ADAM HALLROBY SIXTH FORM- AS GOVT. AND POL

Participation and Voting Behaviour

LESSON OVERVIEWIn the next few lessons we will consider and (hopefully try and answer the following questions:

1. What is Democracy and other key words?

2. How do we participate in UK Politics?

3. Why do we participate in local politics?

4. Is the UK Democratic?

5. Has participation in politics improved in recent years?

1. What does these images suggest about Democracy?

2. Do you agree?

DEFINING POLITICSIs Politics simply a load of people in cheap (ish) suits shouting from green leather sofas at a load of other blokes (and some women) in more expensive suits about issues they don’t really understand?

OF COURSE NOT...... (OTHER WISE I WOULDN’T BE GETTING PAID FOR THIS!)

The following are all different definitions of Politics which have evolved over time, what do you think of them? Which is the most appropriate?

Politics = Government- In this theory Politics is all about certain people- e.g. MP’s, Parliament, Civil Servants, World Leaders.

Politics = Public- Here Politics is anything that involves participation in public by anyone who wishes to be involved.

Politics = Compromise- People don’t agree on everything. Politics is hearing a wide range of views and using the views which give the most balance in life.

Politics = Power- My personal favourite. Politics is everywhere. The group in society with the most force behind it will get its own way.

DEMO.....CRAZY???People often refer to Democracy in a number of different ways, some are nice, some are not so nice! Question is....

What is Democracy?

WHICH IS WORSE?

Vs.

Totalitarian DemocracySaddam ‘The Butcher’ HusseinSome Elections but usually only one candidate. No freedom of

speech and no opposition

Liberal DemocracyNick ‘Leg Over’ Clegg

Elections for leaders, all parties have equal chance of being

elected. Citizens have right to free speech

LIBERAL DEMOCRACY TOTALITARIAN DEMOCRACY

Winston Churchill once remarked that: “Democracy is the worst form of

Government except all the others which have been tried from time to time”.

Even the strongest defenders of Liberal Democracy have their doubts. Consider this:1. Selective Interest- Some people only

get interested in Politics when it matters.

2. Accountability- Some but only every few years!

3. Party Politics- People think less for themselves and more along party lines.

4. The Bubble- Representatives tend to forget their roots.

The satirist Alan Coren also remarked:“Democracy consists of choosing your dictators after they've told you what you

think it is you want to hear”

It is important to note that people like Saddam Hussein faced elections throughout their rule, it’s just that they always won over 90% of the vote. In such a ‘democracy’:

1. The state controls every aspect of citizen’s lives.

2. The ruling party always wins elections.

3. This gives them ‘legitimacy’

DIRECT VS. INDIRECTCONSIDER THESE TWO TALES OF DEMOCRACY

DIRECT DEMOCRACY INDIRECT DEMOCRACY

This approach in its purest form comes from Athens in 500BC when all the men of the city attended meetings to discuss and vote upon issues which affected the public. This is the democracy advocated in the early writings of Plato and Aristotle. In fact the words Democracy comes from the Greek ‘Demo’ (The People) and ‘Kratos’ (power).

In a more modern context this approach is used for issues such as Referendums. (see Nick Clegg and the AV disaster)

This is the modern view of Politics advocated by Edmund Burke (1774) a Conservative MP and famous political philosopher who famously remarked:

“Your representative owes you not his industry... But his judgement; and he betrays you if he sacrifices it in your

opinion”.

What is Burke on About?Essentially he means that democracy is general representation though there is no instruction manual. You trust your leaders to vote the way you would want, rather than the Direct Model where everyone votes on everything.

WHICH IS BETTER... THERE’S ONLY ONE WAY TO FIND OUT! A REASONABLE AND ADULT DISCUSSION

Direct Democracy1. Put simply this is the most

democratic. Everyone has a vote on every issue.

2. Representative Democracy creates a system of elites who rule over the population.

3. It can be successful when used in small scale setting such as Town Hall Meetings in the USA. These are small forums in which local people get to vote on local issues.

Representative Democracy1. Direct Democracy is time-consuming and also impractical. Society needs quick decision making, not constant votes.

2. Elected officials are chosen to make unpopular and difficult decisions. They can make decisions with a full view of the facts and the benefit of expertise.

