Katarina Dos SantosXavier Escobar

AP Comparative PoliticsFebruary 22, 2010

Parliamentary Parliamentary Head of State : Queen Elizabeth II

She has been in reign for 58 years and 18 days.

Head of Government: Prime Minister Gordon Brown.Brown was elected into office in 2007 after the resignation of former Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Head of StateHead of State Queen Elizabeth II inherited

the throne after her father, King George VI, passed away in 1952. He was in power for 16 years. Being the oldest of only two daughters Elizabeth was next in line for the throne.

She was crowned Queen of England at the age of 25 and has been in power ever since. (She is currently 84 years old)

Head of State She serves as the head of

the judiciary branch, is commander in chief of the armed forces, supreme governor of the Church of England, and Church of Scotland, and summons and dismisses Parliament and ministers of the cabinet.

Head of Government Head of Government

Prime Minister Gordon Brown was elected into office -by the House of Commons, in 2007 after former Prime Minister Tony Blair resigned.

His duties include leading a major political party, command a majority in the House of Commons (the Legislature), and is the leader of the Cabinet (the Executive), the prime minister exercises all of the theoretical powers of the Crown.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown

Legislative Branch Legislative Branch Two Groups:

House of Commons• Lower House of Parliament of UK• Contains 646 members known as Members of

Parliament (MP’s)• Elected by Welsh Assembly and Scottish

Parliament (pg 169)• Bills may be introduced in either house, though

controversial bills normally originate in the House of Commons.

• “By a custom that prevailed even before the Parliament Acts, only the House of Commons may originate bills concerning taxation or Supply”

• Term is 5 years

• Upper house of Parliament of UK• Contains 724 members • Membership of the House of Lords

is a right of birth to hereditary peer.

• The House of Lords debates legislation, and has some power to amend or reject bills.

House of Lords

Judicial Branch Judicial Branch Supreme Court of the United Kingdom

Established in October of 2009Highest court system in all UKThe main role of the UK Supreme Court is to hear

appeals from courts in the United Kingdom's three legal systems: England and Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland.

A selection commission will be formed when vacancies arise. This will be composed of the President and Deputy President of the Supreme Court and a member of the Judicial Appointments Commission of England and Wales, the Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland and the Northern Ireland Judicial Appointments Commission.

Bureaucracy Bureaucracy

Queen Elizabeth II

Gordon Brown

House of Lords House of Commons

Cabinet

Cabinet MinistersHigher Civil Servant

Intermittent Public Person

CabinetCabinet

Consist of senior ministers, members of either House of Lords or House of Commons, who are appointed by the prime minister.

• Cabinet Ministers- Head of departments such as treasury, etc.

Political Recruitment Political Recruitment The most important political roles in

Britain are those of cabinet minister, higher civil servant, and intermittent public person.To become a cabinet minister, and individual

must first be elected into Parliament and spend years attracting positive attention.

Individuals enter civil service after graduating from University and after passing an entrance exam.

Intermittent Public Persons gain access to minister and civil servants because of their expertise or position in organizations outside politics.

MediaMedia The media of England is very

much like that of the United States. It is very advanced and it is used to inform and to entertain its audience.

Regarding political affairs and ceremonies the television is the main source of information and it broadcasts all events and elections.

Legitimacy Legitimacy

Legitimacy is based on tradition; people accept the government for the simple fact that it has been around for so long and is based on popular customs and usages. ex. Monarchy

Has a voting system to ensure legitimate representation in the government.

Features of Features of Constitution Constitution The unwritten constitution of England is a

jumble of acts of parliament, judicial pronouncements, customs, and conventions about the rules of the political game.It is very vague which allows political leaders

such as Tony Blair to increase their own power.

3 Features:Unwritten/ IndefiniteDoesn’t state the rights of the peopleGives the Head of State (Queen/ King) no power.

Historical Evolution of Historical Evolution of Political Traditions Political Traditions Coronation Ceremony Election of Parliament Constitutional Reform Act 2005

Coronation Ceremony The coronation of the new Sovereign

follows some months after his or her accession, following a period of mourning and as a result of the enormous amount of preparation required to organize the ceremony.

The coronation ceremony has remained essentially the same over a thousand years.

Election of Parliament Elections are held when every seat in the House of

Commons becomes vacant. Each constituency in the UK elects one MP (Member of Parliament) to a seat in the House of Commons. The political party that wins a majority of seats in the House of Commons usually forms the Government.

The model of electing a parliament dates back to 1265 under the rule of Edward I.

MPs are elected from a choice of candidates by a simple majority system in which each person casts one vote. The candidate with the most votes then becomes the MP for that constituency.

Most voting takes place in polling stations but anyone eligible to vote can apply for a postal vote. General elections are held at least once every five years.

Constitutional Reform Act 2005

Designed to emphasize the separation of powers in the constitution of the United Kingdom, as well as the independence of the judiciary branch.

• Established the judicial branch

Key Political Leaders and Key Political Leaders and

their Policiestheir Policies Queen Elizabeth IIWhen you think of England you think of Queen

Elizabeth. She really doesn’t have a voice when it comes to Parliament and things of that nature, but it doesn’t change the fact that she is the political figure of England.

Gordon BrownThe current Prime Minister of England. Came

into office in 2007 after Tony Blair. He was and still is committed to the Iraq War. He is trying to help end the war. He has not done a very good job since becoming the successor of Tony Blair and is looking to endure many hardships in the years to come.

