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Copyright © 2018, 2015, 2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Comparative Politics Today: A World View
Twelfth Edition
Chapter 7
Politics in Britain
Copyright © 2018, 2015, 2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
United Kingdom
• United Kingdom created in 1801, merging England,
Scotland, Wales, Ireland
• Britain did not become a democracy overnight.– Evolution not revolution
– Democratization was a slow process
– Contrasts with the dominant European practice of switching between democratic
and undemocratic regimes
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Current Policy Challenges
(1 of 2)
• General Election of 2015– The Conservative Party led by Prime Minister David Cameron won an absolute
majority of seats.
– Only 13 months later, Cameron resigned as prime minister after failing to
produce a majority vote in favor of the UK remaining in the United Kingdom.
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Current Policy Challenges
(2 of 2)
• British Empire = Commonwealth– Antigua and Australia to India, Pakistan, Zambia differ in wealth, culture,
commitment to democracy.
• Special relationship with U.S.
• Britain’s world position has declined
• European Community (1957) – now EU– Britain did not join until 1973
– Created more policy challenges
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The Legacy of History (1 of 2)
• 1940-44, Churchill: laid foundation for welfare state
• 1951-64, Churchill, Eden, MacMillan – Conservatives– maintained consensus on mixed economy welfare state – led to consumer
prosperity.
• 1964, Wilson – Labour
• 1970-74, Heath – Conservatives – Britain becomes member of European Community
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The Legacy of History (2 of 2)
• 1979, Margaret Thatcher – Conservatives– Policies of free-market and privatization
– Thatcher never won more than 43% of total vote but division within other parties
helped her win
– replaced by John Major
• 1994, Tony Blair – Labour– 2nd longest serving prime minister of past century
– Successor – 2007 – Gordon Brown
• 2007, Gordon Brown
• 2010, David Cameron
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The Environment of Politics
(1 of 2)
• One Crown but five nations– United Kingdom –
▪ England: no English State in international law
▪ Wales: ¼ speak Welch
▪ Scotland: separate legal, religious, educational institutions
▪ Northern Ireland: remainder of Ireland rebelled against Crown in 1916 and a
separate Irish state in Dublin in 1921
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The Environment of Politics
(2 of 2)
• Unitary State: political system having one source of
authority, British Parliament
• UK is multinational state
• Historically, Scotland, Wales governed by British Cabinet
ministers accountable to Parliament.– Scotland/Wales (1999): responsibilities for policy given to local elected
assemblies
– Northern Ireland is most un-English part of UK
▪ formally a secular polity
▪ identity questions: Catholics and Protestants
▪ turmoil since 1968, IRA
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A Multiracial Britain
• Worldwide British Empire was multiracial and so is
commonwealth.
• Response to terrorist attacks: – increase police powers
– restrictions on asylum seekers
– deportation made easier
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The Structure of Government
(1 of 2)
• Crown rather than a constitution symbolizes the authority
of government.– Monarch only ceremonial head of state.
• What constitutes the Crown?– Government
– Government officials
– Whitehall
– Downing Street
– Parliament
– Collectively referred to as Westminster
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Figure 7.1 Popular Influence Must Focus
on Westminster
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The Structure of Government
(2 of 2)
– Unwritten constitution:
▪ Acts Of Parliament
▪ Judicial Pronouncements
▪ Customs and Conventions
▪ Few constraints in unwritten constitution:
–Vagueness makes it flexible
–Can be changed by majority vote in Parliament or by government
choosing to act in unprecedented manner
–English courts claim no power to declare act of Parliament
unconstitutional
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What the Prime Minister Says
and Does
• Political Leader
• Ambiguous Duties
• Imperatives of the Prime Minister:– Winning elections
– Campaigning through the media
– Patronage
– Parliamentary performance
– Making and balancing policies
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Figure 7.2 Long- and Short-Term Tenures at
Downing Street
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Cabinet Ministers and Civil
Servants
• Cabinet is senior ministers appointed by prime minister
• Must be members of House of Commons or House of
Lords
• Remain important as department heads
• Major Whitehall departments differ greatly from each
other
• Political reputation of ministers depends on success in
promoting interests of their department in parliament, in
media, in battles within Whitehall
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The Civil Service
• Largest number of civil servants are clerical staff with little
discretion
• Most important group of civil servants is smallest group– Advise ministers, oversee work of their departments
– Top civil servants are bipartisan, ready to work for whichever party is winner
– Thatcher: focus on making civil service more businesslike
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The Role of Parliament (1 of 2)
• Principal division in Parliament is between party with
majority of seats in House of Commons and opposition
party
• If bill or motion is identified as vote of confidence in
government, government will fall if it is defeated
• MPs from majority party generally vote as party
leadership instructs
• Whitehall departments draft bills presented to Parliament
• Government rather than Parliament sets budget
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The Role of Parliament (2 of 2)• Functions of MPs:
– weigh political reputations
– publicize issues
– scrutinize legislation
– examine how Whitehall departments administer public policies
– MPs in the governing party have private access to the government ministers
• House of Lords– Unique as second chamber because initially composed of hereditary peers