3. Representative Democracy ensures that MPs and leaders who fail to respect our views can be voted out.

POWER TO THE PEOPLE AND BY AUTHORITY VESTED IN ME THIS WILL MAKE SENSE....

POWERWhat is Power?Most definitions of power include something about being able to make something happen. For example…

Nick Clegg has the power to break the coalition Government.

David Cameron has the power to withdraw troops from Afghanistan.

A Lunatic with a gun has the power to make someone drive him wherever he wants.

AUTHORITYWhat is Authority?This is more subtle then power, it is the right to make something happen. For example….

I have the authority over a class.

A judge has authority over a trial.

Parliament has authority over Great Britain.

HOW TO BORE A CLASS TO SLEEP IN 3 DEFINITIONS

Political Culture- According to Political Scientist (Yes apparently they are real) Lynton Robins Political Culture is:

“The Opinions, attitudes and beliefs which shape political behaviour. A Country’s political culture consists of the whole citizenry’s collective attitudes to the political

system and their role in it”.

In Plain English this means:“What political believes citizens have and how they function in the system”.

Adam Hall (2011)

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT… MARXISM

Marxists tend to have an opinion on everything and Democracy is no exception. Whilst Marxist as a practice got a bad reputation from the Soviet Union, it is important to remember that Marxist theorists have an important part to play in critiquing the current system. The main critiques are:

1. It doesn’t matter how fair a democracy is, if it is based in capitalism then it will serve the needs of those with the dominant economic power in society. Such rich capitalists (the bourgeoisie) are not accountable to anyone.

2. The free press which people believe will offer constructive criticism in democracy is commonly owned by private individuals (or Rupert Murdoch) who have their own motivations.

3. Some countries which operate capitalist systems do not have Liberal Democracies (e.g. China) showing that Capitalism is not the solution to the needs of the poor.

LET’S GET APATHY, APATHY! I WANNA GET APATHETIC WITH YOUUUUUUUU!

a There is a growing band of academics who believe that their is a rising tide of apathy particularly in UK Politics. Their main source of evidence comes from the decline in conventional involvement in politics and democracy by the British people. For example in 1992 the turnout at the General Election was 77.2% whereas in 2001 it had fallen to 60% (in 2010 it rose slightly to 65%).

However is low voter turnout necessarily an indication of apathy? Could it be that we might all just be really happy (known as Hapathy) with the current Government? Or is it us simply accepting what we believe is inevitable?What other factors might affect us?

Let’s go out into our communities and find out some more as well!

WELL THIS IS AWKWARD I’m a little embarrassed having to talk about why people don’t vote in a Politics lesson, however we do need to know some of the leading reasons.

1. Intelligent Voters- People who only vote when it matters (i.e. in 2010 when we needed change) or who don’t vote because they know their vote wont matter in a safe seat (St. Helens North).

2. Apathetic Voters- People who can’t be bothered to vote.

3. Disaffected Voters- People who have lost confidence in politics because of a scandal (i.e. expenses) or because no party represents their views.

4. Media-Voters- People who rely on the media to influence their vote. If they are not told by the media, they won’t vote.

FEEL THE POWERHowever we can’t just dismiss all these people and make sweeping statements about Britain going to the dogs etc.

In 2006 the POWER Report however responded by saying this:

“Contrary to much of the public debate around political disengagement, the British public are not apathetic. There is now a great deal of research evidence to show that very large numbers of citizens are engaged in community and charity work

outside of politics”

Basically the report says that we’re all more interested in local and community issues than politics.

Do you agree?

A WORD FROM OUR SPONSORS

ReferendumsAhh yes. We’ve been here before. It was only May 5th 2011 when Britain had it’s last Referendum on whether we wanted to switch to the Alternative Vote.

Referendums are a practical form of Direct Democracy. In which a question is put to the British public and they must vote. The response which gets the most support is then passed into law. We are so suspicious of Referendums that former Labour Prime Minister Clement Attlee described them as:

“A tool of demagogues and dictators” as well as “A device so alien to all our traditions”.

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE AV REFERENDUM

Name: Alternative Vote ReferendumDate: May 6th 2011Venue: United KingdomQuestion used: “At present, the UK uses the ‘first past the post’ system to elect MPs to the House of Commons. Should the ‘alternative vote’ system be used instead?”Result:

What does this show us?

