Political Participation: Old Politics

1. Political Participation: Old Politics www.educationforum.co.uk

2. Democracy • Classical or direct democracy means rule by the people • Representative democracy is a modern idea and means rule for the people by their elected representative • Should modern representative democracies like Britain show high levels of participation in political decision making?

3. Ways of Participating Old Politics 1. Voting in national, local and European elections – in decline 2. Joining a political party – in decline 3. Joining a pressure group/supporting a pressure group – in decline 4. Getting involved in trade union activity – in decline

4. Ways of Participating New Politics • Direct action – demos, protests, sit ins, high profile activity to get media attention - growing • New Social Movements – like pressure groups but tending to operate outside of establish political institutions, less formally structured, centred on moral issues and global concerns, and ‘internet savvy’ - growing

5. Why is Old Politics Declining and New Politics advancing? Possible explanations • Globalisation – national governments can’t solve problems alone • State is too strong – executive too dominant, parliament too weak and pressure groups ineffective • Ideological merge by mainstream parties – not much to choose between any of them • Changes in class structure has disrupted old class based ideological model of British politics and undermined party loyalty (dealignment)

6. Voting Behaviour Factors • Class • Region • Housing tenure • Ethnicity • Age • Gender • Issues – instrumental voting

7. Voting Patterns • 1945-70 – clear pattern of aligned voting WC Labour MC Tory PARTY ALIGNMENT • The class basis of party alignment is called CLASS ALIGNMENT • Since 1970 there has been a process of party and class dealignment • Since the 1990’s there has been a growing problem of voter apathy and low turn out

8. Causes of Dealignment • Economic change and changes in the class structure (Weberians – Lockwood, Ivor Crewe et al) • Growing adoption of a policy preference model of voting based on voters evaluation of party policy rather than long standing loyalty (Gordon Smith) • Decline in importance and party emphasis on traditional ideology • Increased ‘Americanisation’ of UK politics – becoming more ‘presidential’ focussed on personalities, image, media rather than substance (SE Finer)

9. Recent Elections New Labour landslide victories 1997, 2001, 2005 accredited to Blair’s shifting of Labour to the centre of the political spectrum and ‘courting’ of traditionally Conservative media such as News International New Labour won significant chunks of the middle class vote 2010 – Labour lost much of the middle class vote to Conservatives who styled themselves as centre ground ‘compassionate conservatives’– strong emergence of the third party liberal Democrats produced first ‘coalition government’ since World War 2 2015 – continuing disenchantment with traditional politics has seen the emergence as an electoral force of UKIP – right of the Conservatives but left of the extreme right – draws support from both Labour’s traditional voters (working class) who are attracted by anti immigration and nationalistic rhetoric AND middle class Conservative voters – UKIP is very Thatcherite on economy, low tax, small state, ‘tough’ on law and order issues, anti EU. Both Labour and Conservatives appear to be privately accepting that they can’t win an overall majority next time and are campaigning on issues more attune to traditional voters – Labour – dropped New Labour and have moved left. Conservatives competing with UKIP on right wing issues. If either hit around 35% of the vote next time they will probably head the next Coalition government

10. Voter Turnout Recent Elections • 1979 – 76% • 1983 – 73% • 1987 – 75% • 1992 – 78% • 1997 – 71% • 2001 – 59% • 2005 – 61% • 2010 – 76%

11. Gender and Voting Gender differences in voting have all but disappeared – there used to be a marked tendency for women to vote Conservative – traditional family values Why the Change? Impact of equal opp legislation – more women now work Changing position of women in society Movement of Labour to the centre

12. Ethnicity and Voting • 4:5 Black and ethnic minority voters vote Labour • Why? • Class • Policy – left wing more positive about immigration and equality • Party image – Conservative very white and upper/middle class

13. Age and Voting • Old more likely to vote Conservative and young Labour although in recent elections the differences have become less marked • Why? Old commitment to traditional values, young more likely to be attracted to change and new ideas • Young far less likely to vote at all and more likely to engage in New Politics • Why? – Old politics seen as irrelevant to their lives, image of politicians, young people more likely to feel strongly about the specific moral issues NSMs tend to represent

14. Region and Voting • North/Scotland/ S Wales – Labour and SNP/PC • South – Conservative • South West – Liberal Democrat • N Ireland – politics based on religious divide Why the North-South divide • Economic differences – CLASS • Decline of traditional industry • Local issues such as peripheral nationalism and religion

15. Overall Trends in Voting behaviour • Class and other social factors still important but most declining – is a more volatile policy preference model emerging?

