UK Study Guide

Study guide for UK exam

Great Britain’s electoral system is First Past the Post or Single Member District Plurality

Single Member District Plurality

Sources of legitimacy for the British government include:

The Magna Carta, custom, the English Bill of Rights, common law, and writings of legal scholars like Blackstone

British political culture is marked by what?

Trust, deference to authority, pragmatism, and consensus

Candidates for office in Britain usually do what?

They usually don’t live in the districts they represent

What happened to the British Parliament by the end of the 17th century?

It developed gradually and eclipsed the King’s power

How was British political culture shaped?

It was shaped by its island geography

What was the most important political challenge to Britain during the 1800s?

It was incorporating the middle and working classes into the electoral system

The spirit of British collective consensus led to what after WWII?

The creation of a modern welfare state

Margaret Thatcher’s legacy includes what

A reluctance to embrace the Euro and privatization of state industries

What is Britain’s minority population like?

It is small but growing rapidly

Generally, what does the Labour Party favor?

The adoption of the Euro

Where does Northern Ireland belong to? What about Southern Ireland?

It belongs to the UK. Southern Ireland is independent

German sociologist Ralf Dahrendorf uses what concept?

The concept of solidarity to explain the British cleavage over social classes

What is Oxbridge?

An important source of British elites

What is the third party in the UK?

The Liberal Democratic Party

What do the top bureaucrats (whitehall) tend to do?

They tend to remain for their entire career in the civil service

What is Parliamentary Sovereignty?

The chief culprit for Britain’s lack of judicial review

What powers does the Supreme Court have and what powers does it not have?

It interprets and applies the law of the UK’s three territorial jurisdictions. It can not “strike down” legislation

What does the Commons have?

A coalition government

What are Blair’s economic policies between?

A free market and socialist system. (New Labour Policies, Devolution, Major of London, Good Friday Accords, Constitutional Reforms

Why was the Parliamentary vote on university tuition in 2003 important for Tony Blair?

It was widely understood to be a vote of confidence in the government

What is British electoral turnout? (percentage)

75(%)

What is the most likely path to political leadership in Britain?

Long membership in the House of Commons

The classic model of a parliamentary political system includes what?

Vote of no confidence, collegial cabinet, and dissolution of Parliament between national elections

What is one major disadvantage of the British electoral system?

It is unfair to third parties

What does the “10 Downing Street” stand for?

The Prime Minister’s office

Where is Whitehall? Westminister?

Whitehall is where the civil service headquarters is. Westminister is where the parliament meets

Who was the Prime Minister and what did they do in 1982?

It was Margaret Thatcher and she played an influential role in removing Argentina from the Falkland Islands

What is the constitutional structure of Great Britain?

It’s an unwritten constitution that can undergo reform and revision

What is the “shadow cabinet” in Great Britain?

It is made up of designated members of the opposition in Parliament who are responsible for specific policy areas

In the parliamentary system, what does the cabinet’s designation of a bill as an “issue of confidence” mean?

That the cabinet will resign if the bill is not passed

What is a factor that contributes to the continued dominance of two parties in Great Britain’s House of Commons?

Single-member electoral districts

How did Gordon Brown and Tony Blair impact the economy?

Gordon Brown negotiated debt cancellation and Tony Blair caused economic growth

What has been a significant issues for the Conservative Party? Labour?

Government spending

What were the events of 7/7?

Four coordinated suicide attacks were carried out by terrorists in London. (suicide bombs)

What are some issues or key facets of Northern Ireland?

Sinn Fein, Ulster Unionist Party, tories, and Labour

Where are political elites recruited from?

Oxbridge

What was the role of the Quangos? What are Quangos

An organization to which a government has devolved power

What are Good Friday Accords?

Restoration of self-government to Northern Ireland on the basis of “power sharing”

What are some major problems currently confronting most political systems in advanced industrial societies of Western Europe?

Regulating ethnic, regional, or racial conflicts; controlling rising health-care costs; protecting the environment; and controlling crime rates

In Great Britain, civil liberties and human rights are protected mainly by what?

Political tradition and public opinion

In comparatic politics, the term “legitimacy” refers to what?

The degree to which a political system is accepted by its citizens

What is a state?

A state is in which power is concentrated at the top in the central government (unitary)

How do parliamentary systems differ from presidential systems?

In parliamentary systems the head of government is a member of the legislature

Where does the British establishment derive its political power from?

Public acceptance of its position

In Great Britain, the House of Lords has the power to do what?

To postpone the enactment of legislation

What is the political role played by women in Both Britain and France?

Women in both countries have been Prime Ministers, yet relatively few women hold positions of political power in either country today

How have the British succeeded in maintaining a stable democratic government over the past 300 years?

The absence of significant social cleavages within the population

In parliamentary democracies, the major parties of the Right and of the Left tend to disagree the most on what?

The appropriate degree of government involvement in the economy and in solving social problems

Although its impact is diminished, what remains the MOST important source of social cleavage in British politics?

Class

How did the British Labour Party leader Tony Blair change his party?

By revising the party’s constitution to indicate clearly Labour’s acceptance of market economy

What is political culture best defined as?

Prevailing attitudes in a society toward government, authority, and participation

What is legitimacy?

A characteristic of governments that are recognized by its own citizens and other nations as having the right to rule

How do citizens vote in a presidential system?

They vote directly for the leader of the executive branch of government

What is the difference between direct and indirect democracy?

Direct democracy is when the people vote directly on laws. Indirect democracy is when the people elect representatives to make those votes for them

What is rational-legal legitimacy based on?

A system of well established laws and procedures

What is the effect of liberalism?

It places a great deal of emphasis on individual and economic freedom and is different from communism because it doesn’t emphasize equality.

What were the time periods of gradual suffrage?

The 1800-1900s

What is question time?

It is when members of parliament ask questions to government ministers