LG302 Comparative European Politics Britain: The archetypal majoritarian democracy?

Majoritarian and consensual democracies According to Arend Lijphart A majoritarian democracy “concentrates power in the hands of the majority” A consensual democracy “tries to arrive at as much consensus as possible by restraining majority rule and by sharing, dispersing, and limiting political power” To distinguish between them, Lijphart focused on two political dimensions and 10 institutional characteristics

Majoritarian and consensual democracies

Majoritarianism = the Westminster model “I use the term Westminster model inter- changeably with majoritarian model … The British version of the Westminster model is both the original and the best-known example of this model.” Lijphart, Patterns of Democracy, p. 9 Available online

Britain – Still majoritarian? Lijphart’s criteriaMajoritarian/consensual 1970s Majoritarian/consensual 2000s Nature of executive power Executive-legislative relations Party system Electoral system Interest group system Centre-periphery relations Type of legislature Type of constitution Judicial review Central bank

Britain – Still majoritarian? Lijphart’s criteriaMajoritarian/consensual 1970s Majoritarian/consensual 2000s Nature of executive powersingle-party govts - Mcoalition - C Executive-legislative relations Party system Electoral system Interest group system Centre-periphery relations Type of legislature Type of constitution Judicial review Central bank

Britain – Still majoritarian? Lijphart’s criteriaMajoritarian/consensual 1970s Majoritarian/consensual 2000s Nature of executive powersingle-party govts - Mcoalition - C Executive-legislative relations cabinet dominates parliament - M some backbench revolts – M Party system Electoral system Interest group system Centre-periphery relations Type of legislature Type of constitution Judicial review Central bank

Britain – Still majoritarian? Lijphart’s criteriaMajoritarian/consensual 1970s Majoritarian/consensual 2000s Nature of executive powersingle-party govts - Mcoalition - C Executive-legislative relations cabinet dominates parliament - M some backbench revolts – M Party system2-party system - M3+-party system – C? Electoral system Interest group system Centre-periphery relations Type of legislature Type of constitution Judicial review Central bank

Britain – Still majoritarian? Lijphart’s criteriaMajoritarian/consensual 1970s Majoritarian/consensual 2000s Nature of executive powersingle-party govts - Mcoalition - C Executive-legislative relations cabinet dominates parliament - M some backbench revolts – M Party system2-party system - M3+-party system – C? Electoral systemfirst-past-the-post - M Interest group system Centre-periphery relations Type of legislature Type of constitution Judicial review Central bank

Britain – Still majoritarian? Lijphart’s criteriaMajoritarian/consensual 1970s Majoritarian/consensual 2000s Nature of executive powersingle-party govts - Mcoalition - C Executive-legislative relations cabinet dominates parliament - M some backbench revolts – M Party system2-party system - M3+-party system – C? Electoral systemfirst-past-the-post - M Interest group systempluralist - M Centre-periphery relations Type of legislature Type of constitution Judicial review Central bank

Britain – Still majoritarian? Lijphart’s criteriaMajoritarian/consensual 1970s Majoritarian/consensual 2000s Nature of executive powersingle-party govts - Mcoalition - C Executive-legislative relations cabinet dominates parliament - M some backbench revolts – M Party system2-party system - M3+-party system – C? Electoral systemfirst-past-the-post - M Interest group systempluralist - M Centre-periphery relationsunitary & centralised - Mdecentralised - C Type of legislature Type of constitution Judicial review Central bank

Britain – Still majoritarian? Lijphart’s criteriaMajoritarian/consensual 1970s Majoritarian/consensual 2000s Nature of executive powersingle-party govts - Mcoalition - C Executive-legislative relations cabinet dominates parliament - M some backbench revolts – M Party system2-party system - M3+-party system – C? Electoral systemfirst-past-the-post - M Interest group systempluralist - M Centre-periphery relationsunitary & centralised - Mdecentralised - C Type of legislatureunicameral legislature - M Type of constitution Judicial review Central bank

Britain – Still majoritarian? Lijphart’s criteriaMajoritarian/consensual 1970s Majoritarian/consensual 2000s Nature of executive powersingle-party govts - Mcoalition - C Executive-legislative relations cabinet dominates parliament - M some backbench revolts – M Party system2-party system - M3+-party system – C? Electoral systemfirst-past-the-post - M Interest group systempluralist - M Centre-periphery relationsunitary & centralised - Mdecentralised - C Type of legislatureunicameral legislature - M Type of constitutionflexible constitution - M Judicial review Central bank

Britain – Still majoritarian? Lijphart’s criteriaMajoritarian/consensual 1970s Majoritarian/consensual 2000s Nature of executive powersingle-party govts - Mcoalition - C Executive-legislative relations cabinet dominates parliament - M some backbench revolts – M Party system2-party system - M3+-party system – C? Electoral systemfirst-past-the-post - M Interest group systempluralist - M Centre-periphery relationsunitary & centralised - Mdecentralised - C Type of legislatureunicameral legislature - M Type of constitutionflexible constitution - M Judicial review Central bank

Britain – Still majoritarian? Lijphart’s criteriaMajoritarian/consensual 1970s Majoritarian/consensual 2000s Nature of executive powersingle-party govts - Mcoalition - C Executive-legislative relations cabinet dominates parliament - M some backbench revolts – M Party system2-party system - M3+-party system – C? Electoral systemfirst-past-the-post - M Interest group systempluralist - M Centre-periphery relationsunitary & centralised - Mdecentralised - C Type of legislatureunicameral legislature - M Type of constitutionflexible constitution - M Judicial reviewno judicial review - MHuman Rights Act – C? Central bank

Britain – Still majoritarian? Lijphart’s criteriaMajoritarian/consensual 1970s Majoritarian/consensual 2000s Nature of executive powersingle-party govts - Mcoalition - C Executive-legislative relations cabinet dominates parliament - M some backbench revolts – M Party system2-party system - M3+-party system – C? Electoral systemfirst-past-the-post - M Interest group systempluralist - M Centre-periphery relationsunitary & centralised - Mdecentralised - C Type of legislatureunicameral legislature - M Type of constitutionflexible constitution - M Judicial reviewno judicial review - MHuman Rights Act – C? Central bankdependent - Mindependent - C

Change in the Westminster model

Conclusion Lijphart considers Britain to be the archetypal majoritarian democracy Since the 1990s the British system has changed Some of these changes have been deliberate Some have been the result of pressure Some have been the result of other factors e.g. economic and social change So what?