British Politics

Quality of Life Issues

  • Includes environment, education, leisure, and law corruption or effective government.
  • It's secular and requires legitimacy.

Legitimacy

  • Democratic Government
  • Long Regime History
  • Gradualism: Gradual, not revolutionary change.
  • Society is stable and wealthy.

Cleavages

  • Region
    • "Nation"
    • England
    • Wales
    • Scotland
    • Northern Ireland
  • Religion
    • England: Anglican
    • Wales
    • Scotland: Presbyterian
    • Northern Ireland
    • Majority: Protestant
    • Minority: Catholic
    • IRA: Irish Republican Army - considered terrorists.
    • "The Troubles": British military involvement.
    • Dayton "Good Friday" Accords: Ended the violence.

Power Sharing Agreement

  • British membership in the EU.
  • Free connections between Northern Ireland & Ireland.
  • Border between Northern Ireland & Britain?
  • Catholics now in majority.
  • Majority: Sinn Fein
  • Minority: Democratic Unionist Party

Ethnicity

  • Not coinciding (crosscutting).
    • Scottish Independence: Referendum in 2014.
    • Immigration to U.K. from Former colonies
    • Black immigrants from Africa & Caribbean.
    • Racism, intolerance, economic inequality.
    • South Asia
    • Religious intolerance (lack of assimilation).
    • Religious terrorism (7/7 attacks).
    • Xenophobia.
    • Live in urban areas.

Social Class

  • Old lower class voted Labour.
  • Upper class voted Conservative.
  • New: lower class consists of immigrants, upper class largely native born.
  • Vast majority are middle class.

Elections

  • One National Election.
  • Elections called by the Prime Minister (not regular) - once every 5 years.

Single member district Plurality Electoral System

  • 650 districts.
  • Majority not required to win.
  • No residency requirements to run.
  • No term limits for elected officials.

Effects of Electoral System

  • Creates a two-party dominant system.
  • Magnifies the victory of the winning party.
  • Creates Stable majorities in Parliament (coalition governments are rare).

Interest Groups

  • Not restricted.
  • Economic Interest Groups
    • Labour
    • Business

Media

  • BBC - Independent of government despite being government controlled & funded.

Social Movements

  • Anti-immigration leading to Brexit.

Political Culture

  • Individualism
    • Individual rights
    • Civil rights
  • Modernism: Wealthy country.

Political Parties

  • Broad/National
    • Conservative Party
    • Thatcherite neoliberal: anti-union, privatization, less safety net (no national health service).
    • Noblesse Oblige: result of collective consensus, pensions (social safety net).
    • Labour Party
    • Tony Blair influence center left.
    • Little Union Support.
    • Liberal Democratic Party
    • Alternative to the 2 major parties.
    • Still exists!

"National" Parties

  • Parties specific to Scotland, Wales, & Northern Ireland.
    • Scottish National Party: advocates for Scottish national independence.
    • Wales: advocates for preservation of Welsh language.
    • Northern Ireland
    • Catholic: Sinn Fein
    • Protestant: Democratic Unionist Party

Single Issue Parties

  • Green Party
  • Anti-immigrant / Pro-Brexit parties
  • Fewest number of seats in Parliament
  • Labour Party and other major parties have overlap with these parties.