16. Political Parties • Since universal suffrage 1928 modern political parties have emerged • Parties have to present a clear set of policies in their manifestos to get elected Interpretations • Pluralist/Functionalist: The ‘cornerstone of democracy’ (Dalton and Wattenburg) – without political parties representative democracy would be unthinkable • Marxists claim mainstream parties simply offer the illusion of choice and democracy whilst all parties are essentially ‘capitalist parties’ managing the capitalist system on behalf of the capitalists • Elite theorists suggest parties play an important role in mobilising the masses but real power resides within the elite

17. Functions of Political Parties • Fighting elections – competing for government... J Schumpeter defines democracy as ‘the competitive struggle for the peoples vote’ • Policy Making – important as makes up future legislation - must appeal to a broad range of opinion • Forming and leading Government – government in UK is formed by largest party in Commons – party leaders become Prime Minister • Representative Function – once elected a party must represent the whole nation

18. Decline in Party Membership 1951 Conservative 2.9 million Labour 876,000 1971 Conservative 1.3 million Labour 700,000 1981 Conservative 1.2 million Labour 277,000 1991 Conservative 1 million Labour 261,00 Lib Dem 91,000 2001 Conservative 311,000 Labour 272,000 Lib Dem 73,000 2011 Conservative 177,000, Labour 190,000 lib Dem 66,000

19. Pressure Groups • Unlike parties do not seek to win elections and become government • Instead attempt to achieve their objectives by putting pressure on those in government • Pressure Groups tend to focus on a narrower range of issues than parties • Pluralists (Dahl)argue pressure groups are essential for democracy – an important way of participating in politics • New Right (Samuel Brittan)suggests Pressure Groups are unrepresentative and too influential – get too much attention from government, they weaken government rather than strengthen it • Marxists assert only the wealthy business focussed pressure group have real power and influence

20. Types of Pressure Group • Protective/sectional – represent the interests of one sector of the population e.g. The National union of Teachers protects the interests of teachers, the BMA doctors, The CBI – industry leaders, The British Diabetic Society – people with that illness • Promotional/Cause – groups that promote a particular cause(s) e.g. Greenpeace, friends of the Earth, RSPB, RSPCC, LIFE, Child Poverty Action group Not always a helpful distinction – considerable overlap. Some prefer to use the classification of insider and outsider groups

21. Insider/Outsider Insider – those regularly consulted by government and listened to. Invited to participate in decision making and policy making Outsider – little or no access to government, not consulted or listened to – often resort to more direct methods of achieving influence

22. Why Insider? • The group possesses expertise on a complicated matter • Government may need to cooperation of an influential group to translate policy into action – e.g. Changes in health service can only succeed if doctors and nurses support it • Insider group is seen as reasonable and law abiding • Insider group is seen as representative of its own community of members

23. Why outsider? • The group is seen as unreasonable or violent or extreme • Their methods break the law – e.g. Animal Liberation Front • The issues they represent are seen as either insignificant or too challenging • They lack useful expertise • Their cooperation is not needed to enact policy

24. Movement • A pressure group can go from outsider to insider and vice versa over time • E.g. Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace were seen as outsider in the 1980s and have become insider recently as politicians fall over themselves to appear ‘greener’ than their opponents • Teachers unions were insider for many years but have recently become outsider with the radical education policy of Michael Gove

25. Methods Used by Pressure Groups • Contact with MPs – submitting evidence to parliamentary committees, sponsoring MPs, lobbying ministers and their advisers • Offering cooperation and expertise in return for influence • Using the Courts – pressure groups can challenge government decisions legally – (expensive if they lose) • Using the media – publicity campaigns, many have press offices, publicity stunts, websites, journals etc. • Direct Action – action outside of formal political process... Can be legal or illegal, marches, demos, sit ins, boycotts, blockades, disruption (e.g. Hunt saboteurs). Direct action can result in massive media attention but can also back fire

26. Are Pressure Groups Good or Bad for democracy? • Pluralists say they are essential for democracy because • They represent a large range of opinion that otherwise would not be heard • They represent minority interests which otherwise might be marginalised • Offer opportunities for political participation between elections therefore good for democracy • Provide opposition and therefore a check to the power of government even when government has a large majority • Pressure group activity educates and informs the population on political and social issues they may not otherwise learnt about

27. Are Pressure Groups Good for democracy? • Marxists say pressure groups operate within the framework of the capitalist system and therefore can never be very influential • Any victory for minority groups will be small scale and temporary • The most powerful pressure groups are ones representing capitalist interests – radical groups are always ‘outsider’ (second face of power) • Pressure groups leaders are not elected and therefore not accountable for their actions – non legitimate power... The payment of MPs to represent pressure group interests can be seen a corrupt • The New Right criticise the power of trade union pressure groups who they claim exert excessive power and cause economic harm through wage demands and strikes