An introduction to British society: British

politics 1

Christina Malcolmsonc.malcolmson@uea.ac.uk

Reminder: sit next to different nationalitiesNote paper and pens

Phones off and in bags

Today’s lecture

• A coalition government• What is Britain anyway?• Political parties and the role of the Queen• Post-war changes in Britain• A divided society?

Coalition Government

• David Cameron becomes Prime Minister

• ‘The strong, stable, good and decent government that Britain needs so badly’

• ‘I believe deeply in public service’• ‘Together, we can reach better times ahead’

The UK Government• A coalition government:

– a cabinet of a parliamentary government – several parties cooperate.

• Why?– no party on its own can achieve a

majority in the parliament – hung parliament

• UK currently has first coalition government since 1945.

• May 2010:– Conservatives went into coalition with

Liberal Democrats

– Did not secure majority of the seats in the General Election

What is Britain anyway?

• The United Kingdom (1801) consists of Great Britain (1707) (England, Scotland and Wales) plus Northern Ireland

England

Population: 51.5 million

Capital city: London

Scotland

Population: 5.2 million

Capital city: EdinburghDevolution (transfer of some political power from London to elected bodies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) by 1998-9.

Wales

Population: 3 million

Capital city: Cardiff

Northern Ireland

Population: 1.8 million

Capital city: Belfast

Partition of Ireland: 1921/1922

Republic of Ireland

The Republic of Ireland is an independent nation-state:

• A member of the United Nations

• A member of the European Union

•Partition: 1921/1922

Political Historypolitical power from all-powerful monarchy to a national parliament representative of the ordinary people.

• 1215: King John forced to sign Magna Carta– shared power with the aristocracy– cornerstone of British liberties.

• 1275: Model Parliament of Edward I • Royal dominance in Tutor England (1485-1603)• Mid-17th C. Charles I rejects parliamentary

ideals, Civil War (1642), Charles beheaded (1649)

• 1660: Charles II restored to throne• Growing power of English parliament in 17th C

led to more organized political parties.

British System of Government

• Extension of vote to all adults– 1832: 50% of population could

vote– 1867: 13% of adults (over 21)

could vote– 1884: 25% of all adults (over 21)

could vote– 1918: all men over 21; most

women over 30– 1928: all women over 21– 1969: all adults over 18

The three arms of the state

(executive)

(legislature)

The judiciary - the judges and the courts who ensure that everyone obeys the laws

Ceremonial powers of the monarch• Britain is a ‘constitutional

hereditary monarchy’– king or queen is the head of state but has

limited powers.– Prime Minister and his/her government

(executive) is accountable to the parliament (legislature).

• Monarch’s roles include:– Dissolve parliament and call new elections– Sign new laws or bills passed by the

legislature– Appoint the Prime Minister– Open the parliament– Meet the Prime Minister weekly– Declare war on advice of ministers

UK Parliament

• The Palace of Westminster.

• Bicameral:– two houses or

chambers.

House of Commons

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N50WtWdgTMo&feature=bf_next&list=PL9136F061041B7D74&lf=results_video

• Lower chamber, but more authority.• 650 Members of Parliament (MPs).• Each MP represents a geographical constituency

– Typically a constituency has 60,000-80,000 voters– depending on whether it is an urban or rural constituency

• Who can vote:– Every citizen aged 18 or over can vote once in the

constituency in which they live. – Voting is not compulsory (as it is in Australia). – In the last General Election of June 2010, 65% of the

electorate actually voted.

House of Commons• There are not fixed term parliaments. • A General Election:

– a nationwide election for all 650 seats – held when the Prime Minister calls it– the GE cannot be more than five years after the last one – is usually around four years after the previous.

• The Coalition plans to introduce:– fixed five-year parliaments – the next General Election will be on 7 May 2015?

• House of Commons Website

House of Lords http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPLCTryRerA

• Upper chamber; less authority.• Main roles:

– to revise legislation – checking Government’s activities.

• cannot block the will of the House of Commons. • No fixed number; currently about 770 members. • Hereditary peers: Is this democratic?

• Labour Government abolished the right of all but 92 of these hereditary peers to sit in the House.