Political Leaders and their Policies Tony Blair

The former Prime Minister of England who was in office for about 8 years. His political policies include Blair has raised taxes (but did not increase income tax for high-earners); introduced a minimum wage and some new employment rights (while keeping Margaret Thatcher's anti-trade union legislation); introduced significant constitutional reforms; promoted new rights for gay people in the Civil Partnership Act 2004; and signed treaties integrating Britain more closely with the EU. He introduced substantial market-based reforms in the education and health sectors; introduced student tuition fees; sought to reduce certain categories of welfare payments, and introduced tough anti-terrorism and identity card legislation.

Political Leaders and their Policies Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Thatcher was a Prime Minister in England for over 10 years. Because of things she did while she was in office, Thatcherism was created. Thatcherism describes the ideology, policies and political style of Margaret Thatcher. Thatcherism claims to promote low inflation, the small state and free markets through tight control of the money supply, privatization and constraints on the labor movement.

According to Nigel Lawson, Thatcher’s ideals are:○ free markets, financial discipline, firm control over

public expenditure, tax cuts, nationalism, 'Victorian values’

Political Parties Political Parties 3 major political parties: Liberal: a belief in personal liberty

with a support for government intervention to provide minimum levels of welfare.

○ Believes in Keynesian Economics

Conservative: party policy has increasingly focused on 'social' and 'quality of life' issues such as the environment, government services and schools.

Political Parties Labour: "The Labour Party is a democratic

socialist party. It believes that by the strength of our common endeavor we achieve more than we achieve alone, so as to create for each of us the means to realize our true potential and for all of us a community in which power, wealth and opportunity are in the hands of the many, not the few, where the rights we enjoy reflect the duties we owe, and where we live together, freely, in a spirit of solidarity, tolerance and respect."

CitizensCitizens The monarchic form of government in

England dates back to 400 AD with the Anglo Saxons and it has proved to be a very effective system. The English are very proud of their government and up until now has been able to withstand through time.

Citizens

As for the decision of the head of state citizens have no true say in it, however paying taxes, voting for the prime minister and other parliament officials are part of their political duties.

Citizens also show their participation in political affairs by attending events and ceremonies in which the queen is involved in.

Interest GroupsInterest Groups The Confederation of British Industries:

the chief representative organization of British business. They have an unmatched influence with government, policymakers and legislators meaning they can get the best deal for businesses in the UK and abroad.

Link to Policies webpage: www.cbi.org.uk/policymatrix.htm

Interest Groups Genetic Interest Group:

GIG aims to promote awareness and understanding of genetic disorders. They achieve this by promoting their viewpoint by lobbying government and parliamentarians directly to influence the formation of legislation and government policy.

There work focuses on creating and preserving a well regulated environment for research in the field of cures and treatments, ensure the needs of patients and families affected by inherited diseases considered in the process of healthcare policy formation and more.

Interest Groups The Trades Union Congress:

is the national trade union center in the UK, representing the vast majority of organized workers. They campaign for a fair policies at the work place.

They promote their policies by negotiating in Europe, and in the UK to build links with political parties, business, local communities and wider society.

Link to TUC webpage:http://www.tuc.org.uk/the_tuc/about_role.cfm

Economic SystemEconomic System It has a mixed economic system which

includes a mixture of capitalism and socialism. This system is often referred to “free market economy” where citizens are allowed to operate as they please but with regulation. It ensures fairness in exchange transactions, enforces the rules and at the same time the government has a large role in many economic activities.

First World CountryFirst World Country Has a strong government Has a very stable economy

GNP levels are relatively high compared to rest of the world

Large Industrialized Nation Allie of the United States

Supranational Supranational Organizations Organizations The European Union: the United Kingdom has

been a member of the EU since January 1, 1973. The European union is an economic and political union of primarily European countries that maintains common policies on trade and other political issues.

The United Nations: became a member in

October 1945. The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and the achieving of world peace. (replaced the League of Nations, after WWII)

Supranational Organizations The United Nations Educational, Scientific

and Cultural Organization: (UNESCO) is an agency of the United Nations and its purpose it to promote international peace and security through education, science, and culture. The United Kingdom became a member in July 1997.

The World Trade Organization: (WTO) is an international organization designed to supervise and loosen international trade. The United Kingdom officially joined in January 1995.

Public Policies Public Policies Education in England: is overseen by the

Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. At a local level the local authorities take responsibility for implementing policy for public education and state schools.

Full-time education is required for all children aged between 5 and 16. Students may then continue their secondary studies for a further two years.

The leaving age for compulsory education was raised to 18 by the Education and Skills Act 2008. The change will take effect in 2013 for 17 year olds and 2015 for 18 year olds.

Public Policies Healthcare in England: is mainly provided by

England's public health service, the National Health Service, that provides healthcare to all permanent residents of the United Kingdom that is free at the point of need and paid for from general taxation.

Though the public system dominates healthcare provision in England, private health care and a wide variety of alternative and complementary treatments are available for those willing to pay.

Public Policies Law in England (and Whales): is the basis of

common law; which is a system of law that is developed by judges through decisions of courts, rather than through legislative statutes or executive branch action. A common law system focuses on the principle that it is unfair to treat similar facts differently on different occasions.

The Magna Carta, originally signed in 1215 is a landmark in the development of English law.

A decision from the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, is necessary on every other court in the hierarchy for all cases.

• Provided the basis for many American legal traditions and policies

Public Policies Taxation in England: Tax payments are made to

the central government and local government. Central government revenues come primarily from income tax, National Insurance contributions (a tax that most working people pay which is used to pay for the UK's health and social security system), corporation tax and fuel duty.

• Taxes are collected by the government department known as HM Revenue & Customs.

Local government revenues come primarily from grants from central government funds, business rates in England and Wales, Council Tax and from fees and charges such as those from parking tickets.

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