This distinctly opposes the idea that the government is ruled by all people. In Britain today, restrictions are still in place when deciding on who can and who cannot vote. It wasn't until 1928 that women were given full voting rights, and foreigners are still not entitled to vote. We have also excluded people under the age of 18, imprisoned criminals, and individuals that have been certified insane, thus increasing the variety of people that are unable to vote, although there is currently a debate as to whether prisoners should be permitted to vote, as it is felt by some that it is their human right. An alternative suggestion is that depending on the crime committed they will be able to vote.
Participative democracy "is based on the direct, unmediated and continuous participation of citizens in the tasks of government" (Heywood, 1997 Pg 68). There is no gap between state and society. Decisions are made by holding regular mass meetings and referendums, which enables citizens to express personal views and increase control of their own lives. Does Britain work in this way? Although Britain is a democratic country, its people are limited to what extent they participate. As stated earlier, to participate would mean that we are involved in the day to day running of the country. We do not however have this option. We do however have the opportunity to elect a party or individual once every four to five years to represent our views, but once we elect someone to represent us, their actions are determined by their conscience and rarely by instruction delivered by voters. Other methods used to involve citizens are opinion polls, which enable the government to gain the publics view on a certain subject, which can then assist in making a decision; referendums, which permit people to support a particular issue by way of voting (this method is only used when a decision is needed on a major issue); and consultations, which allow the public to express their views, (this is not always accurate as the information open to the public is limited, which could possibly manipulate their thoughts on a subject).
