Direct Democracy
Political Studies: Edexcel A Level, topic 1.1.1
Direct Democracy
Voters in direct democracies make their own political decisions and are directly involved in the process of political decision making.
Voting in a direct democracy
- The citizens in a direct democracy vote themselves on the policies and laws which are made by the government as opposed to acting through others.
- In a direct democracy, decisions are reached by a majority voting decision.
- Most UK decisions are not made by direct democracy.
- But, some important decisions are made by referendums.
Referendums
- Citizens directly vote on issues and the government creates policy based on the response.
- The United Kingdom European Union referendum 2016:
- 33 million UK citizens voted on whether to remain a member of the EU or leave, 51.89% voted to leave.
- The Alternative Vote Referendum 2011:
- Over 19 million citizens voted against adopting the Alternative Vote system and chose to keep the current First Past the Post (FPTP) system.
Online petitions
- UK Parliament has set up a platform for citizens to make and sign online petitions.
- If a petition gains over 100,000 signatures then parliament may debate the topic.
- But, a topic must be sponsored by the ‘Backbench Business Committee’ so it is not an entirely direct democracy.
Examples of online petitions
- 1.6 million people signed a petition to stop US President Donald Trump from making a State Visit to the UK.
- MPs then debated Trump’s visit to Parliament and changed it from a ‘state visit’ to a ‘working visit’ in 2018.
Rallies and protests
- Groups of people concerned about the government or political actions may gather to demonstrate their support or disapproval.
- But, governments don't have to respond to protests.
- Examples of rallies and protests:
- In 2017 thousands of citizens gathered to protest in London against the government’s economic and political decisions. People disapproved of austerity measures.
- In 2010 thousands of students marched in London to protest tuition fee rises.
Test yourself on Direct Democracy
How are decisions reached in a direct democracy?
Which of these statements are true about direct democracies?