As Level Gov&pol Help

Hey I have an essay to do on UK democracy but I'm not sure on this question. Any help would be greatly appreciated :biggrin:

"To what extent was the UK a Liberal Democracy?"

Thanks

Reply 1

-WhySoSerious?

17

Well, what constitutes a liberal democracy?

Reply 2

Miss*de*Caramella

OP

-WhySoSerious?

Well, what constitutes a liberal democracy?

Well, little state intervention, respect for rights, reformist...

Reply 3

-WhySoSerious?

17

Miss*de*Caramella

Well, little state intervention, respect for rights, reformist...

Expand on those more, go through each point and consider if the UK implements any of these policies.

(note, I didn't take G&P at A Level, so have no idea of how you're supposed to structure an essay for it - that should give you a fairly decent base though)

Reply 4

soundofsilence

to what extent = present both sides of the argument. Question the assumption that the UK was a liberal democracy at some point. I presume the question is looking for content related to the study module, so you will have to figure out what arguments should be included.
Hope that helps

Reply 5

anna_disraeli

2

it IS a liberal democracy, why is the past tense being used?

Reply 6

sp92

Well, look at it this way - in the late 1800s/early 1900s, the only two partys were the Conservative Party and the Liberal Party- Labour,(known then as the LRC) still hadnt been formed; so before the Labour ideology of heavy state intervention, intervention was limited;

In terms of a Liberal Democracy, to what extent was it democratic? Did it impose itself on Britain? Or was it merely trying to set the foundations for future governments to follow true Liberal Democracy?

Hope it helps :yes:

Reply 7

Maicccccmannnn

10

If you are not careful, you really can make this an unnecessarily complicated task.

What constitutes a 'Liberal Democracy'?

Representative Government: A political system whereby elected representatives promote the needs and interests of the represented. A political system whereby the government is democratically elected. A political system in which representatives are scrutinized and brought to account.

Freedom of Information: A free and flexible media, ensuring the citizenry is informed and educated, allowing them to make rational judgements.

Respect of human rights and civil liberties: A political system which accounts for the interests of the majority, but more importantly, the minority.

Codified Constitution: A written document asserting the rights of the government and the governed, the balance of power between them and the relationships between political institutions

Essentially, it is a political system "for the people, by the people, with the people".

Along with adding other elements to the definition, you will have to research each of the elements to ascertain how closely the UK political system adheres to such doctrines.

The opening paragraph should, of course, define a 'Liberal Democracy'. The following paragraphs should discuss each element, outlining to what extent the UK political system exercises the element in practice. The conclusion should return to the question, answering it based on the discussion you have provided.

Thinking points:

-Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984
-Freedom of Information Act 2000
-Human Rights Act 1998 / European Convention on Human Rights
-First Past the Post Electoral System (Is this really a democratic electoral system?)
-UK's membership to the European Union and how this has enhanced rights (for example workers rights in the form of the Working Time Directive)
-Members of Parliament - MP's (do they really have the ability to represent the views of their constituents, bearing in mind the presence of 'Whips')
-Accountability/Scrutinization (do Select Committee's/PMQ's really provide effective scrutinization?)
-Absence of a codified constitution which is consolidated into one document but the presence of codified laws, by way of Statutory Instruments
-Devolution and how this has helped to create 'regional democracy'

Hope this points you in the right direction.

Liam.

As Level Gov&pol Help

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