成人快手

Democracy in the UK

An arm putting a vote in a ballot box

Democracy means 'rule by the people'.

In a democracy, like the UK, the people elect the and have a say in how it is run.

They do this by voting in .

An arm putting a vote in a ballot box

Watch - Explore getting involved in democracy

What is democracy? Learn more about participating in democracy.

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What will you see in a democracy?

A photograph of the Houses of Parliament
Image caption,
The Houses of Parliament in London, where MPs are elected to

In the UK we have .

In a candidates from each party campaign to be elected in their own areas.

The person with the most votes in each area becomes a ('MP').

The party with the most MPs in forms the Government. They are in charge.

A photograph of the Houses of Parliament
Image caption,
The Houses of Parliament in London, where MPs are elected to
A cartoon picture of the Prime Minister

The government leader is called the .

People in local areas can also vote for someone who will help to deal with local issues.

They are called .

A cartoon picture of the Prime Minister
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What are government responsibilities?

The UK Government has lots of different . These responsibilities are divided up between national and local government.

National government is responsible for deciding how the country is run and for managing essential services that may be needed by everyone.

An infographic of the responsibilities of UK national government

Local government is responsible for managing and maintaining services for people in local areas.

An infographic of the responsibilities of UK local government
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Why is democracy important?

A girl with a megaphone
  • It maintains law and order - We have laws that are created by and voted on by MPs we elect. We all have to follow them as they help keep us all safe.
  • It provides freedom of speech - We have the right to say what we think about something as long as we do not say anything hurtful to others.
  • It helps achieve equality - Living in a democracy helps us to treat each other fairly and equally.
A girl with a megaphone
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Did you know?

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are part of the United Kingdom and have their own parliaments, (called an assembly in Northern Ireland), that deal with certain local affairs.

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How can you get involved in democracy?

In England, the age for voting is 18. However, there are other ways to get involved!

Image gallerySkip image gallerySlide 1 of 3, , Form a school council Having a school council is a great way for pupils to give their opinions on decisions that affect them in their school.
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Activities

Design your own campaign poster

cartoon image of a male politician

Imagine you are running in an election to become an MP.

On a piece of card or paper have a go at making your own campaign poster.

Include the following on your poster:

  • Who you are
  • Three things in your area that are important to you
  • Why people should vote for you to be elected - what would you do for them?

You could include a photo or drawing of yourself too!

cartoon image of a male politician
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Democracy quiz

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Bitesize Primary games. game

Play fun and educational primary games in science, maths, English, history, geography, art, computing and modern languages.

Bitesize Primary games
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