outline

Political
life
The
British
Monarchy
The
Government Political
The
Parliament System
Elections

1
 Content
Political 1. The public attitude to
life politics
The
Monarchy 2. The style of democracy
The
Government 3. The constitution
The 4. The style of politics
Parliament
5. The party system
Elections

2
 Public attitude to politics
Lack of Lack of
trustworthiness enthusiasm

Do expect them Names of

to be dishonest their local MPs
Are
However
unknown
Don’t welcome Names of
corruptions important
Gov. ministers

1st rule in politics

NEVER BELIEVE ANYTHING
UNTIL IT’S BEEN OFFICIALLY DENIED
3
 Style of democracy
 Have high respect for the law
• Little systematic law breaking by large number
• Not evading taxation
 Comparatively unenthusiastic about
making new laws
• Best to do without them
• Few rules and regulations in many aspects (for
Government and individuals)
 Relationship between Individual and the State
Both should leave each other alone
4
 Style of democracy
Individual Government

Not breaking the law Having less participation by

and paying taxes ordinary citizens in governing
Not having to vote and law making
at elections  No concept of “By the
Not having to people”
register their change Not having to ask the people
of address when for a change in law
moving houses

5
Style of democracy

People choose who is to

govern the country and let
them get on with it

6
 The constitution
Is a constitutional monarchy
– governed by a King or Queen
– accepts the advice of Parliament

No written law:
- Says anything about who can be the MP
However

and what his powers and duties are

- asserts people’s rights

Doesn’t have a “constitution” at all

7
 The style of politics
 Political life is still influenced by the traditional
British respect for privacy and love of informality

 Comparatively informal
Important decisions are to be taken at lunch, over
dinner, or in chance encounters in the corridors of
power

8
The party system

A two – party system

9
 The party system
The parties choose candidates in elections
(independent candidates are rarely elected)

The party that wins The largest minority

the majority of seat party = opposition
forms the Gov. and (criticize the party
its leaders (= MPs) running the country )

Without agreement between the political parties,

the British parliamentary system would break down
10
 outline
Political
life
1. The appearance
The 2. The reality
Monarchy
The 3. The role of the monarch
Government

The
4. The value of the monarch
Parliament
5. The future of the monarch
Elections

11
 The appearance
In written law, the Queen has absolute power to:
 Choose the Prime Minister
 Dismiss ministers and governments
 Dissolve Parliament
 Refuse to agree to legislation
passed by Parliament
 Dismiss the governments of
other countries of which she is
monarch
 Embody the law in the courts
 Can do nothing that is legally wrong

12
 The reality

In reality: Different Can’t stop the Gov.

going ahead with
 Can’t choose anyone she likes to be P.M
any of its politics
 P.M decides the other government ministers
 P.M requests a dissolution of Gov.
 The
When sheRoyal
opens Parliament
assent to a billeach year,by
passed
the speech she makes
Parliament has been written
is automatic
for her
• she makes no secret of the fact
• She reads word for word
The Queen
• She has
might almost
ask no power
the Gov. at allto
minister
change the wording
13
 The Role of the monarch
People can be as critical as they like about the real
Gov without being accused of being unpatriotic

The Monarch Symbol of

can refuse the government
royal assent The real G
for a bill to has more time
become law to get on with
A final Ceremonial
and the the actual job
check on duties
request of of running
a Gov
a dissolution the country
of Parliament
14
 The Value of the monarch

Important to the economy

Popular with the
majority of the
British people
Make up for the
lack of colour and
ceremony
 A source of entertainment
15
 Future of the monarchy

• Not a burning
political issue
• The Q= popular
• Prestige of Royal
family has lowered
due to various
Future
maritalofproblems
royal style
a little grand,
a little less distant Changing Guard at Windsor Castle
16
 outline
Political 1. The Government Structure
life
The
2. Collective Responsibility
Monarchy
3. The cabinet
The
Government 4. The Prime Minister
The
Parliament 5. The civil service
Elections
6. Central and local
government
17
 Government structure
• The Government includes:
– The Prime Minister: most powerful
– 20 MPs:
• Heads of the Gov. Departments (Minister of...)
• Belong to the same political party
• Appointed by the monarch (on the advice of the
PM) but are accountable to Parliament
• Take on various responsibilities of managing
Parliament but have COLLECTIVE
RESPONSIBILITY
18
 Collective responsibility

All share the responsibilities for every

policy made by Government

No member of
the Gov. can
Having different
criticize Gov.
opinions, they must
policy in public or
keep these private
must resign to do so
19
 The Cabinet

• Which?
• Who?
• Where?
• When?
• What?
• How?

