WEEK 9: IS POLITICAL POWER IN BRITAIN CENTRED IN

LONDON OR BRUSSELS?

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WHO RUNS BRITAIN?

“In Europe, not run by Europe”

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WHO RUNS BRITAIN?

“… none of the old political parties are prepared to accept that the real government of Britain is now in Brussels.”

UKIP election manifesto, 2005

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WHO RUNS BRITAIN?

1. Jose Manuel Barroso 22%

2. Rupert Murdoch 15%

3. Parliament 14%

4. British people 12%

5. Gus O’Donnell 10%

6. Terry Leahy 7%

7. Tony Blair 7%

8. Google 6%

9. Gordon Brown 4%

10. Shami Chakrabarti 3%

Source: Today Programme, BBC Radio 4, Dec 2006

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‘DELEGATION’ OF POWER

VOTERS

PARTIES/PARLIAMENT

GOVERNMENT

EUROPEANUNION

REGULATORSBANK OFENGLAND

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QUESTIONS FOR THIS WEEK

1. How much power does the European Union wield? Are decisions really made more in Brussels than in London?

2. If ‘yes’, how far is decision making accountable? Does ‘delegating’ power to the EU weaken voters’ control over their political rulers?

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BRITAIN’S RELATIONS WITH EUROPE: TIMELINE

1951 Creation of ECSC under Treaty of Paris

1957 Creation of EEC under Treaty of Rome

1960s De Gaulle rebuffs Britain’s application (1963, 1967)

1973 Britain (+ Den, Ire) members of EEC

1986 Deepening of internal market: Single European Act

1992 Deepening of political union: Treaty on European Union (‘Maastricht’)

1997 Treaty of Amsterdam

2000 Treaty of Nice

2007 Treaty of Lisbon

NB. Similar material in Kavanagh et al, 2005: Table 8.2:

EUROPEAN INTEGRATION

Incremental progressEconomic integration followed by political

integrationBritain not only ‘odd one out’

- Fra/Den/Ire all concerned with preserving national interests within EU

Britain not always laggardBut domestic concerns over ‘political

union’8

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DIVISION OF POLICY POWERS

EU ONLYCustoms; Internal market; Competition

SHARED: EU DOMINANTAgriculture; Enviroment; Energy;

Social policy

SHARED: UK DOMINANTEducation; Foreign affairs; Justice and

home affairs

UK ONLY Health, social security, law and order,

economic policy9

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DIVISION OF POLICY POWERS

Domestic actors no longer sovereign Supremacy of European law (eg. Factortame

case in 1991, Equal Opportunity Commission in 1994)

But these areas mainly internal market/equality

Growing EU competence eg. environment: pollution On sensitive topics (immigration, currency),

national governments can ‘opt out’ ‘Bread and butter’ issues still decided nationally

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DELEGATION OF POWER TO EU NOT NECESSARILY

DETRIMENTAL

Supra-national ‘collective action’National government may not be able to meet

citizens’ needs on some (international) policy issues - Environmental pollution, immigration, crime

EU ‘fit’ with BritainEU sometimes doesn’t ‘fit’ (eg. social policy)… but sometimes it does (eg. single market).

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KEY EUROPEAN UNION INSTITUTIONS

European Commission

Europa - The European Union On-Line http://europa.eu/

European Parliament

Council of Ministers

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EU DECISION MAKING PROCESS I

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

COUNCIL OF MINISTERS

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

Qualified Majority Voting

• 72% of total votes

•50% of member states

•62% of EU population

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EU DECISION MAKING PROCESS II

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

COUNCIL OF MINISTERS

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

Unanimity

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NUCLEAR OPTION: OPTING OUT OF COLLECTIVE AGREEMENTS

1992: Monetary union; ‘Social Chapter’

1993: ‘Working Time Directive’1997: Immigration and asylum2007: Police and judicial cooperation

on crime

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EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

Powers of ‘co-decision’ with CouncilPower to reject CommissionPowers to reject EU budget

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TURNOUT FOR EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ELECTIONS

Source: House of Commons Library paper 04/50 (2004)

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CONCLUSION

Which tier is responsible for key policy issues? Increasing delegation of power to European Union But many (most?) key policy issues still decided by national

governments

How can Britain maintain its national interest? Collective decision making can be in Britain’s interests Britain can be out-voted in Council ‘Nuclear’ option of opt-out Some issues preserve decision making by national

governments: veto

How far is EU decision making representative/accountable? Growing role of European Parliament But are citizens engaged with European Parliament?