GREAT BRITAIN

William Shakespeare: "Richard II" Act 2, Scene 1, 32~48

On England

"This royal throne of Kings, this scepter'd isle, This Earth of majesty, this seat of Mars, This other Eden, demi~paradise, This fortress built by Nature for herself, Against infection and the hand of war, This happy breed of men, this little world, This precious stone set in the silver sea, Which serves it in the office of a wall, Or as a moat defensive to a house, Against the envy of less happier lands, This blessed plot, this Earth, this Realm, this England."

New Head of Government Prime Minister David Cameron (2010)

Regime Type
From Monarchy to Aristocracy On to Liberal Democracy What is their Source of Legitimacy? What is the role of religion?
Anglican Church

Ideology
Tradition Capitalism or Socialism

History/ Tradition
Constitutions?/ Essential Documents
Magna Carta - 1215 English Bill of Rights - 1689 Common Law vs. Statutory Law

Key Historical Events

Civil War (1642-1648)
Parliament vs. King

Rise of the Prime Minister Reform Bill of 1832 (1867, 1884, 1918) Parliament Bill of 1911

The Evolution of the British State

Sequential, not simultaneous crises Building the nation state Defining the role of religion Establishing liberal democracy Industrial revolution The broad sweep of British history More and more democracy Persistence of class divisions The collectivist consensus leaders from both parties agreed on a variety of social policy goals; the golden era of British politics 1945mid-1970s

Britain since 1945

Beveridge Report (Welfare State) Nationalization of Industries under Labour (collective consensus)
Electricity, Gas, Railways, Coal Steel, Aerospace, Shipbuilding Communication National Health Service (NHS)

Britain since 1945

Thatcherism and Privatization
Cut taxes, reduced some social services More competition Privatized remaining govt industries

Tony Blair and New Labour

The Third Way

Political Institutions
Unitary
Why? Any Supranational Influences? Devolution
Define Examples
Scottish Parliament National Assembly for Wales

Political Institutions
Executive Dual
Monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II Prime Ministerial System PM is David Cameron How was he selected?

Political Institutions
Cabinet/ Ministers Selection Process (Frontbenchers)
What are backbenchers?

Ministerial Responsibility (Collective Responsibility) Bureaucracy/ Whitehall Shadow Government

Buckingham Palace God Save the Queen

10 Downing Street Home and Work for the PM

Political Institutions
Executive/ Legislative Relations
Fusion of powers (not separation) Why? What does that mean? Party Discipline
How much? Why?

Can there be divided government? Why or why not?

The British State: Enduring Myths & Changing Realities (Summary)

Walter Bagehots dignified and real, or efficient, parts of the British system Dignified
The Monarchy and the Lords: Monarch reigns but does not rule Very little power; proposals for reform

Real, or Efficient
Prime Minister is the chief of government, but does not have the dignity of the Queen Parliamentary Sovereignty, sort of Parliamentary parties Collective responsibility Party discipline

Political Institutions

Gordon Brown David Cameron

Labour Conservative*

2007 2010 2010 - now

Westminster Home of the English Parliament

Political Institutions
Legislature Bicameral/ Asymmetric House of Commons (646)/ House of Lords (roughly 1200)
Front vs. Backbenchers

Selection Process
Lords, Commons

Electoral System- Parliamentary system

Single Member Districts Plurality Elections First Past the Post

Political Institutions - Commons

646 Members, each representing about 65,000 constituents Pass laws Authorize taxing and spending Review and scrutinize public administration and govt policy Visible arena for debate, i.e. PM Question Time other ministers, too Committees today serve as watchdogs, scrutinizing the workings of each ministry

Political Institutions - Lords

Roughly 1200 members, comprised of a few hereditary peers (92), many life peers, law lords, and senior Church of England bishops and archbishops The law lords served as a final Court of Appeal, but that power has moved to the new Supreme Court (Oct. 2009) Power to amend and delay 2003 Changes voted down by the Commons

Political Institutions
Party Votes and Seats in Last Two General Elections Trends? Elections Effects of Plurality Elections Political parties
Labour Conservative Liberal Democrat Regional parties Ideologies

Leadership and Elite Recruitment Oxbridge

Party Votes and Seats in Last Two General Elections, United Kingdom
2001
% of Votes % of Seats

2005
% of Vote % of Seats

Labour 41 % 63% Conservative 32 % 25% Liberal Democrats 18% 8% Other 9% 5% Voter turnout 59%

35%

55%

32%
22% 10%

31%
10% 5%

61%

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/election2010/results/

2010 Election Results

Election Results Any Trends?

