The United Kingdom of Great

Britain and Northern Ireland

Citizens, Society, and the State

Presentation Outline

III. Citizens, Society, and the Statea) Political socializationb) Cleavages/Party affiliationsc) Civil society/Interest Groupsd) Public Opinion/Voter turnout

Political Socialization

Main agents of political socialization in the UK are:1) Family2) Media3) Schools4) Church/Mosque

How would you define political socialization, and how does this differ from political culture?

Family• In studies of children’s political socialization in the

United Kingdom Motimore and Tyrrell (2004), found that the main influences on children’s political values were parents and the media.

• According to British geographers Pattie and Johnston (2000), “people who talk together tend to vote together.”

Source: Pattie & Johnston (2000), People Who Talk Together Vote Together: An Exploration of Contextual Effects in Great Britain, Annals of the Association of American Geographers, Vol. 90, No.1, p. 58

MediaIncludes newspapers, magazines, television,

radio, and films, internet, etc. We are dependent on the media for what we know and how we relate to the world of politics because of the media-politics connection. We read or watch political debates followed by instant analysis and commentary by “experts.” Often, we read and listen uncritically and are shaped by opinions in the media.

Major British newspapers on the political spectrum

Left Centre Right

http://www.guardian.co.uk/

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/

http://www.independent.co.uk/

Schools

• The British education system promotes democratic and civic values through courses on civics and social studies

• The state public schools promote multiculturalism• The prestigious and elite “public” schools such as

Eton promote service and noblesse oblige and reinforce class divisions

III. b) Cleavages

1) Historically, class has been the most important political and social cleavage in the UK

2) Religion is NOT a major cleavage in contemporary Britain, though it has been a source of conflict in Northern Ireland

3) Ethnic cleavages do exist, and there has been conflict at times, though they do NOT represent major divisions throughout the UK:

-Scottish /Welsh separatism-tensions between Whites and new immigrants

Traditional markers of classWorking Class Middle Class Upper Class

-53% of UK residents self-identify in this category-generally affiliated with trade unions-skilled or unskilled labour-Not considered a property owning class-Less well-represented in British politics than the middle class

-43% of UK residents self-identify in this category-Includes professionals: lawyers, doctors, engineers--upwardly mobile-Value education-Generally a property owning class-Well-represented in British politics

-4% of UK residents comprise this class-born into nobility, or bestowed a title (Lord, Baroness)-attend exclusive public/private schools such as Eton-independently wealthy-traditional landholding class

Party Affiliation and Class

• Generally class and Party affiliation coincide

Labour Party supporters Conservative Party supporters

•Trade Union members

•Students

•Ethnic minorities including Scottish and Welsh

•Working class

•Middle class professionals

•Upper class

•Business owners

•Landowners

•Anglican clergy

•Military

•Middle class professionals

Does class still matter or exist?Has class been redefined in the UK?

Religious/Nationalist Conflict in N. IrelandReligion Percent of

Population

Protestantism 45.57

Roman Catholicism

40.26

No Religion 13.88

Non-Christian religions

0.30

Most Roman Catholics in Northern Ireland identify themselves as Irish, while most Protestants identify themselves as British. For much of the twentieth century Northern Ireland had experienced regular acts of violence between Protestants and Catholics. The violence between the warring factions culminated in the 1972 Bloody Sunday massacre and the IRA bombings of 1972, referred to as Bloody Friday.

Main Belligerents in Northern Ireland:Irish Catholic: Irish Republican Army (IRA), paramilitary group which sought reunification with IrelandProtestant Ulster Unionists : pro-British paramilitary group which sought to remain loyal to the U.K.British Army: enforced UK government policy of retaining control over N. Ireland and crushing Irish Catholic separatism

http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/

For furthering reading about this conflict see:

Scottish and Welsh nationalism

• A rise in Scottish and Welsh nationalism led to the creation of the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly after the 1997 referenda

• Does this mean that Wales and Scotland want independence?

The vast majority of Welsh and Scottish identify with their nation rather than the UK state!

Source: Rose, Michael & Bond, Ross (2008) National Identities and Politics after Devolution, Radical Statistics, Issue 97, pp. 47-65www. dataarchive.ac.uk

•Support for outright Scottish independence appears to be declining Interestingly, there is quite a bit of support for Scottish independence from non-Scotts

• 32% of English and 34% of UK residents favor Scottish independence

•How might this add to the cleavage?

Nevertheless, the overwhelming majority of Scotts are NOT satisfied with the status quo. 66% want change!

• The Welsh are nationalists but according to a recent poll less than 10% of Welsh favor outright independence!

Non-white Britons: has integration worked?

• Roughly 10% of UK citizens are of non-European origin

• Many are from former colonies (India, Pakistan, and various African states)

• All U.K. citizens are equal under the law• UK citizenship is determined based on place of

birth and NOT blood

The vast majority of Muslims identify with their religion rather than with their state (U.K.)

Race riots: 1981 & 2011

Both riots occurred in high crime, poor areas populated mostly by non-White immigrants

Same causes:High unemployment and a feeling of discrimination towards non-White British

III. c) Civil Society & Interest Groups

• British corporatism, 1945-1979• British interest groups since 1979

How would you define civil society? What is the difference between interest articulation and interest aggregation?

British corporatism

IRON TRIANGLE

The UK Government

Trades Union Congress (TUC)

British Confederation of Industry (CBI)

Criticisms of corporatism:

-Limits the representative process, only two “peak” interest groups participate can directly influence government policy

-Undemocratic: countless other interest groups have little or no voice in influencing British politics

Advantages of corporatism:

-More efficient policymaking process

-Government mediates between the interests of Big Business and Labour in an effort to seek compromise

-Limits radical policies

-Focused on status-quo and continuity

Aggregates interests into policy

influences influences

British Interest Groups since 1979

• Former Prime Minister Thatcher’s reforms dismantled the corporatist system

• Although the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and the Trades Union Congress (TUC) continue to exert a considerable influence on government policy, they must now compete with other interest groups in a pluralist system.

Pluralism

The UK GovernmentAggregates pluralist interests into policy

III. d) Public Opinion/Voter turnout•Voter turnout has steadily declined over the last few decades and is lower than other democracies

Do the Brits take their democracy for granted?

Support for the EU is weak•The Conservative/Lib Dem coalition government has promised a referendum on the UK’s status in the EU•The referendum will likely take place within the next couple of years

Support for the British Monarchy and traditions is still strong.

Source: http://www.leftfootforward.org/2011/04/verdict-of-the-british-people-long-to-reign-over-us/