Response Votes Percentage

Yes 6,152,607 32.1%

No 13,013,123 67.9%

Turnout 19,165,730 100%

Voting Population 45,684,501 42.2%

REFEREN-DUMB? OR REFEREN-GOOD?Referendums are Good?

1. Referendums are not a regular occurrence, when they do occur they are usually on specific question. There is a chance to campaign on both sides of the debate.

2. Referendums can also occur at local level (such as the Congestion charge in Manchester vote in 2008).

3. They show a majority of public support for a policy. The policy would only go ahead if the majority of the public backed it.

Referendums are Bad?1. It is the Government that decides

the question in a referendum. They pick the terms of the debate and potentially the outcome.

2. It is too simplistic to ask a question such as whether we should change our voting system, or leave the EU into a Yes or No answer.

3. We elect our MPs to make decisions. It is expensive and unpopular to keep asking the public for an answer.

4. Campaigns must be funded, the campaign with the best funding can get their message across to more people. As with the AV referendum.

ALL WORD AND NO PLAY

It’s worth noting the problems with the recent AV referendum. It might be useful for exams (HINT HINT).1. Timing- The timing was awful. One year after a General Election and on the same

day as the Parliamentary Elections in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Also being in the middle of a huge Deficit didn’t help.

2. Funding- This was quite controversial. Both the YES to AV and the NO to AV got into a slanging match about who was paying for their campaigns. Billionaire Conservative supporter Peter Cruddas gave £400,000 to the NO campaign. Whilst the Electoral Reform Society gave £909,517 to the YES Campaign. Both groups had ulterior motives.

3. Wording- The wording of the questions is always problematic. This referendum was no different. It didn’t even mention what First Past the Post or the Alternative Vote were so there was a lot of implied knowledge.

4. Turnout- Frankly the turnout was awful. Less then half of those who could vote actually did. There are a number of potential reasons why.

WELCOME TO THE UNITED KINGDEMOCRACY!a The United Kingdom has always had a reputation for being a

Liberal Democracy however it only really started to develop its Democratic credentials with the Reform Act 1832. Some would even argue that it cannot be considered a true democracy until 1928 when Universal Suffrage was introduced.

In 1969 the voting age was lowered to 18.

The Boundary Commission (set up in 1885) also ensures that constituencies remain about the same size and that there are a reasonable number of voters in each.

NO DEMOCRACY PLEASE… WE’RE BRITISHAs we all know Britain has a First-Past-The- Post System of Elections. Which means that put simply whoever gets the most votes wins. Consider the election result below.St. Helens General Election Result 2010:

Adam Hall- Awesome Party- 33,201 votes (33.201%)E. By. Eck- Labour Party- 33,200 votes (33.2%)Am. A Tory- Conservative Party- 5,944 votes (5.9%)N.O. Point- Liberal Democrats- 27,655 votes (27.7%)

Overall Turnout: 100,000

What is obvious about Adam’s election win?What is also interesting to note is that such results are not uncommon in the real world.

PARTICIPATION CENTRAL.Congratulations you’ve lasted a full part of the topic with me. The next step is to look at the ways in which ordinary people like me and you (yes I am ordinary). Can participate in the UK Political System. There are 2 categories:

1. Electoral Participation

2. Non-Electoral Participation

IT’S ELECTORAL-FLYING..... Electoral Participation in politics is fairly simple, it is essentially voting in an election. In 2010 the voting population of the UK was 45,597,461 of which 65.1% actually bothered to vote. Only the following cannot vote in the UK:• People under 18 years of age• Foreign Nationals (except Commonwealth Countries)• Members of the House of Lords• Prisoners (although this could change)• People convicted of illegal Electoral Practices (e.g. Rigging an Election)

That means that 99% of the UK adult population CAN vote, but don’t. We’ll look at why in a minute. But first let’s look at what their voting for!

VOTER-RAMA BABY!

In the next couple of slides we’re looking at the different elections that happen in the UK! And how you participate in them. They are:

General Elections

European Elections

Local Council Elections

Devolved Parliament Elections

(Referendums...Cheeky)

GENERAL ELECTION REPORTING FOR DUTY... TEN-HUN!

