Comparative Governments
Second Level
Political Science Department
English Section
Politics in Britain
Historical background
Historical background
• In a world of new democracies, Britain is different
because it is an old democracy. Its political system
has been evolving for more than 800 years.
sovereignty was gained over Wales and Scotland. The
government of the United Kingdom was created in
1801 by merging England, Scotland, Wales, and
Ireland under the authority of Parliament in London.
Historical background
• Unlike new democracies, Britain became a
democracy by evolution rather than revolution.. The
rule of law was established in the seventeenth
century, the accountability of the executive to
Parliament was established by the eighteenth century,
and national political parties organized in the
nineteenth century. Even though competitive
elections had been held for more than a century, the
right of every adult man and woman to vote was not
recognized until the twentieth century.
Historical background
• The evolution of democracy in Britain contrasts with
a European history of countries switching between
democratic and non-democratic forms of government.
Whereas the oldest British people have lived in the
same political system all their lives, the oldest
Germans have lived under at least four constitutions,
two democratic and two undemocratic.
Historical background
• At no point in history did representatives of the
British people meet to decide a constitution setting
out their form of government, as happened in
America at the end of the eighteenth century, and as
has happened many times in France.
Historical background
• In international law, the state is the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
• Great Britain is divided into England, Scotland, and
Wales.
• Northern Ireland is the most un-English part of the
United Kingdom.
Historical background
• differences between Protestants and Catholics about
national identity dominate politics in Northern Ireland.
Protestants, comprising more than half the population,
want to remain part of the United Kingdom.
• Until 1972, the Protestant majority governed through a
home rule Parliament. Many in the Catholic minority did
not support this regime, wanting instead to leave the
United Kingdom and join the Republic of Ireland, which
claims that Northern Ireland should be part of the
Republic.
Historical background
• After Catholics launched protests against discrimination
in 1968, demonstrations turned to violence in 1969. The
illegal Irish Republican Army (IRA) was revived and, in
1971, began a military campaign to remove Northern
Ireland from the United Kingdom. Protestants organized
illegal armed forces in response. Political violence has
killed more than 3,700 people.
• Catholics were called “nationalists”, while protestants
were called “unionists”.
Historical background
• Intensive negotiations in which London and Dublin
offered incentives to Republicans and put pressure on
Unionists to agree to a power sharing form of
government.
constitution
constitution
• The development of the British constitution did not
take place in any single period or in consequence of
any single event. The period of its development
extends over a thousand years.
• The constitution of USA has been prepared by a
constituent Assembly, but the constitution of England
does not owe its origins to any constituent Assembly.
constitution
• sources of the British constitution include Magna
carta of 1215, the petition of Rights 1628, bill of
rights 1689, the act of union between England and
Scotland of 1707.
• Another source of the British constitution is the large
number of statuses passed form time to time by the
British parliament.
constitution
• The British constitution is unwritten and flexible.
constitution
• Comparing the written U.S. Constitution and the
unwritten British constitution emphasizes how few
are the constraints of an unwritten constitution.
Whereas amendments to the U.S. Constitution must
receive the endorsement of a two-thirds majority vote
in the congress and three-fourths of state legislatures,
the unwritten British constitution can be changed by a
majority vote in Parliament.
constitution
• The U.S. Constitution gives the Supreme Court the
final power to decide what the government may or
may not do. By contrast, in Britain, the final authority
is Parliament. Courts do not have the power to
declare an Act of Parliament unconstitutional.
The British Parliament
The British Parliament
• The British Parliament consists of two houses- the
house of lords and the house of commons. The house
of commons consists of the representative of the
people, but the house of lords is essentially
hereditary.
• The house of lords is the upper house, and the house
of commons is the lower house.
House of lords
• House of lords consists of categories of members: the
princes of the royal blood, hereditary peers, the
Scottish peers.
• The powers of House of lords are limited.
House of lords
• Some of the ministers are members of the house of
lords. The lords have the right to ask questions, to
seek information form the government on any aspect
of administration, but the ministers are not
individually or collectively responsible to the house
of lords.
House of lords
• The legislative powers of house of lords were
drastically curtailed by the parliament act of 1911,
they were further reduced by the amending act of
1949
• On money bills, the house of lords has no powers at
all.
House of commons
• The house of commons is elected for a period of five years,
The most important function of house of commons is law
making, the house of commons can initiate any measure, The
house of commons is supreme in financial matters, all money
bills originate in the commons.
