To what extent do political parties promote democracy? (25 marks) Political parties have many functions‚ one of which is to uphold the principles of a democratic political system. A democratic political system is one which involves various features‚ such as a peaceful transition of power from one government to another‚ free and fair regular elections‚ people having open access to independent information‚ government accountability to the people and representative institutions and that the government
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To what extent do pressure groups promote pluralist democracy in the UK? A pluralist democracy is an even dispersal of power‚ by definition democracy is pluralist‚ however the UK democratic system is considered to have a uneven centre of power in government‚ this disproportionate concentration of power is usually addressed through pressure groups that seek to maintain the freedom of association. However some pressure groups are seen to undermine pluralism in a democracy this may be due to their
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To what extent do the advantages of referendums outweigh the disadvantages? (25 Marks) A referendum (sometimes referred to as a plebiscite). Is a vote in which the electorate can express a view on a particular issue of public policy. Referendums have become more widely used since 1997 and have helped to decide controversial policies. The advantages of referendums are great‚ however so are the number of disadvantages. This essay shall include how the electorate could be affected by the positives
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To what extent would the wider use of referendums improve democracy in the UK? The wider use of referendums in the UK could potentially help improve democracy. A wider use of referendums would improve democracy in the UK because of the bigger chance that the people are given to cast their vote on issues that will affect them directly‚ and the country. There has been use of referendums in the past‚ such as Northern Ireland and the Good Friday vote‚ and the 2011 AV referendum‚ although they have been
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To What Extent Would the Wide Use of Referendums Improve Democracy in the UK? The wide use of referendums would make an improvement to democracy in the UK. A reason why it would be so beneficial is that referendums highly encourage political participation. Over recent years‚ political participation has not been at it’s highest‚ with people expecting a mere 55% turnout at the next vote‚ referendums could be just what are required to engage the public in politics. The Good Friday referendum is
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To what extent should referendums be used in the UK? Referendums are used frequently in the UK. They can be seen as advantages for the democracy but also as disadvantages. Referendums in a direct democracy give the general public direct and unmediated control over government decision-making. Therefore this means that politicians who claim to ‘represent’ the public are not distorting them as it ensures that the public’s views and interests are properly and accurately articulated. By comparison
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It can be argued that Britain is both democratic and undemocratic; this can be shown via a range of issues relating to British politics and the society in which we live. Democracy is a form of government in which supreme power is held completely by the people under a free electoral system. It states that all citizens have equal access to power and that all people enjoy the right to universally recognised freedoms. It is also the freedom of expression‚ speech and other civil liberties. The selection
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To what extent do pressure groups undermine democracy? It is a varied opinion in society that pressure groups undermine democracy: some people believe strongly‚ some people don’t. It is hard to begin to analyse whether this is the case or not‚ as there are a varying amount of factors that need to be considered before a final decision and be made. In the first instance of answering this question‚ we need to find out the two types of pressure groups; elitist pressure groups and pluralist pressure
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a) To what extent would the wider use of referendums improve democracy in the UK? There are many ways in which referendums would directly and indirectly improve the democracy in the UK. These could include an improved political education‚ a more responsive government with reduced power and constitutional changes. However‚ with any improvements there are also arguments‚ which suggest that referendums could make democracy in the UK worse. Firstly‚ a direct way is the fact that referendums give
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To what Extent do Pressure Groups undermine Democracy in the US? For some‚ pressure groups are a fundamental part of democracy. To others‚ pressure groups undermine the whole principle of democracy. Democracy is a system of government where decisions are arrived at by majoritarian principles with representatives elected at periodic elections where political equality and political freedom allow the voter an effective choice between competing candidates in a secret ballot. How do pressure groups fit
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