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Great Britain
Great Britain
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
• Includes: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
• Collectively referred to as the UK or Great Britain
• Size of Oregon• Approx 60 million residents• Island separated by English Channel
UK
• Size and location matter!• As island; no neighboring countries to
threaten the UK; being isolated kept country relatively free from conflict/turmoil that affected Euope
• No need for standing army• Less taxes (no wars to pay for)• Development of a strong state with low
autonomy and high capacity ;
UK History
• Conflict between Catholics & Protestants had the potential to divide
• 1500’s King Henry VIII (British monarch and Protestant) used Parliament to remove England from the control of the Vatican and Catholic Church.-led to creation of Protestant Church which would be controlled by the UK led to Anglican Church
UK History
• Catholics protested, but religion never polarizing split (excepting No. Ireland)
• Parliament grows in strength over time under Henry VIII
• James (1602) resists Parliament; raises taxes• Son Charles b.m.o.c; flaunts royalty; English
Civil War – supporters of Parliament win battle and Charles is executed
UK History
• 1649-1660- no monarch; UK is republic known as Commonwealth; led by Oliver Cromwell it becomes military dictatorship. Parliament restores monarchy in 1660 w/Charles II.
• 1685 – James (brother of Charles) inherits throne; he’s Catholic; Parliament fears return to Catholicism and send him into exile.
• Parliament installs James daughter as monarch; Queen Mary (Protestant)
UK Development
• Parliament enacts English Bill of Rights.(1689)• Relationship b/t monarch & state strengthen;
creating constitutional monarchy.• Current monarch dates back to 1714; monarch
was German who spoke little English; relied on cabinet and his PM.
• By late 1800’s, PM’s & cabinet appointed by Parliament- political power of monarch diminished.
Legitimacy & Gradualism
• Common law – customs & precedent; long standing traditions stability
• Magna Carta (1215) – limited power of monarch; subjecting them to law
• English Bill of Rights - guarantees rights of government AND citizens
• Collectively, these documents and common law comprise the unwritten Constitution of the UK->Constitution of the Crown
Gradualism
• Establishment of Parliament – no universal suffrage; only elites voted
• Parliament ->represented elites and consisted of elites w/in society
• Rise of political parties ( Conservatives (Tories) and Liberals (Whigs) & expansion of suffrage changed political landscape
Political Culture
• Noblesse Oblige – duty of upper classes to be responsible for welfare of lower classes idea of WELFARE STATE; legacy of feudal times when Lords protected serfs.
• Collective Consensus –Churchill’s emphasis on putting class differences aside to defeat Hitler.
• Beveridge Report –adopted by both parties –made all citizens eligible for health, pension unemployment, etc.
Political Culture
• National Health Service (‘48) - created under Labour party
• necessity for welfare state led to mixed economy ->gov’t directs economy & nationalizing major industries w/o giving up principles of capitalism
• Challenges to welfare state since the 1970’s due to economic and political changes
Political Parties/Labour
• Off shoot of Whigs; 1906, politically left.• Began as alliance b/t trade unions & social
groups; labor unions provide majority of funds for party
• Dominant party after WWII• Socialist ideology ->strong welfare state and
some state ownership of industry
Labour• Shift in ideology began in mid 70’s• Moving towards moderate-centrist under Neil
Kinnock• Due to economy and change in Britain’s work
force w/fewer people engaging in blue collar jobs.
• John Smith (1993-94)• Tony Blair (1997 – 2007)• Gordon Brown (2007-2010)
Tony Blair’s Labour
• Internal strife leads to defect in members; divisions b/t radical socialists & moderates.
• Led to ideological & organization changes• 80’s & 90’s to regain political strength, Labour
rewrites party’s constitution ; abandoning commitment to socialism and advocated cross-class apeal
• Blair – leads party in ’94.
Tony Blair’s Labour• More moderate approach; centrist alternative
to old labor on left and conservative on right• advocated moderate free-market• Reduced influence of trade unions• Introduced minimum wage, Human Rights Act• Brokered Good Friday Agreement in No.
Ireland• Devolution
New Labour
• Won elections in ’97,’01 and ’05• War in Iraq Blair’s undoing• Blair resigns as party leader in 2007• Paving the way for election of Gordon Brown• Labour, however, remains moderate/centrist
party w/diverse political base
Labour voters
• Working class• Residents of urban/industrial areas• Less educated• Less wealthy
Conservative Party• Dominate party b/t WWII and late 1990’s• Politically right• Pragmatic as opposed to ideological; what’s
best for the country• Characterized by noblisse oblige; power is
centered in London• Elitist party ; supported market-controlled
economy, privatization and fewer social welfare programs
Conservative Party
• 1979-1990 Margaret Thatcher – Iron Lady• “Thatcherism” – rightist reforms• Privatized business & industry• Cut back on social welfare programs• Strengthened national defense (staunch anti
communist)• Resisted integration into the EU• Returned to market force controls on economy
Conservative splits
• traditional (one-nation Tories) value noblesse oblige; wants country ruled by elite who take everyone’s interest into account; supports Britain’s membership in EU
• Strict conservatives (Thatcherites) – roll back gov’t controls; Euroskeptics – see EU as threat to British sovereignty
• 2010 – David Cameron elected as PM
Conservative Voters
• Middle and upper classes• Well educated• Residents of rural and suburban areas
Liberal Democratic Party estab. 1989
• Alternative to Labour and Conservative • Platform: individual freedoms, collective
equality, integration w/in EU, opposed to war in Iraq, election reform; want to replace SMD w/proportional representation
• Nick Clegg; current deputy PM as part of coalition gov’t in the UK
Party Discipline
• Party members support leadership; party id impt NOT the individual MP
• When key issue of PM isn’t supported – vote of confidence can be taken; called by party in control OR opposition
• if issue isn’t supported cabinet must resign and new elections for all MPs must be held
• Motivation for voting party line
Linkage Institutions
• Groups that connect gov’t to citizens: political parties, interest groups, print & electronic media
• UK – interest group pluralism: autonomous groups that compete w/each other and w/gov’t for influence over state policies; rival groups pressure gov’t to make policies in their favor.
