United Kingdom

Government, Politics, Political Culture, Policy Debates,

Political Parties

British Gradualism

• Magna Carta

• Development of Parliament

• The Reformation and the Church of England

• English Civil War

• Glorious Revolution and the Bill of Rights

Electoral Reform

• Great Reform Acts of 1832 and 1867– Gives the right to vote to the upper class– Corrects the problem of malapportionment,

eliminating the “rotten boroughs”

• Representation of the People Acts 1884, 1885, 1918,1928 – expanding the suffrage

Noblesse Oblige

• Legacy of Feudalism – social deference• Evolution not revolution• Utilitarianism – Jeremy Bentham• Development of the Liberal and

Conservative (Tory) Parties• Laws passed benefitting the working class,

allowing labor unions, free public education, ban on child labor, creation of the pension system

Development of modern political parties – Labour and Conservatives

Parliament Act – 1911Collectivist Consensus 1946 – 1979Representation of the People Act 1948Representation of the People Act 1969Life Peerages Act 1958Constitution Reform Act 2005Why evolution, not revolution?What provided stability in Britain?Hegemonic Power

Civic Culture

• Supportive of the political system and the rules of the game

• Pluralistic and tolerant• Deference• Political Efficacy• Trust in Government• High level of political participation• Geographic, economic, social class and

ethnic/religious cleavages

The State

• House of Commons

• Prime Minister

• Cabinet - Collective Responsibility– Ministers of ___and – Chancellor of the Exchequer

• Uncodified Constitution

• Role of the Monarch

• House of Lords

• Fusion of powers

• Parliamentary Sovereignty

• Supreme Court

House of Commons

• Frontbenchers• Backbenchers• Shadow Cabinet• Speaker• Party Whips• Voting by Division• Question Time• Ministerial Responsibility• Select Committees

Elections

May be held at any time by the choice of the Prime Minister or caused by a vote of no confidence – Must be held at least every 5 years, one month campaign, caretaker gov., by-elections may be held

Party Conferences –party centralizationSingle member districts by plurality (first past the

post) in 646 small elections for the House of Commons, elections for local councils.

PM chosen by majority of the House of C

Political Culture

• Belief in representative democracy• Belief individual rights, equality, majority rule• Parliamentary Sovereignty and the

Constitutional Monarchy• Utilitarianism – the role of the gov. is to do the

most good for the most people• Capitalism• Importance of history and tradition, the role of

the monarch and the aristocracy

House of Lords

• Lords Spiritual

• Life peers, hereditary peers

• Appointed by the monarch upon the recommendation of the Prime Minister

• Crossbenchers

• Why does it have any influence?

Whitehall

• Civil Service – regular and senior levels• Roles in administration and policy design• 120 executive agencies• Regulatory agencies Of___• QUANGO’s• Permanent Secretaries chosen by the Prime

Minister usually from the civil service• The patron client system

How Policy is Made

• Policy committees – PM, Cabinet, Permanent Secretaries, leaders of appropriate interest groups ( the integrated elite) corporatism

• Party manifesto• Green Paper• Consensus of Cabinet• White Paper• Standing Committees

How a Bill Becomes Law

Standing Committees are proportional, may mark up a bill

May be withdrawn by the PM or taken to the floor of the House of Commons

Debate in H of C and passage by divisionImportance of Party DisciplineTo the House of Lords for debate, amendment,

approval or vetoIf necessary, returned to H of Commons for

passageTo the Queen for the Royal Assent

Interest Groups

TUC – Trades Union CongressCBI – Confederation of British IndustryOthers : women, environmentalists, ethnic, religious, senior

citizens, veterans, “The City”CorporatismClientelismInterest groups may make campaign contributions and

sponsor candidates

Political Parties

• Conservative (Tories) – support less regulation of business, lower taxes, limits on immigration, against the adoption of the euro, typically supported by CBI. Party led by David Cameron

• Labour – supports membership in the EU and a wait and see decision on the adoption of the euro, revision of the House of Lords/Constitution Reform Act, improvement of services (like NHS), welfare to work, devolution, traditionally supported by TUC, working class

Party Leader – Gordon Brown

Political Parties

Liberal Democrats – formed in the 1970’s when the Social Democrats split from Labour and joined the remnants of the Liberal Party The Lib Dems want withdrawal from Iraq, adoption of the euro, increased services and local government, environmental policies, constitutional reform and elections by proportional rep.

Party Leader – Nick Clegg

Plaid Cymru – protecting Welsh culture

Political Parties

Scottish National Party – concerned about the environment, want oil profits shared with Scotland, some want independence

Social Democrat and Labor Party - more rights for Catholics in N.I.

Sinn Fein (was the political arm of the IRA) want N.I. to join the Republic of Ireland and the British to leave N.I.

Political Parties

Ulster Unionists – N.I. protestants who want to remain a part of the U.K.

Democratic Unionists – N.I. protestants who want to remain a part of the U.K. and were the political arm of the UDA, the Ulster Defense Association, and the UVF, the Ulster Volunteer Force

The Collectivist Consensus

• Keynesianism – It is the role of the gov. to provide jobs and services. To improve the economy the government needs to spend money, deficit spending and interest rate adjustment are necessary

• Nationalization, NHS, the dole, unions, public education through university level

• The Winter of Discontent 1979 –strikes, high taxes, inefficient services

Thatcherism

Monetarism – It is not the gov.’s job to provide jobs, to help the economy taxes must be lowered and spending cut

Privatization, crack down on unions, lowered taxes, emphasized individual responsibility, an enterprise culture

No negotiation in N.I., war in the Falklands, increased defense spending

The European Union

Single Europe Act 1986

Maastricht Treaty 1992 – Social Charter for Workers and the plan for the common currency, the euro

Concerns: national sovereignty v. supranational authority, monetary policy

Views of Thatcher, Blair, and the Liberal Democrats

Northern Ireland

1600’s the Ulster Plantation1690 – James II tries to free Ireland and

become King, Battle of the Boyne1905 – Sinn Fein founded1916 – Easter Rebellion1920-21 the Anglo-Irish War – Irish Free

State formed, NI remains part of UK1949 The Ireland Act – Rep. of Ireland

recognized, N.I. remains part of UK

Northern Ireland

1969 – Civil Rights marches, Royal Ulster Constabulary, British troops occupy N.I.

1972 – Bloody Sunday, N.I. Parliament is dissolved

1994 Cease Fire, beginning of peace talks

1998 The Good Friday Peace Accords

Elections held for new government in N.I.

Blair and the Third Way

• The Good Friday Peace Accords• Devolution• Welfare to work – the stakeholder society• Improving the NHS, public services• Bigger EU role, wait and see on the euro• Moving Labour to the center, pragmatism v.

party activists– Party manifesto– Reduced role of TUC

The Electorate and Political Attitudes

Who votes for Labour?

Who votes for the Conservatives?

Who votes for the Liberal Democrats?

Trust in Government

Civil Liberties and National Security

Ethnic, Economic, Social Cleavages

Belief in the Role of Government

Iraq, Immigration, War on Terror, Energy, Economic Challenges, the

E.U. and the Commonwealth