United Kingdom. Political and Economic Change Citizens, Society, and the State Sovereignty,...
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Transcript of United Kingdom. Political and Economic Change Citizens, Society, and the State Sovereignty,...
United Kingdom
Political and Economic ChangeCitizens, Society, and the StateSovereignty, Authority, and PowerPublic PolicyPolitical Institutions
Political Change
Gradualism Evolution, not revolution
• In comparison, Mexico, Russia, and China all experienced political change as a result of revolution
Adjusting to the Industrial Revolution Creation of new social classes
Voting rights (Great Reform 1832, Reform 1867, Representation of People 1884, Women’s suffrage 1918, 1928) Labor Party created in 1906
UK Intro-Fast Facts
Population: 60,068,000Capital: London; 7,615,000Area: 242,910 square kilometers (93,788 square miles)Currency: British poundLife Expectancy: 78GDP per Capita: U.S. $25,500Literacy Percent: 99Economy
Industry: Machine tools, electric power equipment, automation equipment, railroad equipment, shipbuilding
Agriculture: Cereals, oilseed, potatoes, vegetables; cattle; fish Exports: Manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals; food, beverages,
tobacco
Political Change
Loss of Imperialist Powers Helped colonies prepare for independence
Collective Consensus Result of WWII
End Collective Consensus Political party split as result of economy
The UK has a liberal attitude toward change In contrast, Iran has a conservative attitude and China
has a reactionary attitude
Economic Change
Economic Economic Problems in the 1970s
Declining industrial production and international influence
Citizens React Thatcherism
Privatized business, cut back social welfare, strengthened national defense, strict with labor unions, returned to market controls on economy
Neoliberalism
Economic Change Cont.
Third Way and “Big Society” John Major as successor to
Thatcher “Third way”
Tony Blair, new Labour Party “Big Society”
Coalition formed in 2010 between Liberal Democrats and Conservatives
David Cameron initiated vision of “big society”
Citizens Overview
Mostly homogenous-7% of Britain’s citizens are ethnic minorities
The main minority in the UK is Muslim and this is also the case in Russia
Social cleavages The largest cleavage in the UK is religion
In Nigeria the largest cleavage is ethnicity In Mexico the largest cleavage is social class
Multi-National Identities “United Kingdom”-England, Wales, Scotland, part of
Ireland
Citizens
England Largest Region English dominates other nationalities
Challenge to integrate nationalities, but allow them to retain identities
Wales Became subject to English king in 16th century Welsh pride
Challenge: acceptance of English authority, but resentment remains as well as feelings of exploitation
Citizens
Scotland Separate country resisted British rule until
early 1600s Agreed to single Parliament in London (1603)
Challenge: Scots have strong national identity, own national flag, Scottish Parliament recently revived
Northern Ireland England and Ireland have long history of
religious conflict After WWI ended, Ireland was granted home
rule with exception of NE corner By 1949, Ireland totally independent,
Northern Ireland remaining under British rule Challenge: Religious tensions between
Protestants and Catholics
Cleavages
Social Class Distinction Working class v middle
class Psychological divide,
solidarity “Public schools” for elite,
private grammar schools for middle class
Ethnic Minorities Indian 23% of all non-
European population, Pakistani 16%, Afro- Caribbean 12.2%, Black African 10.5%
Ethnic Minorities
Muslim Minorities Many British Muslims are
disaffected and unemployed Possible radicalization of young
Muslims as a result of the British support of Iraqi war
National culture has not absorbed the groups into mainstream culture
Eastern European Migrants Eastern Europe joins EU in 2004,
influx of immigrants Main draw: job opportunities
Political Beliefs and Values
“Civic culture” (political culture) marked by trust, deference to authority and competence, pragmatism, and harmony
British citizens have good qualities for democratic participation High voter participation, acceptance of authority,
acceptance of law, tolerance for different viewpoints “Politics of protest”
Changing Political Beliefs and Values
Decreasing labor union support Increased Violence in Northern Ireland
Issues about British claims to Northern Ireland intensified in 1970s
Thatcherism Conservative Party controlled British government from
1979 until 1997 New Labour
Tony Blair, Labour Party Protests over Iraq War
Citizens and political leaders (even of Blair’s party) protested
Voting Behavior
More than 70% of eligible citizens participate in parliamentary elections
Tied to social class and region Social Class
Historically rigid, but lines are more blurred today
Regional factors Labour
• Succeeds in urban, industrial areas
Conservative• Succeeds in rural,
suburban areas
Sovereignty, Authority, and Power
Great Britain has the oldest democratic tradition of any country in the world
Authority and power provide stability and legitimacy
1. Social Compacts and Constitutionalism2. Historical Evolution of National Political
Traditions3. Political Culture
Social Compacts and Constitutionalism
Tradition is a primary source of stabilityTraditional legitimacy was based for many
years on the belief that an hereditary ruling family had the right to rule
Church/state relationship where the church does not challenge the authority of the government
Never had a written constitution—has evolved over time based on documents (Magna Carta), common law (local customs and precedent) , and customs to form the “Constitution of the Crown”
In contrast, Mexico created a written constitution in 1917 after their revolution in 1910
Historical Evolution of National Political Traditions
British political system is influenced by many traditions Developed gradually and consensually, with little conflict
In comparison, Russia changed primarily through revolution and Nigeria experienced change through several coup d’etats
Evolution of political traditions: The shaping of the monarchy
