essential question: how does the history of the british empire still shape british politics today? ...

Essential Question: How does the history of the British Empire still shape British Politics today?

Guided reading Chapter 21. Who decides when a new election will be called in Britain? How soon after an election must a new one be called?• governments defeat on a vote of no confidence (p 67)• within 5 years traditionally (Fixed term parliaments Act 2011 set

the date at 3/30/15)


Guided reading Chapter 22. Based on your knowledge of current events, how is the current government of Britain different from the government described in the book? Which political party is now in power? Who is the current Prime Minister?• Coalition government (Conservative/Liberal)• David Cameron


Guided reading Chapter 23. What is the message of the political cartoon on page 50?


Guided reading Chapter 24. Use Table 2.1 on page 50 to answer the following questions:

a. Does Britain have a unitary or federal structure?• Unitary

b. What has supreme legislative, executive, and judicial authority?• UK Parliament

c. Who is the chief executive? Where does this person come from?• Prime Minster (majority Party)

d. Is the legislature unicameral or bicameral? • bicameral


Guided reading Chapter 2• Use Table 2.1 on page 50 to answer the following questions:

i. Identify the powers of the House of Commons:• pass laws, provide for finance, scrutinize public legislation and

government policyii. Identify the powers of the House of Lords (upper house):

• limited – delay legislation and recommend revisionsc. How are judges appointed?

• the queen


Guided reading Chapter 2• Use Table 2.1 on page 50 to answer the following questions:

i. Do judges have the power of judicial review?• no

f. What are the two dominant political parties?• labour and conservative


Guided reading Chapter 25. What effect does religious identification have on voting behavior and party loyalties in Britain?• used to have a large effect until The glorious Revolution of 1688

which resolved religious conflict6. What divisions in society has the party system in Britain traditionally reflected?• labour was originally working class people and conservative white

collar


Guided reading Chapter 27. When was the Collectivist Consensus?

1945-1979a. What does the term collectivism describe?consensus in politics after WWIIb. Describe the British citizens’ views about the proper role of government during the Collectivist Consensus:responsible for economic growth and full employmentc. How did the size and the role of the British government change during the Collectivist Consensus?government grew along with the power of labor unions


Guided reading Chapter 28. Margaret Thatcher and the Enterprise Culture

a. What brought the Collectivist Consensus to an end?Economic stagnation and declining competitivenessb. What party did Margaret Thatcher lead? conservativesc. When did her party come to power, making her Prime Minister?1979


Guided reading Chapter 2• Margaret Thatcher and the Enterprise Culture

d. How did Thatcher propose to solve Britain’s problems? How did her program of reform differ from the policies of collectivism?

cut taxes, reduce social services stimulate competition and efficiency


Guided reading Chapter 2

9. New Labour’s Third Waya. What was the purpose of reinventing the Labour Party as “New Labour” and finding a “third way”?

tried to combine unions and working people with business people

i. In what year did Labour regain control of the government?1997



9. New Labour’s Third Wayii. Who led the “third way” New Labour movement?Tony Blair and Gordon Brown

b. Describe the changes in policy that were created by the “third way”, be specific, what did the Labour Party propose to do?rejected interest based politics and rejected historical ties



9. New Labour’s Third Wayd. Define Westminster model:form of democracy based on the supreme authority of parliament and the accountability of its elected representatives



Section 2—Political Economy and Development 10. What is the gender gap in Britain? (64)politically significant differences in social attitudes and voting behavior between men and women. (pay issues) shaped by the undersupply of affordable child carea. How does this compare to the gender gap in the US?



Economic Management11. What institutions “dominate economic policy” in England?Legislative and parties12. What approach toward economic management did the government adopt during the Consensus era?Keynesianism – state ownership of key industries



Economic Managementa. Describe the policies supported by Keynesianism:direct ownership by state, full employment policies, expansion of social services, steady rate of growth, stable price, balance of payments and exchange rates



Economic Managementi. What sort of economic policy is this most similar to— Fiscal Policy or Monetary Policyii. What effect did Keynesianism have on the government’s involvement in the economy?increased involvement



13. Who supported the move toward monetarism as the new economic doctrine?Thatcher and John major

a. Describe the policies supported by monetarism:natural rate of employmentcontrol of money supply

i. What sort of economic policy is this most similar to— Fiscal Policy or Monetary Policy



Social Policy14. What does the NHS (National Health Service) do?provide comprehensive and universal medical care at a low cost



Social Policy15. How did Thatcher and Major change the welfare state? Describe specific changes that these Conservative leaders made to the welfare state:Thatcher assailed the principles of the welfare state but accepted many of the policies as increased need triggered expanding welfare state budgets



