United Kingdom

Vote of no Confidence

Vote of no Confidence

A process in a parliamentary system where a majority of parliament members vote to remove the Prime Minister from office.

Alternate Voting (AV)

allows voters to rank candidates on the ballot in order of preference

Austerity

sternness or severity of manner or attitude

Backbenchers (UK)

Members of a parliament who are not in the government or shadow cabinet.

Big Society

David Cameron's platform that envisions a society that is energized by grassroots volunteers and private organizations, no longer harassed by "big governments"

Brexit

The British Exit from the European Union

British Broadcasting Corporation

Broadcasting network set up by Parliament. Instead of being directly controlled by the government, it was supported through licensing fees. (U.S. was public, rest of Europe was government controlled).

Cabinet

group of officials who head government departments and advise the Prime Minister

David Cameron

Conservative prime minister from 2010 to 2016; resigned following the Brexit referendum, which he campaigned against

Celtic Fringe

Refers to Scotland and Wales, which were not conquered by the Angles and Saxons

Chancellor of the Exchequer

The British Cabinet minister responsible for financial and economic matters and in charge of the Treasury.

Nick Clegg

Leader of the Liberal Democrats since 2007. His party is underrepresented in Parliament compared to the number of votes they received

Coalition Government

When two or more parties join together to form a majority in a national legislature. This form of government is quite common in the multiparty systems of Europe.

Collective Responsibility

in a parliamentary system, the concept that all cabinet members agree on policy decisions and that all will be responsible for the results

Collectivist Consensus

Postwar consensus between the UK's major parties to build and sustain a welfare state.

Common Law

A legal system based on custom and court rulings

Confederation of British Industry (CBI)

The UK's most important group representing the private sector

Conservatives (Tories)

One of the UK's two largest parties, since 2010 it has led a coalition government with the Liberal Democratic Party

Constituency

the people and interests that an elected official represents

Devolution

the transfer of powers and responsibilities from the federal government to the states

European Union

An international organization of European countries formed after World War II to reduce trade barriers and increase cooperation among its members.

Euroskeptics

People opposed to the UK's membership in the EU and the expansion of the EU's power.

Falkland Islands

a group of over 100 islands in the southern Atlantic off the coast of Argentina

Nigel Farage

Outspoken leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) and member of the European parliament

first-past-the-post system

An electoral system where the candidate with the most votes wins regardless of whether that person has a majority of the votes cast; there is no runoff election.

Good Friday Agreement

an agreement to end the conflict in Northern Ireland signed in 1998 by Protestants and Catholics

Hereditary Peers

members of the House of Lords appointed by the monarch and whose title automatically passes down to their sons.

House of Commons

the first legislative body of Parliament whose members are elected.

House of Lords

the upper house of the British parliament

Hung Parliament

a parliament in which no single party has majority control in the House of Commons

Initiative

A procedure by which voters can propose a law or a constitutional amendment.

Boris Johnson

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom who completed Brexit

Labour Party

British working-class political party established in the 1890s and dedicated to reforms and a peaceful transition to socialism, in time providing a viable alternative to the revolutionary emphasis of Marxism.

Law Lords

five members of the House of Lords who serve as Britain's highest court of appeals

Liberal Democrats

left-wing democrats - favor redistribution of wealth to poor, minorities - socially more liberal

Life peers (UK)

Non-hereditary members of the House of Lords appointed for life.

Magna Carta

(1215) a charter of liberties (freedoms) that King John "Lackland" of Englad was forced to sign; it made the king obey the same laws as the citizens of his kingdom

Majoritarian

Term describing the virtually unchecked power of a parliamentary majority in the UK political system

Theresa May

Prime Minister of the UK who sought to restore party unity + get a mandate to negotiate a Brexit deal by calling a snap election in 2012

Member of Parliament

A representative elected by voters to parliament

Neo-Liberalism

A strategy for economic development that calls for free markets, balanced budgets, privatization, free trade, and minimal government intervention in the economy.

Northern Ireland

Ulster; Protestant part of Ireland that is part of the UK

Parliamentary System

A system of government in which the legislature selects the prime minister or president.

Peers

Members of the House of Lords

Plaid Cymru

the nationalist party in Wales that advocates more rights for the Welsh people, including use of the Welsh language

Presidential System

a system of government in which the legislative and executive branches operate independently of each other

Proportional Representation

An election system in which each party running receives the proportion of legislative seats corresponding to its proportion of the vote.

