Download Labour Party

United Kingdom
Wood Chapter 2
Geography – Political
Geography – Population
• 63 Million People
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53 M England
5 M Scotland
3 M Wales
2 M North Irelad
• 92% White
• 4% Asian
Geography – Economy
• GDP $2.86 T $42,106 Per Capita
• 1.5% Agriculture
• 19% Industrial
• 80% Service
• Gini coefficient is .32
• Top 10% have 38% of wealth
• 15% under government poverty line
History – 1066, 1215, and 1688
• British History begins in 1066 with the Norman invasion of the British Isle
• William the Conqueror aligns nobility with guarantee to advise them before taxing
• Beginnings of the “House of Lords”
• King John, desperate for tax revenue, signs the Magna Charta
• First document in world to limit a monarchs power
• After Civil War, monarchy is restored
• William and Mary sign English Bill of Rights
• Gives Parliament, not people, rights
History – Colonialism and
Industrial Revolution
• Colonialism spreads the English culture and government around the world
• North America, Australia, India, South Africa still have English influence today
• Industrial Revolution begins in England due to liberal economic laws and
vast amounts of coal
• Agrarian sector turns to industry
• Rural jobs replaced by urban
• Growth of cites leads to increased demands on government at the local level
History – 20th Century
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Two World Wars solidify Britain's role as a global power
Post WWII leads to an increased role of government in citizen’s lives
Strong social state is replaced by “Thatcherism” in the 1980’s
Blair wins back the country with Labour’s “Third Way”
Blair’s support of US and Bush in Iraq War lead to downfall; Brown 2008
Cameron “Big Society” not government last until “Brexit”
Government Institutions – Executive
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Unitary government with a Parliamentary System of power
Head of State is the Monarchy
Head of Government is Prime Minister
PM is elected by MPs and appoints members of the cabinet
Cabinet is main policy making body through “collective responsibility”
Government Institutions – Bureaucracy
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Large, professional bureaucracy
Tend to be apolitical
Does not change when government changes
Has great discretionary power as cabinet usually not experts in field
Merit system of advancement
Government Institutions – Legislative
• Parliament – bicameral legislative branch
• House of Commons – FPTP SMD five year term
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Only directly elected part of government
Leader of party with most MPs elects the PM
Usually supportive of the PM, so separation of powers is non-existent
Strict party discipline, or risk vote of no confidence
Party out of power is “loyal opposition” and creates “shadow cabinet”
Question time is only real opportunity for opposition to make a point
Government Institutions – Legislative
• Parliament – bicameral legislative branch
• House of Lords – non elected upper house
• Traditional power of the upper class has all but disappeared by end of the 20th century
• Can debate bills and make amendments, but House of Commons can veto and pass anyway
• Until 2009 contained the Supreme Court of UK, but thanks to EU separate court created
• Hereditary peers and life peers
Government Institutions – Judicial
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Common Law that uses past cases and rulings
Parliamentary Sovereignty limits power of judicial review
2009 a Supreme Court was created
Can nullify government action that exceed powers in an Act of Parliament
Cannot declare an Act of Parliament unconstitutional (no constitution)
Formal Parliament Brexit vote shows growing power of judiciary
Political Institutions – Political Parties
• Labour Party
• Center-left main party in the UK; common man and union members
• After WWII and instituted socialist policies “Beveridge Report”
• Nationalizing major industries
• National Health Service
• Granted independence to India
• Post-war consensus kept most socialistic policies until the 1980’s
Political Institutions – Political Parties
• Labour Party
• After Thatcher, the party removed Clause 4 of the Charter
• Tony Blair’s “Third Way” defines the party post-Thatcher
• Blair PM 1997-2007 and Brown PM 2007-2010 were hampered by Iraq, and 2008
respectively
• Labour is losing support to third party groups Lib Dems and SNP
Political Institutions – Political Parties
• Conservative Party
• Center-right main party in UK
• Elitist party focused on economy and noblesse oblige
• Formed most governments in 20th century
• Post-war consensus advocated for more social policies (Beveridge Report)
• Election of Thatcher pushes party to the right
Political Institutions – Political Parties
• Conservative Party
• Neoliberalism changed many parts of Britain's economy
• After 1990 created rift in party between
• Traditional Wing – noblesse oblige; support EU
• Thatcherite Wing – remove govt controls; tend to be Eurosceptic
• David Cameron creates coalition with Lib Dems 2010, then majority in 2015
• Theresa May ascends to PM after Cameron resigns due to Brexit vote
Political Institutions – Political Parties
• Liberal Democrats
• Traditionally largest third party
• Advocate for Proportional Representation
• As part of deal with coalition govt, Fixed-term Parliaments Act of 2011 passed
• Lost many seats in 2015 and is not relevant today
• Scottish National Party, Plaid Cymru and Sinn Fein
• Regional Parties that have had little impact (SNP in 2015 is exception)
• UK Independence Party
• Most representatives in EU Parliament; responsible for Brexit
Political Institutions – Elections
• Open political system that allows multiple parties, but has been dominated by
two: Labour and Conservative
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First Past the Post Single Member district hurts smaller parties
Plurality voting means that many times 40% can win most elections
No election for any national office, on MPs and MEPs
Devolution created Assemblies in Scotland, Wales, and North Ireland
• All use proportional representation
Political Institutions – Interest Groups
• Interest Group pluralism allows for many groups to compete for power
• Quangos tend to be more powerful, working with the government to create
policy
• Quangos were weakened under Thatcher, and many eliminated by Cameron
• Trade Union Congress (TUC) vs Confederation of Business Industries (CBI)
is example of pluralism in UK
Political Institutions – Media
• Ranked 38 out of 180 countries
• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) created to educate and inform
citizens regulated by government
• Today commercial channels compete with BBC
• Press generally free to report on anything
Civil Society – Cleavages
• Social Class – May be most pronounced cleavage; nobles oblige, and
political parties fall on social class lines
• National Minorities – Although united as Britons, Scotland has held an
independence referendum, and with Brexit looming may hold another
• Ethnic Minorites – 90% white; many non-whites are immigrants and were
partial fuel for Brexit vote
Civil Society – Political Beliefs and Values
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Decreasing support for labor unions
Violence regarding Northern Ireland
Thatcherism
New Labour
Iraq War
Brexit
Civil Society – Voting
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Roughly 70% of eligible voters vote in a typical election
Party loyalty has diminished, however social class and region are predictors
Social Class – middle and upper – Conservative; working – Labour
Region – Conservatives win most of England; Labour has done well in
country, but has lost some MPs to SNP (56 of 59 seats are SNP in Scotland)
Policies and Issues – The Economy
• Post WWII, Collective Consensus philosophy led UK to more socialist
policies with Keynesianism philosophy about employment
• Thatcher reversed this trend with neoliberalism
• Privatization of industry and smaller role of government
• Blair’s Third Way attempted to show a Labour alternative that wasn’t
socialism
Policies and Issues – The Economy
• Cameron’s “Big Society” put the responsibility back in the private sector
• Austerity in 2010 – college tuition triples
• VAT increases
• National Health Service (NHS)
• Budgetary issues led to major overhaul in 2012
• Privatization and more doctor control hopes to lower administrative costs
Policies and Issues – Foreign Policy
• European Union – SMH
• USA – Special Relationship
• Terrorism – 2005 52 people die in suicide bomb
Policies and Issues – Devolution
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Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales all have own assemblies
Although still unitary, this devolution has brought questions on unity
Good Friday Agreement led to peace in North Ireland 1998
Scottish Vote for Independence No 55 Yes 44