BRITISH POLITICS

Constituonal Monarchy

The Queen

General elections

Voting is not compulsory

Palace of Westminster

Judiciary–executive–legislature

British Parliament

Bicameral, Two houses of Chambers

House of Commons

- Members of Parlimants

- Election- 651 seats- Chairman- New laws

House of Lords

Inheritance

Life peers

Presided over by the Lord Chancellor

746 members

Political Parties

English civil wars

Royalists and Parliamentarians - Tories and Whigs

Multi-party system

«Big 3»

In 1920s, Conservative & Labour Party

Before, Liberal Democrat Party & Conservative Party

The Conservative Party (Tories)

Wealthier people

Winston Churchill

Margeret Thatcher’s tenure – economic liberalisation

Eurosceptic

David Cameron

The Centre-Right party

Major party in the Coalition Government

Patriotic party

Origins

18th-century

William Pitt the Younger

The Independent Whigs / Friends of Mr Pitt / Pittites

Tory – political grouping – no organisational continuity

1834 - Sir Robert Peel - Tamworth Manifesto

Policies

- Against the adoption of euro

- repair the Military Covenant

- strengthen the ties between the armed forces and government

- increase the number of people in the workforce

- English Baccalaureate - measures the percentage of students in a school who achieve grades A*-C

Labour Party

in 1900

centre-left

Social democracy

1997 – 2010 - Tony Blair and Gordon Brown

Origins

19th century

Keir Hardie - one of the Labour Party's founders and its first leader

1924 - Ramsay MacDonald - first ever Labour Prime Minister / the first Labour government

1929 – Second MacDonald government

1945 – Clement Atlee government

1964 – Harold Wilson government

1974 – James Callaghan

Wilderness Years

1997 – New Labour – Tony Blair & Gordon Brown

Liberal Democrats

3 March 1988

Nick Clegg

radical centre

Liberalism

Social liberalism

Federalism

Pro-Europeanism

Policies

Minimum wage set at same level for all workers

Replace council tax with local income tax

Replace national curriculum with «minimum curriculum entitlement»

More freedom for school management

"strong and positive" commitment to Europe

UKIP - UK Independence Party

3 September 1993

Nigel Farage

Euroscepticism

Right-wing populism

Origins

Alan Sked

Against the Maastricht Treaty

single European currency, the euro

Policies

“£120 billion black hole” in these spending plans

 leaving the European Union

simple free trade agreement - Commonwealth Free Trade Area

The Cabinet

Prime Minister appoint his Government

A selection of Members of Parliament

Team

Responsible to Parliament

Prime Minister

David Cameron

head of the UK government 

the policy and decisions of the government

Responsibilities

oversees the operation of the Civil Service and government agencies

appoints members of the government

is the principal government figure in the House of Commons

Deputy Prime Minister

Nick Clegg

supporting the Prime Minister on the full range of government policy and initiatives

Responsibilities

implementing the government’s strategy to increase social mobility

overseeing the government’s drive to rebalance the economy

leading the government’s political and constitutional reform agenda

chairing the Home Affairs Committee, co-chairing the Coalition Committee and deputy-chairing the National Security Council

building strategic relationships in Europe and across the world

Chancellor of the Exchequer

George Osborne

government’s chief financial minister

raising revenue through taxation or borrowing and for controlling public spending

the work of the Treasury

Responsibilities

fiscal policy (including the presenting of the annual Budget)

monetary policy, setting inflation targets

ministerial arrangements (in his role as Second Lord of the Treasury)

Home Secretary

Theresa May

all Home Office business

Responsibilities

security and terrorism

legislative programme

expenditure issues

Foreign Secretary

Philip Hammond

Responsibilities

the work of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office

policy strategy, honours, Whitehall liaison and cyber-security

Business Secretary

Dr. Vince Cable

Strategy and policy across the Department for Bussiness, Innovation, Skills (BIS)

Responsibilities•overall responsibility for the department, strategy and all policies•overall responsibility for the BIS budget•President of the Board of Trade•lead Cabinet minister for reducing regulatory burdens across government

Communities Secretary

Eric Pickles

Overall strategic direction of the Department for Communities and Local Government(DCLG)

Responsibilities

supporting local government

communities and neighbourhoods

local economic growth

housing

planning and building

fire

Culture Secretary

Sajid Javid 

strategy and policy across the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Responsibilities

arts and culture

broadcasting

creative industries

cultural property, heritage and the historic environment

gambling and racing

libraries

media ownership and mergers

museums and galleries

the National Lottery

sport

telecommunications and online

tourism

Defence Secretary

Michael Fallon

the business of the department providing strategic direction on policy, operations, acquisition and personnel matters

Responsibilities

operational strategy, including as a member of the National Security Council

defence planning, programme and resource allocation

international relations including lead for US, France and Saudi Arabia

defence exports policy, including as chair of the cross-Government Exports Working Group

nuclear programme

communications

Education Secretary

Nicky Morgan

the work of the Department for Education

Responsibilities

early years

adoption and child protection

teachers’ pay

the school curriculum

school improvement

the establishment of academies and free schools

Energy and Climate Secretary

Edward Davey

the business of the Department of Energy & Climate Change and its policies

Responsibilities

department strategy and budgets

energy market reform

carbon price

Annual Energy Statement

energy security

National Security Council

Carbon Plan

Renewable Energy Strategy

2050 Pathways

Environment Secretary

Elizabeth Truss

the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Responsibilities

EU and international relations

emergencies

Common Agricultural Policy reform

biodiversity

Health Secretary

Jeremy Hunt

the work of the Department of Health (DH).