Began as a limited monarchy Over time, its powers have been restricted by Parliament Today, the monarchy has no decision-making power but
plays an important symbolic role in British society
Evolution of National Political Traditions
Challenges of the Industrial Revolution Economic influences with colonial mercantilism and the
Industrial Revolution Established England as a major economic power Changed society because poor peasants moved to cities
to work in the factories This is similar to China, where currently a majority of the
citizens live in urban areas
Evolution of National Political Traditions
Colonialism Between 1750 and 1914, nationalism and
industrialization made it possible for European nations to build global empires that stretched across the continents
Industrialization allowed the British the to produce goods to sell in foreign markets
Industrialization increased communications and transportation with other countries
Public Policy and Current Issues
Transparency in Government British government has had a solid reputation for its
transparency As a result of recent transparency scandals, the prime
minister’s office announced in 2010 a new website, whose purpose is to provide users with information about government activities and policies
Relations with the European Union Always been debate over whether or not to join the EU
Cameron promised a renegotiation of the U.K.’s membership of the EU and a popular vote on whether to stay in the bloc if his party wins the 2015 election outright
Public Policy and Current Issues
Devolution and Constitutional Reform Government is unitary
• China is also a unitary government Desire by the Scottish and Welsh for their independence and
the problems with Northern Ireland has resulted in devolution Since 1999, Scotland and Wales have had the power to its own
regional assembly, which has the powers of taxation, education, and economic planning
People have mixed feelings over devolution• Russia and China both have cleavages but neither government
supports devolution and giving these groups power Regardless of reforms, Britain still has a strong attachment to
its many traditions Britain still serves as a role model for the development of
democratic traditions in the modern world
Political Parties
Labour- Largest party on
the left Controlled
government from 1997-2010 under the leadership on Tony Blair until the conservatives and liberal democrats formed a coalition
Began as an alliance between trade unions and socialist groups
Supports EU membership
Conservative-• Main party on the
right• Traditional wing:
want country to be ruled by elite and support EU membership
• Thatcherite Wing: want less government control and a full free market economy; don’t support EU membership (Euroskeptics)
• David Cameron is the current prime minister and party leader
• Formed coalition with liberal democrats in 2010
Liberal democrats-• Want
proportional representation instead of a plurality voting system so they can have more seats in legislature
• Want a bill of rights
• Formed coalition with conservatives in 2010
• Support EU membership
Elections
British voters only elect members of parliament
Parliament then elects one of their members as Prime Minister
Elections are held every five years but the Prime Minister can choose to hold them earlier
Parliamentary elections are “winner-take-all” aka “first-past-the-post” aka a single member plurality system
In contrast, Russia uses proportional representation for the Duma
Interest Groups
Interest groups are very powerfulQuangos: quasi-autonomous
nongovernmental organizations Policy advisory boards appointed by the
governmentNeo-corporatism: Interest groups dominate
the stateMost powerful interest groups: those related
to class and industrial interest
Government Institutions
3 branches of government Bicameral legislature Executive Judiciary
Parliamentary systemUnitary state:
centralized political authority in London
Cabinet and Prime Minister
Cabinet: prime minister and ministers who are party leaders from Parliament chosen by the Prime Minister
Collective cabinet: center of policymaking Collective responsibility: cabinet member take collective
responsibility for making policy Important for government stability
Prime Minister: member of Parliament and majority party leader
UK prime minister is the head of government and is elected by a majority in the House of Commons
Russia and China’s prime ministers are also heads of government but they are appointed by the president
Speaks for all members of Parliament Chooses cabinet members Makes decisions in the cabinet Campaigns and represents party in parliamentary elections
Parliament
Little separation of power between the cabinet and parliament House of Commons:
Setup to function with two parties: the majority party and the “loyal opposition”
Setup with 2 long benches facing each other with a table in between; the prime minister sits in the middle surrounded by his cabinet members; they face the leader of the opposition party and the “shadow cabinet; less important MP’s sit on the back benches and are called “backbenchers”
Debate can be intense and very spirited House of Lords:
Hereditary parliamentary house Has very little power
Can delay legislation and debate technicalities of proposed bills
Hereditary peers: hold seats that have been passed down from family
Life peers: people appointed because of their service to Britain
Bureaucracy
Stable and powerful force in politicsTop bureaucrats stay with their particular policy area
and are usually experts in that area Have input in policy making and have discretionary power
which gives bureaucrats the freedom to decide how they will carry out executive and legislate decisions
UK government employees are supposed to be politically neutral while in Nigeria they are hired based on a patron-client system called prebendalism and focus more on personal benefits
Judiciary
Parliamentary sovereignty: Parliaments decisions are final Limits development of judicial review
British legal system based on common lawA supreme court was created in 2009 to
replace the law lords as the highest judicial authority It consists of a president and 11 justices Serves as final court of appeal Has much more limited powers than the U.S. Supreme
Court
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