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Democracy in Scotland and the UK

Ways citizens can influence government

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Protesting

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Protests involve people taking to the streets in order to call for government action on an issue they care about
In law, protesting is a “qualified” right, meaning that government can put restrictions on it, in certain circumstances
Those organising a demonstration should seek to inform the police and gain permission for particular routes (e.g. roads) to be closed.
Ad-hoc organisation can be criminal offence given the potential for disorder and danger to public safety.
The largest was in 2003 when around 750,000 people protested against the invasion of Iraq
In some cases, protests become like civil disobedience where campaigners actively seek to cause disruption

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Over the course of 2022, Just Stop Oil held a number of protests, which grabbed the media’s attention, such as on 14th October when two protesters threw tomato soup at a Vincent van Gogh painting in the National Gallery and in November when protestors closed the M25.

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However…

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The passing of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 in the UK Parliament means that some protestors could face up to 10 years in prison.

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Petitioning UK parliament

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In 2015, the UK Parliament and UK Government launched an e-petition website
To begin the process, British citizens will submit a petition and get the support of 5 people. The petition is then reviewed, and if it meets the criteria and standards, it is published online for the public to sign. The Petitions Committee reviews all petitions published.
Petitions with 10,000 signatures on UK Parliament site receive a government response. At 100,000, it’s considered for a parliamentary debate.
During the 2017-2019 UK Parliament, 456 e-petitions received a UK Government response with 73 debated in the Commons.

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However…

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However, despite being a quick means of campaigning, petitions have limited impact on decision making.
At the start of January 2022, over 35,000 petitions had been submitted via the UK Parliament website. However, over 28,000 over these were rejected.
The most signed UK Parliament e-petition was to revoke Article 50 and remain in the EU, with 6.1 million signatures.
While this was debated in parliament in April 2019, the government went ahead with Brexit

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Petition	Signatures	Status	Request	Year	Outcome	Details
Revoke Article 50 and remain in the EU (Petition 241584)	6,103,056	Closed	The government repeatedly claims exiting the EU is 'the will of the people'. We need to put a stop to this claim by proving the strength of public support now, for remaining in the EU. A People's Vote may not happen - so vote now.	2019	Failed	On 26 March 2019 the Commons Petitions Committee approved the motion for debate in Parliament, along with two other motions from smaller petitions concerning Brexit, on 1 April 2019. At the time of this decision the number of signatures stood at 5.75 million. The government responded immediately following this announcement, and prior to the debate, rejecting calls to revoke Article 50. The Government's response: "This Government will not revoke Article 50. We will honour the result of the 2016 referendum and work with Parliament to deliver a deal that ensures we leave the European Union." The debate took place on 1 April 2019.^[22]
EU Referendum Rules triggering a 2nd EU Referendum (Petition 131215)	4,150,262	Closed	We the undersigned call upon HM Government to implement a rule that if the remain or leave vote is less than 60% based a turnout less than 75% there should be another referendum.	2016	Failed	Rejected after debate in Parliament. with the Government response: "The European Union Referendum Act received Royal Assent in December 2015, receiving overwhelming support from Parliament. The Act did not set a threshold for the result or for minimum turnout."
Prevent Donald Trump from making a State Visit to the United Kingdom (Petition 171928)	1,863,708	Closed	Donald Trump should be allowed to enter the UK in his capacity as head of the US Government, but he should not be invited to make an official State Visit because it would cause embarrassment to Her Majesty the Queen.	2017	Failed	Rejected after debate in Parliament. with Government response "HM Government believes the President of the United States should be extended the full courtesy of a State Visit. We look forward to welcoming President Trump once dates and arrangements are finalised."
Oppose plans to introduce road pricing	1,792,116	Closed	We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Scrap the planned vehicle tracking and road pricing policy.	2007	Failed	Rebuffed by Prime Minister Tony Blair; the trials went ahead although the schemes were later abandoned following strong public opposition.
Do not prorogue Parliament (Petition 269157)	1,722,935	Closed	Parliament must not be prorogued or dissolved unless and until the Article 50 period has been sufficiently extended or the UK's intention to withdraw from the EU has been cancelled.	2019	Failed	Boris Johnson's request to prorogue parliament for five weeks from mid-September was approved by the Queen. But was later ruled unlawful by the UK Supreme Court.
End child food poverty – no child should be going hungry (Petition 554276)	1,113,889	Closed	Government should support vulnerable children & #endchildfoodpoverty by implementing 3 recommendations from the National Food Strategy to expand access to Free School Meals, provide meals & activities during holidays to stop holiday hunger & increase the value of and expand the Healthy Start scheme	2020	Failed	Debated in Parliament on 24 May 2021
Call an immediate general election to end the chaos of the current government	865,697	Open	Call an immediate general election so that the people can decide who should lead us through the unprecedented crises threatening the UK.	2022	Failed	Debated in Parliament on 17 October 2022