These are held every 5 years at a time chosen by the Prime Minister. We vote for a local representative who we send to Parliament.

Election Turnout1997- 71.4% 31,286,284 votersHighest- Ulster Mid- 86%Lowest- Leeds Central- 19%

2001- 59.4% 26,368,204 votersHighest-Ulster Mid- 81%Lowest- Liverpool Riv- 34%

2005- 61.4% 27,148,510 votersHighest-Dorset West- 76%Lowest- Staffordshire South- 34%

2010- 65.1% 29,653,638 votersHighest- Renfrewshire East- 77%Lowest- Manchester Central- 44%

Share of the Vote1997- Conservative- 30.7% (165 seats) Labour- 43.2% (418 seats) Lib Dem- 16.8% (46 seats)

2001- Conservative- 31.7% (166 seats) Labour- 40.7% (413 seats) Lib Dem- 18.3% (53 seats)

2005- Conservative- 32.4% (198 seats) Labour- 35.2% (355 seats) Lib Dem- 22.0% (62 seats)

2010- Conservative - 36.1% (306 seats) Labour- 29.0% (258 seats) Lib Dem- 23.0% (57 seats)

GENERAL ELECTION 2010: WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?

Results

256

306

57

326 Seats needed for a Majority

We all know now that the 2010 General Election didn’t actually have a winner. It’s odd in that this is the first time in 36 years that no party has won an outright majority.

It’s also the last time that Britain has had a Coalition Government since 1940.

Normally Coalitions happen when there is a National Crisis. However if we look at the results in detail, it may explain why we got the result we did.

FACTORS WHICH AFFECT VOTING BEHAVIOUR (THAT’S RIGHT THERE’S NO DAFT TITLE TO BE HAD HERE)

Ok, so we’ve considered what a General Election looks like. But why do people vote? Also who do people vote for a particular party? And why don’t people vote for other parties instead? Another question is why don’t some people vote at all? Ohh now I’m all confused. There are a number of answers to these questions.

Short Term Factors• Issue Voting• Media • Recent Events• Protest Voting• Role of Party Leaders• Tactical Voting

Long Term Factors• Party Loyalty• Social class• Gender/ Age• Ethnicity/ Region• Parties History• Long Term Issues

SHORT TERM FACTORS- BIG ISSUEThe 2010 General Election was no exception to the short term voting issues we have seen in the past.

In 1997 it was about Sleaze and the EconomyIn 2001 it was about raising standards and eliminating povertyIn 2005 it was about War, Immigration and Spin

What was it about in 2010?• Immigration?• Sleaze?• Economic Stability?• Trust?• War?• A bit of everything?

MEDIA STUDIES (THERE’S NO A-LEVEL HERE THOUGH)

Nearly 1 in 3 people in the UK read a newspaper, they can have considerable sway on the electorate. This is roughly how they break down in terms of their party allegiances now in 2011! It’s worth noting that some of them have changed their allegiance fairly recently (The Sun, The Guardian and The Times being lead culprits). In brackets are the most recent circulation figures.

LabourThe Daily Mirror (1,232,961)The Independent (182,416) The Financial Times (376,564 )The New Statesman(50,000)

ConservativeThe Times (494,205 )The Daily Telegraph (673,010 )The Daily Mail (2,169,690 )The Daily Express (671,414 )The Sun (3,009,987 )The News of the World (2,868,850) Daily Star (862,005) The Evening Standard (610,226) The Economist (189,206)The Spectator (73,204)

Liberal DemocratThe Guardian (272,112)The Observer (309,068) The Independent On Sunday (156,725)

MANIPULATION OF THE PEOPLE BY THE PEOPLE FOR THE PEOPLE.

Billy Bragg famously sang:

“ If it does not reflect your view you should understand that those who own the papers also own this land and they’d rather you believe in Coronation Street capers in the war for circulation, it sells newspapers. Could it be an infringement of the freedom of the press to print pictures of women in states of undress?”