• The house of commons controls the executive. The ministry
emerges from the house of commons, the king calls the leader
of the majority party in the house to form the ministry. Most of
the important members of the cabinet belong to the house of
commons.
House of commons
• The ministers are individually and collectively responsible to
the house of commons , they hold their office only as long as
they enjoy the confidence of the house of commons. When
they cease to command it, they resign.
• Members of house of commons can ask questions to
government and thereby force it to explain why it has done or
neglected to do particular thing. The opposition can move a
vote of no- confidence, thereby bring about the fall of the
ministry.
House of commons
• The Commons is overwhelmingly middle class. Whereas
Labour once saw it as its mission to bring „workers‟ into
Parliament, this is no longer the case. In 1918, 83 per cent of
its MPs were working class; by 2005 the figure had dropped to
10 per cent. Many of its candidates are now drawn from the
professions.
• many Conservative MPs derive from business and City
backgrounds, with a fair proportion of professionals who have
worked in the media and public relations.
The executive- the king and
the prime minister
The king and the crown
• There is a fundamental distinction between the king
and the crown. “the king is dead, long live the king”,
this means that a particular king may die, but the
institution of kingship continues. “the crown never
dies”.
• “The king can do no wrong”, means that the king of
England cannot be held responsible for anything done
in his name. no order of the king is effective unless
and until it has been countersigned by some minister.
The Cabinet
• The Cabinet typically comprises 23–24 leading
ministers. It is the central committee which directs the
work of government and coordinates the activities of
individual departments. It has in the past been
described as „the core of the British constitutional
system‟.
• Its members assume responsibility for all decisions on
behalf of the government. It is common to describe the
British political system as one of „cabinet government‟.
• The minister who countersigned the order of the king
becomes responsible for it.
The executive- the king and the prime
minister
• Most cabinet members are drawn from the House of
Commons, the dominant, elected chamber, although a
small number sit in the House of Lords.
The executive- the king and the prime
minister
The work of the Cabinet involves:
• Deciding on major policy to be followed at home and
abroad.
• Dealing with unforeseen major problems. New
problems arise from time to time.
• Coordinating the policies of different departments. If
government is to function well and policy is to be
successfully carried out, there needs to be
coordination between government departments.
The American president and the British
prime minister compared.
• In the sphere of administration, the American
president is more powerful than the British prime
minister. the British prime minister is bound by the
principle of collective responsibility. He has to bank
upon the advice and cooperation of his colleagues.
• the British prime minister is more powerful than the
American president in the legislative and financial
spheres.
The executive- the king and the prime
minister
• The political regime in Britain is parliamentary.
electoral system
electoral system
• Parliamentary election in Britain are held according
to first past the post system.
Political parties and party system
Political parties and party systems
• Historically, Britain has had a two-party system,
Labour and the Conservatives being the dominant
parties since the 1930s.
The British Conservative Party
• British Conservatism has a long history. It embraces a
broad spectrum of ideas about the nature of
humankind, society and political change.
• It is a right-wing creed that emphasizes preserving the
best of the past (including the traditions and
institutions of the country) and allowing society to
develop gradually, adapting only where change is
proved to be necessary.
The British Conservative Party
• In the post-war era, the Conservatives generally stuck
to one nation policies that were seen as pragmatic
(practical, realistic). Most came to accept the welfare
state and the need for more governmental intervention
and regulation.
• the 1980s, under Margaret Thatcher, the emphasis
was rather different. She was committed to traditional
party policies such as a firm stand on law and order,
was strongly in favor of free enterprise, market
forces, lower taxes and more consumer choice, and
hostile to trade-union power.
The British Conservative Party
• Since 2019 the Conservative Party has been taken
over by its right wing, made up of a mix of economic
neo-liberals, ultra-traditionalists, and English
nationalists. Many former centre-right Conservatives,
including a good number of former MPs, ministers
and even former Conservative Prime Minister John
Major, have either strongly distanced themselves
from today's party, or else gone over to other parties,
in particular to the Liberal Democrats.
The British Conservative Party
• Prior to 2019, and for the previous forty years, the
party has been deeply divided over issues of
sovereignty and the role of Britain in the European
Union. A majority of party members were in favour
of a revision of the terms of Britain's membership of
the European Union, and the holding of a referendum
on withdrawal. But other Conservatives, including
industrial and business leaders, were and mostly still
are strongly pro-European. Recent leaders have been
beset by problems trying to reconcile the strongly
opposing views of party members on this issue.