Political Parties
The Conservatives (Tories) Pragmatic, flexible in their politics Noblesse oblige Responsibility for the poor Organization: elitist and effective Thatcherism crushes the unions Privatization the government sold:
British Petroleum, British Aerospace, Cable and Wireless, long-distance trucking, sugar refining, the ports. They also sold their shares in British Gas, British Airways, British Telecom, the jet engine division of Rolls Royce, Jaguar, Rover (automobile)

Political Parties
The Conservatives (Tories) Rolling back the welfare state John Major replaces Thatcher, more privatization
British rail (1994), has deteriorated since then Electricity, buses, parts of the BBC Loses to Blair; division over Maastrict/ Europe

David Cameron current leader/ PM Party has been criticized for being out of touch, too extreme, but now is favored to win the next election to be held in 2010 http://www.conservatives.com/

Political Parties
Labour Ed Miliband
Nationalization after WWII (Beveridge Report) Clause 4 nationalization, gone with Blair Crisis-motivated radicalization after economic problems in the 1970s Defeat-motivated moderation Blair and New Labour the Third Way; best socialist goals and a market economy Blairs waning popularity; tuition increase (3000), Iraq war, London car toll (~5) http://www.labour.org.uk/

Question Time Party vs. Party - Explain

Political Parties
The Liberal Democrats (Nick Clegg) merger (1988) of the Liberals and the Social Democrats (SDP); the number three party and in some ways the most radical, current leadership in disarray. Received 22% of the vote in 2005 election. They want a PR system. Why?

http://www.libdems.org.uk/

Minor Parties the rise in Scottish (SNP), Welsh (Plaid Cymru), and Irish nationalism has led to moderate growth in support for regional parties.

Others
Official Monster Raving Loony Party

http://www.omrlp.com/

Institutions Elite Recruitment

Public Schools Actually private and expensive
Eton, Harrow, St. Pauls, Winchester Old Boy network

Oxford and Cambridge

Oxbridge Both political leaders and top Whitehall specialists come from here Sometimes PPE major
Philosophy, Politics, Economics, or how to run a country

Political Institutions
Interest Groups
Little of the lobbying one finds in the U.S. Interests groups focus their attention on decision makers: ministers, party leaders, and senior civil servants; try to influence the drafting of a bill, not how it is dealt with on the House floor. WHY?

Political Institutions
Interest Groups
The TUC with Labour and the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) with Conservatives wield disproportionate influence Corporatist arrangements (define!) during collectivist years; Thatcher government in 1980s effectively froze the unions out of the decision making. Trade Unions Congress Labour Confederation of British Industry Conservative

Political Institutions Interest Groups/ Grassroots Activities

Political protest (page 79 in text)
Mad Cow Disease Genetically modified crops (banned) High petrol prices Banning fox hunting War in Iraq

Political Institutions
The Judiciary
NO Judicial Review The Courts and the EU Britain must abide by decisions of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) This led to:
Sex Discrimination Act of 1986 Human Rights Act of 1998

Types of Law
Common law (historical) vs. Code Law

New Supreme Court

New Supreme Court

Began October 2009
The court will be an independent institution, presided over by independently appointed law lords

Selection Process
A selection commission will be formed when vacancies arise. This will be composed of the President and Deputy President of the Supreme Court and members of the appointment bodies for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. All new judges appointed to the Supreme Court after its creation will not be members of the House of Lords; they will become Justices of the Supreme Court.

New Supreme Court

The Supreme Courts 12 Justices maintain the highest standards set by the Appellate Committee, but are now explicitly separate from both Government and Parliament. The Court hears appeals on arguable points of law of the greatest public importance, for the whole of the United Kingdom in civil cases, and for England, Wales and Northern Ireland in criminal cases. Additionally, it hears cases on devolution matters under the Scotland Act 1998, the Northern Ireland Act 1988 and the Government of Wales Act 2006. This jurisdiction was transferred to the Supreme Court from the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.

New Supreme Court

New Supreme Court

This new location is highly symbolic of the United Kingdoms separation of powers, balancing judiciary and legislature across the open space of Parliament Square, with the other two sides occupied by the executive (the Treasury building) and the church (Westminster Abbey). Under European law, member states courts should always make their rulings according to principles laid down in relevant decisions by the European Court of Justice (ECJ). If The Supreme Court is considering a case where interpretation of an ECJ decision is unclear, the Justices can refer the question to the ECJ for clarification. They will then base their own decision on this answer.