Whilst many would dismiss Bragg as a left wing singer who should pipe down, he actually echoes a well travelled theory of the media. The manipulation theory argues that the media is a means of not only preserving itself through newspaper sales but also the status quo (hence why so many newspapers support the Conservatives). This radical agenda is hidden amongst stories about X- Factor rejects and stories of Binge drinking romps. It could be argued that Tony Blair repositioned Labour so that he would be more acceptable to the newspaper elite and thus destabilise the Conservative support.

DON’T BE SO SENSITIVE!

However are we giving the media too much credit here?Professor Paul Whiteley estimates that when the Sun changed allegiance for example it can cost a party around 500,000 votes. Do you think this is realistic?

David Denver (1980) argues that this view is limited because of 3 factors:1. Selective Exposure- People only read and watch things that reflect their view.

2. Selective Perception- People tend to filter out news that doesn’t fit their view.

3. Selective Retention- People forget news that doesn’t match their views.

FILM STUDIES- NICK CLEGG THE MUSICAL

Whilst newspapers are clearly an important form of media outlet the powerhouse that is Television cannot be ignored. Whilst all parties are guaranteed equal air time in the build up to elections (whether this is Party Political Broadcasts or Interviews) The way the news is reported can have a massive impact on a parties aspirations, consider the following examples of politics on TV.

1. Liberal Democrats and Tuition Fees2. Ed Miliband and Quiet Labour3. Andrew Lansley’s NHS Mess4. David Cameron Bossy Boots5. Ed vs. David (Miliband)6. Ed vs. David (Cameron)7. Nick Clegg the Bad Egg

DO TELEVISION AND NEWSPAPERS AFFECT RESULTS?The answer is a resounding ‘I’m not sure’.

Considering that we now live in the internet age there are some who would argue that it’s the internet which really affects our Political Views. Alternatively the Hansard Society in 2010 argued that:

“The internet has now become an organisational necessity for election campaigning, but it has not brought about that strategic change we should

expect”.

This means that we haven’t really used the internet to its full potential for politics.

PROTEST VOTING

Ahh yes the good old Protest Vote. Simply put this is when a group in society get the chance to protest at the current Government by voting against the party in Government. It is mainly restricted to Local Elections (e.g. The Lib Dem’s getting hammered) but also happens at Bi-Elections- Consider the following:

1. Crewe and Nantwich By-Election (2008)- Held since 1983 by Labour MP Gwyneth Dunwoody who died causing the By-Election. Labour put up her daughter Tamsin Dunwoody and ran a snobbery campaign against the Conservative candidate Edward Timpson. What happened? The Conservatives won by 7,860 votes!

2. Lib Dem Massacre (2011)- The Lib Dems had always been pretty popular in local councils and always did quite well in Local Elections. However after one year in Government they had gone back on tuition fees and other policies. What happened? They lost nearly 750 councillors and lost control of over 10 major councils.

TACTICAL VOTING: YOUR MOVE SPARKYThis is slightly different to Protest Voting. Met Adam and Mandy and advise them:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/may/05/election-2010-tactical-voting-guide

My name is Adam and I’ve supported Labour since I was a

boy. However I live in a Conservative seat. At the last

election it looked like this:Conservatives- 12,100

Liberal Democrats- 12,000Labour 3,500

Hi I’m Mandy and I’m ideologically a bit Liberal. But I’m stuck in this Conservative

seat. At the last election here’s how it looked:Conservatives- 9,900

Labour- 9,850Liberal Democrats- 1,560

LEADER OF THE PACK.

British Politics is a party sort of game. Whilst leaders play a role, most commentators agree that its the size of your party that's most important. However in recent years there has been a shift to the more Americanised model of Leadership, with more people in Britain being concerned about what the party leaders say and do.

Who’s Best of the 2011 leaders?

Opinion Poll RatingsEd Miliband- Labour (-21)David Cameron- Conservative (-5)Nick Clegg- Liberal Democrat (-20)

CRACK OPEN A BOTTLE OF EUROPEAN WINE

These elections occur every 5 years. With election to the European Parliament up for grabs by a system of Proportional Representation. Consider the following turnout figures:

European Election Results2004- 38.5% 2009- 34.4%

Is it true to say then that we don’t really give a stuff about Europe?

KEEPING IT LOCAL....CAPICHE?

