A democratic deficit occurs when government or government institutions do not respect the principles of democracy in their practices or operations or when political representatives and institutions are discredited in the eyes of the public. In the United Kingdom, there has been a debate in recent years about the imperfect nature of British democracy. Politicians are little esteemed. Parliament appears overwhelmed and the expenses scandal has revealed how many politicians have lost their duty of public office. One of the main factors put forward for the existence of a democratic deficit in the United Kingdom is low voter turnout and widespread disillusionment with the political system. .Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on 'Why violent video games should not be banned'?Get the original essay In 2001, the United Kingdom had a general election turnout of 59.4%, the lowest since the start of universal suffrage in 1918. A greater number of voters voted against the Labor government than those who elected them. In 2010, this figure fell to just below 65%. Indeed, the low participation rate calls into question the legitimacy of the government and the solidity of its electoral mandate. Thus, if citizens have little influence in politics, democracy weakens because it is no longer truly a government “of the people, by the people and for the people”. On the other hand, defenders of the status quo claim that there is no government. a democratic deficit in the United Kingdom because the citizens of this country, unlike many others, have their human rights and freedoms guaranteed by the rule of law. The proof is the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Equality Act 2010, as well as Britain's continued membership of the European Court of Human Rights. In addition to this, reforms are underway to develop our country to be more democratic and fairer, this is evident in the Labor Party's commitment in 1997 to increase the use of referendums and even in the support of David Cameron to e-petitions and the increased devolution of powers to Scotland and the regions, following the close verdict in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum. With the exception of the Scottish independence referendum (84, 5%), turnout in referendums has been historically low, for example the 2011 AV referendum had a turnout of only 42.2%. Local referendums often had lower turnout; in Sunderland, the referendum for a directly elected mayor (2001) had a turnout of 10%. In relation to electronic petitions, Parliament's select committee still retains the exclusive power to abandon or debate an issue which could have generated the threshold of 100,000 signatures obtained online. There may be more disillusionment with electronic petitions for the reasons outlined above. Another defense of democracy in Britain is that the UK, unlike other countries, has a system of free and fair elections and therefore there cannot be a deficit. British democracy has evolved over time. Women were granted the right to vote on equal terms with men in 1928 and plural voting was abolished in 1948. Now British citizens can start voting at the age of 18 and are eligible to vote by secret ballot, elections taking place every 5 years. These elections are organized by the Electoral Commission, not the government, and are known worldwide for being free, fair and impartial..