BRITISH POLITICAL SYSTEM
MACAM | MALQUITAR | MENORCA | MOREÑO
TIME PERIOD
1066 - 1832
Foundations of British Political System
1832 - 1914
Extension of Franchise and Improvements of British Political System
1918-1973
Intense social conflict, weakened hegemony, the rise of Labour Party
1973–1979
Two-party deadlock
05 1979–1987
Margaret thatcher dominant
06 1987–2004
New Labour Party
DISTINCTION BETWEEN ENGLAND AND
UNITED KINGDOM/GREAT BRITAIN
ENGLAND GREAT BRITAIN (UK)
A constituent state under Country composed of England, Scotland,
UK/GB, British Wales & Northern Ireland, ENGLISH
DISTINCTION OF LABELS ASSOCIATED WITH
UNITED KINGDOM
GREAT BRITAIN UNITED KINGDOM
The main island itself, A country that is
composed of England, composed of 4
Scotland, and Wales. constituencies: England,
Scotland, Wales, and
Societal and historical events Northern Ireland.
contributed to the distinctions between
people under the banner of United
Kingdom:
• British is normally attributed to the England and its people.
• English is normally attributed to the England, Scotland, Wales, and their people.
• Scots and Welsh acknowledged the British dominion but identified themselves
as English people.
POLITICAL STRUCTURE OF THE UNITED KINGDOM
POLITICAL
SYSTEM OF
GREAT
BRITAIN
SEPARATION OF POWERS
ARE NOT PRACTICED IN UK
All Ministers in the Some very Senior
government are judges sit in the
members of the upper house of the
legislature Parliament
The formal head The prime minister
of the judiciary is is a primary figure
a senior minister in House of
(Minister of Justice) Commons
QUEEN AND THE ROYAL
FAMILY (MONARCHY)
• Duties are ceremonial.
• Duties are nominal or
legal, and treated
as constitutional holder
of executive power, and
holds numerous
reserve powers.
Prime Minister/
Head of the Government
•oversees the operation
of Civil Service and
government agencies
•chooses members of
the government
•is the principal
government figure in
the House of Commons.
•Also function as the
Minister for the Union
(works to ensure that all
of government is acting
on behalf of the entire
United Kingdom)
• Composed of Ministers
EXECUTIVE BRANCH picked by the Prime Minister (they
are part of the House of Commons
with committees parallel to their
position in executive branch).
Three types of Ministers
• Secretary of State - This is usually
the head of a Department.
• Minister of State - This is a middle-
ranking minister.
• Parliamentary Under-Secretary of
State - This is the most junior class
of minister.
• Has departments like
• Treasury, Home Office,
Foreign and Commonwealth
Office, and others.
LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
(THE PARLIAMENT)
• Contains the Upper Chamber
(House of Lords, hereditary)
and Lower Chamber (House
of Commons, elected).
• Has a speaker that is neutral
(not affiliated to any party).
• House of Lords has 800
members, while House of
Commons has 600).
JUDICIAL BRANCH
• Under the rule of Ministry of
Justice
• Supreme Court of UK is the
highest judiciary branch in UK,
with functions of both legal
and appeal system, and the
final court for all legal matters
other than criminal cases in
Scotland. It consists of 12
judges and sits in the
Middlesex Guildhall in
Parliament Square.
• Judicial Appointments
Commission is the one that
appoints its judges, and it is
independent from the
government.
INDIVIDUAL ASSEMBLIES FOR
SCOTLAND, WALES AND
NORTHERN IRELAND
• Scotland, Wales, and
Northern Ireland had their
own assemblies/parliaments,
with limited powers of taxation
and legislation, with their
propositions reliant on the
approval of Westminster
Parliament.
POLITICAL PARTIES
• The Labour Party - the center-left party.
• The Liberal Democrat Party (known as the Lib Dems) - the
centrist, libertarian party.
• The Conservative Party (frequently called the Tories) - the
center-right party.
01
Foundations of
British Political System
1066
–
1832
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INVASION OF NORMANS
(1066)
• The conquest of
William of
Normandy of
England on October
14, 1066,
revolutionized the
English political
system for the next
centuries.
CONSEQUENCES OF THE INVASION TO
POLITICAL SYSTEM OF THE GREAT BRITAIN
• The provision of land tenure and military
service.
