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.