20
 The Cabinet
The committee at the centre of
Which? the British political system and
is the supreme decision-making
body in government
Who? Prime Minister and all Ministers in
the governing party

Where?

21
 The Cabinet

When?

What?
- Cabinet meetings are confidential
- The PM chairs the meeting
-Who says what is secret
How?
- Reports are made and circulated to Gov. Depart.
-Gov. Depart. summarizes the topic discussed
22
and decisions taken
 The Prime Minister
the leader of his party
in the House of Commons

 Has a great deal of power in reality

– Appoints the cabinet and change his cabinet
– Makes final decisions on major issues
– Decides the agenda for cabinet meetings which
he also chairs
– Dissolve Parliament
 Has the power of public image
23
 The civil service

Helps run the Government day-to day and

implement policies
Remains though Governments come and go
Knows the secrets of previous Gov which the
present minister is unaware of
Is reputed for absolute impartiality
 Top civil servants exercise quite a lot of
control over their ministers

24
 The civil service

Unknown to the larger public

Is a career
 get a high salary
 have absolute job security
 stand a good chance of being awarded an
official honour

25
 The civil service

Its efficiency

• From the same narrow section of

society
– Have been toSolutions
a public school and then
- Doesn’t
Oxfordhave
andenough expertise in matters
Cambridge
such as economics
Ministers or technology
have their own
– Studied
- Lives in its history and classical languages
political advisers working the
closed world, cut off from
corners of alongside
most peoplewithintheir
society
civil servants

26
 Central and local government

Local Government has similar system of

national Government
– Elected representatives = councilors ≈ MPs
– Meet in council chamber in the Town Hall or
County Hall ≈ Parliament
– Make policy implemented by local
Government officers ≈ Civil Servants

27
 Central and local government

 Local Government authorities (=

councils) only have powers given by
the Central Government
 Most people have far more direct
dealings with local Gov.
– Manage nearly all public services
– Employ 3 times as many people

28
 outline
Political 1. The House of Lords
life
The 2. House of Commons
Monarchy
The 3. The Atmosphere of
Government
Parliament
The
Parliament 4. The Stages of legislation
Elections
5. Parliamentary business
6. MP’s way of working
29

7. MP’s life
 Parliament
Like parliament in other
Activities
western democracies:
– Make new laws
– Give authority for the Government to raise and
spend money
- Committee– rooms
Keep a close eye on Government activities and
- Restaurantsdiscuss these activities
- Bars
- Libraries Place of Palace of
- Some places of residence
working offices Westminster
- 2 larger rooms:
- House of Lords
30
- House of Commons
House of lords

31
 House of lords
• The upper chamber
• No fixed number of members, now 747
– Historically most members = hereditary peers
undemocratic Labour Government abolished
the right of all Now 92
– Almost all = life peers = no fixed number but the
current one is 629 (senior politicians +
distinguished figures)
– The rest = 26 Archbishops and Bishops of the
Church of England.
• Its main job is to 'double check' new laws, but
not on Money Bills
• Is a forum for public discussion
32
 House of commons

• The lower chamber

• Chaired by the Speaker
• Currently 646 seats, each seat =
geographical constituency (60,000
rural– 80,000 urban voters)
• Sits most days of the week for about
half of the weeks of the year

33
 House of commons
Design and layout
US House of British House
Representatives of Commons

34
 Facing each other
Speaker chairs the debate
between two rows

Government benches Opposition benches

• Either For or Against (No opportunity for a reflection of

all various shades of political opinions)
• Encourage confrontation between Gov and opposition
• Reinforce the reality of the British two-party system
35
 House of commons
Other features
1. Has no front
2. Has no desks for MPs
3. Is small
MPs are encouraged
to co-operate
MPs speak in a
conversational
Creates fairly informal atmosphere
tone and don’t
normally speak
for long

36
 The atmosphere of parliament

MPs are forbidden to address one another

directly or use personal names
• All remarks and questions must go “through
the chair”
• Use “the honourable Member of Winchester”
or “my right honourable friend”

