COMP GOPO Unit 2A: United Kingdom

Parliamentary "Westminster" System

Unitary, indirect elections, fusion of power, PM is an MP, constitutional monarchy, devolution, consolidated democracy.

Unitary state

Regimes in which subnational units have little or no power.

-All power is concentrated at a national/central level.

Indirect Elections

Elections in which voters in an election do not choose between candidates for an office but rather elect persons who will then make the choice

-e.g. British citizens do not vote for the Prime Minister; instead they vote for their MPs, and then the MPs (of the majority party) elect the Prime Minister

if a person votes for a party, he/she knows who is going to be PM

Fusion of Power

A constitutional principle that merges the authority of branches of government, in contrast to the principle of separation of powers. In Britain, for example, Parliament is the supreme legislative, executive, and judicial authority (due to Parliamentary sovereignty). Plus, the Prime Minister is the head of the executive branch but also the head of the legislative branch since there he is an MP. The fusion of legislature and executive is also expressed in the function and personnel of the cabinet; regime in which all or most authority is by one element of government

PM can thus directly introduce legislation (unlike the American president)

PM is an MP

The Prime Minister is a Member of Parliament; this means he is both the head of the executive and legislative branches.

Constitutional Monarchy

A King or Queen is the official head of state but power is limited by a constitution.

Devolution

The decentralization of national/central power to local units of government. There is now a Scottish Parliament, a Welsh Assembly, and a Northern Ireland Assembly.

The mayor of London is now elected directly by the city's residents

Parliament's sovereignty in Great Britain has been challenged by devolution

UK Legislative Branch

House of Lords and House of Commons

UK Executive Branch (the government)

Prime Minister and cabinet

Consolidated Democracy

A democratic political system that has been solidly and stably established for an ample period of time and in which there is relatively consistent adherence to core democratic principles.

Democratization and its impact on power, authority, and legitimacy

Free+Fair+Competitive elections, low corruption, citizen participation, universal suffrage, rule of law.

Free, Fair, and Competitive Elections

Every citizen's vote has equal value. They choose between candidates and parties. They vote by secret ballot free from government interference.

-note: the #1 way countries increase legitimacy is having free, fair, and competitive elections (since people feel like they have the ability to make decisions

Corruption

dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power, typically involving bribery.

Citizen participation: Democracy

Biggest way citizens participate=voting

People can also be part of a civil society (the aggregate of non-governmental organizations and institutions that involve diverse cultural, religious, and special interest groups that represent and implement the interests and will of citizens and enforce social norms) (e.g. religious organizations, professional associations, charities, or interest groups)

Universal Suffrage

the right of all adults to vote for their representatives.

note: UK has gradually increased suffrage over time due to gradualism (this is one of the things that makes the UK government unique) (gradualism is a blessing and a curse: blessing since it brings government stability [e.g. gradually allowing people suffrage; if you allow everyone suffrage at the same time, a bunch of people are learning how to vote at the same time; smaller doses=a group allows another group suffrage; although granting small groups suffrage over time isn't fair, its' good for political stability]).

Rule of Law

principle that the law applies to everyone, even those who govern

Executive

Prime Minister, cabinet, collective responsibility, dual executive (monarchy), party leadership elections, no term limits

Prime Minister

-head of government

-UK: head of both the legislative branch and the executive branch

-PM can dissolve parliament (make it go on recess or a period before an election happens) (pause period/pause in legislation) (temporary until next election) (happens 6 weeks before Parliament election since there are 6 weeks of campaigning allowed)

-Chief of party (determines who runs in a constituency) (PM makes sure he/she runs in a seat that is safe) (this is not like in the U.S.) (PM may also put opposite party members in safe seats as well)

-No term limits

-Checks: vote of no confidence (PM+cabinet resign when House of Commons defeats major legislation or key amendment is defeated, then PM and Cabinet resign, then Elections happen since Parliament dissolves and there are elections for all MP's--THIS IS A DRAWBACK TO GETTING RID OF PM; IF H OF C GETS RID OF PM, THEY ALL RISK THE POSSIBILITY OF NOT GETTING THEIR SEAT BACK), Backbenchers Revolt (If leadership doesn't pay attention to backbenchers, the backbenchers can demand a party leadership election), Prime Minister's Questions, Party Leadership Elections ("Party Revolt") (easiest way and maybe more common) (e.g. Conservative party elects another person to be leader, not Boris Johnson) (PM is removed from leadership, not Parliament)

