Great Britain Comp Gov

When did the British Empire peak?

1919, with trading companies and industrialization and imperialization

When has the sunset in GB / when they focused on domestic stuff?

1974, introduction of collective consensus and a welfare state

Collective Consensus

idea that there needs to be intiative to narrow rich and poor

Welfare State

how you can narrow the gap, including the National Health Service

Thatcherism

Conservative Prime Minister who called for the economic liberalization through privatization of commanding heights and wanted to cut social welfare program to depart from stagflation (she took away public subsidies, think milk)

Commandng Heights

most important industry to a country

New Labour Party

-Tony Blair

-In reality, very conservative

-Called for pragmatic (lets be realistic) and fiscal responsibility (balance the budget)

Neoliberalism

Revival of classic liberal values that promote

free competition among businesses within the

market, including reduced gov’t regulation &

social spending

In response to economic stagnation

Good Friday Agreement

Est. N. Ireland Assembly, N. Ireland Executive and No HARD border, Power Sharing, Disarment and Devolution

-est. to stop the Troubles between Nationalists and Unionists

Power Sharing

A political arrangement where different parties, especially those representing conflicting communities, share governmental power, as established in the Good Friday Agreement to ensure representation and cooperation among all groups in Northern Ireland.

7/7 attacks

4 bombings that was an example of political violence which led to a rise of islamophobia in GB

Reasons to stay in EU for GB

Single market

global trade

free movement

Reasons to leave

Regulations about $$$

Border control/IMMIGRATION

Membership fees

Terrorism(islamaphobia)

Exports too glued to EU

Cannot sign their own trade deals/slower

What does the UK use for their election system?

FPTP Plurality

SMD-Each district has a representative in parliament that will vote on a PM

-each party in parliament selects a leader who will become PM if they gain a majority

House of Commons - Members

650 members of Parliament

-each represent a constituency/district

House of Commons Function

-make/repeal any law

-Government is drawn from Commons( where the PM (leader of the party with the most seats in the House) chooses a cabinet of 20 senior ministers)

-handles budget approval

House of Lords Members

-800 unelected members

-appointed for life

-approved by head of state

House of Lords function

-reviews amends and suggests changes to bills based by Commons

GB is a Unitary State becuase it has the power to alter or revoke devolved powers but in devolution there is….

the transfer of varying levels of power from UK Parliament to UK’s nations

-Scottish Parliament

-Welsh Parliament

-N. Ireland

All can do what they want until it impacts the UK Parliament

Reserved Powers

powers not to devolved places are reserved for the Westminster

Parachuting

a strategic action by a political party to move a candidate to a different district

Labour Party

-Founded in the 1900’s on workers rights and unions

-in 2000s focused on social justice

Conservative Party (Tories)

-Margaret Thatcher reformed the Tory Party economic liberalization

-Boris Johnson shifted to nationalism and Brexit

Helicoptering

Prominent figures make a quick visit to the area of a close race

Vote of Confidence/No-Confidence Vote

A vote taken by a party or by the entire House of Commons to determine if a Prime Minister shall remain in power

Suspensive Veto

-House of Lords can delay bills

-Under Liz Truss bc no one liked her laws

Rishi Sunak

-Cutting Taxes

-Immigration-he X want immigrants

-Cabinet-Group of ministers chosen by the PM

-Shadow cabinet -group of ministers chosen by the opposition to mirror the cabinet of the PM

Shadow cabinet

group of ministers chosen by the opposition to mirror the cabinet of the PM

General Elections

-Every 5 years

-Voters nationwide vote on their representatives in the HofC

-The leader of the party with the most seats becomes PM

GB Cleavages

-Scottish v English v Welsh v Irish

-Protestant v. Catholic

-Higher education/wealth

-Urban v Rural

Social cleavages

an internal division that structures society and may be based on differences such as religion, ethnicity, class, or territory (rural vs. urban; north vs. south)

SNP and GB

-SNP wants Scotland to leave UK bc of Thatcher and they wanted their own power

-2014 referendum that made Scotland to stay in UK

Supreme Court

-Highest Court in the UK→interpreting and applying the law

-Appellate jurisdiction

-Parliamentary Sovereignty—>cannot overturn primary legislationy

Declaration of compatibility

confirming whether the Bill is compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)

Brexit

• “British Exit”

• Refers to the UK’s withdrawal from the EU in 2020

Unitary system

• Power is concentrated within London

• Few powers have been devolved to Scotland, N. Ireland and Wales but operate under the authority of Westminister and can be taken back

Parliamentary system

• Prime minister is selected out of MPs for the party that holds the most seats in the Commons

Uncodified constitution

-There is not a single written constitution but rather a collection of docs that work together to serve as the Constitution

-Common Law works with traditional conventions, acts of the parliament, and authoritative works

Parliamentary sovereignty

Parliament is supreme legal authority and no one can override them

Backbenchers

-Members of Parliament who do not hold a gov office

Collective responsibility

-Cabinet members must support all final decisions made by the cabinet regardless if they privately disagree with the matter

-Gov is collectively accountable to Parliament for its actions

Question time

-Members of Parliament have the oppurtunity to ask questions directly to Government Ministers

-Promotes Accountability

What can the Supreme Court do to try and change the law?

propose “documents of compatibility” that intend to put pressure on the governmnet to change laws to be more compatible with the people

What can the supreme court overturn?

Secondary legislation, change smaller parts of primary legislation