Local Council elections are the lifeblood of regional politics. It is here that most people begin to register a protest vote if they are unhappy with National Government. However Local Council elections have a political dimension all of their own and the issues fought over at Local level can be just as important to communities as those issues which affect them Nationally. Local Council elections are held every 4 years on a staggered basis. Which means that it is very difficult to find the voter turnout figures. However that hasn’t stumped me... Oh no. Have a think of what you consider to be regional and national issues and prepare for a group discussion!

Labour- 60 seatsLiberal Democrats- 3 seats

THE THEORY OF DEVOLUTIONThe prime candidates here are Scotland Wales and Northern Ireland, but also due to it’s sheer size and influence I’ve included the London Assembly and Mayor (Boris Johnson is frequently referred to as the 2nd most powerful person in the country). Elections are every 4 years and it is here that most similarities end as they offer slightly different ways of electing their representatives (will be covered later). In the most recent devolution elections the turnout was as follows:

Scotland (2011)- SNP Majority Government (Turnout 48%)

Wales (2011)- No Overall Control- Labour Minority Government (Turnout 42.2%)

N. Ireland (2011)- No Overall Control- Democratic Unionist Minority Government (54.5%)

London (2008)- Conservatives and Boris- (Turnout 45.2%)

TO BE POLITICAL OR NON- POLITICAL THAT IS THE QUESTION?

Political Involvement

• Voting (who and why)

• Party Membership

• Pressure Group Membership

• Campaigning

• Standing in an election

Non- Political Involvement

• Non- Voting

• Canvassing and Leafleting

• Donating to Parties

• Protest

WE’RE IN THIS FOR THE LONG HAUL: LOYALTYThere’s a lot to be said for Loyalty in Politics. At the 2010 Election 88.1% of voters, voted for one of the 3 main parties.What do you think this means?

Do all the working class still vote Labour?

Is the Conservative Party still the party of the privileged elite?

Are the Liberal Democrats for dissatisfied Labour voters?

Or have we all been enjoying a bit of embourgeoisement (feeling a bit richer, more middle class)?

Or have we become Deferential voters (we should Tory despite class boundaries because they are the party of Government)?

WHAT A LOAD OF OLD COBBLERS, BANK MANAGERS AND HUMAN RESOURCES PERSONNEL

Class Conservative Labour Liberal Democrat

Senior and Middle Managers/ Executives(AB)

2005- 37%2001- 40%1997- 43%

2005- 28%2001- 33%1997- 30%

2005- 29%2001- 21%1997- 21%

Junior Managers/ Non-Manual Workers(C1)

2005- 36%2001- 31%1997- 35%

2005- 32%2001- 40%1997- 37%

2005- 23%2001- 21%1997- 19%

Skilled Manual Workers(C2)

2005- 33%2001- 29%1997- 21%

2005- 40%2001- 47%1997- 52%

2005- 19%2001- 17%1997- 13%

Semi and Unskilled Workers/ Casual Workers/ Unemployed(DE)

2005- 25%2001- 28%1997- 21%

2005- 48%2001- 49%1997- 58%

2005- 18%2001- 17%1997- 15%

Is there such thing now as the Old Working Class or is there a New one?

A LADY NEVER TELLS HER AGE, BUT A GENTLEMAN ALWAYS GUESSES IT!

Do we honestly think that Gender and age have any bearing on who we vote for?

Up until 1997 women where statistically more likely to vote Conservative then men (44%-32%). However since 1997 Labour has enjoyed a strong support from women voters.

Age is where it gets tricky:Under 35’s- Most likely to vote Labour (biggest supporters in 1997, 2001 and 2005). Interestingly though under 35’s are the most likely NOT to vote.

Over 55’s Most likely to vote Conservative (biggest single group of voters in society).

ETHNICALLY DIVERSE

Ethnicity is a controversial issue with regards to participation because it is a small step towards stereotyping. Ethnic minorities make up about 7.8% of the UK population and statistically voting turnout is consistently low amongst ethnic minority groups in society.

However statistically ethnic minority groups (particularly Asian and Black communities) have some of the lowest turnouts in the country at elections.

In recent years there have been significant efforts to attract ethnic minority voters and candidates (such as Operation Black Vote). In 2005 there were 113 candidates at the election from ethnic minority groups (however only 13 were elected).

