British Political System

I. Political life
1. Public attitude to politics

Lack of
trustworthiness Lack of
enthusiasm

Do expect them
to be dishonest Names of
their local MPs
However
Don’t welcome Names of
corruptions important
Gov. ministers

st
1 rule in politics
NEVER BELIEVE ANYTHING
UNTIL IT’S BEEN OFFICIALLY DENIED

2. The 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

Individual Government

Not breaking the Having less

law and paying taxes participation by
Not having to ordinary citizens in
vote at elections governing and law
Not having to making
register their change  No concept of “By the
of address when people”
moving houses Not having to ask
the people for a change
in law
=> People choose who is to govern the country and let them
get on with it
3. The constitution
- Is a constitutional monarchy
+ governed by a King or Queen
+ accepts the advice of Parliament
- However:
+ Doesn’t have a “constitution” at all
- No written law:
+ Says anything about who can be the MP and what his
powers and duties are
+ asserts people’s rights

4. 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

5. The party system

- A two – party system: + Conservative
+ Labour
 - The parties choose candidates in elections
(independent candidates are rarely elected)

The party that wins the majority The largest minority party =
of seat forms the Gov. and its opposition (criticize the party
leaders (= MPs) running the country )

Without agreement between the political parties,

the British parliamentary system would break down

II. The Monarchy

1. 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
2. The reality
- In reality: Different
 Can’t choose anyone she likes to be P.M
 P.M decides the other government ministers
 P.M requests a dissolution of Gov.
 The Royal assent to a bill passed by Parliament is
automatic
=> The Queen has almost no power at all
+ When she opens Parliament each year, the speech she
makes has been written for her
• She makes no secret of the fact
• She reads word for word
• She might ask the Gov. minister to change the
wording
=> Can’t stop the Gov. going ahead with any of its politics

3. The role of the monarch

- Symbol of government => People can be as critical as they like
about the real Gov without being accused of being unpatriotic
- Ceremonial duties => The real G has more time to get on with
the actual job of running the country
- A final check on a Gov => The Monarch can refuse the royal
assent for a bill to become law and the request of a dissolution
of Parliament.

4. 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

5. Future of the monarchy

- Not a burning political issue
- The Q= popular
- Prestige of Royal family has lowered due to various
= > Future of royal style : a little grand, a little less distant

III. The Government

1. The 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

2. Collective responsibility
- All share the responsibilities for every policy made by
Government
+ No member of the Gov. can criticize Gov. policy in public
or must resign to do so
+ Having different opinions, they must keep these private

3. The Cabinet
- Which? :
+ The committee at the centre of the British political
system and is the supreme decision-making body in
government
- Who?
+ Prime Minister and all Ministers in the governing party
- Where?
+ In the Cabinet room in Downing Street (10 Downing
street)
- When? : Traditionally Thursday, now Tuesday morning
- What? : Take decisions about new policies, the
implementation of existing policies and the running of the
various Gov. Departments
- How?
 Cabinet meetings are confidential
 The PM (Prime Minister ) chairs the meeting
 Who says what is secret
 Reports are made and circulated to Gov. Depart.
 Gov. Department summarizes the topic discussed and
decisions taken

4. 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

5. 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
- 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
* Criticism: Its efficiency
- From the same narrow section of society
+ Have been to a public school and then Oxford and
Cambridge
+ Studied history and classical languages
+ Doesn’t have enough expertise in matters such as
economics or technology
+ Lives in its closed world, cut off from the corners of
most people in society
- Solutions:
+ Ministers have their own political advisers working
alongside with their civil servants

6. 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
- 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

IV. The Parliament

* Activities : Like parliament in other western democracies:
+ Make new laws
+ Give authority for the Government to raise and spend
money
+ Keep a close eye on Government activities and discuss
these activities
* Place of working offices: Palace of Westminster
- Committee rooms
- Restaurants
- Bars
- Libraries
 - Some places of residence
- 2 larger rooms:
+ House of Lords
+ House of Commons

1. 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

2. 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
- Government benches and Opposition benches : Facing each
other
+ 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
- Speaker chairs the debate between two rows
- Other features
1. Has no front
2. Has no desks for MPs
3. Is small
=> Creates fairly informal atmosphere
+ MPs are encouraged to co-operate
+ MPs speak in a conversational tone and don’t normally
speak for long
3. 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

4. The Stages of legislation

FIRST
READING
SECOND
READING
COMMITTEE
STAGE

REPORT STAGE

THIRD READING

HOUSE OF LORDS

ROYAL ASSENT

5. 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
- Prime Minister's Question Time on any subject for 30 minutes
every Wednesday
- Easy accessibility for the press
- There are also permanent committees to investigate the
activities of government in particular field
+ include 40 members
+ have power to call certain people such as civil servants to
come and answer their questions
=> The committees are becoming a more and more important
part of the business of the Commons
6. 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

7. 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
- However:
 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
- A busy life:
+ Mornings are taken up with committee work, research,
preparing speeches and dealing with the problems of
constituents
+ Afternoons = meetings in the house
+ Weekends are not free:
 Visit their constituencies
 Listen to the problems of anybody who wants to see
them
- So busy that they have little time for
+ pursuing another career
+ for families (higher rate of divorce)
V. Elections
1. 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

2. 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
3. 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

4. The campaign
Comparatively 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
* 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
* the real campaign
- Takes place at a national level
- The parties spend millions of pounds advertising on hoardings
and newspapers
- They don’t buy time on TV= USA but given a number of strictly
timed “party election broadcasts”
- Each party also holds a daily televised news conference
=> Emphasis is on the national party personalities rather than
local candidates

5. 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)
 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
 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
 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.

6. Validity of election
Fairly conducted
- Candidates are entitled to demand as many recounts as they
want until the result is beyond doubt
- Exception: In Northern Ireland
“Vote early, vote often”

7. 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
+ No system of ready substitutes
+ By elections can take place at any time