Bellringer

What are two differences between a presidential system and parliamentary system? Executive Elections Legislature

UK/ EU

Objectives Agenda

Explain the structure of UK’s political parties& elections.

Discuss cleavages within the UK.

Examine the European Union.

1. Slide/notes2. EU Video & Article3. Closure

HOMEWORK: Study for test & annotated outline due

Today we will …

Majority Minority

The Government Initiates policies The Cabinet & PM =

collective responsibility

MPs - backbenchers scrutinize & pass the laws

Loyal opposition Question the

Government & vote against things they disagree with

Shadow Cabinet Leader of opposing party

chooses ministers who will head cabinet departments when they eventually form a Gov.

Roles of Parties in the Parliament

Election Results – Any Trends?

2.5 Parties

Often considered two-party system, but Lib-Dems are a strengthening third party.

Conservative Party

47% repPragmatic/Flexible/Well-OrganizedCenter-RightDavid Cameron, a Conservative, is current

PM.Compassionate Conservatism

Poverty, Environment, Social Justice, etc.

Labour

39% repHistorically a blue-collar party, center-leftRebranded as “New Labor” under Blair,

wanted to open up to more than just unions/public sector.

More progressive today, turned away from “New” without returning to “Old”.

Liberal-Democrats

8% repCenter-left & critic of New LabourErosion of civil liberties in post 9/11 & 7/7

world has played to Lib-Dems strengthNick Clegg is current leader, in 2008

campaigned by knocking on 1 million doors in the U.K.

Health Care & Education spending important to the party

Regional Parties Other Parties

Scotland Labour and Nationalist Liberal Democrats (SNI)dominate Scotland

Wales Plaid Cymru

Northern Ireland Irish nationalism has led

to moderate growth in support for regional parties.(Sinn Fein)

Independence Party (UKIP)

British Nationalist Party

Official Monster Raving Loony Party

http://www.omrlp.com/

Other Parties

Check for understanding

Conservative, Labour or Liberal-Dem?1. Trade unions & socialist groups2. Majority party from 1997-20103. Noblesse oblige & “Thatcherites”4. Wants proportional representation5. Cameron6. Clegg7. Miliband8. Shadow Cabinet9. The Government

Elections

Prime Minister calls elections w/in 5 yearsGeneral elections solely for seats in House of

CommonsFirst Past the Post System

Most votes wins/winner take all Exaggerates scale of largest party

ALSO: elections for Devolved legislatures in the different nations Members of European Parliament (MEPs) – EU reps

Political Participation

Liberal democracy, free and fair elections + Open Civil Society Legitimate: people vote and participate in other

waysParticipate through Political Parties and

Interest GroupsGender Gap

Women more likely to vote Labour Men more likely to vote Conservative

Young Voters Anti-war Less likely to vote (Sound familiar?)

Under Representation

Representation in the Parliament remains mainly white men, but women/minority representation growing.

Both parties fight for urban & northern votes.Conservatives dominate rural.

Check for understanding

Which or the following areas would be least likely to vote for a Labour MP? Liverpool Manchester Central London Scotland Rural England

Interest Groups in Parliamentary System

Corporatism

Society and economy of a country organized into major interest groups (corporations) by gov. Labor unions, agriculture, management, etc.

Representatives of those interest groups settle any problems through negotiation & joint agreement.

In contrast to a market economy which operates through competition, a corporate economy works through collective bargaining.

When was Britain corporatist?

Neo-corporatism

Thatcher government in 1980s effectively froze the unions out of the decision making. Labor Unions lost public support Parties start to distance themselves- New Labour

Quangos: Quasi- nongovernmental orgs.

Types of Interest Group Systems: Pluralist: many

compete (US) Corporatist:

government controls (China)

Neo-corporatist (UK & Mex- under PRI)

Policy advisory board appointed by the government (5,000) Advise Provide services

Policies are made by non-elected bodies

Disproportionate access Trade Unions Congress

(TUC) – Labour Confederation of British

Industry (CBI)– Conservative

The Cleavages

Social class#1 cleavage

GeographicNorth-South

ReligiousSecular v.

official religion Anglican

Economic

Social Movements & Policies

Inequality & Women Gender Gap

Distributional effectsChildhood PovertyInequality and Ethnic

MinoritiesSocial Unrest: what’s

the answer?

Some Policy Issues National Health Service Environment Adoption of the Euro? Constitutional Reform,

including the Lords (page 82)

Immigration and Asylum (page 83) Race and Religion

Terrorism/ War in Iraq (page 84)

Devolution (page 69) Ireland (page 81)

Political Violence

Anti-war protests, especially with Blair <3 Bush- Iraq

Otherwise, minimal

Terrorism Irish Republic Army

Good Friday Accords London 7/7/05

bombings Killed 52 civilians and

4 bombers How has terrorism and

immigration affected British culture?