Quangos

Quasi-autonomous nongovernmental organizations that assist the government in making policy

Question time (in the Commons)

hour when the Prime Minister must answer questions from opposition

single-member district (SMD)

An electoral district in which voters choose one representative or official.

Sinn Fein

An Irish republican political movement founded in 1905 to promote independence from England and unification of Ireland

Referendum

a legislative act is referred for final approval to a popular vote by the electorate

Scottish National Party (SNP)

The party seeking Scottish independence, and currently in control of the Scottish regional government

Speaker of the House

the leader of the majority party who serves as the presiding officer of the House of Representatives

Kier Starmer

British politician and former lawyer who has served as Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition since 2020.

Rishi Sunak

Prime Minister of the UK; former chancellor of equiter

supranational system

An intergovernmental system with its own sovereign powers over member states

Margaret Thatcher/Thatcherism

First female Prime Minister, marked by privatization of business and union reform

The Troubles

Period of battle between Protestants and Catholics in Ireland; Catholics fought for more representation in the government

Third Way

A term used to describe the new and more central left-wing parties of the 1990s, most notably Britain's "New Labour".

Trades Union Congress (TUC)

The UK's largest trade union confederation

UK Independence Party (UKIP)

a Euroskeptic and right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom

Unitary Government

A centralized government in which all government powers belong to a single, central agency.

Welfare State

A government that undertakes responsibility for the welfare of its citizens through programs in public health and public housing and pensions and unemployment compensation etc.

Conservative

Neville Chamberlain’s political party

May 1937 to May 1940

Neville Chamberlain’s term

Appeasement and signing the Munich Agreement ceding the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia to Hitler

What was Neville Chamberlain best known for?

announced the declaration of war on Germany

What did Neville Chamberlain do following the German invasion of Poland?

Through first 8 months until his resignation as prime minister on 10 May 1940

How long did Neville Chamberlain lead the UK through WWII?

Conservative

What was Winston Churchill’s political party?

1940–1945 during WWII, 1951–1955

Winston Churchill’s term

5

How many constituencies did Winston Churchill represent?

Economic liberalism and imperialism

What ideals did Winston Churchill adhere to?

1964

When did Winston Churchill resign as an MP?

Labour

Clement Atlee’s political party

Highly successful deputy PM

What was Clement Atlee‘s role in Churchill’s coalition government?

20 years

How long was Clement Atlee the leader of the Labour Party?

1945–1951

How long was Clement Atlee prime minister?

1945 in a landslide election

When did the Labour Party take power?

For the collectivist consensus

What did Clement Atlee lay the foundation for?

collectivist consensus

economic policies dealing with the post-WWII economic depression using Keynesian tactics (increased government spending)

social conscience and staunch patriotism

What encapsulated Labour’s experiment in democratic socialism?

creation of the National Health Service and the nationalization of coal mining and steel industry

What is an example of Labour’s experiment in democratic socialism?

Attlee’s effectiveness dramatically declined

What happened after Labour’s defeat in the general election of 1951?

His authority was broken by factional fighting within the party

Why did Attlee’s effectiveness dramatically decline?

He resigned as leader in 1955 and accepted a peerage

What did Attlee do in 1955?

collectivist consensus (definition 2)

time period post-WWII when the Labour Party initiated a welfare state with the general support of Conservatives

welfare state

form of government in which the state promotes the economic and social well-being of its citizens

the principles of equal opportunity, equitable distribution of wealth, and public responsibility of citizens

What is the welfare state based off of?

nationalization, strong trade unions, heavy regulation, high taxes, and an extensive welfare state

What did the consensus tolerate and encourage?

the UK’s economy was in deep decline and a new breed of Tories (Conservatives) arose, known as neoliberals

By the 1970s…

that economic problems were due to the excess of the welfare state

What did neoliberals believe?

Margaret Thatcher

Who was the “Iron Lady”?

1979

When did Thatcher begin her role as prime minister?

experiment with neoliberal policies/laissez faire in an attempt to stem economic decline

Thatcher was the first leader of an industrial economy to do what?

False

T/F: Thatcher stayed with traditional Tories.

derided the “nanny state” and pledged to diminish the government’s role in the economy

What did Thatcher hate and pledge to do because of that?

lowered taxes, cut social services, privatized industries

What were major themes of Thatcher’s reign as prime minister?

large

Did Thatcher have a large or small majority in the House of Commons?

1) sold millions of public housing units to private owners; 2) defeated trade unions during widespread strikes

What are two specific examples of Thatcher’s policies?