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Recall petitions

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Recall petitions were introduced in 2015, following the MPs' expenses scandal.
Under the procedure, a by-election can be triggered if 10% of eligible voters in a constituency sign a recall petition which remains open for six weeks.
MPs can face a recall if they are convicted of an offence, suspended from their job by the Committee on Standards, or convicted of making a false or misleading expenses claim.

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In June 2019, Conservative MP Chris Davies lost a recall by-election, after being convicted of making a false expenses claim. He was the second MP to be unseated by a recall petition.

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However…

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Few voters participate, with just up to 10 sites set up in constituencies where voters can sign a recall petition. Furthermore, MPs who have been recalled can stand in the by-election triggered anyway.

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Pressure groups

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Pressure groups are organisations that wish to influence political decision making on a specific matter/ topic.
Where pressure groups have the support of government (‘insider groups’) they are more likely to be successful.
Insider groups are rarely seen protesting or campaigning much publicly as their lobbying behind the scenes gives them influence over policy makers.
One example is the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) which campaigns on behalf of the 190,000 businesses which are CBI members.
CBI lobbying led the UK Government to cut business rates by £2.4 billion in 2019. The same year, CBI lobbying led the Scottish Government to scrap plans for introducing business rates levy on out-of-town businesses
The CBI Annual Conference is also usually addressed by key British politicians. Usually, the Prime Minister delivers a keynote speech.

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If a pressure group has little support, funding, or backing of politicians, it is less likely to be successful (‘outsider groups’).
Outsider groups tend to adopt tactics that gain it media publicity in order to further their cause.
Insulate Britain is a good example of an outsider group whose direct actions (protests and disruption) fails to achieve their

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Between 2021 and 2022, Insulate Britain organised a series of protesting, including 62 protestors blocking roads around the UK Parliament on 4th November 2022. However, Insulate Britain has stated on their website that, “We have failed” and there has been no action(s) by them since November 2022.

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Trade unions

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Trade unions are organisations which attempt to improve the pay and working conditions for their members, who pay a subscription in relation to their salary.
Trade unions try to influence government by engaging in negotiations with employers and government before consulting with their members.
Around 6.2 million people in the UK trade union members.
Trade unions can also represent members at employment court (called a ‘tribunal’).

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The ultimate sanction of a trade union is industrial action whereby workers refuse to work, but they can also organise workers to ‘go slow’ and ‘work to rule’.
The mere threat of a strike can have impactful.
For example, a 5-day strike threat by UNISON in October 2021 won an improved pay offer for Scottish council workers such as school cleaners, caterers and janitors.

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The Trade Union Act requires that a 50% turnout in trade union ballots, in which 40% of members back a strike, is needed before strike action can go ahead.

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Industrial action doesn’t always lead to success. For example, teachers in Scotland have been on strike for the first time since the 1980s, but the Scottish Government regularly refused to meet demands for a pay rise.