candidates, not just for a party.
PRO – We can hold them to account for things they have or haven’t done
• Political parties understand that if more money is to be spent on healthcare, education, welfare etc.
this also means more money is needed in taxes
• Political parties will often fundamentally disagree on key issues (adversary politics)
• Some decisions are very personal (crime & punishment, funding for certain illnesses etc.)
• There are a huge breadth of political decisions to be made. Political parties need to formulate
ideas/policies for all of them, held within their manifesto.
• Most societies now include a huge range of views, races, religions etc.
Using the following statements, try to think about the
pros and cons of Representative Democracy…
• Politics affects us 24/7. We all have busy lives and there are many decisions to be made.
PRO - Most people do not have time to be continually involved. Reps act on our behalf.
• General Elections are only held once every 5 years
CON – It can be difficult to hold our representatives to account between elections
• The Environment, Finance, International Security, the European Union etc are all complicated topics
PRO – Reps will have more expertise and experience on topics and can educate us
• Some politicians are very career focused (“keen on climbing the greasy-pole”)
CON – Reps may suit themselves and not work on behalf of voters
• Our voting system allows us to vote for (or against) individual candidates, not just for a party.
PRO – We can hold them to account for things they have or haven’t done
• Political parties understand that if more money is to be spent on healthcare, education, welfare etc.
this also means more money is needed in taxes
PRO – Parties will aggregate views into a coherent set of policies (not just individual
wishes that won’t work together
• Political parties will often fundamentally disagree on key issues (adversary politics)
• Some decisions are very personal (crime & punishment, funding for certain illnesses etc.)
• There are a huge breadth of political decisions to be made. Political parties need to formulate
ideas/policies for all of them, held within their manifesto.
• Most societies now include a huge range of views, races, religions etc.
Using the following statements, try to think about the
pros and cons of Representative Democracy…
• Politics affects us 24/7. We all have busy lives and there are many decisions to be made.
PRO - Most people do not have time to be continually involved. Reps act on our behalf.
• General Elections are only held once every 5 years
CON – It can be difficult to hold our representatives to account between elections
• The Environment, Finance, International Security, the European Union etc are all complicated topics
PRO – Reps will have more expertise and experience on topics and can educate us
• Some politicians are very career focused (“keen on climbing the greasy-pole”)
CON – Reps may suit themselves and not work on behalf of voters
• Our voting system allows us to vote for (or against) individual candidates, not just for a party.
PRO – We can hold them to account for things they have or haven’t done
• Political parties understand that if more money is to be spent on healthcare, education, welfare etc.
this also means more money is needed in taxes
PRO – Parties will aggregate views into a coherent set of policies (not just individual
wishes that won’t work together
• Political parties will often fundamentally disagree on key issues (adversary politics)
CON – Representatives may simply disagree too much and require direct democracy
• Some decisions are very personal (crime & punishment, funding for certain illnesses etc.)
• There are a huge breadth of political decisions to be made. Political parties need to formulate
ideas/policies for all of them, held within their manifesto.
• Most societies now include a huge range of views, races, religions etc.
Using the following statements, try to think about the
pros and cons of Representative Democracy…
• Politics affects us 24/7. We all have busy lives and there are many decisions to be made.
PRO - Most people do not have time to be continually involved. Reps act on our behalf.
• General Elections are only held once every 5 years
CON – It can be difficult to hold our representatives to account between elections
• The Environment, Finance, International Security, the European Union etc are all complicated topics
PRO – Reps will have more expertise and experience on topics and can educate us
• Some politicians are very career focused (“keen on climbing the greasy-pole”)
CON – Reps may suit themselves and not work on behalf of voters
• Our voting system allows us to vote for (or against) individual candidates, not just for a party.
PRO – We can hold them to account for things they have or haven’t done
• Political parties understand that if more money is to be spent on healthcare, education, welfare etc.
this also means more money is needed in taxes
PRO – Parties will aggregate views into a coherent set of policies (not just individual
wishes that won’t work together
• Political parties will often fundamentally disagree on key issues (adversary politics)
CON – Representatives may simply disagree too much and require direct democracy
• Some decisions are very personal (crime & punishment, funding for certain illnesses etc.)