• Consolidation of Anglo-Saxon Law
• Division of lands into fiefdoms (important
component of feudalistic societies)
• It made Great Britain closer to the
Continent rather than Scandinavian nations.
Magna Carta
of 1215
• Barons of King John II forced him
to sign the Magna Carta of 1215,
which dictated that he would share
and concede some power to the
barons and the citizenry. It became
one of the first citizen rights
document in the world.
CLAUSES OF MAGNA CARTA OF 1215
• Freedom of man from any form of slavery
• Access to due process on courts
• Limits to the power of the King to influence
the barons and their constituents
• Reforms in judicial and local administration
ESTABLISHMENT OF PARLIAMENT AND ITS BICAMERAL
(1295 – 1341)
The establishment of the Parliament in 1295 transformed the British
monarchy into a constitutional monarchy, and its division into the bicameral
(the two houses of the Commons and the Lords) became the foundation of
British government for centuries to come).
EFFECTS OF PARLIAMENT TO THE
BRITISH POLITICAL SYSTEM
• It shared power with the monarchy and limited the monarchy on its
power to affect state affairs, with few exceptions and special
circumstances. Taxation become the center of it.
• Along with the Bill of Rights of 1689, the parliament effectively
protected its citizens from potential threats resulting from
complaints on the monarchy and acknowledged freedom of
expression and due process (adopted from the Magna Carta of
1215).
• Regular elections that captures all of the population (became more
apparent after the Reform Act of 1832) have been standardized and
franchised by the law.
SUMMARY
INTERESTS – Elite consensus, protection of wealth from the
monarchy, and the need for political parties due to the
parliament. Wealth is also part of interests due to taxation.
IDENTITIES - Value system revolving around freedom
for all and rights for due process and voting.
INSTITUTIONS – The monarchy, the Parliament, and the
local and judicial institutions.
02
Extension of Franchise and
Improvements of British Political System
1832
–
1914
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CHALLENGES ON POLITICAL SYSTEM
OF BRITAIN
•Unrest and freedom movements across
their colonies.
•Problems related to Ireland.
•Massive migration to other areas
•The Industrial Revolution
INDUSTRIAL
REVOLUTION
Industrial Revolution is both
impactful on the economy
and politics of the United
Kingdom. The political
dimensions benefitted from
the legislations related to
childcare, welfare of workers,
protection of businesses,
more widespread voting
(expansion of the Reform Act
of 1832 in 1867 and 1884).
TRADE
UNIONS
• Trade unions and welfare groups
were formed from 1840 onwards,
and were a compromise extended by
the government to the electorates.
• Labor Representation Committee
(LRC, future Labor Party) entered the
Parliament, and won 50 seats in
1906.
WELFARE STATE
POLICIES
• “social imperialism” –
welfare spending in
return for the workers’
political loyalty in
imperial ventures.
• rudimentary public
health care, school
meals, and public
pensions were
implemented.
ROYAL NAVY • Royal Navy became the symbol of power
of the United Kingdom, and the peak of its
AS strength was around 1800 – 1900s. Due to
ANCHOR OF the location of the Great Britain and the
THE KINGDOM lack of standing army, the navy is of utmost
importance.
FREEDOM OF THE
PARLIAMENT
• Due to the weakening
status of the monarchy, the
Westminster Parliament
enjoyed more freedom, and
the Reform Acts in 1911
became the final touch to
tip the balance of power
between the monarchy and
the parliament.
SUMMARY
INTERESTS – Welfare states and rights of the workers,
strengthening the navy, trade unions.
IDENTITIES - Value system that expands on voting
rights, freedom of the parliament, and rights of the
British citizens.
INSTITUTIONS – The monarchy, the Parliament, and the
local and judicial institutions.
03
Intense social conflict, weakened
hegemony, the rise of Labour Party
1918
–
1973
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CHALLENGES ON POLITICAL SYSTEM OF BRITAIN
• Struggle to retain the
empire.
• Intense social conflict
and world wars.
THE RISE OF LABOUR PARTY
Founded at the beginning of the
twentieth century as a result of
working-class growing frustration with
the Liberal Party's failure to field
parliamentary candidates.
In January 1924, Ramsay MacDonald
became the first Labour Prime
Minister, forming the first Labour
government despite not having a
majority of seats in the House of
Commons (minority gov’t).