Take the “heat” out of debate and decrease

the possibility that violence may break down

37
The Stages of legislation
FIRST
READING
SECOND
READING
COMMITTEE
STAGE
REPORT STAGE

THIRD READING

HOUSE OF LORDS
38
ROYAL ASSENT
 Parliamentary business
• Much of the work is done in Committees (not on the
floor of the chamber)
– Select Committees: lifetime of a Parliament; conduct
investigations, and issue reports
– General Committees: temporary bodies; examine the
detail of a particular piece of legislation and consider
amendments to the Bill
• MPs have to vote for or against by walking through
one of 2 corridors at the side of the house
– Aye: agree
– No: disagree

39
 Parliamentary business
• Prime Minister's Question Time on any
subject for 30 minutes every Wednesday
• Easy accessibility for the press
• There
The committees
are are becoming
also permanent committees to
a more and
investigate more important
the activities part
of government in
of the business
particular field of the Commons
– include 40 members
– have power to call certain people such as civil
servants to come and answer their questions

40
 MP’s way of working
MPs nearly vote the way that their party tells
them to do

WHIP
• Each of the 2 major parties has several MPs
who perform this role
• Those make sure MPs do this by informing
all MPs in their party how they should vote

41
 MP’s life
• Traditionally, MPs weren’t supposed to be
specialist politicians
should be ordinary people
ideally come from all walks of life
• MPs weren’t paid until early 20th
supposed to do a public service, not making a
career
only rich people could afford to be MPs
• MPs have incredibly poor facilities: share
with at least more than 2 MPs
an office
a secretary
42
 However MP’s life

Politics in Britain in the last 40 years

has become professional
 Most MPs = full-time politicians and do
another part-time job (if at all)
 Spend more time at work than any
other professional in the country

43
 A busy life MP’s life

• Mornings are taken up with committee

work, research,
So busy preparing
that they have littlespeeches
time for
• pursuing
and dealinganother
with thecareer
problems of
• for families (higher rate of divorce)
constituents
• Afternoons = meetings in the house
• Weekends are not free:
– Visit their constituencies
– Listen to the problems of anybody who
wants to see them
44
 The system
• The electoral system used in Britain doesn’t seem
to add up
The “first-past- the-post” system
E.g.: General Election in May 2005
- Labour party = 355 seats
- Conservative Party = 198 seats
- Liberal Democrat Party = 62 seats
- Other small parties= 31
• Nearly everybody votes for a candidate on the
basis of the party (s)he represents, not on the
qualities or political opinions of the candidate

46
 Voters

• Voters can choose only one candidate;

otherwise, the ballot paper is “spoiled”
and not counted
• Voters ≥ 18 years old and on the
electoral register
However

Nobody is obliged to vote

47
 Time for New Election

• It is the Government
which decides when
to hold an election
• An election has to
take place at least
every five years
usually shorter

48
Comparatively The campaign
quiet affairs

– Local newspapers give coverage to the

candidates
– Candidates hold meetings
– Party supporters stick up posters in their
windows
– Local party workers spend their time
canvassing

no large rallies or parades like in USA

49
 the campaign
Strict regulations on the campaign

 Limited amount of money

have to submit detailed
accounts for their expenses for
inspection
 Any attempt to influence
voters improperly is outlawed

50
 the real campaign

• Takes place at a national level

• The parties spend millions of pounds
advertising on hoardings and newspapers
Emphasis is on the
• They don’t buy time on TV= USA but given a
national party personalities
number of strictly timed “party election
rather than local candidates
broadcasts”
• Each party also holds a daily televised news
conference

51
 Process of Election

 The country is divided into a number of

areas of roughly equal population =
constituencies
 Anyone wishing to become an MP
must declare himself belonging to one
of these constituencies (after depositing
£500 with the Returning Officer)

52
 Process of election

 The date of general election (polling day)

is fixed
- always on Thursday
- not a public holiday
 On polling day, voters go to polling
stations and put a cross next to the name
of one candidate on a ballot paper

53
 Process of election

 After the polls close, the marked ballot

papers are taken to a central place in
the constituency and counted
 The Returning officer makes a public
announcement for the votes cast for
each candidate and declares the
winner to be the MP for the
constituency
54
 Process of election
 At the election night, TV start their
programmes
 By midnight, experts will be making
predictions about the composition of
the newly elected House of Commons
 By 2 in the morning, ≥ ½ of the
constituencies will have declared their
results.
55
 validity of election
Fairly conducted

Candidates are
entitled to
demand as many
recounts as they
Exception
want until the In Northern Ireland
“Vote early, vote often”
result is beyond
doubt

56
 By- election
Whenever a sitting MP can no longer fulfill his
duties, there has to be a special new election
in the constituency which he represents

By elections
No system of
can take place
ready substitutes
at any time
57