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Introduction o Why study this case? This should be the foundation of comparativists Founder of modern democracy Unique political system Model for other democracies Gradual transition to democracy One of few democracies without a written constitution Longevity based on traditional legitimacy and a unique political culture of moderation and accommodation Birthplace of the industrial revolution First industrialized country to suffer economic decline following WWII o Reasons still up in the air First country to use neoliberal governance to try to stem a recession The Iron Lady! Controversial in the UK, but emulated internationally Even when Tony Blair took over with the labor party, most of the policies stayed in place o This became known as the third way o Major Geographic and Demographic Features Formal NameUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Consists of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland By default a multi-ethnic state About the size of Oregon 60 million people 1994Connected to Europe with the Chunnel Refused to switch over to the Euro Still skeptical about European unification o Historical development Citizens are loyal to the crown Crown= enduring symbol rather than the constitution Evolution= not without violence, but less violent than other places Early development Founded over a 1500 year period of invasions by Celts, Romans, Angles, Saxons, Danes and Normans Each left legacies o Wales and Scotland = Celtic Fringe Common Law is another important development o Local customs and precedent rather than formal legal code o Forms basis for current legal systems 1066Norman Invasion o Replaced Germanic ruling class o Brought feudalism Magna Carta signed in 1215 to limit royal power within the system of feudalism o UK never experienced royal absolutism Resolved religious conflicts earlier and less violently than other states o Henry VIII Major dispute between Vatican and henry VIII over divorce Used parliament to pass laws that removed England from the catholic church Anglican Church created and controlled by the state Leads to an overall weaker church Emergence of the modern British State

1603James I of Scotland crowned o Unites England and Scotland o Was a total jerk to parliament/ was a total absolutist 1625Charles I crowned o Continued to flaunt parliament o Civil war erupts 1649Charles executed 1649-1660England is a commonwealth led by Cromwell 1660Charles II crowned 1685James II, brother of Charles, inherits the throne 1688Exiled by Parliament because hes catholic o Installs William of Orange and Mary as king and queen o Parliament also enacts the Bill of Rights which institutionalized parliamentary superiority 1714Parliament installs George I o Relies on cabinet because he spoke little English Also the prime minster 1721-1742Sir Robert Walpole is PM o Turns the office into what it is today Parliament takes over as appointing office for the cabinet The British Empire Began expansion in the 16th century 1870Zenith of the Empire o Controlled of world trade and had the wealthiest economy o Ruled of worlds population and 50 countries directly. Collapse of the empire was slow and incremental o Started with the American revolution o After WWI, UK grants independence to a few former colonies o WWII, costs, self-determination and maintenance difficulties lead to erosion of the rest of the empire Managed to hang on to a few colonies 1982Fought a war with Argentina over the Falklands 1997Returned Hong Kong to China Commonwealth today includes UK plus 54 former colonies The Industrial Revolution Worlds first industrial nation Early industrialization based on textiles, machinery and iron production Starts in late 18th century but by mid-19th century most people were in cities Change didnt create violent upheaval Being first to industrialize allowed the UK to become tremendously wealthy Early development hurt after WWsled the allies and left them drained with not a lot to grow Gradual Democratization Parliament originally represented the interests of political elites Originally only the wealthy could vote Two houses o House of Lords Represented the aristocracy o House of Commons Merchants and lower aristocracy Rise of political parties weakens aristocratic control over parliament o Conservatives (tories) Supported the monarch

Liberals (whigs) Got support with the people 1832Reform Act passed o Doubled the size of the electorate Still excluded 90% of British adults 1928Women allowed to vote Gradual expansion made parties accommodate the new electorate 1945Labor Party returns to power o Many industries nationalized Post-war politics and the expansion of the state Labor party started the welfare state, but conservatives continued it o This was called the Collectivist Consensus 1970seconomy hits crisis o Blamed on welfare state o Margaret Thatcher breaks with Tory base and privatizes a lot of government functions like social spending o New consensus forms around Thatchers policies. Political regime o Highly majoritarian Majority in parliament has almost unchecked power Majority party can also implement policies with little oversight/ check from other branches of government No constitutional restraints Traditions of democratic political power restrains parliament members from abusing their power o Institutions The Constitution The UK has no single document that defines the rule of politics o Constitution understood as a number of written and unwritten rules Magna Carta Bill of Rights Act of Union Also consists of acts of parliament Parliament considered sovereign o Absence has worried human rights activists Government incorporated European Convention on Human Rights The Crown Head of state o Symbolic representative Paid civil servant Monarchy has survived because it has acted constitutionally o Monarch is leader of British Armed forces, but Prime Minister declares wars and signs treaties Hereditary institution o Follows the rules of primogeniture Parliament ultimately gets to choose the monarch though Hannovers replacing the Stuart line Some movements to dissolve the monarchy o 75% of citizens still support it though o Branches of government Prime Minister Head of parliament o