• Life peers: chosen by the Queen, on the advice of the Government, to sit in the House for as long as they live. Currently 629.

• former senior politicians. distinguished figures in education, health and social policy, Archbishops and Bishops of the Church of England.

British Political Parties

Ed MilibandDavid Cameron (53rd and youngest PM)Nick Clegg

British Political Parties

• Scottish National Party• Plaid Cymru• Northern Irish parties:– Loyalist:

• Ulster Unionist Party• Democratic unionist Party

– Nationalist:• Social Democratic and Labour

Party• Sinn Fein

Practical differences between parties relate to ideologies

– how to tackle poverty and inequality – the levels and forms of taxation – the extent of state intervention in the economy – the balance between collective rights and

individual rights

• How do you think policy approaches to the above will be different depending on whether the government is more right or left wing?

Devolved Government

• Devolution: self-government or transfer of some powers from the Westminster Parliament.

• Allows Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland to decide more of their own affairs.

• Not system of federal government such as US or Australia.• Less than one-fifth of UK citizens are covered by Scottish

Parliament, Welsh Assembly, and Northern Ireland Assembly.

• The three bodies have different powers from one another.

International Perceptions of Britain

• British Council (1999) and Royal Society for the Arts (2004) survey:– stereotypical international perceptions about Britain.

• British people seen as:– Conventional and backward-looking;– Having an exaggerated and outdated respect for their

history, traditions and institutions.– perceived through images of monarchy, kilts, castles and

aristocracy.

Stereotypes: perpetuated through media, films and word of mouth

Contemporary ConditionsBritons have long prided themselves on pragmatism and

common sense. The British way of life, an accretion of centuries of experience in these islands, has largely been based on what works: the social structures, economic relationships and the framework of justice. There was never a need for a formal constitution; the law, evolving in response to changing circumstances, was based on shared values, general tolerance and a common understanding of rights and duties.

But in the past 30 years, this complacency has been shaken. A multicultural Britain can no longer rely for its cohesion on common background. Devolution, regional nationalism, ethnic division and religious extremism have so widened the divisions that the old certainties no longer prevail. What now passes for common sense? What is the glue holding this disparate society together? What is Britishness?

(‘Best of Britishness’, The Times, 2 November 2005).

We need to take a look back at some history

By the 19th C., Britain had become a dominant industrial and naval world power.

The Rhodes Colossus.

Cecil Rhodes (1853-1902) (Punch cartoon, Oakland)The question of ‘Britishness’:•imperial position in the world. • all countries of the UK could share in one overarching identity?

Separation • Partition of Ireland in 1921/22• Devolution (transfer of some political power from

London to elected bodies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) by 1998-9.

• Fierce debates about:– the nature of ‘Britishness’ – individual national identities– the future constitutional structure of the UK. . . which are still being addressed today.

The 2nd World War

• Why did the 2nd World War start?• When did it finish?• Which countries were at war?• How is war expensive?

Britain in the 1940s• Enormous war debt• Food severely rationed• In 1948 even bread and potatoes

were rationed - which were not during the war!

• 1947: $2.7 billion from Marshall Plan (from the USA)

• Women’s land effort led to more women in the work place

The Post-War yearsClement Attlee--Labour Party (1945-1951)

• Social levelling of war meant people wanted change.

• No trust in Conservative government to tackle socioeconomic and political problems.

• Election of 1945 returned Labour Party to power with huge majority.

• Most significant reforming administration of the 20th century (‘post-war consensus’)

Labour’s changes:• ‘welfare state’:

– pensions, unemployment benefit– William Beveridge ‘cradle-to-grave’ social security– What is a welfare state? We are going to focus on this later

in the course!• 1948: National Health Service

– To what extent do you have to pay for medical treatment in your countries?

• Nationalisation 1/5 British economy and major industries;– state becoming owner of public industries and services such

as electricity, gas, transport.• Granted independence to India (1947)

Other internal reforms include:

–extension of the vote in the 19th and 20th C.–diminishing power of the

aristocratic House of Lords– increasing authority of the

popularly elected House of Commons –decline of executive monarchy• Does this mean the Queen

has more or less power?

