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Britain Section 5

o 1999: IRA and Protestant para-military call a cease-fire

o 1995: John Major and John Bruton issue framework agreement

o 1997: Tony Blair meets with Gerry Adams

o 1998: The Good Friday Agreement

Elections for a Northern Ireland assembly (shared power)

North-South council

o 2001: IRA begins disarming

o 2002: Home rule government is suspended, British direct rule reimposed

o 2005

January: IRA is linked to a $40 million bank robbery

February: Sinn Fein supporter is murdered by IRA in Belfast bar

May: David Trimble ousted in elections, Sinn Feinn and Democratic

Unionist Party win

y Political Challenges and Changing Agendas

o Constitutional reform Balance of powers amount constitutionally critical institutions

Democratic deficit of the Westminister model

Executives great strength

y Bypassing the cabinet on crucial decisions

y Bias in the electoral system

Accountability of the British government?

Removal of hereditary peers right to speak and vote in HOL

New Labours potential legacy of constitutional reform has been

sidetracked

o

Identities in Flux Low minority representation in Parliament

Deep-seated social attitudes

Hardening of government policy on asylum ,refuge and immigration

2003: Asylum Bill

2004: Record levels of hate crimes in Britain and Wales

Rise in union militancy

o The Challenges of Europe and the World

o British Politics, Terrorism, and Brtains Relationship with the United States

Blairs support for Iraq boosted Britains influence in Europe

2002: support becomes a liability

Blair refuses all advice to make support of the war conditional, convincedthat there were WMD

2005: bomb in London

Blair loses support because of Iraq

y British Politics in Comparative Perspective

o Escaped the recession in the 1990s

o Outperforming most major world economies

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o Low unemployment and inflation

o Steady growth

o NOT an economic paradise

o 1997: less attachments to voters commitment to party and occupational interests

o 2001: instinctive party support has been replaced by pick and choose

o 2005: increase in election participation