Chapter 4 Britain

1
Chapter 4Britain

• Ben Rosamond

2
Britain

• The historical context ancient and modern
• Political institutions in Britain
• Political parties in British politics
• The European exception?

3
Introduction

• British political system has no distinct starting
  point
• Pluri-national, yet centralized and unitary,
  state?
• Recent governing dilemmas
• Role of state in economy
• How to balance unitary state with pluri-national
  society?

4
The historical context ancient

• Strange parliamentary rituals
• No written constitution
• Unelected second chamber
• Retention of a monarch

5
The historical context the modern

• Managing the legacy of imperialism
• Integration into the European Union
• Devolution

6
Political institutions in Britain the
Westminster Model

• London is still centre of British politics
  Westminster Model
• Unitary state
• Absolute Parliamentary sovereignty
• Cabinet government monitored by Parliament
• Single opposition bloc in Parliament
• Two-party electoral competition
• First past the post electoral system
• No written constitution, just norms/rules

7
Challenges to the Westminister Model

• Rise of party power creates unaccountable
  governments?
• Core executive has increasing control over
  cabinet and media
• Civil service has entrenched policy preferences
• Globalization and European integration both
  challenge Parliamentary sovereignty
• Post-1997 constitutional reform

8
Political parties in British politics

• First-past-the-post supports two-party system
  Labour vs. Conservatives
• One party normally forms majority government
• But, recent rise of Liberals and declining
  turnout
• Post-war divisions between and within the main
  parties around political economy and territorial
  scale

9
The European exception?

• First two applications to EC rejected by France
• Europe has divided both Labour and the
  Conservative Party
• UK negotiated opt-out from EMU in the Maastricht
  Treaty
• Labour has recently sought to de-politicize the
  Euro question

10
Conclusions

• The 2000s are less politically and industrially
  conflictual than the 1970s
• But, dilemmas remain
• Britains role in the world?
• How to organize the British state?