1. Jan 15 – Comp Gov Agenda: Voting Policies Discussion Political Parties
Group Work
Presentation
Notes:
Bureaucracy
Cleavages and the Creation of Parties
Take Out:
Pen/Pencil
Notebook
Work from Yesterday
Homework:
Read and annotate articles

2. Which is More Democratic?
First Past the Post
Single Transferrable Vote
Alternative Vote

3. What political cleavages exist in the UK?

4. Parties are the vehicle between the people and the state.
How did the creation of the parties address these cleavages?
How does economic change impact parties?
How does gradual democratization change who holds power?

5. Cleavages  Political Parties
First Cleavage – Rich vs. Poor
Poor are poor – don’t matter, don’t vote
Rich who support monarchy vs. rich who oppose
Division under Charles II (late 1600’s)
Support Monarch (Tories) AKA “Irish Catholic Bandits”
The Conservative party
Noblesse Oblige – elite rule while accounting for all
Oppose Monarch (Whigs) AKA “Scottish Presbyterian Rebels”
The Liberal Party
Began to incorporate the commercial class
Allowed democracy to evolve without revolution
Economy shifts from feudal to colonial mercantilism

6. Industrialism leads to change and reform…
The Industrial Revolution shifted economic power from landowners to men of commerce and industry
Demanded that the system respond to the people
Great Reform Act of 1832: About 300,000 men gained right to vote, House of Commons gained more power in relation to House of Lords
Reform Act of 1867: electorate reaches 3 million, many working class people allowed to vote
Representation of the People Act of 1884: electorate is further expanded to make sure that majority of electorate is working class
Women’s Suffrage: all women over the age of 28 and all men over 21 granted the right to vote in By 1928, all women over 21 allowed to vote.

7. Catalyst: Industrialism
Tories and Liberal Party (not known as Whigs anymore) still exist during Industrialization
The Labor Party emerges by WWI
Coincides with the trade unions
Represents the working class
Desire basic social services for citizens
Support a welfare state

8. Catalyst: WWII War brings need for economic health
Prior rto war – laissez faire economy
Wars inspired more state control
1918 – Labor Platform – Clause IV
“to secure for the workers by hand or brain the full fruits of their industry…upon the basis of common ownership of the means of production, distributions, and exchange”
Tories still exist
Liberal party dissolves into/because of Labor
Labor wins support in Parliament
Create the welfare state
Nationalize coal, utilities, rail roads, healthcare

9. 1945 - 1979 CATALYST FOR CHANGE: 1960s disillusionment
Decrease in industrial production
decline in international influence
loss of colonies
Economic hardships of 1970s
OPEC – raise prices
Major recession
High unemployment
Drop in GDP
Inflation
Strikes
Fewer workers in blue-collar jobs.
Collectivist Consensus
Major parties all accepted and were committed to full employment, social services, and government intervention
“Womb to tomb coverage”
Labor held the party line
Tories revise party priorities:
Support for free market economy
Decreasing support for labor unions
Increased violence in Northern Ireland

10. 1970’s
Labour became more conservative, and split into “Moderate” and “Radical” factions
Moderates held initial party line
Radicals called for shifts in power to favor the working class, social contracts with the government, and extensions of public ownership
Trade unions became increasingly frustrated with “their” party
Labour Party encouraged wage restraints and trade union concessions.
Tories (Conservatives) move right
Push for a pure market economy
Liberal parties emerge (centrist)
Trying to split the divide between Labor and Conservatives
Nationalist parties gain support

11. Rise of the Iron Lady 1970’s see the rise of Margaret Thatcher
Elected MP in 1959
– Conservative Party Leader
– PM
Blamed Britain’s decline on its softness (too many on the dole)
retreated from the welfare state
Wanted to:
lower taxes, cut spending on social services and some privatization
Allowed aging firms to go bankrupt & confront unions during strikes
Instituted poll tax to move local governments’ tax burden from property owners to all citizens
Introduced “Workfare” instead of “Welfare”
Selling council houses – British public housing – to tenants (big electoral payoff)
Conservatives and Thatcher swept to power
Trade Union ties to Labour strained
Keynesian Welfare state discredited

12. 1980’s & 1990’s
1988 – The Liberal Party and the Social Democrats officially merge to form the Liberal Democratic Party
Become the major third party
NEW LABOR – becomes a party of MODERATION
Weaken trade unions
Abandon commitment to socialism
Accept more limited social expenditures and privatization.
Free-market policies with constitutional reform = “Third Way” politics
Devolution
LibDems and Conservatives begin seeing eye to eye
Individual freedom and weak state
Emphasis on collective equality
European integration
Opponents of war in Iraq
Want increased taxation and social spending at times