Society and Economy16. How are inequalities for ethnic minorities in Britain similar to those in the US?ethnic minorities particular young men are subject to unequal treatment by the police and considerable physical harassment by citizens as well as cultural isolation, marginalization in the educational system, job training , housing and labor markets



Society and Economy17. How are inequalities for women in Britain similar to those in the US?pay gap, work limited to part time, chronic undersupply of childcare


• Guided reading Chapter 2Britain in the Global Economy

18. Define foreign direct investment (FDI)ownership of or investment in cross-border enterprises in which the investor plays a direct managerial role

a. Why is Britain “a highly regarded location in Europe for FDI”?low costs, business friendly political climate, government-sponsored financial incentives, reduced trade union power, large pool of nonunionized recruits


Guided reading Chapter 2Section 3—Governance and Policy-Making19. How is the British constitution different from the American constitution?lacks a formal written constitution –


Guided reading Chapter 2Section 3—Governance and Policy-Making

a. What makes up the British constitution?is a combination of statutory law and common law, convention and authoritative interpretations.


Guided reading Chapter 2Section 3—Governance and Policy-Making20. What sets the limits of governmental power in Britain? How is this different than the limits of governmental power in the US?acts of parliament, widely agreed on rules rather than law or checks and balances


Guided reading Chapter 2Organization of the State

a. What effect did joining the European Economic Community (EEC) in 1973 have on parliamentary sovereignty? (NOTE: The EEC eventually evolved into the European Union (EU).)

significant limitations on power to act, European law overrides British law, acceptance of the European Court of Justice to resolve jurisdictional disputes


Guided reading Chapter 2Organization of the State22. Define unitary state:system of government in which no powers are reserved for subnational units of government

a. Explain how powers have been devolved in Britain, including what it means to devolve power:

powers have been delegated to legislative bodies in Scotland and Wales and to Northern Ireland


Guided reading Chapter 2Organization of the State23. Define fusion of powers:merges the authority of branches of government in contrast to the principle of separation of powers



a. Define cabinet government:most executive power is held by the cabinet headed by a prime ministeri. How is this different from how the US government operates?

the cabinet takes responsibility for the government



b. Define constitutional monarchy: head of state ascends by hereditary but is limited in powers and constrained by provisions of constitution

i. Who is the head of state in the UK?The Monarchii. Who is the head of government in the UK?The Prime Minister


Guided reading Chapter 2The Executive24. What key functions does the cabinet exercise?policy-making, supreme control of the government and coordination of all government departments25. How many people usually compose the cabinet?

a. Identify the most significant assignments in the cabinet:b. How is the British cabinet different from the American cabinet?


Guided reading Chapter 2The Executive25. How many people usually compose the cabinet?

2 dozena. Identify the most significant assignments in the cabinet:Foreign Office, Home Office and chancellor of the exchequerb. How is the British cabinet different from the American cabinet?the members of the cabinet must also be members of parliament


Guided reading Chapter 2The Executive26. Describe the “convention of collective responsibility” (THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT CONCEPT TO UNDERSTAND):the prime minister must gain the support of a majority of the cabinet for a range of significant decisions notably the budget and the legislative program


Guided reading Chapter 2The Executive

a. Other than collective responsibility, what is the only other constitutionally mandated mechanism for checking the prime minister?

government’s defeat on a vote of no confidence in the House of commons (rare and politically dangerous



b. Who now has more power—the Prime Minister or the cabinet? Explain.c. What do whips do?leaders in both the Commons and House of Lords – smooth the passage of legislation sponsored by the government



i. Why do the authors say that the passage of legislation is more or less “guaranteed”?

government always has a working majority


• Guided reading Chapter 227. Using the “Comparing” section on page 75, explain the differences between the presidential and parliamentary systems of government:

Presidential Parliament• legislative and executive are

independent• stalemates common• difficult to remove president

during term

• must enjoy the support of the majority to achieve office

• can be replaced by a vote of no confidence

• election timing not fixed• higher level of cooperation


Guided reading Chapter 228. What is Whitehall?London street where key UK units of government and administration are locateda. Describe the role of the bureaucracy and civil servants in Britain:cabinet directs the government departments, ministries craft and refine legislation, operational duties


Guided reading Chapter 229. What political party supported the nationalization of major industries in Britain? When did it do so?Labour; post-war collectivist eraa. Is the nationalization of major industries still a goal of politicians in Britain?