– 1999: Labour abolished right of all but 92 hereditary peers to sit in House of
Lords
– Government often introduces noncontroversial legislation in Lords if it deals with
technical matters
– Uses Lords as revising chamber to amend bills
– Lords cannot veto legislation, but can amend or delay passage of government
bills
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The Courts and Abuses of Power
• Supreme Court created as highest judicial authority, 2009
• Replaced old practice of highest court being committee of
House of Lords
• Court consists of president and 11 justices
• Serves as final appeal on points of law
• Limited powers, cannot declare Acts of Parliament
unconstitutional
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Government as a Coalition
• Within Whitehall network, core set of political figures are
important in determining policies– Prime Minister
– Cabinet Ministers
– In coalition government major decisions cannot be made by single politician
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Political Culture and Legitimacy
(1 of 2)
• Trusteeship Theory of Government: leaders take initiative
• Collectivist Theory of Government: government balances
competing demands
• Individualist Theory of Government: parties represent
people not groups
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Political Culture and Legitimacy
(2 of 2)
• Evidenced by readiness of British people to comply with
basic political laws
• Not related to economic calculations
• Symbols of common past as major determinants of
legitimacy
• Habit and tradition
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Figure 7.3 Politicians Least Trusted
Social Group
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Political Socialization and
Participation (1 of 2)
• Socialization influences the division between those who
do and do not participate– Family and Gender: create youthful identification with party
– Education: more educated not as likely to be conservative as once were
– Class: Conservative = middle class, Labour = working class
– Mass Media: only a few papers, TV is primary source of news
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Figure 7.4 Participation in Politics
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Political Socialization and
Participation (2 of 2)
• Voting: competitive elections bring higher turnout
• Sign Petitions
• Contact Politicians
• Party Volunteers
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Political Recruitment
• Important political roles: – Cabinet minister
– higher civil servant
– partisan advisers
– intermittent public persons
• Each group has own recruitment pattern
• Starting early on political career necessary for success
• Geography – career will be spent in London
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Organizing Group Interests
• Civil society institutions flourished in Britain for centuries– Confederation of British Industries: big business, direct contacts with Whitehall
– Trades Union Congress: labour
– Voluntary/Charitable Associations
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What Interest Groups Want
• Most interest groups pursue three goals:– sympathetic administration of established policies
– information about government policies and changes in policies
– influence on policymaking
• Insider Interest Groups: have values in harmony with all
parties
• Outsider Interest Groups: demands are inconsistent with
party in power– Keeping Interest Groups at a Distance: less reliance on negotiations with groups
and more on authority of Crown
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Party System and Electoral
Choice
• General election must occur at least once every five
years
• Prime minister is free to call election any time
• Winner is candidate who is first past the post (plurality)
• Winner nationally is party that gains most seats
• Two party system vs. multiparty system
• Distribution of seats in House of Commons different from
distribution of share of votes
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Figure 7.5 Ups and Downs of
Electoral Fortunes of Parties
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Figure 7.6 Parties’ MPs and Share of
Votes
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Centralized Authority and
Decentralized Delivery (1 of 4)
• Unitary state, political authority is centralized– Decisions are binding on public agencies through Acts of Parliament and
regulations
– Treasury must authorize expenditures before bill can be put to Parliament
– Minister must pilot bill through Parliament
– Minister may also negotiate agreement with public agencies outside and with
affected interest groups
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• Devolution to Elected Officials:– Local government is subordinate to central government
– Scotland and Wales to representative assemblies
– Local council elections fought on party lines
• Local government divided into two tiers of county, district
councils, each with responsibility for local services
• Central government grants are largest source of local
government revenue
Centralized Authority and
Decentralized Delivery (2 of 4)
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• Non-elected Institutions:– Executive agencies
– National Health Service (NHS)
– Quasi-Autonomous Nongovernmental Organizations
▪ Advisory Committees
▪ Administrative Tribunals
• From Trust to Contract:– Civil service has relied on trust in delivering policies
– Government buying from private sector
Centralized Authority and
Decentralized Delivery (3 of 4)
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• Turning to the Market– Privatization
• The Contingency of Influence:– Theory of British government is centralist
– All roads lead to Downing Street
– Influence varies with problem
Centralized Authority and
Decentralized Delivery (4 of 4)
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Policy Performance
• Government relies on three major resources to produce
benefits of public policy: – Laws – unique resource of government; contracts are only effective if enforced
– Money – taxes on incomes and consumption and stealth taxes
– Personnel – public employees are needed to administer laws and deliver
services
– Social Security most costly program of British government
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Figure 7.7 Slicing the Budget Pie
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