The Labour Party
• By its 1918 constitution, Labour committed itself to
socialism. Socialism is not a precise term and
different party thinkers and leaders have given it their
own slant.
• Following a series of electoral defeats in 1979 and
after, Tony Blair set out to reinvent the party as New
Labour. He boldly tackled the party‟s constitution,
rewriting Clause Four so that it now stresses
community values such as equality of power,
tolerance and respect, rights and duties, the emphasis
being on society. He modernized the party.
The Labour Party
• there are differences of old and new Labour.
• Characteristics of Old Labour:
1. Close to trade unions.
2. Willingness to raise taxes to finance high levels of
public expenditure.
3. Lukewarm support for European Community
The Labour Party
• Characteristics of New Labour:
1. More detached from unions.
2. Keen to keep direct taxation down, or anyway not
increase it.
3. Pro-Europeanism.
The Labour Party
• the Labour party covers virtually the whole spectrum
of left wing politics in Britain, Until 2010, since the
time of Tony Blair, it had been dominated by the
social-liberal centre-left (initially known as New
Labour): the collectivist "Old Labour" views were
very much in a minority . From 2010 to 2015, under
the leadership of Ed Miliband, it remained essentially
a centre-left party; but in September 2015, with the
election to the leadership of a left-winger Jeremy
Corbyn, the Labour party moved into a new period in
its history.
The Labour Party
• Under Corbyn, Labour was ineffectual as an
opposition, losing three successive General Elections
at a time when the UK, on the eve of the Brexit
disaster, needed a strong opposition. In April 2020,
Corbyn was replaced by Keir Starmer, a moderate
former human-rights lawyer, under whose leadership
the party has risen in the opinion polls.
The Liberal Democrats
• The Liberal Democrats were formed as a result of a
merger between the old British Liberal party and the
Social Democrats.
• The new party soon established its own identity, but
the past commitment to pro-Europeanism, racial
justice and tolerance was preserved.
The Liberal Democrats
• The Lib Dems are thus a mixture of social conservatives
and social democrats. The party is the most pro-European
of the major British parties, and until 2015 shared power
with the Conservative Party in the coalition government.
• Many of those who voted Lib-Dem in 2010 were furious
when the party chose to go into colaition with the
Conservatives, and in the 2015 election, the Lib Dems
lost most of their MPs. However, following the election
of left-winger Jeremy Corbyn to the head of the Labour
party in September 2015, and the subequent internal
divisions in the Labour party, support for the Lib-Dems
has begun to rise again
UK Independence
Party
• committed to outright withdrawal from the European
Union, it is a right populist party.
• founded by national populist Nigel Farage, that
wanted Britain to withdraw from the European
Union. The party has little in the way of policies,
apart from Europe-bashing, but is surprisingly
popular with voters disgruntled with the perceived
failures of the main parties . In the 2015 election,
UKIP obtained just one member of Parliament, a
sitting MP who had moved over from the
conservatives. UKIP had several members in the
European Parliament.
UK Independence
Party
• In 2016, UKIP provided the foot-soldiers of the
campaign to take Britain out of the European Union;
but the non-UKIP part of the Leave campaign sought
to distance itself from UKIP after the referendum,
worried at the damage that UKIP's xenophobic
campaigning has done to Britain.
• After Farage left the party that he created, and created
another new party, the Brexit Party, UKIP lost most
of its supporters. It won no seats in the 2019
European elections, nor in the general election of the
same year.
the Socialist Labour Party
• On the Left, comprises mainly ex- Labour members
who find Blairism unpalatable.
The Scottish Nationalist Party
• is a separatist party, wanting independence from
Great Britain. It is now the second largest party in
Scotland, after Labour. It does not emphasize the
usual cultural nationalism of parties of the nationalist
type.
Plaid Cymru
• By contrast, Plaid Cymru has always been a more
traditional nationalist party, speaking up for the
culture and language of Wales.
References
• S A Palekar, Comparative Politics and Government (New
Delhi: PHI Learning, 2009).
• Duncan Watts, British Government and Politics: A
Comparative Guide Second edition (Edinburgh: Edinburgh
University Press, 2012).
• G. Bingham Powell, Russell J. Dalton, Kaare W. Strøm,
Comparative Politics Today A World View, Eleventh Edition
(Boston: Pearson, 2017).
• Political parties in Britain A short guide,
• [Link] 53
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