Britain Section 4

8/8/2019 Britain Section 4

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Britain

Section 4

Dylan Nevin and An Le


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Brief Overview Legislature

House of Commons

House of Lords

Reforms

How a Bill Becomes a Law

Political Parties and Systems Labour Party

Conservative Party

Liberal Democrats

Elections Electoral System

Trends

Political Culture, Citizenship, and Identity

Interests, Social Movements, and Protest


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Legislature: House of Commons

Currently 650 members

Three main functions

Policy debate

Ability to fire a

Prime Minister 1924: MacDonald

1979: Callaghan


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Legislature: House of Lords

Currently about 740 members

Hereditary Peers

Title is passed on 92 hereditary peers

Life Peers Title is for lifetime only

Law Lords

Are also life peers Powers

Legislation 1999: House Lords Act

2003


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Legislature: Reforms

Backbench Dissent

Backbenchers: MPs of the governing party w/o position

Party is supposed to back the PM, but if backbenchers choose to go

against the PM, it might result in an overturning of the government

Parliamentary Committees

1979: Commons revived, and extended number of select committees

Also more responsibilities

Committees: examine specific policies or aspects of administration

Watchdog committees: monitor conduct of major departments andministries

Process

Perform many civil services

Issue reports with recommendations

Usually at odds with government policy


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Legislature: How a Bill becomes a

Law


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Political Parties: Labour

Party Launched by trade union representatives andsocialist societies

Begins to moderate ideological appeal andbroadening electorial base

1950s-60s: classic two-class/two-party

system Mid-1970s: growing disaffection

Divisions

Trade unionists vs. parliamentary elements

Foreign policy

Support for unilateral nucleardisarmament

Unilaterialism is scrapped

1980s-90s: relative harmony

Modern: moderate left-of-center party Ideology takes backseat to performance and

electoral mobilization


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Political Parties:

Conservative Party Economic and social elite 1874: Ben Disraeli

Birth of Britains modern welfare state

1997: John Major resigns Party is divided over Europe

2001: departures of party leadersafter electoral defeat

2003: Party leader is forced to resign Michael Howard

Revitalized the party

Also resigned after electoral defeat


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Political Parties: Liberal

Democrats 1970s: Liberal party is the only centristchallenger to Labour and Conservative

1981: Social Democratic Party is formed

after a split on theLabour Party

1983: the Alliance grains a quarter of the

electoral vote

1987: Liberals and most of the SDP forms

the Social and Liberal Democrats Party

(Liberal Democrats/Lib Dems)

2001: Win 52 seats (most so far)


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Elections: The Electoral System

Elections are irregular, but one mustoccur every five years

first-past the post or winner takes allidea

Two-and-a-half party system

Criticisms

Reduces competition because smallerparties cant get a hold

Underrepresentation: the majority of MPs arewhite men


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Elections: Trends in Electoral

Behavior Recent elections More geographical divisions

Two two-party systems

Competitition between Conservative and Labour Conservative center party dominates Englands rule and

southern seats

Scotland: Scottish National Party and Labour

1970s: National parties have challenged two party

dominance

Growing group ofLiberal Democrats


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Political Culture, Citizenship, and

Identity1970s: major changes in identity

Social ClassVery little to do with voting behavior

Citizenship and national identityComplicated national identity

EthnicityMultiethnic society

Conflicting loyalties due to mixed identitiesGender

Womens concerns are generally not a politicalpriority

New Labour is increasingly attractive


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Interests, Social Movements, and

Protests Mid-1990s: Environmental activism took off dueto GM crops

High fuel prices leads to questions about Blairs

leadership Farmers launch massive protest who had been

hurt by mad cow

Previously unseen

Anti-war rallies Persistent social movements suggests powerful

political sub-currents

Britain Section 4

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