-Why get rid of PM? 1) The Government is an electoral liability (i.e. unpopular) (PM Is so unpopular that the next election won't go well) (this is a more likely reason); 2) MPs feel like The Government does not reflect the Party Goals/Ideas (less likely)

-Executive powers: Agenda setting, Appointment and cabinet, Collective Responsibility, ability to dissolve parliament, Chief of Party, rules over bureaucracy

Cabinet

-PM selects the cabinet

-Cabinet members can be from either house but are more likely to be from House of Commons (since cabinet positions buy loyalty and thus guarantee the PM a seat when party loses election)

-Each cabinet minister is responsible for a department like the U.S. but are less likely to be experts since they are appointed to their cabinet positions based on their positions in their party's power structure (not their talents/interests)

-Governed by collective responsibility (remaining in office as long as the entire government retains the support of its parliamentary majority)

Collective Responsibility

-ONLY APPLIES TO THE CABINET

-The doctrine that all cabinet members must agree with all decisions

-Each minister must publicly support with cabinet decisions (even if they disagree with them)

-If not, the cabinet minister IS EXPECTED TO RESIGN!

Dual Executive

In the UK, the division of the functions of head of state and chief executive officer between two persons; the prime minister serves as head of government while the monarch serves as head of state

Party Leadership Elections

-"Party Revolt"

-easiest way and maybe more common

-e.g. Conservative party elects another person to be leader, not Boris Johnson

-PM is removed from leadership, not Parliament

-If leadership doesn't pay attention to backbenchers, the backbenchers can demand a party leadership election

Prime Minister Term Limits

There are no term limits for the PM or any MP

Legislature

Bicameral--House of Commons/House of Lords (or Peers), debate forum, Prime Minister's Questions, censure, votes of Confidence, review/approve/amend/delay legislation

House of Commons

-The all-important lower house of the British Parliament

Powers and Duties:

-Elects the Prime Minister

-Serves in the Cabinet ("the government")

-Pass legislation

-Revenue bills must start in the House of Commons

-Bloc Voting (each party votes according to their leader; this also causes much less lobbying in the UK than the US)

-Debate transparency and accountability

-Represent Constituency

House of Lords (or Peers)

-The weaker upper house of the British Parliament, slated for reform or abolition.

-Members are "peers" (Hereditary [past due to constitutional reform act] v. Life [present; life peers replaced hereditary lords with life peers]) (House of Lords Reform Act of 1999) (There are only a few Hereditary lords still in power) (Hereditary powers=descendants of lords who used to serve/perform well for the monarch)

-Symbolically the monarch chooses Lords, but in reality the PM chooses them

Powers and Duties:

-introduce, debate, amend, and delay

-can delay financial bills for only 30 days while one year on other bills

-serve in PM's cabinet

-Watchdogs over commons and PM (if commons does something stupid, the Lords point it out)

Limits:

-legislative delay power is limited

-other than delay, commons can override any action (e.g. an amendment) taken by Lords

-Constitutional Reform Act of 2005: eliminated the Lords of Appeal ("Law Lords") and called for a new UK Supreme Court (this is from a Constitutional Reform Act)

Debate Forum

A debate in the House of Commons or House of Lords is a formal discussion of a particular proposal. MPs or Members of the House of Lords take it in turns to speak. The way in which debates are conducted follows a number of rules and conventions.

Prime Minister's Questions

the thirty minute period once a week during which the prime minister stands before the House of Commons and answers questions from MPs.

-Because PM is part of legislative branch, he/she has to be held accountable by House of Commons

-Every Wednesday for 30 minutes (except on national holidays)

Censure

A 'motion of censure' is one that seeks to criticise the behaviour of the government: typically, the motion is critical of a specific government policy, or of the conduct of particular government minister.

-Censure is an action by the House of Commons or the Senate rebuking the actions or conduct of an individual.