Elected member of the legislature Member of the largest party in the House of Commons After being named PM, they select their cabinet PM is the most powerful head of government in a democracy o Little to no parliamentary resistance o No central power checks o Can call elections whenever Use this to capitalize on political events Subject to vote of no confidence o If the government deems a measure to be of high importance but is rejected by parliament, then the entire cabinet must resign or a new election must be held o Rarely used though One in last seventy years o Can be used to gain support Tony Blair in 2005Iraq Number of roles o Have to maintain support of their MPs o Must appear twice weekly for televised question time o Must smooth over differences between cabinet members Always seasoned political veterans o Outstanding debaters, effective communicators and skilled negotiators The Cabinet Evolved from advisers to the monarch Usually 20 members o Called ministers o Must all be members of parliament PM usually appoints ranking party officials Answer to parliament Most important are o Foreign OfficeForeign Policy o Home OfficeJudiciary o ExchequerCentral bank Collective responsibility is an important theme o Always must appear to be unified The legislature Parliament Probably the most powerful legislature on earth o No constitutional constraints o Commons646 members Neutral speaker of the house presides Individual legislators are far less powerful than their counterparts in US o Mostly just follow party leadership Still important o Debate issues o Participate in committees o Can propose measures from time to time House of Lords o Once was the more powerful chamber o Now has almost none o 700 members Life Peersdistinguished citizens Hereditary peersmembers of the aristocracy

Law Lords Has no veto power, but can delay it up to one year That sometimes persuades the house of commons to amend legislation o Legal expertise also sometimes called upon Judicial system o Minor role o No judicial review because parliament is always supreme o Limited to ensuring statutes are being followed o Over the last few decades, courts have become more politically involved Governments looking for interps that would support their actions Adoption of international laws also playing a part in it. Adding the European Convention on Human Rights has allowed courts to strike down legislation o Judges selected from distinguished jurists by the lord chancellor o Serve until retirement or until removed by parliament o Conservative bias o Legal system is based on common law and is relatively lax Focused largely on precedent and interpretation o House of Lords is the highest judicial authority in the UK o The electoral system Single member district based on plurality 646 constituencies elect one MP Constituencies are roughly 65,000 people System helps to maintain the dominance of two political parties The electoral system produces majorities in the House of Commons even when the electorate didnt reflect it Since WWII, more than 60% of all seats have been won with a minority of votes Lib dems are constantly calling for electoral reform The parties in power are of course slow to act. o Local government Traditionally a unitary state Return of labor party to power has started to return some power to the councils Thatcher put financial and political limitations on the councils Blair only kept the financial ones on Wales and Scotland have their own legislatures to deal with local issues Good Friday Agreement 1998 deal between catholics and protestants that allowed for the reestablishment of the Northern Ireland Assembly Even with reforms, still very unitary Central government controls defense policy, taxation, national economic policy o Can also obviously limit local government Political conflict and competition o The party system Parties important in parliament From WWII to 1970two party system 1974multi-party system begins to emerge Differs regionally 3 main national parties compete with regional parties in the case of Scotland and Wales Since 1945 every government has been run by conservatives or labour Labor party Formed in 1900 as a result of trade unions o

WWI and suffrage critical to giving labor its voice Landslide victory in 1945 Socialism is its dominant ideological characteristic o Moderate socialism, though o Never wanted to completely overthrow capitalism Relied on blue collar workers o That became a problem in the 70s when the class structure began to chance and fewer Britons worked in blue-collar jobs Mid 1970sbadly divided between radical socialists and moderates o Conservative elements ditched and created the social democratic party in 1981 Throughout the 80s and 90s, the labor message moderated Constitution re-written to curtail union influence Moderate free market policies and constitutional reform became the platform Blair became leader in 1994 and was elected PM in 1997 Conservative Party Moderate right Associated with democratization of UK and the collectivist consensus Moderation and democratic support gives them widespread appeal and respect Conservatives also had to fight an ideological battle o Limited welfare state versus neo-liberalism o Thatchers power marked the end of support of the collectivist consensus Lib-Dems Founded in 1988 o Merger of Liberal and Social Democratic Parties o Equilibrium between limited government and collective equality Usually wins between 17-22% of the popular vote Unless the election process is reformed, influence will be limited Want to be integrated with Europe and hate the war in Iraq 2004Neutrality declaration vis a vis the other parties Other parties Many small parties compete but few have even a little bit of a chance Must pay deposit of $8000 which is returned if they win 5% of the vote Electoral system= main impediment Only regional-based parties have a shot Elections Voters select all members of the House of commons during the general election Must take place every five years but may take place sooner if necessary 60-70% vote in the general election Campaigns are short Less than a month Parties are well-disciplined and have clear platforms Candidates dont have to reside in a district to win its office seat Civil society Interest groups British interest groups do lobby policy but is far less prevalent than in the US because of party discipline Greatest influence comes from participation in quangos o Policy advisory boards to appointed by the government to help develop policy o First established in 60s and 70s Marked a shift towards neo-corporatist governance strategies o Thatcher hated them

