Voting Rights and Australian Local Democracy
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The Growth of Democracy 1832 – 1928
THE GROWTH OF DEMOCRACY 1832 - 1928 Cults Academy History Department Higher History THE GROWTH OF DEMOCRACY 1832 – 1928 Gladstone & Disraeli Page 1 THE GROWTH OF DEMOCRACY 1832 - 1928 Contents: Problems with the Parliamentary System Forces for Change & The 1832 Act Gladstone, Disraeli & The 1867 Act Reducing Corruption and Bribery The Acts of 1884/85 Reforming the House of Lords The Emergence of the Labour Party Female Suffrage & the Acts of 1918/28 Conclusion I.C. 2005 Teacher’s note: This booklet can be used in conjunction with the textbook ‘Changing Britain 1850 – 1979’ (p’s 3 – 16) Introduction Today, we live in a democratic society where most people enjoy fundamental freedoms of speech, press, movement and worship and the right to vote in fair and free elections. In the early 1800’s, such ideas were alien to most people in Britain. Parliament had been established in the 13th Century as a way of helping the King govern more effectively. Gradually, it became an accepted institution of the State. The history of the British Parliament is long and complex. Here are some of the key events: In 1295, the first proper Parliament was established under Edward I. It evolved into two chambers, one for the nobility, the other for knights and burgesses In 1603, the kingdoms of England and Scotland were united under James VI: James believed in the absolute power of the Monarchy James’ son, Charles I attempted to rule without Parliament. This led in 1642 to the start of a long, drawn-out civil war between supporters of the Monarchy and supporters of Parliament, led by Oliver Cromwell In 1699, the Bill of Rights was passed, stating that laws could not be made without the consent of Parliament – the powers of the Monarchy were greatly reduced In 1707, the Act of Union joined the Scottish and English Parliaments together In 1721 Sir Robert Walpole became the first recognised Prime Minister Page 2 THE GROWTH OF DEMOCRACY 1832 - 1928 Problems with the old Parliamentary System The Parliamentary system of the early 1800’s had changed little in over a century. -
Universal Suffrage in the Isle Of
2019 Education Pack Universal Suffrage in the Isle of Man tynwald.org.im tynwald.org.im @ Contact Details: Contact library 685520 01624 Introduction from the Speaker of the House of Keys This year sees the 100th anniversary of the passing of the House of Keys Election Act 1919, which gave the vote to all men and women over the age of 21 who lived in the Isle of Man. In other words, this Act introduced universal adult suffrage to the Island, some nine years before residents in the United Kingdom would enjoy similar rights. By this stage, the Isle of Man was used to being ahead of the times when it came to extending voters’ rights. Unmarried women who owned property had been able to vote in elections to the House of Keys since 1881, and unmarried women who rented property had been able to since 1892. A residency qualification had been in place since 1903. Married women and men without any form of property were, however, still disenfranchised. As was the case in 1881, there was no mass movement of Manx The Hon Juan Watterson people demanding their right to vote in 1919. Instead, the impetus SHK, Speaker of the House for reform came from an individual Member of the House of Keys. Mr William Crennell, MHK for Ramsey, had been attempting to give the vote to married women since at least 1912. Although he finally succeeded in 1919, he unfortunately did not live to see the first elections to the House of Keys in which all adults could vote. -
Inventing the Nation Through the Ballot Box
Inventing the Nation Through the Ballot Box Inventing the Nation Through the Ballot Box* Marian Sawer My Ancestress and the Secret Ballot, 1848 and 18511 Put about, wee ship, on your Great Circle course, don’t carry Bella’s Murray daughter and boys to the British Crown’s stolen Austral land. In ten years the Secret Ballot will force its way into law in those colonies… Don’t sail, don’t sail, Great-grannie (cubed) dear: wait just a century and there’ll be welfare in full, and you won’t play the Settler role. The polling booth will be a closet of prayer. (Les Murray 1996) Australia has been described as the first nation created through the ballot box. Much of Australia’s early identity as a nation revolved around its democratic experiments. In this paper I look at how Australian elections became family festivals rather than the * A lecture based on this paper was presented in the Department of the Senate Occasional Lecture Series at Parliament House on 21 September 2001. 1 I am grateful to Mark McKenna for alerting me to the existence of this poem. A hundred years earlier William Kidston, later Premier of Queensland, also published a poem about the secret ballot, entitled ‘The Ballot’s The Thing’ (The Worker, 4 April 1891). drunken riots of Nineteenth Century Britain, focussing on the invention of the secret ballot. While the right to vote is frequently commemorated, the freedom to vote without intimidation or corruption and the abolition of open nomination and open voting is less often celebrated. -
RESEARCH PAPER 13/14 1 March 2013
