Elections In Great Britain

1. Elections In Great Britain • Members of Parliament (MPs) are the only national officials that British voters select • Elections must be held at least every 5 years, but Prime Minister may call them earlier • Officially elections occur after the Crown dissolves Parliament, but that always happens after the Prime Minister requests it • Power to call elections very important – the Prime Minister always calls elections when they think that the majority party has the best chance to win

2. Elections (continued) • “Winner-take-all” system (not proportional) • Each party selects a candidate to run for each district • “First-past-the-post” winner (whatever party gets the Most MP’s elected becomes the majority party) • MPs do not have to live in the district in which they are running, therefore party selects who runs in what districts. • Party leaders run from safe districts – or districts that the party almost always wins • Political “newbies” or locals are selected to run in districts the party knows it will lose

3. Voting Patterns • Conservative Party • Middle and upper classes • Educated • Residents of England, mostly rural and suburban areas • Labour Party • Traditionally supported by working class • Residents of urban and industrial areas (Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle) Conservative Parties Logo Labour Party Prime Minister Gordon Brown

4. United States Members must live in districts Party leaders run in their respective districts Individual votes for 4 officials on national level Between 30 and 60% of the eligible voters actually vote First-past-the-post, single-member districts; very few minor parties get representation Great Britain Party determines who runs where Members usually don’t live in their districts Party leaders run in “safe districts” Individual votes for only 1 official on the national level About 70 to 80% of the eligible voters actually vote First-past-the-post, single-member districts; some representation from minority parties, but still less than if they had proportional representation U.S. vs. British Elections

5. Prime Minister Member of Parliament and Leader of majority party Speaks legitimately for all Members of Parliament Chooses cabinet ministers and important subordinate posts Makes decisions in cabinet, with agreement of ministers Campaigns for and represents the party in parliamentary elections Shapes cabinet decisions into policy Cabinet Collective cabinet is the center of policy-making in the British political system As leaders of majority party elected by the people, they take “collective responsibility” for making the policy of the country Prime Minister & Cabinet

6. Prime Minister of UK Serves only as long as he/she remains leader of majority party Elected as a MP Has an excellent chance of getting his/her programs past Parliament Cabinet members are always MPs and leaders of the majority party Cabinet members not experts in policy areas: rely on bureaucracy to provide expertise President of the US Elected every four years by an electoral college based on popular election Elected as president Has an excellent chance of ending up in gridlock with Congress Cabinet members usually don’t come from Congress (although they may) Some expertise in policy areas; one criteria for their appointment; head vast bureaucracies Comparing Executives

7. Parliament House of Commons Party that receives the majority of the winners in all the districts becomes the Majority Party in Parliament, the party with the second most MP’s becomes the “loyal opposition”

8. House of Commons:Set-up • House of Commons set-up with long benches facing each other • Prime Minister sits on front bench of majority side, directly in the middle • Directly across from the PM sits the leader of the “opposition” party • Between members of the majority and opposition parties is a long table • Cabinet members sit on the front rows of the majority party side • “Shadow Cabinet” – influential members of the opposition party sit facing Cabinet members of majority party on the opposing side • “Backbenchers” – less influential members of both parties sit in the rear benches on both sides of the meeting hall as well

9. House of Commons:Debate • “Government” – consists of MPs on the first rows of the majority party side, they are majority party members, including the PM, that are most influential in making policy • Question Time/Question Hour – the hour the prime minister and his cabinet must defend themselves from inquisitive attacks from the opposition party as well as direct inquiry from members of his/her own party • Speaker of the House – presides over the debates in Parliament, the speaker is suppose to be objective and often is not a member of the majority party. Their job is to let all speak without letting the debate get out of hand. • Because of a lack of checks & balances between branches in British politics the opposition party is seen as the “check” on the majority party within Parliament, this “check” power is best utilized during times of debate over policy

10. House of Lords • Only hereditary parliamentary house in existence today • Hereditary peers: hold seats that have been passed down through family ties over the centuries • Life peers: people appointed to nonhereditary positions as a result of distinguished service to Britain • Lords have gradually declined in authority over last 4 centuries

11. House of Lords (continued) • Since the beginning of the 20th century the House of Lords’ only powers are: • To delay legislation • To debate technicalities of proposed bills – chamber of revision, providing expertise in redrafting legislation. • Lords may add amendments to legislation, but House of Commons may delete their changes by a simple majority vote. • Recently heredity peers have been reduced and movement to an elected house has gained popularity.

