Introduction to UK Politics. HEAD OF STATE – The Queen PRIME MINISTER – Head of Government –...
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Transcript of Introduction to UK Politics. HEAD OF STATE – The Queen PRIME MINISTER – Head of Government –...
Introduction to UK Politics
HEAD OF STATE – The Queen
PRIME MINISTER – Head of Government – Gordon Brown
House of Commons
House of Lords
Elected MPs (646 members) – of which:
•Labour (356)
•Conservative (198)
•Liberal Democrat (62)
735 members – Hereditary or Life Peers
Leader: Gordon Brown MPDeputy: Harriet Harman MP
Leader: David Cameron MP
Leader: Nick Clegg MP
Leader: Lord Pearson of Rannoch
Leader: Caroline Lucas MEP
Leader: Nick Griffin
Spending/Budget:
•Immediate cuts
•No cut to Health. Education, Law & OrderAfghanistan:
•No walk-out
•Gradual hand-over of power
•Troops ‘have adequate equipment’Tax:
•50p for earnings over £150,000
•Gradual hand-over of power
•Troops ‘have adequate equipment’
ID Cards:
•Push ahead with plan but no immediate need to make compulsory
Jobs:
•All under-25s out of work for a year to be offered work or training
•More funding for job centres and sixth-form colleges
Immigration:
•E-borders by 2014
•Clear asylum backlog by 2011
•Tighten entry restrictions
Health:
•Maintain funding
•Find £15bn - £20bn wastage
•Data for performance of doctorsEducation:
•Save £2bn by axing senior staff
•Restructuring of pay
•Improve school discipline
Spending/Budget:
•Immediate cuts
•No cut to Health, International Development
•End to subsidised food and alcohol for MPs and cut to salaries
Afghanistan:
•Restructure withdrawal
•Ensure more helicopters and equipmentTax:
•Keep current system
•Some changes to pensions
•Increase on alcopops and high strength beer/cider
ID Cards:
•Scrap plans
•Restrict storage of DNA
Jobs:
•Scrap RDA and New Deal
•Tax breaks for new and small businesses
Immigration:
•Place annual limit on numbers admitted
•Attract ‘brightest’ and ‘best’ migrants
•New border force
Health:
•Maintain funding with increase by 2012
•Performance tables for every medic
•Over-65’s residential costs paid for with one-off £8000 fee
•Reform dentistry including school checks
Education:
•Encourage privately set up schools
•Failing schools to be taken over
Spending/Budget:
•Immediate cuts to all areas
•Save by scrapping new building schemes, compulsory education to 18Afghanistan:
•Not ruled out walk-out – will follow US strategy
Tax:
•Increase for most wealthy
•Raise threshold to £10,000
•Mansion tax
•Higher road/flying tax
ID Cards:
•Scrap – remove all innocent people from DNA database
•Strengthen data protection
Jobs:
•Guaranteed work or training for all young people out of work for more than 90 days
Immigration:
•Earned citizenship for illegal immigrants
•New border force
•Charge more for work permits and use to retrain British workers
Health:
•Downsize Department of Health
•Ward sisters to take control of budgets
•Tax breaks for living healthy lifestylesEducation:
•Scrap 50% higher ed target
•End selection
•Scrap National Curriculum
Democracy
"Democracy is the most valued and also the vaguest of political terms in the modern world."
(Daniel Robertson, 1986)
Democracy
• Based on the belief that every citizen over a certain age should has the right to vote on political issues and that the majority decision leads to law
Democracy
• Every citizen invited to political meetings and able to take part in free discussion
Democracy
• Also offers the rights to stand for political office
Democracy
• Applies to all regardless of gender, religious belief, race, sexuality, ability etc.
• Prisoners excluded – democratic rights suspended (controversial)