United Kingdom

United Kingdom Political and Economic Change Citizens, Society, and the State Sovereignty, Authority, and Power Public Policy Political 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: 60,068,000 Capital: London; 7,615,000 Area: 242,910 square kilometers (93,788 square miles) Currency: British pound Life Expectancy: 78 GDP per Capita: U.S. $25,500 Literacy Percent: 99 Economy 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 Collective Consensus 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 Citizens React 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 Wales 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 Northern Ireland 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 Ethnic Minorities 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 Eastern European Migrants Eastern Europe joins EU in 2004, influx of immigrants National culture has not absorbed the groups into mainstream culture 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 Social Compacts and Constitutionalism Historical Evolution of National Political Traditions Political Culture

Social Compacts and Constitutionalism Tradition is a primary source of stability Traditional 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 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 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

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 powerful Quangos: quasi-autonomous nongovernmental organizations Policy advisory boards appointed by the government Neo-corporatism: Interest groups dominate the state Most powerful interest groups: those related to class and industrial interest

Government Institutions 3 branches of government Bicameral legislature Executive Judiciary Parliamentary system Unitary 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 politics Top 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 law A 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

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Sources AP Comparative Government and Politics: An Essential Coursebook 6th Edition by Ethel Wood http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/united-kingdom-facts/