AP Comp: Chapter 8 Guided Reading - Politics in England

Chapter 8 Guided Reading: Politics in England

1. How has the concept of “insularity” impacted politics in the UK?

• Insularity: England’s physical isolation as an island
• The physical barrier seems to play a part in the limitations of Britain’s relationship to the European Union. It has also lead the UK to develop more ties to other English speaking countries on other continents, especially the US.
• Historically, it had an impact on how the UK was influenced by changes in politics in other European countries.

2. Describe the significance of the following historical developments:

• Reform Act
• 1832 Reform Act started a gradual process of enfranchising the masses
• By 1885, a majority of English males had the right to vote
• Concurrently, Conservative and Liberal party organizations began to contest elections nationwide
• By 1918 all adult men and women had the right to vote
• The Reform Act was the starting point for all of these progressive changes
• Keynesian welfare state
• During WWII, Winston Churchill set the foundations for the mixed economy Keynesian welfare state
• As a part of this, the government created full employment to fight the war and rationed food so everyone would have equal shares
• The Beveridge Report on social welfare, John Maynard Keynes’s Full Employment White Paper of 1944, and the Butler Education Act of 1944 all came out of this, all of which were landmarks in the development of the British welfare state
• The fair shares policy was continued following this, and in 1945 the National Health Service was established
• Additionally, coalmines, gas and electricity, railways, and the steel industries were nationalized.

3. Create a brief timeline showing the development of the UK and the devolution that has since occurred.

• 16^th century: Henry VIII broke with the Roman Catholic Church and established the Church of England, settling the supremacy of the state’s power over the church
• 17^th century: civil war—Crown vs. Parliament. Parliament won, and the Monarchy was weakened
• 18^th century: Parliament gained the ability to hold the Crown accountable
• 1760: Industrial revolution
• mid 19^th century: aristocratic institutions of governance were transformed into a system that could enact and implement laws on public health and education and collect taxes needed to pay for new public services.
• 1837-1901: reign of Queen Victoria—government institutions were created to cope with the problems of a society that was increasingly urban, literate, industrial, and critical of unreformed institutions.
• 1832: Reform Act (see question 2)
• 1900: Labour Party founded to secure the representation of manual workers in Parliament
• 1906: Liberal government introduced old-age pensions and unemployment insurance; slowly these programs were expanded.
• 1940s: foundations for mixed economy Keynesian welfare state laid by Winston Churchill.
• 1945: National Health Service established
• 1960s: Labour, Liberal, and Conservative politicians denounced “stagnation” and competed in prescribing activist measures, ushering in “an age of hyper-innovation”
• 1964: Labour won under Harold Wilson, but the economy didn’t grow and they were forced to get a loan from the IMF
• 1970-1974: Britain under Edward Heath became a part of the European Community (now European Union). However, by the end of his term there was inflation, rising unemployment, and a contraction in the economy.
• 1977: Keynesian policies were abandoned when Labour relied (again) on an IMF loan to stabilize the pound.
• 1979: Conservatives under Margaret Thatcher won, believing that the market, rather than government, should make the most important decisions in society. Thatcher led her party to 3 successive election victories. However, Conservative MPs forced a ballot for the party leadership and Thatcher resigned, replaced by John Major
• 1987: Social Democratic Party merged with the Liberal Party to create the Liberal Democrats
• 1992: Major wins a fourth consecutive term for the Conservative government, but his policy of a strong British pound crashes under pressure from foreign speculators.
• 1993: Tony Blair became Labour leader
• 2001: Blair led Labour to another landslide victory over a demoralized opposition
• 2003: Blair committed to go the war in Iraq with the US, causing a division in his party. Investigations showed that he exaggerated or misread intelligence briefings, and many Britons didn’t trust him any more.