Supreme Court Parliament Square

http://www.c-span.org/Watch/Media/2009/10/16/PMQ/A/24507/Opening+Of+UK+Supreme+Court.aspx

Political Institutions
Military
Under civilian control

The Bureaucracy (Whitehall)

Professional Civil Service

The Policy Making Process Dominant Executive/ Cabinet How the System Works Who makes legislation? Subnational governments in a unitary system
Devolution Scotland, Wales Assemblies Regional Development Agencies Local City Governance

The British State: Enduring Myths & Changing Realities

British Political Culture

The civic culture and collectivist years
Widespread sense of legitimacy Tolerance of diversity Nationalism

British Civility
Heckling and PM Question Time

British Political Culture

The politics of protest: Toward an uncivic culture? Confrontational political participation and civic unrest; racism; militancy of unions; clash between the left and the right created a far more polarized political system, but the majority of the populace did not take part and grew frustrated with the confrontational politics.

British Political Culture

The civic culture holds Thatchers stand against the left helped sharply reduce the political tensions that seemed to imperil traditional British institutions and practices. The analysts who predicted the end of the civic culture overstated the dangers the protest movements posed; revolution was never on the horizon. Dissatisfaction with the recent governments had not translated into dissatisfaction with the regime.

British Political Culture

Will there always be a Britain? How do the following affect the answer to the question above? Polarization and catch-all parties Devolution Cultural and racial diversity European Union

Thinking About Britain

The Kingdoms The cleavages Social class
Most Important

Geographic Religious Economic

Media Roles
British media far more centralized than U.S. London dominates Broadsheets and tabloids Very little local news on television; national news at different times of the day; networks tend to be impartial, but journalists are not necessarily so; interviewers grill politicians

Political Participation
Liberal democracy
People vote!

Participate through Political Parties and Interest Groups Gender Gap

Women more likely to vote Labour Men more likely to vote Conservative

Young Voters
Anti-war Less likely to vote (Sound familiar?)

Political Violence
Terrorism
London 7/7/05 bombings
Killed 52 civilians and 4 bombers

Anti-war protests Otherwise, minimal

Political and Economic Change

Evolution from post WWII nationalization to privatization in the 1980s (Thatcher) to Blairs Third Way.

Public Policy: The Thatcher and Blair Revolutions

Break with the past in domestic policy Thatchers politics of conviction brought dramatic change, especially to economic life. Blairs government has accepted privatization and the core of Thatcherism Continuity in foreign policy

Public Policy: The Thatcher and Blair Revolutions

Domestic politics Margaret Thatcher: The retreat from the commanding heights: Nationalizing and privatizing Rolling back the welfare state Thatchers supporters say she saved the British economy by bring both inflation and unemployment under control and by creating a more dynamic private sector. Thatchers detractors say she created new problems and exacerbated existing ones by widening the gap between rich and poor and by allowing public services to deteriorate.

Public Policy: The Thatcher and Blair Revolutions

Domestic Politics, cont.

Tony Blair:
Not rolling back Thatchers and Majors reforms Government spending as a percentage of GNP shrank Welfare that gives recipients skills to find jobs rather than just benefits Tuition increase Tolling London drivers to reduce traffic congestion Blairs supporters say he has create the Third Way combining the best aspects of the socialist goals commitment to equality with a market economy. Blairs detractors say he sold out the left and created Thatcher lite.

Public Policy: The Thatcher and Blair Revolutions

Foreign policy Europe

European Monetary Union?

To Euro or Not To Euro, that is the question Tories were Euroskeptics Blair had promised a referendum, but

Ratify the draft constitution for the EU?

Iraq

Political ramifications of backing George W. Bush on war with Iraq Split within Labour, Conservatives support on principle

The British State: Enduring Myths & Changing Realities

The British State: Enduring Myths & Changing Realities

The British State: Enduring Myths & Changing Realities

The British State: Enduring Myths & Changing Realities

Cabinet government? Many analysts argue that Britain has prime ministerial system of government - define Collective Responsibility The rest of the state Weakness of the bureaucracy Diluted sovereignty of cabinet and parliament because of regulatory agencies and QUANGOs (define) The courts have never had a policy-making role

Public Policy
Supranational Influences How do they affect Britain?
EU UN World Bank GATT WTO NATO

What do these acronyms stand for?

