United Kingdom Wood Chapter 2

Geography – Political 

Geography – Population 63 Million People 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 Decreasing support for labor unions Violence regarding Northern Ireland Thatcherism New Labour Iraq War Brexit

Civil Society – Voting 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 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