4. Compare and contrast Britain’s unwritten constitution with the United States written Constitution.

• Unwritten constitution of England: jumble of acts of Parliament, judicial pronouncements, customs, and conventions about the rules of the political game.
• The unwritten Constitution doesn’t give written guarantees to citizens, as the American Bill of Rights does; the rights of English citizens are meant to be secured by trustworthy governors.
• The US Constitution gives the Supreme Court final power to decide what the government may or may not do; in England the final authority is Parliament, where the government of the day commands a majority of votes.
• The Law Lords and Judicial Committee of the Privy Council can resolve disputes about the interpretation of Acts of Parliament, but they can’t declare an Act unconstitutional
• The Bill of Rights in the US Constitution lets anyone seek redress through the courts until the Blair government, instead of preparing a British code of rights, simply incorporated the European Convention of Human Rights into the laws of Britain.
• Amendments to the US Constitution have to be approved by over half the states and members of Congress, the unwritten constitution can be changed by a majority vote in Parliament
• English courts claim no power to declare an act of parliament unconstitutional

5. List and briefly describe the major functions of the Prime Minister, his Cabinet, the Civil Service, and Parliament

• Prime Minister: must win elections (party elections—must be elected as leader of his or her party), campaign through the media, retain the confidence of his party, answer questions unscripted in front of parliament, and make and balance policies.
• Cabinet: consists of senior ministers, members of either the House of Commons or House of Lords and appointed by the prime minister. Usually leading members of the governing party make the Cabinet up to ensure agreement about major government policies.
• Civil Service: made up of hundreds of thousands of civil servants that administer laws and deliver public services.
• Parliament: examines and challenges the work of the government, debates and passes all laws, enabling the government to raise taxes. Made up of the House of Lords and the House of Commons

6. Of all the types of political socialization found in Great Britain (family, gender, education, class, and mass media) which two do you find the most significant and why?

• I think that in any country, family is the most important type of political socialization—your attitude and views on politics most likely come from your parents and the set of beliefs that make you choose certain candidates or platforms were likely instilled in you as a child.
• Class is the second most significant in my opinion, mostly due to economics—economic policies make up a large part of which party people support, and class has everything to do with that.

7. Does Great Britain have acceptable political participation, or is this an area that needs improvement? Justify your response.

• As political participation in Britain widens, the number of people indirectly or intermittently involved in politics increased, which makes sense to me. Additionally, voters make up the largest number of people involved politically, which gives the common person a voice and make an impact, rather than the only the people working for the party (the smallest percentage of political participation) having an impact.

8. How have interest groups historically played a significant role in British politics?

• Seek information about government policies and changes in policies
• Look for sympathetic administration of established policies
• Try to influence policymaking
• Achieve a symbolic status
• In order to lobby successfully, interest groups must be able to identify officials who are most important in making public policy—therefore, they concentrate on Whitehall.
• Group members do not always agree with their leaders, and sometimes a multiplicity of identities cause conflict.

9. Explain the structure of the British multiparty system. Do you think the US should switch to a multiparty system, or remain with the two party system? Explain your answer.

• Labour, Conservatives, and Liberal Democrats are the three main parties that make up Britain’s multiparty system.
• The Labour Party has a majority in Westminster, but it competes for power in Scotland with the Scottish Nationalist Party. In Wales, it’s the Paid Cymru party, and in Northern Ireland various Unionists groups and Sinn Fein competes with it for support.
• In my opinion, the US should remain a two party system because introducing multiple parties to the degree that the UK does leads to even more contestation when making decisions. Additionally, it leads to an increased number of compromises, which may not always be best for the country.

10. Explain the difference between the first past the post system and proportional representation. Which system do you prefer and why?

• In the FPTP system, the party that receives the most votes wins.
• With proportional representation, the percentage of votes that candidates get in an election determines the number of seats they receive.
• I’m leaning towards proportional representation, because that way all of the majorities have a say and more people’s opinions are represented overall.

11. What are the significant roles that local government plays in British politics?

§ Local governments are responsible for waste management, education, libraries, social services, transport, strategic planning, consumer protection, housing, waste collection tax collection, education, police, and local planning.

12. Define and explain the significance of QUANGOS.

§ QUANGOS (quasi non-governmental organization) (coolest word ever): an organization to which government has granted power.

§ They are not governmental organizations, but they perform governmental functions. Some advise on policy-making, and others deliver public services. They make expert judgments in fields such as medical negligence or handle a large number of small claims.

13. How have popular expectations affected public policy in Great Britain?

§ Popular expectations, although often low when it comes to government, remain relatively high regarding individuals’ lives. This helps people to be less resistant to political change, though there is still widespread disagreement on what type of change should occur and how it should be carried out.