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outline
British Political System
Political life
The Monarchy
The Government
The Parliament
Elections
By Pham Thi Thanh Thuy B
outline
The party system
The public attitude to politics
The style of democracy
The constitution
The style of politics
Political life
The Monarchy
The Government
The Parliament
Elections
By Pham Thi Thanh Thuy B
The party system
A two - party system
The party system
The party that wins the majority of seat forms the Gov. and its leaders (= MPs)
The parties choose candidates in elections
(independent candidates are rarely elected)
The largest minority party = opposition (criticize the party running the country )
Without agreement between the political parties,
the British parliamentary system would break down
Public attitude to politics
1st rule in politic
NEVER BELIEVE ANYTHING
UNTIL IT`S BEEN OFFICIALLY DENIED
Style of democracy
? Have high respect for the law
Little systematic law breaking by large number
Not invading 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
Style of democracy
Not breaking the law and paying taxes
Not being obliged to vote at elections
Not having to register their change of address when moving houses
Having less participation by ordinary citizens in governing and law making ? No concept of "By the people"
Not having to ask the people for a change in law
Not having to have a special vote in Par. With a high proportion of MPs in favour
Style of democracy
People choose who is to
govern the country and let
them get on with it
The constitution
Is a constitutional monarchy
governed by a King or Queen
accepts the advice of Parliament
Is also parliamentary democracy
Government controlled by Parliament
Official head of state or President has little real power
The constitution
No written law:
Says anything about who can be the MP
and what his powers are
asserts people`s rights
The style of politics
?Political life is still influenced by the traditional
British respect for privacy and love of secrecy



? Comparatively informal
Important decisions are to be taken at lunch, over
dinner, or in chance encounters in the corridors of
power
MPs have a habit of co-operation among politicians
of different parties
- Being good friends
- Little fighting about how political business is
to be conducted fairly



The appearance
The reality
The role of the monarch
The value of the monarch
The future of the monarch
outline
Political life
The Monarchy
The Government
The Parliament
Elections
By Pham Thi Thanh Thuy B
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
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 reality
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
The reality
The Queen has almost no power at all
Can`t stop the Gov.
going ahead with
any of its politics
The Role of the monarch
The Monarch
can refuse the
royal assent
for a bill to
become law
and the
request of
a dissolution
of Parliament
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
Future of the monarchy
Not a political issue
The Q= popular
Prestige of Royal
family has lowered
due to various
marital problems
Changing Guard at Windsor Castle
Future of royal style
a little grand,
a little less distant
The Government Structure
Collective Responsibility
The cabinet
The Prime Minister
The civil service
Central and local government


outline
Political life
The Monarchy
The Government
The Parliament
Elections
By Pham Thi Thanh Thuy B
Government structure
The Government includes:
The Prime Minister: most powerful
20 MPs:
From the House of Common and belong to the same political party
Heads of the Gov. Departments (Minister of...)
Appointed by the monarch (on the advice of the PM)
Take on various responsibilities of managing Parliament but have COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY
Collective responsibility

All share the responsibilities for every
policy made by Government
The Cabinet
Which?
Who?
Where?
When?
What?
How?
The Cabinet

Which?




Who?



Where?
The committee at the centre of the British political system and is the supreme decision-making body in government
Leading politicians in
the governing party
In the Cabinet room in
Downing Street
Take decisions about new
policies, the implementation
of existing policies and
the running of the various
Gov. Department
The Cabinet



When?


What?



How?
Every Thursday
The PM chairs the meeting
Who says what is secret
Reports are made and circulated to Gov. Depart.
Gov. Depart. summarizes the topic discussed
and decisions taken
The Prime Minister
? Has a great deal of power in reality
Appoints the cabinet and change his cabinet (power of patronage)
Makes the final decisions on major issues
Decides the agenda for cabinet meetings which he also chairs
? Has the power of public image
the leader of his party
in the House of Commons
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
Reputed for absolute impartiality
Top civil servants exercise quite a lot of control over their ministers

The civil service
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


From the same narrow section of society
Have been to a public school and then Oxford and Cambridge
Studied history and classical languages
Its efficiency
The civil service
Criticism
Its efficiency
The civil service
Criticism
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
Its efficiency
The civil service
Criticism
Solutions
Ministers appoint experts
from outside the civil service
to work on various projects

Ministers have their own
political advisers working
alongside with their
civil servants
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
Central and local government
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
Fairly free from constant central interference in their day-to-day work
There is greater and greater
control by Central Government
Central and local government
House of Commons
The Atmosphere of Parliament
MP’s life
Parliamentary business
MP’s way of working
The House of Lords

outline
Political life
The Monarchy
The Government
The Parliament
Elections
By Pham Thi Thanh Thuy B
Parliament
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

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
Parliament

Palace of
Westminster
House of commons
Design and layout
American Senate British House of Commons
Facing each other
Government benches
Opposition benches
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
House of commons
Other features
Has no front
Has no desks for MPs
Is small

Creates fairly informal atmosphere
MPs speak in a
conversational
tone and don`t
normally speak
for long

MPs are encouraged
to co-operate
House of commons

Creates fairly informal atmosphere
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
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


MP`s life
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
However
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
MP`s life
A busy life
MP`s life
A busy life
So busy that they have little time for
pursuing another career
for families (higher rate of divorce)
Parliamentary business
Debate on a particular proposal
MPs have to vote for or against
by walking through one of 2 corridors at the side of the house
Aye: agree
No: disagree


Parliamentary business
Some committees are appointed to examine particular proposal for laws
There are also permanent committees whose job is 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
Parliamentary business
The committees are becoming
a more and more important part
of the business of the Commons
MP`s way of working
MPs nearly vote the way that their party tells them to do


WHIP
(powerful people)






WHIPS
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
- Acting as intermediaries between the
backbenchers and the front benches
- Keeping the party leadership informed
about backbench opinion



MP`s way of working
House of lords
Parliament`s second chamber
Its main job is to `double check` new laws
There are 675 members
Does not have the power to stop a new law that the Commons wants, but it can delay it
Is a forum for public discussion
The system
Voters
Time for new election
The campaign
Process of election
Validity of election
By- election

outline
Political life
The Monarchy
The Government
The Parliament
Elections
By Pham Thi Thanh Thuy B
The system
The electoral system used in Britain doesn`t seem to add up
The "first-past- the-post" system
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

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
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
The campaign
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
? Limited amount of money
have to submit detailed accounts for their expenses for inspection
? Any attempt to influence voters improperly is outlawed

Strict regulations on the campaign
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
the real campaign

Emphasis is on the
national party personalities
rather than local candidates
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 Ê500 with the Returning Officer)
Process of election
? 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

Process of election
? 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
Process of election
? By 2 in the morning, ? ẵ of the constituencies will have declared their results.
validity of election
validity of election
Candidates are entitled to demand as many recounts as they want until the result is beyond doubt
Fairly conducted
Exception
In Northern Ireland
"Vote early, vote often"
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
By elections
can take place
at any time
Suggestions for further reading
Major political parties
Powers of the monarch
Parliamentary procedure
The tension between central government and local government
British voting behaviour