Society o Class identity Most obvious and powerful social division Political parties generally reflect class differences Social reforms in the 20th century eliminated huge income disparities, but hasnt completely erased the lines Education system= chief relic British Elite go into public schools o Private schools to educate british boys for public service o Graduates go on to Oxford/ Cambridge Also perpetuated by self-identification/ cultural differences Southern England v. Poorer Northern England o Ethnic and National Identity Relatively homogenous, but not entirely Scots are Catholic or Presbyterian, British= Church of England Religion is a source of conflict in Northern Ireland Northern Ireland stayed part of the UK o Discriminated against Catholics o IRA formed o Conflict came to an end with the Good Friday Agreement o Almost broke down, but the peace has held so far Former colonial subjects are returning to England Gives Britain a bit of racial diversity Diversity sparked anti-immigrant sentiment o Not nearly as bad as it is in America Influx of immigrants will strengthen the xenophobic British national Party Many national groups as well Northern Ireland, England, Wales and the UK Autonomy movements are gaining more political traction o Scottish National Party and the Welsh Plaid Cymru have advocated devolution Supported by labor party Increasing influence of the EU is also eroding or changing the identification equation for many members of the UK o Ideology and Political culture Ideology and politics influenced by the values of liberalism Post-war era placed a greater emphasis on social democracy/ equality Brits generally more socially/ morally more liberal than the US Far less emphasis on religion/ family values Political culture is pragmatic and tolerant Generally more willing to tinker with ideas rather than adhere to ideological principles

o 5000 exist today Trades Union Congress is a confederation of the UKs largest unions Most powerful group Used to dominate the labor party Power shrinking o Fewer blue-collar workers o Thatcher-era anti-union laws Confederation of British Industry No direct link to either party Does exert influence, though.

Blurring of class lines has created a sense of egalitarianism among the younger generation Long-held values may erode as the UK becomes more multi-racial and focuses on Europe Political economy o Contributed greatly the liberal economic model Can directly trace liberalism to the UK John Locke, for example UK liberalism has shifted, though, over the last decades Social democracy versus neo-liberalism Common economic theme: decline First country with an industrial revolution, and thus the wealthiest PPP has fallen to 20th globally No single explanation for decline First to industrialize means first to have to deal with a new economic environment Burden of empire Collectivist consensus blocked economic reform UK= post-industrial economy 74% of wealth comes from the service sector Welfare state has become a welfare to work program Labor has moved away from nationalizing the economy and distanced itself from labor movements Thatcher revolution helped the UK turn a corner, arguably Others argue reforms widened income inequality and welfare reform has just been costly with no less unemployment UK heavily involved with European trade 50% goes to European countries Dont want to give up the Pound, though o Fear it will undermine sovereignty Also point out the economy of the UK is fundamentally different o Supporters argue it would avoid exchange-rate fluctuations That would help trade and investment Foreign Relations and the World o Not a superpower, but still has a large army, nuclear weapons and a leading economy o Difficult to define its place in the world Problem is self-identity See themselves as an island nation Also structured around their former status as an empire Willing to defend their interests militarily 1982Falklands Tony Blair supported the War in Iraq Late-comer to the EU Doesnt really love it either Wasnt a problem until the EU faced a resurgence to act as a counterweight to the US Dont want to give up sovereignty to the EU Strong connection to United States Power disparity, but supporters believe some control over the only superpower is better than equality within the EU Post-9/11, many Brits are angered that the US just uses the UK as a veneer of multi-lateralism for its policies UK finds itself in the middle between the UK and EU Current Issues

Devolution and Constitutional Reform Blair government has formented serious changes New Welsh and Scottish legislature o No. Ireland legislature also restored England currently voting on whether or not to create its own regional assembly Critics are pushing for a written constitution o Only way that will happen is with increased European integration o Incorporation of EC on HR gave pseudo-judicial review Possible first step? Created the department of Constitutional Affairs o In charge of overseeing constitutional and judicial reform Blair and the Iraq war Staunch ally of the US following 9/11 Blair supported invasion of Afghanistan Blair helped as a mediator between US and Europe over the war on terror Relationship damaged by the war in Iraq o Blair backed the conflict British public and broader Europe backlashed against him Several cabinet members resigned in protest o Why did he? Saw the relationship as vital to UK security Has a moralistic attitude to International Affairs Very religious