Great Britain
Factors that Have Helped
Shape Political Behavior
Virginia Theerman
Historical Background
• In ancient times, England was a Roman
colony, made up of Roman soldiers and the
native Angles, Saxons, and Jutes.
• With the decline of the Romans, William the
Conqueror was able to invade in 1066 AD and
establish Norman rule.
• Under the Normans, basic units of organized
society were able to develop, and England
advanced. (US Dept. State, 2011)
• Following Monarchical Dynasties: Plantagenet,
Tudor, Stuart, and Hanover, which is renamed
Windsor after WWII, and is the current ruling
monarchy. (Spicer, L. 2010)
Historical Background
Continued
• The monarchy of Britain has worked closely with a
parliamentary form of government since the
1200s- at this time the very loosely organized
nobles forced King James I to sign the Magna
Carta, granting them basic rights in 1215.
• Modern day Parliament was formed through a
gradual process of expansion of power, as the
House of Commons was added to the House of
Lords, and as the power of the monarch declined.
(Living Heritage:Birth, n.d.)
• The last notable monarch to really control the state
of the country could arguably be Queen Victoria,
who reigned during the Industrial Revolution.
(Spicer, L. 2010)
Historical Background
Continued
• England officially/politically added Wales to their
state in 1536, Scotland in 1737, and Ireland in
1801, officially making up the modern day
United Kingdom.
• Throughout the 20th century and over the course
of two World Wars, the power of the monarch
has steadily declined, leaving the Prime Minister
of Parliament as the executive of the country.
• The current Prime Minister of Great Britain is
David Cameron, of the Conservative Party, and
the reigning monarch is Queen Elizabeth II, who
has held the throne since 1952.(US Dept. State,
2011)
Geography
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Great Britain
Wales
Scotland
Northern
Ireland
• Southern
Ireland
Pictures: US Dept of State, 2011; http://spence.saar, n.d.
Economics of Great Britain
Economics:
•GDP: $2.481 trillion.
•Per capita GDP $39,604.
•Natural resources: Coal, oil, natural gas, tin,
limestone, iron ore, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum,
lead, silica.
•Agriculture Products: cereals, oilseed,
potatoes, vegetables, cattle, sheep, poultry,
fish.
•Industry Types: steel, heavy engineering and
metal manufacturing, textiles, motor vehicles
and aircraft, construction (7.0% of GDP),
electronics, chemicals
•Services : financial, business, distribution,
transport, communication, hospitality.
•Trade : Exports of goods and services--$782.7
billion. Major goods exports--manufactured
goods, fuels, chemicals, food, beverages,
tobacco. Major export markets--U.S., European
Union. Imports of goods and services--$827.6
billion. Major goods imports--manufactured
goods, machinery, fuels, foodstuffs. Major
import suppliers--U.S., European Union, and
China. (US Dept. State, 2011)
.
Economics of Great Britain Continued
•
Unfortunately, Great Britian hit a period of recession
in 2008, which ended in late 2009. Growth since this
recession has been sporadic, held down by little credit
growth, a decline in real incomes, and the humble
economic outlook for the U.K.’s major trading partners.
• To address the financial crisis, the British Government
put into action a stability and recovery plan that
included a fiscal stimulus package, bank
recapitalization, and credit stimulus schemes.
• However, domestic demand remains weak and
unemployment has climbed back up to pre-recession
levels, at a record 8.4% in the last few months of
2011. (US Dept. State, 2011)
Social Conditions
• Population: 62,698,362 people
• One-third of the population lives in
England's southeast and is mostly urban
and suburban: 8.615 million people live in
the capital of London, the largest city in
Europe.
• Universal public education is offered, and
education is mandatory from ages 5
through 18, leading to a high literacy rate
of 99%. (US Dept. State 2011)
Social Conditions Continued
• Nationality: Noun--Briton(s). Adjective—British
• Major languages: English, Welsh, Irish Gaelic,
Scottish Gaelic.
• Work force (2009, 31.25 million): Services 80.4%;
industry 18.2%; agriculture 1.4%.
• Health: Infant mortality rate--4.62 deaths/1,000 live
births. Life expectancy (2011 est.)--males 77.95
years; females 82.25 years; total 80.05 years. (US
Dept. State, 2011)
•
•
Ethnic, Caste, and Religious
Groups
Major ethnic groups:
– White 92.1% (of which English 83.6%,
Scottish 8.6%, Welsh 4.9%, Northern
Irish 2.9%),
– Black 2%,
– Indian 1.8%,
– Pakistani 1.3%,
– mixed 1.2%,
– other 1.6%.
Major religions:
– Christian (Anglican, Roman Catholic,
Presbyterian, Methodist) 71.6%,
– Muslim 2.7%,
– Hindu 1%,
– other 1.6%,
– unspecified or none 23.1%.