12. Members of Parliament Powers (House of Commons) • Debate, refine, and vote on potential legislation • They are the only ones who may become party leaders and ultimately may head the government • Scrutinize the administration of laws • Keep communication lines open between voters and ministers (cabinet heads)

13. Bureaucracy: Civil Servants • Hundred of thousands of civil servants in the UK • They administer laws and deliver public services • Most do clerical and routine work for the bureaucracy • A few hundred directly advise ministers (cabinet heads) and oversee work of departments • Top civil servants and bureaucrats usually stay with their departments, while ministers are party officials who move with party demands • Therefore, top civil servants often have a great deal of input into policy-making

14. Judiciary Branch • In Britain, the principle of parliamentary sovereignty (parliament’s decisions are final) has limited the development of judicial review • British courts can only determine whether government decisions violate the common law or previous acts of Parliament • By tradition British courts cannot impose their rulings upon Parliament, the prime minister, or the cabinet • Law lords – settle disputes from lower courts; they do not have power of judicial review, so their authority is limited

15. Judiciary Branch (continued) Constitutional Reform Act of 2005– provides for a Supreme Court of the United Kingdom to take over the existing role of the law lords

16. Devolution • British government is a unitary system (centralized control) • Starting in the 1970s the Scots and Welsh made an aggressive push for certain political autonomy in their regions • Devolution – the turning over of some political power and autonomy to regional governments • The Labour Party had supported the idea of devolution since the 1970s • Margaret Thatcher’s administration blocked the idea during the period in which they controlled government

17. Devolution Under Tony Blair’s New Labour Party the idea of devolution was revisited In 1999, referendums in Scotland and Wales successfully passed, and each established their own regional assemblies: powers of taxation, education, and economic planning In 1998, the Good Friday Agreement established a parliament for Northern Ireland as well, but it was shut down by London in 2003 when violence broke out once again in the region of Northern Ireland.

18. Interest Groups • Between 1945-1980, business interests and trade union organizations fiercely competed for influence over the policy-making process • Trade Union Congress (TUC) – represents coalition of unions, had great deal of political power at one time and government often consulted them on important policy decisions – traditionally aligned with Labour Party • Coalition of Business and Industry (CBI) – a coalition of business groups and private interests, usually supportive of the Conservative Party

19. Media • British newspapers reflect social class divisions • They are divided between quality news and comments that appeal to the middle and upper classes, and mass circulation tabloids that target working and lower classes • British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) – Sought to educate citizens • Usually respectful of government officials • Had significant clash with Blair government in 2003-2004 over policies regarding the Iraq War

20. Blair’s Vote of Confidence • Higher Education Bill • Vote of confidence took place in 2005 • Bill squeaked by with an approval vote of 316 to 311 • The bill proposed raising university fees, a measure criticized not only by the opposition, but by outspoken MPs from the Labour Party as well • The vote narrowly allowed Blair’s government to remain in control of the Commons

21. Party Discipline • Party discipline very important in British politics • If party members do not support their party leadership, the “government” may fall into crisis • Vote of Confidence • Vote on a key issue within the party • If the issue is not supported, the cabinet by tradition must resign immediately, and new elections for MPs must be held as soon as possible • This is usually avoided by settling policy differences within majority party membership • If the party loses a vote of confidence, all MPs lose their jobs, so there is plenty of motivation to vote the party line