Democracy in Scotland
Introduction
What will I be studying in this unit?
• The role of
MSPs
• The Scottish
Parliament
• Electoral systems
• Advantages and
disadvantages
Representation
Participation
Voting
Systems
Influence
• Purpose of
political parties
• Political parties
and their
policies
• Election
Campaigns
• The Media
• Pressure groups
• Trade Unions
In your table groups, make a spider diagram
with Democracy at the centre.
The origins of Democracy
Where did it start?
Democracy comes from Ancient Greece. The word
originally comes from two Greek words,
demos (people) and kratos (rule).
Rule by the people
More than 2500 years ago, in Athens, all male citizens
voted on all decisions of government.
This is called direct democracy.
Democracy in words
What does this tell you about democracy?
“Government of the people, by the people, for
the people”
Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
Word Bank
If you see this picture on a slide then the word
and its definition should be copied into your
word bank.
Direct Democracy- A government in which people vote
to make their own rules and laws. We live in a
representative democracy.
How did direct democracy work in
Ancient Greece?
Each year, 500 names were drawn from all the citizens of
Athens. Those 500 citizens had to serve for one year as the law
makers of ancient Athens.
All citizens of Athens were required to vote on any new law that
this body of 500 citizens created. One man, one vote, majority
ruled. Women, children, and slaves were not citizens, and
could not vote.
Do we still use direct democracy?
The Ancient Greeks used it. Do we?
No. Why not?
Would direct democracy work in the UK?
Referendums
The nearest action to direct democracy is when the
government asks the people to make a decision in what
is called a referendum
What is a referendum?
A referendum is a ballot in which voters, not their
representatives in Parliament, pass judgement on a
particular issue. For example the referendum for
Scottish Independence.
However, some would argue that we should let our
representatives make decisions on our behalf.
One question, one vote
What about this one
instead?
Identifying Exaggeration
‘The British people clearly support the use of a referenda
and this is reflected in a high turnout’ (Rachael McLaren)
Using the table below, give two reasons why Rachael
McLaren can be accused of exaggeration.
Issue
Turnout (%)
Yes (%)
No (%)
Scottish
Devolution (1997)
60.4
74.3
25.7
Belfast
Agreement (1998)
81.1
71.1
28.9
London Mayor
(1998)
34.1
72.0
28.0
Alternative Vote
(2010)
41.0
32.1
67.9
What do we use then?
Answer- Representative democracy
We have elections where we elect representatives
Representative- a person who speaks on our behalf
Do you think this is a better way than direct democracy? Give
reasons for your answer
Is democracy the best form of government?
“Democracy is the worst form of government
except all those other forms that have been
tried from time to time”
WINSTON CHURCHILL, speech, Nov. 11, 1947
What other way can a government run the
country?
I will give you a hint...
Dictatorship
Dictatorship- is a government where one person
makes all the rules and decisions by themselves.
Can you think of any countries now that are
dictatorships?
Are all countries democratic?
We’ve agreed that ‘democracy’ is where ordinary people have a say
in how their country is run.
Not all countries are democracies. In many parts of the world,
governments stay in power for as long as they want.
Elections don’t take place. Politicians belong to one party – or face
jail or worse. People are arrested if they complain about their
conditions.
What is the opposite of a democracy?
This means people’s rights are abused or ignored.
Countries where the government has all the power and
the people have none are called dictatorships.
They are usually run by one person or a small group,
family, clan or tribe. The people in charge decide on all
the issues and don’t ask the people: this is the opposite of
a democracy.
Democracy and Dictatorship…
What is the difference?
Democracy
•People vote for
representatives from a wide
list of parties
Dictatorship
•People only vote for one
party or person
•Criticism punished
•Free speech- can criticise
their leaders
•The right to protest
•Independent press and
television, trade unions and
pressure groups
•Protests illegal
•Press, television, trade
unions and pressure groups
controlled by the
government
Images of democracy
Working together…
Fighting for his rights…
What does this picture tell you about democracy?
And this one?
Our rights and freedom are important
Images of democracy
Examples of democracy
Task: everyone has a say in a democracy – but does
this make it a good political system?
Think about one advantage (good point) and one
disadvantage (bad point) about democracy.
What do young people in Blackburn* think about
bombing Syria in September 2013?
* Blackburn in Lancashire, not Blackburn in West Lothian
Strengths of democracy
We are lucky to have the
right to vote. If we are
not happy with the
decisions our
representatives are
making, we simply vote
for someone else in the
next election.
What have I learned today?
Using your planner
traffic light your
learning today:
• I am able to compare
and contrast a
democracy and
dictatorship
• I am able to identify a
democratic country