(US Dept. State, 2011)
Ideologies
• Great Britain is a Participatory Democracy. Although it
is too large a country to have a direct democracy,
every person is able to have some say in the
legislative process through representatives and
lobbying. (Livesay, 2006)
• Political Parties
of Britain on
the Spectrum:
("Political ideologies and," 2010)
Citations
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US Department of State. (2011, July 19). Retrieved from
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3846.htm
Central Intelligence Agency. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-worldfactbook/geos/countrytemplate_uk.html
Living heritage: Birth of the English parliament. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.parliament.uk/about/livingheritage/evolutionofparliament/originsofparliament/birthofparliament/
(n.d.). Retrieved from
http://spence.saar.de/courses/culture/maps/Uk_topo_en.jpg
Spicer, L. (2010). Lecture notes taken by V.M. Theerman [Personal
Interview]. Great britain.
Livesey, C. (2006). Sociology central. Retrieved from
http://www.sociology.org.uk/revgpp4.pdf
Political ideologies and national parties. (2010, March 18). Retrieved from
http://www.mpacuk.org/vote/political-ideologies-and-national-parties.html
The Political Process
Jennifer Harris
How Rulers Are Chosen
• First-past-the-post (FPTP) or plurality system
• General elections happen every five years
• Great Britain has 650 constituencies.
Constituents vote from a list of candidates
standing for election. The candidate who gets
the most votes becomes the Member of
Parliament for that area until the next election.
• The leader of the Party with the most seats in
the House of Commons generally becomes the
Prime Minister.
• Royal succession for monarchy (head of state)
Political Parties
• The Labour Party (New Labour) – Left
party led by Ed Miliband
• The Conservative Party (Tories) – Right
party led by David Cameron
• The Liberal Democrat Party (Lib Dems) –
Centrist party led by Nick Clegg
Role of Political Parties
• They allow for political education and encourage
political participation by constituents in the UK
• They devise political policies and work to
incorporate those policies into government
programs should they be elected to a
government position
• They finance and organize General Election
campaigns and generally select potential
parliamentary candidates
• They promote/adopt certain ideological practices
in order to sway voters in elections
Role of Political Parties Cont.
• The UK Parliamentary System is
organized along partly lines (each MP
serves a particular political party) as a
check against the Executive of the
government.
• Political parties allow for conflicts to be
peacefully dealt with through debate rather
than violent acts
General Election 2010 Political Map
Role of Interest Groups
• Interest Groups attempt to win over constituents
by utilizing the media, holding petitions, and
other sources of ways to influence individuals to
support a particular cause.
• They utilize lobbyists to converse with members
of Parliaments and influence legislation.
• Favorable Opinion: Interest Groups work to
solve individual’s problems in society.
How individual citizens participate
in politics
• By participating in public hearings, meetings,
and petitions
• By filling out service satisfaction surveys with
their complaints/suggestions to Parliament
• Through the internet: political blogs, citizens’
panels, etc.
• Through citizens’ juries and issue forums
• Voting in the General Election every 5 years
Major Political Institutions
Martha Dawson
Political Institutions
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The Crown
Prime Minister
The Cabinet
House of Commons
House of Lords
Judiciary
The Crown
• Head of state
• Executive power rests nominally with
monarch
• Current monarch: Queen Elizabeth II
Prime Minister
• Executive leader (head of government)
• Answerable to House of Commons
• Leader of party that controls a majority in
Commons
• Subject to collective responsibility
of the cabinet
• Current PM: David Cameron
The Cabinet
• Immense responsibilities
• Formulates policy to be placed before
Parliament
• Supreme controlling and directing body of
executive branch
• The only check on chief executive’s power
House of Commons
• Elected
• Five year limit – no fixed term
• Exercises the main legislative powers in
Britain
• Main functions:
– Pass laws
– Provide for finance
– Scrutinize public administration and
government policy
House of Lords
• Unelected upper house
– Comprised of:
• Hereditary peers
• Life peers – appointed by crown on rec. of PM
• Law lords – appointed to assist lords in judicial
issues
• Legislative powers:
– Delay enactment of legislation
– Revisions on bills originated in Commons
– Debates public issues
Judiciary
• Independent of executive and legislative
• No power to judge constitutionality of legislation
or governmental conduct
• Limited by principle of parliamentary sovereignty
• Appointed by crown on recommendation by PM
or lord chancellor
• The courts:
– Crown Court
– high court
– appellate courts
– Supreme Court
Principal Government Officials
• Head of State--Queen Elizabeth II
• Prime Minister (Head of Government)--David
Cameron (Conservative Party)
• Deputy Prime Minister--Nick Clegg (Liberal
Democrat Party)
• Secretary of State for Foreign and
Commonwealth Affairs--William Hague
• Ambassador to the U.S.—Sir Peter Westmacott
• Ambassador to the UN--Mark Lyall Grant
Citations
Central Intelligence Agency. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-worldfactbook/geos/countrytemplate_uk.html
Kesselman, M., Krieger, J., Joseph, W. A. K., Krieger, J., & Joseph, W. A. (2009). Introduction to