The History of the Parliamentary Franchise RESEARCH PAPER 13/14 1 March 2013 This paper gives a history of the Parliamentary franchise and shows the incremental stages which led to universal suffrage across the UK by drawing on several of the recognised sources which have dealt with the subject and by referring to the key legislation. It gives a summary of eligibility to vote in Parliamentary elections before the reforms of the nineteenth century and then gives the main changes introduced by the Reform Acts of 1832, 1867/8 and 1884. The paper also gives details of the main changes of the Representation of the People Acts which created universal male suffrage, the first female suffrage and then universal adult suffrage. The paper also briefly summarises the main reasons for disqualification from eligibility to vote and also briefly describes the extension of the Parliamentary franchise to 18 year olds in 1969 and to overseas voters in 1985. Neil Johnston Recent Research Papers 13/04 Crime and Courts Bill [Bill 115 of 2012-13] 09.01.13 13/05 Groceries Code Adjudicator Bill [HL]: Committee Stage Report 10.01.13 13/06 Unemployment by Constituency, January 2013 23.01.13 13/07 European Union (Approvals) Bill [Bill 121 of 2012-13] 30.01.13 13/08 Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill [Bill 126 of 2012-13] 01.02.13 13/09 Economic Indicators, February 2013 05.02.13 13/10 The Local Government Finance Settlement 2013/14 and 2014/15 08.02.13 13/11 Children and Families Bill [Bill 131 of 2012-13] 15.02.13 13/12 Unemployment by Constituency, February 2013 20.02.13 13/13 Justice and Security Bill [HL]: Committee Stage Report 25.02.13 Research Paper 13/14 Acknowledgements: Dr Mari Takayanagi, of the Parliamentary Archives, for her guidance and advice on sections 11 – 13 in relation to women’s suffrage This information is provided to Members of Parliament in support of their parliamentary duties and is not intended to address the specific circumstances of any particular individual. -
Electoral Systems in Context: United Kingdom
Lundberg, T. C. (2017) Electoral systems in context: United Kingdom. In: Herron, E. S., Pekkanen, R. and Shugart, M. S. (eds.) The Oxford Handbook of Electoral Systems. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780190258658. There may be differences between this version and the published version. You are advised to consult the publisher’s version if you wish to cite from it. http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/124161/ Deposited on: 7 September 2016 Enlighten – Research publications by members of the University of Glasgow http://eprints.gla.ac.uk ‘Electoral Systems in Context: UK’, by Thomas Carl Lundberg, Lecturer, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Glasgow The Oxford Handbook of Electoral Systems, edited by Erik Herron, Robert Pekkanen and Matthew Shugart, Oxford University Press, 2016 Abstract: The United Kingdom (UK) is well known for the single-member plurality (SMP) or, more colloquially, the first-past-the-post, electoral system. Devolution of power in the late twentieth century, however, introduced new bodies and positions with new electoral systems, with the total reaching six. These consisted of three majoritarian systems – SMP, block vote, and supplementary vote – as well as three proportional systems – single transferable vote, mixed-member proportional representation, and regional list proportional representation. Sample election results are presented and examined. Despite the presence of several different electoral systems and party systems in the UK with the development of multilevel governance, SMP appears to be entrenched at Westminster, just as SMP systems abroad have, in most cases, also resisted change. Keywords: block vote; mixed-member proportional; proportional representation; single- member plurality; single transferable vote; supplementary vote; United Kingdom Introduction: Continuity and change The United Kingdom (UK) is well known for what many political scientists call the single- member plurality (SMP) electoral system1. -
The House of Commons and the Right to Vote House of Commons Information Office Factsheet G01
Factsheet G1 House of Commons Information Office General Series The House of Commons August 2010 and the right to vote Contents Democracy within Parliament 2 Government and Parliament 2 The Role of the House of Commons 3 This factsheet has been archived so the content Scrutinising the Government 3 and web links may be out of date. Please visit Proposing and Amending Legislation 3 our About Parliament pages for current Representing the People 4 Taxation 4 information. The expansion of the right to vote 4 Further reading 6 Contact information 6 It is important to understand the role of the House of Commons within the UK democratic system. This factsheet outlines the role of the House of Commons within Parliament and the functions it performs. It also provides an overview of the development of how the right to vote has expanded since the Great Reform Act of 1832. August 2010 FS No.G1 Ed 3.0 ISSN 0144-4689 © Parliamentary Copyright (House of Commons 2008) May be reproduced for purposes of private study or research without permission. Reproduction for sale or other commercial purposes not permitted. 2 The House of Commons and the right to vote House of Commons Information Office Factsheet G01 Democracy within Parliament Parliament is the primary democratic body in the UK and is comprised of three parts: the House of Commons, the House of Lords and the Sovereign. The UK is a parliamentary democracy and different from many other democracies in not having a written constitution. Each House of Parliament has its own set of Members and rules by which it conducts its business.