To summarize:• Since the Second World War (1939-45):– results of withdrawal from empire– reduction in world status– global economic recessions– decline in economic power– increased foreign competition– geo-political world order of

(USA and Soviet Union)– changing Europe after two

world wars

Changes from the 1950s

The 1950s• 1951: Conservatives back in

power• ‘You’ve never had it so good’

(Winston Churchill)• Economic prospects on the

upturn• 1953: Mood of optimism with

coronation of Elizabeth II (the first such ceremony to be televised)

• Mass consumerism - TV, cars, plastic

The 1960s• Immigration into Britain

from its former-colonies; originally an ‘open door’ policy (ends in 1962).

• 1960s: – Massive cultural change– rejection of conformist

and conservative attitudes– rejection of elitism– the rise of the celebrity

1970s

• 1972: Continuing violence between Catholics and Protestants—Gov. imposes direct rule over Northern Ireland.

• 1972: ‘Bloody Sunday’ • Series of IRA attacks

The 1970s

• Period of economic depression.• 1974: Great strike by coal miners (over

government’s ‘freeze’ on wages). See video.• Conservatives lose general election, under

Labour, inflation spirals.• Bitter confrontations between unions and

government• Commission for Racial Equality 1976

1980s: The ‘Thatcher Revolution’

• ‘Winter of Discontent’ (1978/79): free-market neoliberalism and privatisation – What does this mean?

• Confrontational approach on Europe• Encouraged ‘self-help’; private enterprise • Cut back on health, social services, and

education.• Briefly considered national hero after

Falklands victory• 1983: Thatcher wins landslide victory in

general election• 1984-85: Miner’s strikes.• tight economic control, privatization of

industry and ‘dismantling’ (when possible) of the Welfare State.

The 1990s• John Major takes over Conservative Party.• Committed to keeping “Thatcherism” alive.• Tried to re-focus the Conservative Party on ‘basics’--rule of

law, police, family values, education.

• Main achievements:– As PM, John Major engaged in the first real negotiations

with Sinn Fein (‘Shin Fane’) to bring about relative peace in Northern Ireland

– Laying the groundwork for the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, ending thirty years of violence in NI to a certain extent

The Return of Labour, 1997• Tony Blair wins in May 1997,

ending 18 yrs of Conservative rule.

• But continued many of the Conservatives’ policies:– Deconstruction of the welfare

state• Devolution for Scotland and

Wales• Britain becomes a ‘better’

European• Thatcherism with a human face?

Britain today

• Some say main defining features are:. . . A healthy diversity and change at all levels.

Others say this has led to (esp. since the 1960s) . . .

– social fragmentation– anti-social behaviour–weakened sense of

community–decline in nationally-

accepted values and identities–uncertainty– confusion

A Divided Society?• Some of the current divisions include: – the influence of London and its relationship to the rest of

the country;– the cultural distinctiveness and separate identities of Wales,

Scotland, Northern Ireland and England; – disparities between affluent and economically depressed

areas throughout the country (crime and social deprivation in inner city);

– alleged cultural and economic gaps between North and South;

– debates on the positions of women and ethnic minorities; – gulf between rich and poor;– tensions between cities and countryside; – generational differences between young and old.

Is this the real Britain?• Uncomplimentary view of a disintegrating

society is often exaggerated by the media and tabloid newspapers.

• unbalanced, sensational views • media reporting with the result that

events may be exaggerated beyond their national importance.

• MORI (Market Opinion Research International) from 2005 revealed:– concerns about crime– the National Health Service– race relations– education

• Approach with caution—questions may influence answers.

Is Britain . . .

• a country in terminal decline?

***Be aware of how your sources might be biased.

• an evolutionary society which is coping with the pressures?

Independent study

• Essential Reading:• Oakland, J., British Civilization. An Introduction, Fourth

Edition, (London: Routledge), 1998:– Ch 7 (pp. 168-172, Class)– Ch. 8 (pp. 188-191, Family)

• Revise for Formative Assessment 1 (online progress test).– Cornell notes– Study groups; test each other– Practise questions– This test will be used to judge your progress, and write your

UCAS report.