• Elements of neocorporatism
Linkage, etc
• Neocorporatism (societal corporatism) – interest groups take the lead and dominate the state. AS OPPOSED TO
• State corporatism – state approves and protects select interest groups
• UK has quangos – quasi-autonomous nongovernmental organizations. Policy advisory boards appointed by gov’t
Linkage, con’t• Work w/gov’t to develop public policy.• TUC – Trade Union Congress – represents
coalition of unions• CBI – Confederation of Business Interests• BBC – British Broadcasting Corp – originally
monopolized by gov’t. BBC competes w/private stations. Strict regulations: no advertisements sold to politicians, parties or political causes.
PM & Cabinet
• “first among equals”• Member of Parliament and leader of majority
party• Speaks for all MPs• Chooses cabinet members from MPs• Makes decisions in cabinet w/agreement of
ministers; shapes decisions into policy• Campaigns for and represents party
Cabinet
• Collective cabinet is center of policy making in British pol sys
• As leaders of majority party they take collective responsibility for making policy
• All must agree on decisions; if cannot agree individ resigns & returns to Parliament
• Cabinet members NOT policy experts; rely on bureaucracy to provide expertise
Elections
• MPs are only nat’l officials elected by voters• Must be held at least every 5 yrs; PM may call
them earlier• PM sets date for gen’l elections. He asks
Queen to formally dissolve gov’t; everyone seeks re-election
• Can occur any time• Elections process quick – usually less than
month
Elections
• Party determines who runs where• MPs don’t usually live in their home districts• Run in safe districts• Approx 70-80% of eligible voters vote• First past the post; single member district
w/some representation from minority parties• Scotland & Wales – proportional
representation
Parliament
• Party w/majority of plurality becomes Majority party; party w/second most is loyal opposition
• Majority party formulate policies into legislation
• Debate and refine potential legislation• Members may become future party leaders
House of Commons
• Long benches facing each other• PM sits in the middle on front bench with
majority side, directly across from leader of loyal opposition
• Cabinet members sit on front rows on majority side opposite from Shadow cabinet; influential members of opposition party
• Back benchers; less influential members of both parties who sit in rear benches
House of Commons
• Debate and discussion takes place publically during question time/question hour
• Time when PM & cabinet defend themselves from opposition party and members of own party
• Speaker of house; presides over debate; often not a member of majority party;
• Opposition party is check on power of majority party
House of Lords
• Members not directly elected• Life peers; pple appointed to positions as
result of distinguished svce• Hereditary peers – seats which have been
passed down thru family ties over the years; abolished in 1999 as part of reform
• Powers have gradually declined; no one knows quite what to do w/ House of Lords
House of Lords - powers
• Delay legislation• Debate technicalities of proposed bill• May add amendments but House of Commons
may delete w/simple majority vote• Include 5 law lords who serve as Britain’s
highest court of appeals; do not have power of judicial review; limiting authority
The Judiciary• Legal system based on common law• Parliamentary sovereignty – parliaments
decisions are final; limits develop of judicial review
• British courts; cannot impose their rulings on parliament, the PM or cabinet
• Law lords settle disputes from lower courts• Constitutional Reform Act – 2005 created a
Supreme Court to take over role of law lords
The Judiciary
• Supreme Court – to replace law lords• Final court of appeal; nullifies government
actions if they are judged to exceed powers granted by an Act of Parliament, but it cannot declare and Act of Parliament unconstitutional.
• Limited in powers. Parliament remains supreme authority.
Citizens, Society and the UK
• Homogenous culture; 5% of Britain’s citizens are ethnic minorities.
• Historically, major social cleavages based on multi-national identities & issues, social class distinctions and the Protestant/Catholic split in Northern Ireland
• New cleavage based on race and ethnicity; tensions b/t Brits and Muslims increasing.
Social Class
• Gulf b/t working and middle class very wide• Social class reinforced by education system:
public schools trained boys for public life, i.e., military, civil service or politics; expensive; following in parents footsteps – many go on to Oxford or Cambridge – elites in society
• Post WWII; scholarships made avail to working and middle class for university.
Political Beliefs & Values (today)• Political culture characterized by: trust,
deference to authority and competence, pragmatism and harmony….BUT
• Tendency to disagree openly & sometimes violently w/government is becoming acceptable.
• Decreased support for labor unions,Thatcherism led to sense of individualism and competition; New Labour led to a middle path & coalition govt.