United Kingdom

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

UK vs. Other Countries

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

We hope you have enjoyed our presentation!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eeesj8HI5Ho

Sources

AP Comparative Government and Politics: An Essential Coursebook 6th Edition by Ethel Wood

http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/united-kingdom-facts/