RegionTory1997

Tory2001

Tory 2005

Labour1997

Labour2001

Labour 2005

Lib Dem1997

Lib Dem 2001

Lib Dem2005

NorthWest

27% 29% 29% 54% 51% 45% 21% 17% 14%

Yorkshire 28% 30% 29% 52% 48% 44% 16% 17% 21%

NorthEast

22% 21% 20% 61% 60% 53% 13% 17% 23%

West Midlands

34% 35% 35% 48% 45% 39% 14% 15% 19%

London 31% 31% 32% 50% 47% 39% 15% 18% 22%

South West

37% 39% 39% 26% 26% 23% 31% 31% 33%

SouthEast

41% 43% 45% 32% 29% 24% 21% 24% 25%

SO YOU WANNA START A REVOLUTION?Whilst Britain may have what John Stuart Mill affectionately referred to as a ‘Tyranny of the majority’ and even the French with Jean- Jacques Rousseau taking a pot shot saying that we are only free when we get to the Ballot Box, us Brits have a lot we can rightly be proud of. Consider this list of recent protests which show that we Brits love a good moan!

The Poll Tax Protest (1990)Iraq War Protest (2003)G20 Protest (2009)Climate Change Protest (2010)Student Protest (2011)March for the Alternative (2011)London Riots (2011)

PARTY HARD!Hands up who’s a member of a political party? Thought so! About 50 years ago you were defined by your membership of a party, now the figures tell a different story.

Conservative Party Membership: 177,000 (2011) down from 2.9 million in 1951.

Labour Party Membership: 190,000 (2011) down from 876,000 in 1951.

Liberal Democrat Membership: 66,000 (2011) down from 90,000 in 1991.

UKIP Membership: 146,000 (2008) down from 260,000 in 2004.

Green Party: 80,000 (2008) up from 53,000 in 2003.

HAPPY CAMPERSCome rain or shine all the major parties can rely on a steady stream of volunteers to help their political campaigns. Whether its posting leaflets telling you to vote Labour, putting up posters telling us the Conservatives know best or even driving us to a polling station to vote Liberal Democrat.

These unpaid volunteers (I know its shocking but try to control your anger) can also act as a ‘Official Agent’ for an MP (a campaign manager). They can even work in an MP’s constituency office or act as a ‘teller’ and asking people who they voted for when they leave a polling station.

THE COMING STORMI’m not trying to scare you but this is potential exam question territory. Politicians and Academics always harp on about the lack of people voting in Britain.

There are numerous factors as to why (i.e. losing faith in politics/ lack of parties matching views/ alternative forms of participation) however the Power Report in 2006 focused on the need address the problem rather than just talk about it! There are a couple of potential solutions:1. Compulsory Voting2. Reducing the Voting age

A TALE OF TWO CITIES

Compulsory VotingIn Australia it has been compulsory for all citizens to vote since 1918. By law all citizens are required to vote in General and Federal Elections. A Failure to do this results in a fine.

The impact has been that turnout has never fallen bellow 80% and in 2010 General Elections the turnout was 93.8%.

Do you think compulsory voting would have the same impact in the UK?

Reducing Voting AgeOne proposal which even gained popularity with former PM Gordon Brown was to lower the voting age to 16. Whilst this is a popular move it is not widely followed abroad (most countries set the age limit at 18 with only Brazil been a major power which has it at 16).

It’s difficult to tell what impact this move would have. Statistically this group are less likely to vote and whilst the number of votes would increase the turnout would definitely decrease.

THE FUTURES BRIGHT, THE FUTURES DEMOCRACY!

Democracy has had its detractors in the past, present and future. However to say that Democracy is dying a slow painful death would be untrue. One of the ways in which Democracy has evolved and gained a new lease of life is over the Internet. Research the following forms of Online Democracy In action and we’ll discuss their use in the next lesson.

1. Political Parties and MP’s on Facebook2. MP’s on Twitter (also don’t forget our US Cousins and their Congresspeople)3. Bloggers (Including my least Favourite Guido Fawkes)4. YouTube and the rise of campaign JPEG’s (Try Eddie Izzard for the Labour

Party or the Webcameron, or even good old fashioned satire- Spitting Image, 2DTV or other individuals who’ve posted some frankly hilarious videos)