Judicial Powers

Judiciary

English ideas about justice have shaped those of many other modern democracies Trial by jury

However, parliamentary sovereignty limited the development of judicial review Courts have no power to judge the constitutionality of

legislative acts (judicial review) Court can determine policy directives or administrative

acts violate common law or an act of Parliament. By tradition, the courts would not impose rulings

on Parliament, the PM, or the cabinet

EU Led to Reforms

Britain is bound by EU treaties and laws, it is the judges responsibility to interpret them and determine whether or not EU laws conflict with parliamentary statutes.

Many conflicts between supranational & national laws. Sex Discrimination Act of 1986 Human Rights Act of 1998 1999- The European Court on Human Rights ruled

that Britain may not exclude gays and lesbians from serving in the military under EU law

2009 – Supreme Court

2009, Supreme Court took the power as the highest court of appeal from House of Lords

12 Justices, appointed by independent boardFinal court of appeals in cases across the country

(except Scotland)Explicitly separate from both Government &

Parliament Political-ness

Judges can head up special commissions Separation from Parliament may lead to more isolation of

judges from Parliament and thus political attack Courts must abide by European Court of Justice

No judicial review but …

Can nullify government actions if they are judged to exceed powers granted by Act of Parliament Common law & statutory law

Parliament is

Sovereignty

Check for understanding

The policy making power of Britain’s Supreme Court and the function of judicial review are limited mainly by?

European Union

European Union

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O37yJBFRrfg&feature=player_embedded

EU Review Sheet Why formed? Treaty that began it? Policy areas? Democratic deficit? Qualified majority? How is the EU’s role changing?

What is the European Union?

• Supranational organization = an organization that transcends national boundaries

• Membership– Stable and functioning

democratic regime– Market oriented

economy– Willingness to accept all

EU laws and regulations

EU Enlargement

1991 Maastricht Treaty

Purpose• Origins- 1949

Council of Europe to repair European economies after the war

• 1991- reduce trade barriers

• Developed the European Union

Established• European

Citizenship (free movement)

• ECB European Central Bank- Common Currency (Euro)

• Three pillars of authority (policy powers)

Three pillars

The European Union

The Treaties

European Community

domain (most of common policies)

Common foreign and

security policy

Police and judicial

cooperation in criminal

matters

The EU – a major trading power

Share of world trade in goods (2006)

Share of world trade in services (2005)

Others50.5%

EU17.1%

United States16%

Japan6.6%

China9.6%

Others44.9%

EU26%

United States18.4%

Japan6.9%

China3.8%

EU Policy Areas• Trade (sets uniform standards for products and export decisions)• Monetary System (Euro currency/ central bank)• Justice (Cooperation among nations in fighting crime)• Labor (Sharing of workers freely between countries)• Agriculture (subsidies and agricultural planning, most of the

budget)• Human Rights (requires elimination of death penalty and sets other

standards of human rights)• Foreign and military policy (currently by far the weakest areas of

EU)

EU & UK- Read article• The United Kingdom is a member BUT …• UK has opted out of the monetary system (Euro

Currency) keeping the pound as its currency & maintaining control over its economy, including the setting of interest rates.

Should a country use the shared currency?

For EURO• European solidarity• Economic advantages:

transition costs, competing with the EU,

• Larger market for goods

• Easier access to markets

Against EURO• Psychological

attachment to currency

• Nationalism• Sovereignty issues• Loss of control over

interest rates• UK economy was

stronger than the whole.

Supranational Influences• Cautious attitude because of insularity• Sovereignty of the UK is threatened by the EU

treaties and Courts• Economically

– United Kingdom has not adopted the Euro– 80% of the rules governing economic life in

Britain are determined by the EU• An increasing amount of ministers & senior

civil servants are absorbed by EU agenda and directives

• Foreign and Security policy

Impact of the EU

• Has become increasingly powerful & increasingly likely to impact member countries’ sovereignty. – Court of Justice has the ability to declare member states

laws unconstitutional.• Democratic deficit: the lack of citizen’s

understanding of the EU. – Most policy elites support further integration, while citizens

largely mistrust the organization. – Many decisions are increasingly being made by

bureaucrats and not elected officials. • Court of Justice: ability to declare member states

laws unconstitutional

Check for understanding

What are arguments for joining the European Union?

Arguments against joining the European Union?

Current discussions Enlarge the EU?

• Larger EU more influence in trade negotiations with the rest of the world.

• Cheaper labor in the new EU states will attract businesses from developed west.

• New and diverse markets• Help promote political

stability in new member states

Challenges• Trade disputes with

nonmember countries• Discrepancies in economic

power between member states

• Pressure from nonmember states to join the EU

• Challenges to EU’s authority by nationalist sentiment w/in member states

CLOSURE

Describe three challenges to Parliamentary sovereignty in the UK.

HOMEWORK: Study for Test Complete Annotated Outline Revise Source List, if necessary (last chance!)