-Motions of censure are a broad type of motion that can be tabled by MPs to criticise a particular government policy, government minister (including the prime minister), or the government as a whole. There are no formal rules governing how censure motions are worded or how they work, as they rely on convention.

Votes of Confidence

In a parliamentary system, a vote in which the members express their support for (or opposition to) the government's policies; if it loses, the government must resign

-PM+cabinet resign when House of Commons defeats major legislation or key amendment is defeated, then PM and Cabinet resign, then Elections happen since Parliament dissolves and there are elections for all MP's--THIS IS A DRAWBACK TO GETTING RID OF PM; IF H OF C GETS RID OF PM, THEY ALL RISK THE POSSIBILITY OF NOT GETTING THEIR SEAT BACK

Review/Approve/Amend/Delay Legislation

Parliament (both House of Commons and House of Lords) can introduce, debate, and amend bills

-Delay is a House of Lords thing only that can go up to 30 days for financial bills but up to a year for other bills; however delays can be overridden by the House of Commons

Head of State vs. Head of Government

Head of state:

-represents the entire country

-in reality or symbolically sits at the top of the political system

Head of government:

-in charge of the day-to-day workings of government

-second most important position in the political hierarchy

Monarch + His/her Formal Powers

-Hereditary Head of State

-Not Head of Government

-Publicly politically neutral

-Symbol of stability, tradition, and permanence of the UK

Formal Powers:

-Commander in Chief

-Appoints Prime Minister (establishes "her government")

-Weekly audience with PM

-State opening of Parliament

-Royal assent on legislation

Constitutional Reform

Amending the constitution=passing a piece of legislation that substantially changes the function and/or structure of the government

-Why is it so easy?

-What are some examples we already noted in this slideshow--change from hereditary peers to life peers

Judiciary

Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, independent judiciary, rule of law, common law helps protect rule of law, parliamentary sovereignty

Supreme Court of the United Kingdom

Powers+Duties:

-Appellate court of last resort (last place you can ask to hear an issue)

-SCOTUK can't declare acts of Parliament unconstitutional, only issue a Declaration of Incompatibility due to Parliamentary sovereignty

-No judicial review

-Declarations of Incompatibility=basically and official paper where SCOTUK says why it's concerned about a law or government action, and here's why we think it's unconstitutional; it's up to Parliament to do something about it

-Appointed by an independent selection commission (not appointed by politicians, but rather experts in an effort to get politics out of SCOTUK) (No term limits but may be removed by Parliament by a vote)

Independent Judiciary

the principle that decisions from the courts are fair and impartial and are not subject to undue influence from the other branches of government

-Appointed by an independent selection commission (not appointed by politicians, but rather experts in an effort to get politics out of SCOTUK) (No term limits but may be removed by Parliament by a vote)

-can't check exec/legislative power nor protect people's rights due to no judicial review

Common Law

a system of law based on precedent and customs

-The common law is the law declared by judges, derived from custom and precedent. It originated with the legal reforms of King Henry II in the 12th century and was called "common" because it applied equally across the whole country

Parliamentary Sovereignty

A constitutional principle of government (principally in Britain) by which the legislature reserves the power to make or overturn any law without recourse by the executive, the judiciary, or the monarchy. Only Parliament can nullify or overturn legislation approved by Parliament; and Parliament can force the cabinet or the government to resign by voting a motion of no confidence.

Democratization of the UK

1) Magna Carta (1215) (weakened the power of the monarch; he or she couldn't do anything he or she wanted to do. Furthermore, the monarch had to rule in Parliament and needed the nobility's consent to spend money and impose taxes)

2) Glorious Revolution/English Bill of Rights (1688) (monarch was held accountable to the Parliament and under the Bill of Rights, he or she couldn't impose taxes or spend money without Parliament's Consent)

3) Great Reform Acts (1832, 1867) (expanded suffrage to everyone and the secret ballot was introduced in the UK)

4) Collectivist Consensus (1945-mid 1970s) (The Conservative and Labour parties in Parliament worked together to bring reform and expand the role of the state. Plus there was no hate between the classes nor parties and British citizens felt that they had political efficacy and their government was legitimate)

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