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Introduction to Great Britain
What is the difference between the United Kingdom, Great Britain and England??
The British Economy
GDP: 2.14 trillion GDP per capita: $35,200 Trade:
Exports- manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals, food, beverages, tobacco
Imports: manufactured goods, machinery, foodstuffs, fuels.
Major Markets: US, Germany, France, The Netherlands, Ireland
GDP - market value of all final goods and services made within the borders of a nation in a year
Per capita GNP - value of all goods and
services produced in a country in one year, plus income earned by its citizens abroad, minus income earned by foreigners in the country
People
Population: 61 million Major ethnic groups:
British, Irish, Welsh, Scottish, West Indian, South Asian
Major languages: English, Welsh, Irish Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic.
Government Intro Constitutional Monarchy Unwritten Constitution: partly statutes, partly common law
and practice Changes come through new acts of Parliament,
informally through acceptance, or by judicial precedent Branches:
Executive: Monarch (head of state) - purely ceremonial
Prime Minister (head of government)Legislative: Bicameral ParliamentJudicial: magistrates’ courts, county courts, high
courts, appellate courts, House of Lords,
Supreme Court (2009)
Queen and Prime Minister
Queen Elizabeth II David Cameron
Head of State v. Head of Government
• Head of State• Carries out
ceremonial functions associated with representing the state both at home and in foreign policy
• Attempts to appear above party politics and to represent the interests of the nation as a whole
Head of Government
Person responsible for carrying on the business of government and for leading the team that controls the central institutions of the government and the state
Head of StateTransfers by Heredity
Prince CharlesThe Prince of WalesEldest son of Queen Elizabeth II
and Prince Philip (Duke of Edinburgh)
Heir Apparent to the throne
Prince William Elder son of The Prince of Wales
and the late Diana, Princess of Wales
State Opening of Parliament
Each new parliamentary session has to be opened by the monarch
They read the speech prepared for them by the government of the day
Sets out the legislative agenda for the coming parliamentary session
The Prime Minister
Head of the Government
Must be an elected member of Parliament
Head of the largest party of the lower house – House of Commons
Extremely Powerful Parliament majority
expected to approve all legislation
Party discipline strong in UK
Few checks on central power
Elected to 5 year terms – they alone decide to call elections before that term expires
Subject to vote of no confidence
Recent Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher
May 1979 – November 1990
John Major November 1990 – May
1997 Tony Blair
May 1997 – June 2007 (stepped down)
Gordon Brown Appointed June 2007
by Labour Party (no election)
Elections May 2010
• David Cameron new Prime Minister
• Gordon Brown steps down as Labour Party leader
• Coalition Government– Liberal
Democrats & Nick Clegg appointed Deputy Prime Minister
PM's Cabinet
Comprised of about 20 members (called ministers)
Must be MPs Collective
responsibility Cabinet must
appear unified – even if someone opposes policy
Foreign Office Conducts foreign
policy Home Office
Oversees judiciary Exchequer
Oversees financial policy as head of the central bank
Parliament Responsibilities
Members actively debate issues Participate in legislative committees Vote on legislation Power of vote of no confidence The government (executive) proposes
most of the legislation
Parliament
Represents the entire country Maximum parliamentary term is 5 years
the prime minister may ask the Monarch to dissolve parliament and call a general election at any time
Judiciary is independent of the legislative and executive branches but cannot review constitutionality of legislation
Majoritarian – the majority in Parliament has virtually unchecked power
Parliamentary Sovereignty
• Parliament can make or overturn any law
• Only Parliament can nullify its own legislation
• Increasing pressures to change this system as the pace of globalization continues– EU, UN
Fusion of Powers
• Parliament is the supreme legislative, executive, and judicial authority
• The legislature and executive are fused– The PM and his Cabinet are “the
government” and they are all members of Parliament
– Effect on Gridlock?
ParliamentThe British Legislature
House of Commons 646 members
349 Labour 193 Conservative 63 Liberal Democrat
Represent individual districts throughout the UK
Follow party lead Whips enforce the
party line MPs vote with party
90% of the time
House of Lords Virtually powerless
anachronism No veto power, but can delay
legislation up to a year Court of last appeal
746 members Life peers
Distinguished citizens appointed for life by the crown
Hereditary peers Members of the aristocracy
who until 1999 could bequeath their seats to their offspring
Unitary State
• Unitary v. Federal State
FEDERAL (US) UNITARY (UK)
Codified (this is especially necessary given the complexity of the federal/state relationship)
Often uncodified
Division and separation of significant powers
Centralisation of powers
Separate institutions sharing powers. Branches of government separated.
Fusion and overlap of powers
Presidential system. Parliamentary system.
Based on popular sovereignty. Parliamentary sovereignty.
Characterised by high levels of democratic participation.
Low levels of democratic participation.
Bicameral, fully elected. Partially bicameral, not fully elected.
Pros and cons
FEDERALISMPros Cons
Permits diversity (different legal and political consequences)
Can mask social/economic/racial inequalities
Increases accessibility Frustrates national will. Problem solving more difficult.
Better protection of individual rights
Federal/state relationship cause of continual controversy
States experiment with new solutions to endemic problems
Overly bureaucratic and costly.
Well suited to geographically large nation
Pros and cons
Unitary
Pros Cons
Strong national will and administrative focus
Central government may not be perceptive to localised issues, can become isolated.
Less bureaucracy and cost Excessive centralisation still amounts to significant cost.
Fewer complex relationships to manage
Less chance for participation, involvement and representation.
Clear, decisive leadership possible, strong government
Relatively unchecked powers, tyranny of democracy.
Information sharing, more cooperative branches of government
Conflict of interests, excessive government strength, insufficient checks and balances
Devolution Devolution - the statutory granting of powers from the central
government of a state to government at national, regional, or local level
Differs from federalism in that the powers devolved may be temporary and ultimately reside in central government, thus the state remains unitary
Parliament of the United Kingdom Following a majority referendum in 1997 the following
were created in 1999: Scottish Parliament Welsh Assembly Northern Ireland Assembly
Judicial System Parliamentary sovereign (parliament’s decisions are
final) did not allow the development of judicial review No Judicial Review Gaining authority with the passing of international laws
(European Convention on Human Rights) British governments have begun to consult legal
interpretations of their actions House of Lords is the highest judicial authority (Law
Lords) Supreme Court – created by the Constitutional Reform
Act of 2005 to align with EU requirements – Separates judicial system from legislative
12 judges – not MPs
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