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Chapter 3: Who Rules Britain?

Politics in the United Kingdom

Content

History - the MonarchyUKs unwritten constitutionParliamentary systemElectoral systemPolitical reforms Leisure and sport

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HistorySystem evolved over time

From king and nobility to commoners

Magna Carta 1215

Civil war gives basis for constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy

Constitutional monarchy

First English Parliament– Lords/Bishops– Commons

Return to royal control in Tudor England (1485-1603)

James VI of Scotland became James I of England 1603

Charles I signs the Petition of Rights in 1628

King John (1199-1216)

Magna Carta 1215

The Monarchy- reign but not rule -

Queen Elizabeth II (Reign 1952-)

"Fog in Channel,Continent cut off !" Insularity and self-

belief Pride in and nostalgia

for Britain's past Conservatism and

traditionalism Idealise the

countryside Respect for the

establishment Slowness to change

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Britishness

What makes a British citizen different from his or her continental cousins?

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Winner take all – the Electoral System

House of Lords + House of Commons =Parliament

The House of Commons currently comprises 650 Members of Parliament or MPs. Each MP represents one constituency

Max. five years between elections

http://www.parliament.uk/briefingpapers/commons/lib/research/briefings/snsg-05690.pdf

http://www.rogerdarlington.me.uk/Britishpoliticalsystem.html#Parliament

The Election Process

House of Commons – 650 MP’s constituencies

First past the post majority wins

Election UK - 2005

Election 2001 - Norway

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The Election Process

Dissolve parliamentCampaign – three weeksCandidatesElection Day – ThursdayPolling stations

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The Election Process

First-past-the-post

Unfair system?

Compare with the Norwegian proportional system

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System of Government

Prime Minister– leader of the strongest party– leads government – PM and government can lose support

Parliament– House of Commons

elected members - MPs– House of Lords

not elected; less power

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System of Government

What does House of Commons do?– Makes laws – legislation– Passes the budget– Monitors the government– Debates issues– “Recruiting office”– Can force a government to resign

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System of Government

What does House of Lords do?– Reviews/revises legislation– Debating chamber– Monitors the government– Life peers with expertise

Is the House of Lords necessary? - Reform in 1999 was quite cautious - Relatively slow reform process

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System of Government

What does the PM do?– Chooses cabinet– Decides the overriding strategy of

government– Patronage– Can call an election– Meets foreign leaders– Debates in Parliament

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System of Government

The Cabinet:

Approximately 20 membersResponsible for Government’s policiesSome of the major posts:

– Chancellor of the Exchequer– Foreign Secretary– Home Secretary

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Political Parties in the UK

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Introduction

Today there are three major political parties in the British

system of politics:

• The Labour Party (often called New Labour) – the centre-

Left party currently led by Harriet Harman (in an acting

capacity)

• The Conservative Party (frequently called the Tories) – the

centre-Right party currently led by David Cameron

• The Liberal Democrat Party (known as the Lib Dems) – the

centrist, libertarian party currently led by Nick Clegg

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Political Parties

The Labour Party– Working-class/socialist– Welfare state– Nationalisation of key industries– NHS– More taxation, especially of the wealthy

What is New Labour?

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Political Parties

Conservative Party– Self-reliance, self-management– Free market– Relatively low taxation– Relatively low public spending– Yes to privatisation– ”conservatism”: slow change/traditional

values/family

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Political Parties

The Liberal Democrats– Combination of two parties Liberals and

Social Democrats– Freedom of the individual– Opposed to both socialism and

conservatism– In favour of devolution– Believe in market but not necessarily “Big

Business”– What is their biggest problem?

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British political system

• The three main political parties in the UK have existed for a century or more and have a strong and stable 'brand image'.

• It is virtually impossible for someone to be elected to the House of Commons without being a member of an established political party.

• All political parties strongly 'whip' their elected members which means that, on the vast majority of issues, Members of Parliament of the same party vote as a 'block'.

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Class and Politics

In the past, class was a major determinant of voting intention in British politics, with most working class electors voting Labour and most middle class electors voting Conservative. These days, class is much less important because:

• Working class numbers have shrunk and now represent only 43% of the electorate.

• Except at the extremes of wealth, lifestyles are more similar.

• Class does not determine voting intention so much as values, trust and competence.

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Consensus in British PoliticsIn the British political system, there is a

broad consensus between the major parties on:

the rule of law the free market economy the national health service UK membership of European Union and

NAT

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Differences

The main differences between the political parties concern:

how to tackle poverty and inequality the levels and forms of taxation the extent of state intervention in the

economy the balance between collective rights and

individual rights