Living in a Democracy

1. Living in a Democracy

2. Living in a Democracy • Adult suffrage for all men and women aged 18 and over • Secret ballot • Free from bribery, corruption, intimidation • Right to join a TU or pressure group • Elections every 5 years • Free press • Government with majority support in HOC

3. Living in a Democracy • The term ‘democracy’ has always been contestable and changeable • Regarded in the Greek period as the ‘rule of the mob’ A. Arblaster • Best known definition: ‘government of the people, by the people, and for the people’ Lincoln, 1863

4. An Election: The Polling (1754) Living in a Democracy • in Britain movement towards giving people power was protracted and uneven • Between 1832 and 1928 Britain’s political identity was changed gradually

5. The 1832 Reform Act • Why was it introduced? • To give a greater political voice to the middle classes

6. The 1832 Reform Act • Granted the vote to merchants and manufacturers • political recognition for professional and trades people • Voters: marginally increased to 652,000 voters from 435,000 • Every man owning or renting property worth more than £10 per year got the vote in the boroughs and £2 or more in the counties

7. The Knight Errant in Quest of Votes, 1832 The 1832 Reform Act • Vote was given to tenants who either rented land paying more than £50 per year or held land lease of more than £10 • However 5 out of 6 males still had no vote • Only 18% of males

8. The 1832 Reform Act • Constituencies: before act 658 MPs, counties and boroughs • Boroughs and English counties sent 2 MP’s back but Scotland counties had only one • After Act, Scotland returned 53 and populations with less than 2,000 lost their MP

9. Effects of Reform Act • Some anomalies corrected • Size of electorate increased to 1 in 7 males • Trend of urbanisation recognised • However MPs still mainly came from South and continued to be dominated by landed classes • Still no secret ballot • Power of wealth had been safeguarded as linked with property values • Led to further agitation and reform

10. The 1866 Reform Bill • Aimed to increase the electorate by lowering property values and including people with £50 savings • Led to split in liberal party and resignation of Russell. The main group of dissenters were known as the ‘Adullamites’, led by John Lowe – worked in tandem with the Tories to stop the Bill • Tories invited to form minority government, against reform but due to demand had to propose further reform were sometimes accused of ‘dishing the Whigs and ‘taking a leap in the dark’ (merely taking the Gladstone’s ideas and adapting them for their own ends – in fact they expanded the original proposals put forward by the Liberals)

11. The second Reform Act, 1867 • This act increased the electorate by 1,120,000 voters to 2.5 million • All householders with one years residence paying rates got the vote • Lodgers in accommodation valued at £10 and Occupiers of premises worth £12 got the vote • One male in three now had the vote

12. The second Reform Act, 1867 • Constituencies: many disenfranchised • 52 seats redistributed, 25 went to counties, 19 to the boroughs, one to London university and 2 to Scottish universities, 5 to Scotland

13. The second Reform Act, 1867 • Did not alter the balance of political power • Electorate still largely remained the same • Parties had to develop national organisations as boroughs increased voters therefore less independent MPs

14. The Ballot Act, 1872 • System still had to free itself from bribery, corruption and intimidation • In 1865, £14,000 was spent on bribing the 1408 voters in Lancaster • Parties argued voting was a privilege which should be carried out in public. Voting took place at the husting where each man had to cast his vote. However, others believed that this meant that men were not voting out of conviction but rather as a means of maintaining their own position

15. The Ballot Act, 1872 • Enquiry in 1865 election revealed large scale malpractice • Gladstone brought in a bill, rejected by the lords in 1871, however it was eventually passed and became law in 1872 • Voting to be carried out in secret, intimidation declined

16. The Ballot Act, 1872: • Corruption not completely wiped out. Between 1867/ 1885 4 towns were disenfranchised due to corrupt practices. • This was dealt with in 1883

17. Corrupt and Illegal Practices Act 1883 • Plugged the gaps in the Ballot Act,1872 • Candidates election expenses were determined by size of constituency and limited by law • Election agents had to account for their spending

18. Corrupt and Illegal Practices Act 1883 • Breach of the law disqualified a candidate for 7 years • Active involvement in corruption was punishable by fine or imprisonment • How effectively did the Ballot Act of 1872 and the 1883 Act deal with the problems of bribery? Certainly it had a major impact making elections much more democratic in terms of electoral procedures