Public Policy
Some Policy Issues
National Health Service Environment Adoption of the Euro? Constitutional Reform, including the Lords (page 82) Immigration and Asylum (page 83)
Race and Religion

Terrorism/ War in Iraq (page 84) Devolution (page 69) Ireland (page 81)

Thinking About Britain

Key Questions
Gradualism the belief that change should occur slowly or incrementally. Relative economic decline and its political implications The end of collectivist consensus; Margaret Thatchers policies and legacy; Impact of New Labour and Tony Blair

Some Key Vocabulary

Backbenchers Devolution Euroskeptic Shadow Cabinet Three-line whip Maastrict Treaty Beveridge Report Collective Responsibility Good Friday Agreement Third Way Parliamentary System Corporatism Nationalization First Past the Post CBI/ TUC Unitary system Fusion of Powers Quangos Whitehall

The European Union http://europa.eu/index_en.htm

The European Union

Link shows the growth
http://europa.eu/abc/history/animated_map/index_en.htm

The European Union (EU)

Membership Requirements
Stable, functioning democratic regime A market-oriented economy Willingness to accept all EU laws and regulations

The European Union presently consists of 27 countries and has a total population of nearly 500 million citizens. Motto of the EU
United in Diversity

The EUs Three Pillars (spheres of authority)

Trade and other economic areas
Single currency (the Euro) Creation of the European Central Bank

Justice and Home Affairs

Asylum and Immigration (border crossing) Judicial cooperation on crime and terrorism

Common Foreign and Security Policy

Common Defense Policy

THE EU - Growth

Bulgaria, Romania

2007

EU History
1950 European Coal and Steel Community 1957 European Economic Community, EEC or Common Market, created by the Treaty of Rome 1965 European Community (EC) 1991 The EU is created by the Treaty of Maastrict, expanding the authority of the organization 1999 Introduction of the Euro

EU History

EU Institutions
The The The The Commission Council of Ministers European Parliament European Court of Justice

The Commission
27 Members, one from each member state Supported by a bureaucracy of several thousand Each commissioner is responsible for a particular area of policy Headed by a president Main purpose is to initiate and maintain new programs

The Council of Ministers

Made up of the heads of government, the finance ministers, and the foreign ministers of the member states The Commission may initiate legislation, but the must be passed by the Council to go into effect Each country receives a number of votes based on population

The European Parliament

Not very powerful - The EUs weakest institution Directly elected by the people Members sit by ideology Power has grown since direct election of members The right to approve all nominees to the Commission and can remove the entire Commission if a vote of censure passes by a two-thirds margin. The right to approve the budget

European Court of Justice

The supreme court of the EU Has the power of judicial review 27 judges, one from each member state Very powerful, its decisions may limit national sovereignty what does that mean? Decisions have frequently made major expansion of the EUs authority possible Actions have limited national sovereignty in favor of the EUs institutions (very important!)

Policies of the EU
Single Internal Market Common Monetary Policy
Euro adopted by 12 countries, but not Britain or Sweden European Monetary Union sets interest rates and other fiscal policies
Define fiscal policy

What are the benefits of these policies?

Policies of the EU
Common Agricultural Policy subsidies cost about the EU budget Who gets them? Common Defense (but no EU army) Justice/ Home Affairs goal of free movement (immigration, asylum) of EU nationals, not required What controversies has this caused? Fighting Terrorism Bombings in Spain and Britain

Public Policy in the EU

The Internal Market The removal of tariffs and other barriers to trade

Tremendous impact on both European governments and their citizens

Monetary union

The euro EMU gives the EU and its new central bank powerful levers they can exert over national governments

Public Policy in the EU

Common Agricultural Policy Took steps to modernize inefficient farms to be more competitive in the European market Established the EAFFF, giving farmers subsidies and guaranteeing the purchase of surplus goods at artificially high prices. Demonstrates how pressure put on member states can lead to policies that tend to impede a free market and also make the EU resistant to change. More recent reforms on the CAP have been forced on the EU by the GATT and the WTO.

European Constitution
A new constitution for the EU was passed in 2004 and is now being ratified by member states But France and The Netherlands voted no So.

The EU
What does the future hold for the EU?
Membership How large should the EU be? What about Russia? Turkey? Which countries will dominate it in the future? How does Britain keeping the Pound () affect its role in the EU?

Check it out The EU at a glance

http://europa.eu/abc/index_en.htm

The EU
Future President of the EU???

Apparently NOT!!!

Bonus Material Prime Minister Interesting Stuff

In the Twentieth Century, 14 of the 20 Prime Ministers first assumed office without the sanction of a general election. The Prime Minister typically has substantial cabinet experience. (Gordon Brown was Chancellor of the Exchequer for ten years before becoming Prime Minister).

Bonus - Elections
How do the regions vote in GB since 1950?
North Britain (Scotland & the North of England) solidly Labour in most elections since 1950 South & Midlands Conservative (except 1997) Urban, city centers Labour Suburban and rural more Conservative

QE 2 from a former student

I was a little shocked when it penetrated my brain how long she's been around. She gives new meaning to the phrase "Long Live the Queen" How old does this one make you feel?
(See pictures)