Responsibilities

compassionate care

transparency

dementia

technology

better care

International Development Secretary

Justine Greening

Responsibilities

leads the DFID ministerial team and sets the overall strategy and direction of the department

sets the overall strategy and direction of the department

Justice Secretary

Chris Grayling

making improvements to the criminal justice and prison system so that it better serves the public

Responsibilities

the resourcing of his department

overall strategy on criminal justice, penal policy, human rights and rehabilitation

other functions of the Lord Chancellor

EU and international

Leader of the Commons

William Hague

Responsibilities

government business in the House of Commons and works closely with the government’s Chief Whip

Treasury Secretary

Danny Alexander

Responsibilities

spending reviews and strategic planning

in-year spending control

public sector pay and pensions

Annually Managed Expenditure (AME) and welfare reform

efficiency and value for money in public service

procurement

capital investment

Transport Secretary

Patrick McLoughlin

the policies of the Department for Transport

Responsibilities

transport strategy, including economic growth and climate change

spending review

transport security

high speed rail

Work & Pensions Secretary

Iain Duncan Smith

the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)

Responsibilities

the administration of the state pension and working age benefits system;

people of working age

employers

pensioners

families and children

disabled people

Northern Ireland Secretary

Theresa Villiers

the policies of the Northern Ireland Office

Responsibilities

overseeing the Northern Ireland devolution settlement

representing Northern Ireland interests at UK government level and UK government interests in Northern Ireland

national security

human rights, elections

legacy issues (including current ongoing public inquiries)

Scottish Secretary

Alistair Carmichael

promote and protect the devolution settlement

Responsibilities

promoting partnership between the UK government and the Scottish government

Promoting relations between the 2 Parliaments

Welsh Secretary

Stephen Crabb

the overall strategic direction of the Wales Office

Responsibilities

Welsh Government and National Assembly for Wales Liaison

Constitution, including the Government of Wales Act

Silk Commission

Economy

Infrastructure

Business

Inward investment

Welfare

Public appointments

Foreign affairs, including the EU

Royal matters

Significant Characters

Winston Churchill

Early Years

Oxford on November 30, 1874

1870 – 1880 Lord Randolph Churchill well-known figure in Tory politics

Jennie Jerome American heiress

Military school at Sandhurst

26-year-old Churchill had published five books

joined the House of Commons as a Conservative

4 years later, Liberal

Nobel Prize for Literature in 1953 for his six-volume history of World War II

Legacy

progressive social reforms eight-hour workday

a government-mandated minimum wage

a state-run labor exchange for unemployed workers and a system of public health insurance

the First Lord of the Admiralty to prepare Great Britain for war:

established the Royal Naval Air Service

modernized the British fleet

invented one of the earliest tanks

Quotes

“I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat,” 

Churchill told the House of Commons in his first speech as prime minister

“We have always found the Irish a bit odd. They refuse to be English” – Diversity

“ Play the game for more than you can afford to lose... Only then will you learn the game” – Risk

Margaret Thatcher - only woman prime minister

Early Years

on October 13, 1925, in Grantham, a small town in Lincolnshire, England

Alfred and Beatrice, were middle-class shopkeepers and devout Methodists

Alfred was also a politician, serving as a town council member

Chemistry at Oxford University

joined the Oxford Union Conservative Association

research chemist, her real interest was politics

Legacy

Thatcherism : strong state and a free economy

free markets, free trade, competition, low tax and a small state left an enduring stamp on Britain and the world

Quotes

«In politics, if you want something said, ask a man. If you want something done, ask a woman.» - 1965 Speech to national union of townswomen’s guilds conference

«Liberty is fundamental»

«The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money»

«Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren’t

«Don’t follow the crowd, let the crowd follow you

Tony Blair - Labour Party

Early Years

Edinburgh, Scotland, on 6 May 1953

Leo Blair - famous attorney who ran for the parliament

as a Tory in 1963

Hazel Blair

Oxford, to study Law

graduation in 1975 - ‘Lincoln's Inn’ - as an apprentice under Lord Chancellor, Alexander Irvine.  