comparative politics, political challenges and changing agendas. Wadsworth Pub Co. Retrieved
from
http://college.cengage.com/school/ebooks/kesselman_9781133001355/index.html?titleIsbn=9780
495793779&eISBN=9781133001355&pid=446444
US Department of State. (2011, July 19). Retrieved from http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3846.htm
Public Policy
Megan Skillman
Functions performed by political
institutions
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Parliament- Primary legislation
Cabinet Office- Public Service Reform
The Treasury- Economic policy, Government finance
Department of Health- Health Care, Social Service
Department for Work and Pensions - National Insurance,
Social Assistance, Employment
• Department for Communities and Local GovernmentLocal government; Urban policy; Housing
• Ministry of Justice- Law and order
• Department for Education- Education
Establishment of Internal Order
• House of Commons- Origins of Parliament date back to
the 13th century. Many rules and customs that affect
how it runs. Standing Orders are written and other rules
are set out in resolution of the House
• Standing: 150 Standing Orders relating to Parliamentary
business and public bills, and about 250 relating to
private business.
• Custom and Practice: Some stem from Speaker’s rulings
in the House of Commons, others are followed because
a precedent has been set. An example is Bills being
‘read’ three times in both Houses.
Establishment of Internal Order
(cont.)
• House of Lords- The Freedom of Information Act (2000):
Right to request access to information held by public
authorities. The House of Lords is public authority under
this act.
• Encourages public authorities to be open and
“transparent” and proactively publish as much as
possible
• Requires the H of L to have an approved “Public
Scheme” that releases information it is committed to
routinely and proactively publishing.
• The Request Log, provides a summary of the requests
received by the House of Lords and their outcome.
External Security
• Security (Joint Committee)- advisory committee of both
Houses appointed by the Speaker
• Public Administration Select Committee- PASC
examines the quality and standards of administration
within the Civil Service and scrutinizes the reports of the
Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.
• Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy- “to
set out how we [the Government] will address and
manage this diverse though interconnected set of
security challenges and underlying drivers, both
immediately and in the longer term, to safeguard the
nation, its citizens, our prosperity and our way of life”.
• The Joint Committee was reappointed at the end of 2010
and met for the first time in the current Parliament in
January 2011.
Citations
• (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www2.rgu.ac.uk/publicpolicy/introduction/uk.htm#T
able
• (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.parliament.uk/business
• (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committe
es-a-z/joint-select/national-security-strategy/role/
Public Policy (cont.)
Catherine Duhring
Resolving Conflict Between
Different Groups
• Conflict arises in Great Britain over issues such as
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growing inequality in wealth distribution
decline in participation in electoral processes
continuing uncertainty about levels of immigration
increasingly variable and poor prospects for young people
rising tension between liberty and security policy agendas
on-going efforts to rebalance responsibility for the
provision of services between the government and
community.
• Over these issues, the Government steps in with their
departments to create legislature and regulations to
dissolve the disputes. For example:
– Creating the Office of Budgetary Responsibility for the
national budget deficit
Raising Money to Pay for
Services
• Great Britain has a general taxation policy
that funds healthcare, police departments,
fire departments, and primary schools.
• The healthcare includes all citizens of the UK
while illegal immigrants are not turned away,
but not technically supported by the program.
– Pays for all services other than specialized care
i.e. eye exams (citizens only have to pay small
fees for these).
• Local Government is funded through grants
from Central Government, Council Taxes,
and business rates.
Government Provided Services
• Central Government Departments:
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Department for Children, Schools and Families
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Department of Health
Department for Transport
• Programs:
– GDS: an government organization developed to clean up
and decontaminate chemically affected areas in the
environment.
• The Central Government also provides services to
devolved governments such as Scotland, Wales, and
Northern Ireland.
Regulating the Behavior of
Citizens
• Great Britain regulations and expectations
of citizens:
– Unwritten Constitution Laws include: rights
and responsibilities of citizens from human
rights , freedom of speech and freedom from
torture, along with the commonplace rights
relating to health, discrimination and
education.
– Loyalty to the Crown and being a law-abiding
citizen includes duties involving voting, jury
service and giving evidence in Courts of Law.
Citations
• Spickler, P. (n.d.). An introduction to social policy: Social
policy in the united kingdom. Retrieved from
http://www2.rgu.ac.uk/publicpolicy/introduction/uk.htm
• (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ippr.org/