BRITISH EMPIRE
Following World War One,
Britain's ability to retain
the Empire became
increasingly difficult
because:
• They could no longer afford it.
• People who did not like being ruled
by Britain had no right to be ruled by them.
• The realization that the Britain's Royal Navy was also not sufficient to
safeguard the entire Empire.
BRITAIN’S
GOVERNMENT
BEFORE AND AFTER
WORLD WAR 2
Winston Churchill became
Britain’s Conservative Prime
Minister on 1940, under a
coalition government, in
defiance of Hitler.
Nazi Germany was defeated in
July 1945. But unfortunately
after that, the Conservative
Party lost a general election to
the majority Labour.
THE POSTWAR CONSENSUS
The post-war Labour government
introduced a radical socialist program,
which includes the nationalization of
private-owned industries.
Introduced basic institutions of a
welfare state. This includes the
establishment of the National Health
Service, offered state pensions, and
state-funded higher education
SUMMARY
INTERESTS – Welfare states and rights of the workers,
social reform.
IDENTITIES - Rights of the British citizens.
INSTITUTIONS – The monarchy, the Parliament
04
Two-party deadlock
1973
–
1979
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The return
of the
Conservatives
Labour
Party
back in
power
Winter of Discontent
Severe labor, unrest
The “Troubles” in Northern Ireland
British
governments
failed to address
discrimination
against Catholics
in Northern
Ireland.
SUMMARY
INTERESTS – Ideologies; Severe labor, unrests
IDENTITIES - Political Parties
INSTITUTIONS – Conservatives; Labour Party
European Unions
Northern Ireland Conflict
05
Margaret Thatcher dominant
1979
–
1987
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• The Falkland
Islands War
• the 1983 election
• privatization
• Racial
discrimination
• the England riots
• Thatcherism
SUMMARY
INTERESTS – Ideologies
IDENTITIES – Race; Commons and Lords
INSTITUTIONS – Conservatives; Labour Party
06
Tony Blair’ New Labour &
Constitutional reforms
1987
–
2004
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Modernisation of Labour Party
In 1979, the In 1983, Neil After the defeat in Tony Blair
Labour Party Kinnock became 1987, LP started to took over as
was split the Labour expunge leftist party leader
between leader policies. in 1994.
parliamentary Intraparty reforms to
leaders and shift the power away
trade union from union bosses
bosses toward the parliamentary
leadership.
“The Third Way can be
described, so far, by
what it is not.
It isn’t messianic, high
spending old socialism
and it isn’t ideologically
driven, individualist
conservatism.
What is it? It’s mostly
an isn’t.”
• Britain had become a society of
“two-thirds haves and one-third
have-nots”
• “pro-business, pro-enterprise”
party while values of community
and moral responsibility
• In 1995, constitution Clause IV
was removed – state ownership
of industry.
• Bank of England independence
• New Labour was also more open
to women.
Constitutional Reforms
•devolution Scotland and Wales
•abolition of hereditary peers in
the House of Lords.
•introduction of a bill of rights and
judicial review through the
European Court of Human Rights.
•new department for constitutional
affairs was introduced that will take
over the judicial appointment
process
Devolution
• some powers were passed from Westminster
to elected bodies in Cardiff, and Edinburgh
• Scottish Parliament
• National Assembly for Wales
References
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Armitage, D. (2006). British Political Thought in History, Literature, and Theory: 1500 – 1800. Cambridge University Press.
Bottomley, S. (2014). The British Patent System during the Industrial Revolution 1700-1852: From Privilege to Property.
Cambridge University Press.
Britain and the war. (n.d.). The National Archives.
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pathways/firstworldwar/britain/war_changing.htm
Darwin, J. (2009). The Empire Project: The Rise and Fall of the British World-System, 1830-1970. Cambridge University
Press.
Dunleavy, P., Gamble, A., Heffernan, R., Peele, G. (2015). Developments in British Politics. Palgrave Macmillan
Glennerster, H. (2020). The post war welfare state: stages and disputes (No. 03). Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion,
LSE.
Kopstein, J., Lichbach, M. (2005). Comparative Politics. Cambridge University Press.
Maor, M. (2016). Political Parties and Party Systems: Comparative Approaches and the British Experience.
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