Guided reading Chapter 230. What are quangos?(quasi-non-governmental organizations) nonelected bodies that are outside traditional government departments or local authoritiesa. What do quangos do?take responsibility for specific functions and can combine governmental and private sector expertise


Guided reading Chapter 2Other State Institutions31. Explain why the role of the judiciary is limited in Britain:principle of parliamentary sovereignty has limited the role,

a. Do British courts have the power of judicial review? Why or why not?can only determine whether a policy directive or administrative acts violate common law or an art of Parliament


Guided reading Chapter 2Other State Institutionsb. What proposals have been made to change the judiciary? added a supreme court in 2009 as the highest court of appeal;


Guided reading Chapter 2The Policy-Making Process32. Explain why the authors say, “when it comes to policy-making and policy implementation, the focus is not on Westminster but rather on Whitehall”.parliament has little direct participation in policy-making, it emerges from within the executive33. How has the EU changed the policy-making process in Britain?Britain is bound to abide by the European Court of Justice


Guided reading Chapter 2Section 4—Representation and Participation The Legislature34. Why is Parliament not as powerful as it once was?granting of powers to regional units like Scotland, granting of powers to the EU


Guided reading Chapter 2The Legislative process35. Where must bills be introduced?in the Commons and Lords (approval not required)

a. Where can ideas for prospective legislation come from?political parties, pressure groups, think tanks, prime ministers policy unit and government departments


Guided reading Chapter 2The Legislative process36. What is the lower house of Parliament?The House of Commons

a. What are the three main functions of the House of Commons?pass laws, provide finances for the state by authorizing taxing and review and scrutinize public administration and government policy


Guided reading Chapter 2The Legislative processb. Why is the outcome of legislation in the House of Commons “seldom in doubt”?MPs are afraid of losing their seat if they oppose the governing party


Guided reading Chapter 2What is the upper chamber of Parliament?The House of Lords

a. Describe the composition of the House of Lords:un-elected, hereditary peers and life peersb. Describe the powers of the House of Lords:chamber of revision


Guided reading Chapter 2What is the upper chamber of Parliament?The House of Lords

c. What reforms have been made to the House of Lords? curtailed the right of all hereditary peers to sit and vote (limited to about 92 elected members)


Guided reading Chapter 238. What does backbenchers mean?MPs who have no governmental office and rank and file opposition members

a. How has the role of the backbenchers changed in recent years?creation of select committees which help parliament exert control over the executive


Guided reading Chapter 2Political Parties and the Party System39. Describe the origins of the Labour Party:originally composed of people engaged in manual labor

a. In the early history of the Labour Party who were its main supporters?manual laborersb. Where does the Labour Party fit on the ideological spectrum?


Guided reading Chapter 240. What social class is the Conservative Party associated with?non-manual laborers

a. What is another term for the Conservative Party?Tory Partyb. Who is the current head of the Conservative Party?David Cameron

i. How did this person change the Conservative Party?modernized, reforming, moving closer to centrist position

c. Where does the Conservative Party fit on the ideological spectrum?


Guided reading Chapter 241. What role have the Liberal Democrats (Lib Dems) played in recent years in British politics?more of a leftist centrist role – keeping the other two parties in check

Who is the current Lib Dem leader?Nick CleggWhere does the Liberal Democratic Party fit on the ideological spectrum?


Guided reading Chapter 2Elections42. What are elections for in Britain?seats in the House of Commons

a. How is the Prime Minister elected?not elected but the leader of the majority party is invited by the queen to be Prime Minister

43. What is Parliament’s maximum life?traditionally 5 years

a When are elections held? What does it mean that there are no “fixed terms”?every five years subject to a dissolution vote by 55 percent of MPs; elections don’t occur exactly every 5 years


Guided reading Chapter 2Elections

i. Explain how this is a “tremendous political asset for the Prime Minister”:no lame duck prime ministry


Guided reading Chapter 2Elections44. Describe the single-member plurality, first-past-the-post, winner-take-all electoral system in Britain:candidate who receives the most votes is elected no majority requirement

a. How is this different from a proportional representation system?there is no requirement that each party is given a proportion of the seats based on the proportion of votesb. Which one of the above electoral systems does the US use to elect members of the House of Representatives?First Past the Post


Guided reading Chapter 2Elections45. What effect does the single-member plurality winner-take-all system have on the winning party’s margin of victory?exaggerates it

a. What effect does the single-member plurality winner-take-all system have on a third party’s margin of victory?reduces influence

i. Describe an example of the above phenomenon from the 2005 election:less ethnic minorities, less women, increased regional fragmentation


Guided reading Chapter 2Elections46. What is the name of the national political party that represents the Scots?Scottish national Party (SNP)47. What is the name of the national political party that represents the Welsh?Plaid Cymru


Guided reading Chapter 2Political Challenges and Changing Agendas48. Why is minority representation in Parliament very low?relatively small scale of ethnic minority communitiesAfter reading the chapter:49. Does cabinet government mean the British chief executive is more or less powerful than the American chief executive? Why?


Guided reading Chapter 2Political Challenges and Changing Agendas 50. Is the cabinet more powerful in the British system or the American system? Why?

essential question: how does the history of the british empire still shape british politics today? ...

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