Well done, Maria! Please find attached your marked essay.

Direct democracy is seen to be the purest form of democracy whereas Representative democracy is seen to be the most practical form of democracy. 

When we look at the practicality of both direct and representative democracy then we can conclude that representative democracy is more superior. It is more practical for larger populations. When we look at the United States of America compared to Swiss Contons then we see a significant difference in population, trying to engage all members of the population to vote on issues consistently in a larger country isn’t going to be achievable as there is a much larger population to handle. In direct democracy the process to allow all members of the country can be expensive to set up and run. A further complication to direct democracy is that if not all members are engaged and consistently voting then it will result in a small group of the population making important final decisions on issues resulting in the votes not fully representing the voices of the whole population. The first past the post system in representative democracy allows a simple and clear way to identify the winner of an election, majority wins. Although it is described as the most practical, representative democracy leads to wasted votes in its first past the post system. It only counts the highest number of votes and deems that candidate the winner this means that if the highest number of votes in a vote is 30%, the other 70% are disregarded and their voices aren’t heard. Overall, representative democracy is the clear superior over direct democracy due to the simplicity and practicality of the system. 

When we look at the representation of both direct and representative democracy then we see that direct democracy is by far superior. In a direct democracy, there are no professional politicians meaning that everyone represents themselves with their own voices and views playing a factor in how they choose to vote. This means that all opinions to be taken into account and respected during each decision. On the other hand, if people don’t keep up with the ever-changing political news or don’t feel like voting then their say will be wasted leaving it up to a small minority making all of the important decisions anyways. In a representative democracy, the public vote during general elections for who they feel would best represent the interests of the constituency in decision making. This means that the public has to put all of their faith in their elected representatives to make well informed, rational decisions in parliament. This can be worrying for many people in populations as with the first past the post system, they might not have their say heard during the elections for representatives meaning that they don’t get a say at all. Overall, direct democracy triumphs over representative democracy in terms of representation as it allows for all people to have their say heard and be counted. 

When we look at the accountability of both direct and representative democracy then we see that direct democracy is by far superior. In a direct democracy, everyone in the country eligible to vote is responsible and accountable for all decisions as they all have opportunities to have their voices heard within decision making. If people are not happy with an outcome, they cannot go back on it as all decisions are final as they have consulted the whole population. This can be a downfall, however, as decisions cannot be gone back on due to the whole population having a say on the matter. This is a complete contrast to the representative democracy as the people accountable for most decisions are the elected officials; MSPs, MPs & MEPs. Members of the public can access which way politicians vote on bills meaning that transparency is crucial as they can be called out at any time. In the 2020 decision about providing free school meals to primary aged pupils throughout school holidays, Douglas Ross posted on Twitter his thought on the matter however it was found that he voted the opposite way when it came to parliament. This brought up a storm and his constituents held him accountable for his actions. Overall, direct democracy is fa superior when compared to representative democracy as it is so much more inclusive of every single member’s opinion and views on important matters, they are not having to put their trust in elected strangers to voice their opinions for them.