Legacy

Raised the taxes

Announced minimum wages

Implemented new employment rights,

Introduced new rights for the homosexuals

Signed several treatises in his pursuit to unify Britain with the European Union

introduced innumerable reforms in health and educational sectors

revoked many categories of welfare payments

implemented stringent anti-terrorism measures

passed legislation regarding the issuance of identity cards to the citizens

vested the police force with more power which increased the number of punishable offences and he also made DNA recording mandatory

reduce the level of poverty and increase the number of social services in Britain

‘A Journey’ ; one of the fastest-selling autobiographies of all times

Quotes

«A simple way to take measure of a country is to look at how many want in.. And how many want out»

«Sometimes it is better to lose and do the right thing than to win and do the wrong thing»

«You only require two things in life : Your sanity and your wife»

«The art of leadership is saying no, not yes. It is very easy to say yes»

«Teachers affect eternity; no one knows where their influence stops»

«When Europe and America stand together the world is a better and more prosperous place

«I didn’t come into politics to change the Labour Party. I came into politics to change the country

Oliver Cromwell – most controversial figure

in Huntingdon on 25 April 1599

Robert Cromwell and Elizabeth Steward – gentry class

Sir Henry Williams - paternal grandfather - one of the two wealthiest landowners in Huntingdonshire

at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge -  left in June 1617 without taking a degree

a regicidal dictator by historians such as David Hume

a military dictator by Winston Churchill

a hero of liberty by Thomas Carlyle and Samuel Rawson Gardiner

a class revolutionary by Leon Trotsky

Legacy

Remodelled army

Battle of Naseby and Langport 

Irish campaign

1649 - Establishment of the Commonwealth

Quotes

«He who stops being better stops being good»

«Put your trust in God; but be sure to keep your powder dry»

«Nature can do more than physicians»

«The best way to make your audience laugh is to start laughing yourself»

«Necessity has no law»

Guy Fawkes

Early Years

in 1570 in Stonegate, York

regular communicants of the Church of England

Catholic education

Soldier

Legacy

5 November - day of thanksgiving for "the joyful day of deliverance

Guy Fawkes Night

Guy - oddly dressed person

The Boyhood Days of Guy Fawkes

The Conspirators of Old London

V for Vendetta

"the last man to enter Parliament with honest intentions"

Quotes

«A desperate disease requires a dangerous remedy»

«... to blow you Scotch beggars back to your native mountains»

Princess Diana

Early Years

on 1 July 1961, in Park House, Sandringham, Norfolk

Spencer - Royal Family

8 years old – Her parents divorced

West Heath Girls' School

professional ballerina with the Royal Ballet

Legacy

«world's most photographed woman»

Biography by Tina Brown - restless and demanding ... obsessed with her public image

 Princess of Wales Visual Arts Centre - OCAD University in Toronto, Canada

Quotes

«Everyone of us needs to show how much we care for each other and, in the process, care for ourselves»

«There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded»

«I don’t go by the rule book. I lead from the heart, not the head»

Scottish Independence

David Cameron & Ed Miliband - http://www.theguardian.com/politics/video/2014/sep/09/david-cameron-ed-miliband-scottish-independence-video

Nigel Farage - http://www.theguardian.com/politics/video/2014/sep/19/ukip-nigel-farage-england-scottish-independence-video

Nick Clegg - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2784972/Britain-meaner-weaker-poorer-place-without-Clegg-claims-launches-fightback-save-Lib-Dems-extinction.html#v-3827476343001

David Cameron and Ed Miliband implore the Scottish people to vote against independence in referendum

Stronger together - David Cameron, Ed Miliband, Nick Clegg

Nigel Farage: England has been ignored in the debate over Scottish independence

England has become the poor cousin

Last minute panic

Questions

What Scotland’s «No» vote means for David Cameron?

Do you think that the method of Miliband is a good idead about flying the Scottish flag as a sign of solidarity?

Which speech is more persuasive according to you? Why?

Speech

David Cameron:

Slowly – clear- emotional

( I really care.... I do the best.... Its better.... The best way... Better together)

Ed Millaband

Confident – slowly - positively

We can win... We believe.... Please... We are better together

Nigel Farage

Fast – mordaciously – nakedly - negatively

İn behalf of Scotland, against the government, We need to... England needs...

Nick Clegg

Fast – realistic - confident

Adjectives ( remarkable, wonderful, different), care about..., dangerance, risks

Debate

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/video/2010/apr/15/leaders-debate-manchester

Gordon Brown – Labour Party

David Cameron – Conservative Party

Nick Clegg – Liberal Democrat Party

Questions

How do they defend their opinion?

How do they try to refute the opposite arguement?

What kind of clues could these give us about British society?

Answers

- The modarator let them speak

- answer questions of each other

- explain their opinion to the audience

gently, realistic, freely, formal, respectfully

- They listen carefully

- approach posititively

- sharing their real ideas

- «be honest»

- sarcastic reactions

- making jokes

-respectful

Ümmügülsüm GÖKŞENLİ

Kocaeli University

ELT Department