1. Government of the United Kingdom
February 4, 2015

2. What is the difference between The United Kingdom, Great Britain and England?
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland includes the four territories: England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
Great Britain includes the major island of and has three regions: England, Wales, and Scotland.
England is a region of Great Britain and The UK. It has the largest population with five sixths of the entire state.
The Official name of the state is “The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland”

3. Common Government Terms
The Crown – all encompassing term including the all the powers of government (king and queen, Parliament, cabinet, and civil servants)
Westminister – district of London where many government buildings are located
# 10 Downing St. – prime minister’s residence and address
Whitehall – street where many executive offices are located along with the House of Commons and House of Lords

4. Westminister Hall

5. The UK a Democratic Regime (remember there are two main democratic regimes parliamentary and presidential)
Parliamentary System
Legislative and Executive Branch are not separate
Head of state (monarch) and Head of Government (Prime Minister) are held by two separate individuals
Write two more differences between this democratic regimes.
Which do you prefer? Why?
Presidential System
Legislative and Executive are separate branches of government
Head of State and Head of Government are positions of one person the President
PS: There is a hybrid system called the Semi-Presidential System. These governments
Have a combination of both systems. Examples of Semi Presidential Systems exist in
France and Russia.

6. Leadership of the UK of Great Britain and Northern Irealnd
The Monarch
Head state
“Psychological cement to hold a country together”
No real political power
“Reigns but does not rule”
The Prime Minister (PM)
Picks the Cabinet
Well disciplined Party Whip
Head of Government
Winning elections
Campaigning through media
Patronage
Making and balancing policies

7. Head of Government: David Cameron
Head of State: Queen Elizabeth II
Head of Government: David Cameron

8. Branches of Government in the UK
Executive = Prime Minister and Cabinet
Legislative = House of Commons and House of Lords
Judicial = Courts

9. Executive Branch Prime Minister Head of Government
Head of the majority party in HOC
Usually get their way and are thought to be powerful because of strong party loyalty
2011 Fixed-term Parliaments Act, elections had to be held every five years but the Prime Minister had discretion to call one at any time before that deadline.
Must maintain the support of party
Take questions once weekly that are televised
Direct activity of the cabinet
Diplomats and world leaders
Cabinet
Has about twenty members
Can be from HOC or HOL, though most are from HOC
Appointed by the Prime Minister
Responsible for individual government departments
Provide answers to Parliament during the question time.
Collective Responsibility – idea that cabinet must appear unified and take responsibility for policy
If Cabinet official can not support a decision of government they must resign and return to legislature (3 of Blair’s ministers resigned over the war in Iraq)

10. Why Do PMs Not turn into Dictators?
Elections are every five years (try to keep blocks of support among population)
Has to keep the support of the party in order for party to stay in power in Parliament

11. British Cabinet Lord Chancellor (member of House of Lords)
Foreign Secretary – conducts foreign policy
Home Secretary – oversees the Judiciary
Chancellor of Exchequer (treasury) – financial policy and head of the
central bank
Environment
Education
Transport
Social Security
Agriculture
Employment
Northern Ireland
Welsh
Scottish
National Heritage

12. What is the Parliament?
It is not George Clinton’s Band (P-Funk).

13. The UK legislates on 3 person babies

14. What is the Parliament? It is not George Clinton’s Band (P-Funk).
It is the legislative branch of the English government that selects the Prime Minister (PM) and the Cabinet. Both the PM and Cabinet officials are also members of Parliament (MPs)
It is a bicameral legislature which consists of the House of Commons and House of Lords

15. MOVIE

16. How are MPs chosen?
In the House of Commons there is an election every five years for Parliament or it can be dissolved before.
MPs represent a single district called a constituency
MPs are elected in first past the post system – or single member plurality districts. MPs win on plurality, who has the most votes not necessarily the majority. (Remember the term first past the post )
This supports a strong two-party political system in the UK (Labour and Conservative) like in the US. (Remember Duverger’s Law pg. 85 textbook)
MPs are not required to live in the district they represent and many make their homes in London
MPs in the House of Lords are inherited positions (heredity peers like dukes, earls, barons, ect.) these positions were eliminated in 1999 and life peers who are appointed by the Crown once recommended by PM generally outstanding citizens, law lords, and top officials from The Church of England. MPs in the HOL are shielded from public scrutiny in terms of legislation. Similar to U.S. Supreme Court Justices.

17. Parliament (House of Commons)
House of Lords

18. Functions of House of Commons
MPs (Members of Parliament) are expected to :
Support their party
Assess the political reputations of other MPs to be cabinet ministers
Share the problems they see with policy of ministers outside of chambers (must look like you are a party loyalist at all times)
Talk about legislation, but do not write legislation. (Legislation is written by cabinet ministers)
Vote on legislation proposed by the government
Have oversight in seeing how policy is carried out
Publicize government policy to the general public
Can check the PM with a vote-of-no-confidence
MPs vote with their party 90% of the time

19. Inside the House of Commons
Red = Majority Party
Blue = Minor Party
Other Colors = Small Minor Parties

20. Work in the Parliament

21. Parliament (House of Lords)

22. Functions of House of Lords
Made up of inherited seats and Church of England bishops and law lords
Limited power
Amend legislation from Commons. But the MPs in the House of Commons can easily delete amendments with simple majority
Delay legislation (financial bills 30 days and other 2 years)
Debate topics that are to controversial for elected MPs

23. Inside the House of Lords

24. Judicial Branch No judicial review
Parliament is always supreme and any measure created by legislature is constitutional
Judges on Court are selected by the Lord Chancellor and serve until retirement
Civil and criminal courts and court of appeals
In 2009 the Supreme Court was created in the UK to be the last court of appeals.