PRO – Reps will be more rational and not react in a short-term, emotional manner
• There are a huge breadth of political decisions to be made. Political parties need to formulate
ideas/policies for all of them, held within their manifesto.
• Most societies now include a huge range of views, races, religions etc.
Using the following statements, try to think about the
pros and cons of Representative Democracy…
• Politics affects us 24/7. We all have busy lives and there are many decisions to be made.
PRO - Most people do not have time to be continually involved. Reps act on our behalf.
• General Elections are only held once every 5 years
CON – It can be difficult to hold our representatives to account between elections
• The Environment, Finance, International Security, the European Union etc are all complicated topics
PRO – Reps will have more expertise and experience on topics and can educate us
• Some politicians are very career focused (“keen on climbing the greasy-pole”)
CON – Reps may suit themselves and not work on behalf of voters
• Our voting system allows us to vote for (or against) individual candidates, not just for a party.
PRO – We can hold them to account for things they have or haven’t done
• Political parties understand that if more money is to be spent on healthcare, education, welfare etc.
this also means more money is needed in taxes
PRO – Parties will aggregate views into a coherent set of policies (not just individual
wishes that won’t work together
• Political parties will often fundamentally disagree on key issues (adversary politics)
CON – Representatives may simply disagree too much and require direct democracy
• Some decisions are very personal (crime & punishment, funding for certain illnesses etc.)
PRO – Reps will be more rational and not react in a short-term, emotional manner
• There are a huge breadth of political decisions to be made. Political parties need to formulate
ideas/policies for all of them, held within their manifesto.
CON – Manifestos give the electorate no choice to accept or reject individual policies
• Most societies now include a huge range of views, races, religions etc.
Using the following statements, try to think about the
pros and cons of Representative Democracy…
• Politics affects us 24/7. We all have busy lives and there are many decisions to be made.
PRO - Most people do not have time to be continually involved. Reps act on our behalf.
• General Elections are only held once every 5 years
CON – It can be difficult to hold our representatives to account between elections
• The Environment, Finance, International Security, the European Union etc are all complicated topics
PRO – Reps will have more expertise and experience on topics and can educate us
• Some politicians are very career focused (“keen on climbing the greasy-pole”)
CON – Reps may suit themselves and not work on behalf of voters
• Our voting system allows us to vote for (or against) individual candidates, not just for a party.
PRO – We can hold them to account for things they have or haven’t done
• Political parties understand that if more money is to be spent on healthcare, education, welfare etc.
this also means more money is needed in taxes
PRO – Parties will aggregate views into a coherent set of policies (not just individual
wishes that won’t work together
• Political parties will often fundamentally disagree on key issues (adversary politics)
CON – Representatives may simply disagree too much and require direct democracy
• Some decisions are very personal (crime & punishment, funding for certain illnesses etc.)
PRO – Reps will be more rational and not react in a short-term, emotional manner
• There are a huge breadth of political decisions to be made. Political parties need to formulate
ideas/policies for all of them, held within their manifesto.
CON – Manifestos give the electorate no choice to accept or reject individual policies
• Most societies now include a huge range of views, races, religions etc.
PRO –Minority groups may be forgotten under direct dem. Reps can stand up for everyone
Representative Democracy in action;
Gordon Brown and ‘that bigoted
woman’ 2010
https://sites.google.com/site/thepoliticsteac
• Watch the following clip herorg/the-advantages-and-disadvantages-
then note/discuss the of-representative-democracy
following;
• In what ways does this
show representative
democracy works?
• Does this episode show
that the public can hold
even the PM to account?
Conclusion
• On balance, is our representative democracy
an effective system?
Support with at least 2 examples to support and
1 example from the other side of the argument
that you can argue against.
Homework
How democratic is the UK? | YouGov
Landmark report shows UK citizens are ‘deeply concerned’ about their democracy
| UCL News - UCL – University College London
1) Using ONE of the 2 website reports complete an
analysis of the article using the worksheet template
provided.
(Alternatively, you can write this up yourself using the
headings on the worksheet as a guide but this must be
MINIMUM 1 SIDE A4)
2) Research the advantages and disadvantages of
referendums (Minimum 3 each side):
Include direct reference to the Brexit referendum and
at least one other recent example
Due;
