British Politics: The Basics

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Since its creation, the UK has had a functioning democracy. Only two parties formed governments until 1923 – the Conservatives and the Liberals (who were the Whigs until the mid-19th century). Since 1923, only the Conservatives and Labour have been in power. Universal suffrage was in 1918 for men and 1928 for women. were formed to prosecute the conflict more effectively. In peacetime, British elections, using the simple majority system (‘first past the post’), have tended to produce one-party governments but in May 2010 a hung parliament was returned – one with no overall majority – resulting in a coalition between the biggest party, the Conservatives, and the third largest, the Liberal Democrats. Labour became the opposition. In 2015, to the great surprise of almost everyone, including the party leadership, the Conservatives won an overall majority, albeit small. While most of the books, films and TV series on this list are specifically about politics, Good-Bye to All That is not; instead, it’s here by way of setting the scene. Written in 1929, it’s Robert Graves’ account of his experiences during the First World War. All countries have their traditional ‘ruling classes’, whatever they may be, but Graves’ book provides an insight into the way this system worked in Britain, and the particular set of values that these classes held. Blue plaque commemorating Graves’ birthplace in Wimbledon. Commonly referred to as the Lib Dems, the Liberal Democrats were founded in 1988 out of a merger between the Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party – two parties that had been in an alliance since 1981. This emerged in the 1860s from an amalgam of the Whigs, the Manchester Radicals and disenchanted Conservatives – often followers of Robert Peel. Its outposts in the country can still be seen in the form of the many ‘Reform’ and Liberal clubs in towns, cities and countryside. The party tended to speak for the ‘newly’ rich entrepreneurs, advocating ‘classical’ free market economics and opposing aggressive foreign policies in favour of encouraging world trade. After periods of power led by the ‘Grand Old Man’, William Gladstone, the Liberals won a huge landslide victory in 1906. They thereupon enacted historic legislation reforming parliament and laying the foundations of the welfare state. When World War I broke out, however, Herbert Asquith was found not to be equal to the task and his hugely talented junior, David Lloyd George, the ‘Welsh Wizard’, took over, going on to become a great war leader. However, Asquith was not happy to be usurped by the younger man and the feud between them caused the party to rupture in the 1920s into two factions, both of which gradually lost support until, by 1950, it had only 12 seats.

THE MAJOR PARTIES The Conservatives (alternatively ‘Tories’) have been the major party ofLocal elections, held every four years, where voters elect local councilors. England and Wales use the FPTP system, while Scotland and Northern Ireland use STV. People vote in elections for Members of Parliament (MPs) to represent them. The party that gets the most seats in Parliament forms the Government. For example, right now the Conservatives have the most seats in Parliament, so the UK has a Conservative Government. If, in the next election, Labour wins more seats, we will have a Labour Government. It feels a little like plunging into a TV series that’s been told its plotlines have gone on for too long, so what was planned for three seasons has now been condensed into one. Characters are being written out and new characters introduced at remarkable speed. Didn’t we just have a leadership contest last season? Never mind, we’re having one again.

Why is does The West Wing , a show set in the White House about a fictional US president, feature on a list about British politics? US politics has always been a huge influence on British politics, far more so than the other way around, and The West Wing was watched avidly in the UK by anyone interested in progressive politics, whether as a politician, a journalist, or anything else. The Guardian claims that “the Blair inner circle were West Wing nuts almost without exception”. TELEVISION STUDIES TOBY MILLER TERRORISM JAMES LUTZ AND BRENDA LUTZ THEATRE STUDIES (SECOND EDITION) ROBERT LEACH WOMEN’S STUDIES BONNIE SMITH WORLD HISTORY PETER N. STEARNS The OECD also predicts that Brexit will continue to have a negative impact on trade. Unemployment, currently at 4.7%, should peak at the end of 2021 as the Furlough Scheme ends. Grassroots politics and political activism in the UKScottish and Welsh parliamentary elections, held every five years, where voters choose MPs using the Additional Member System ( AMS) form of proportional representation. Warm thanks are due to Tony Mason at Manchester University Press for allowing me to draw on content from the original work. Also to Andrew Taylor at Routledge, who has nursed this project along with skill, judgement and considerable care. As at MUP, I was fortunate to have the services of a first-class copy-editor, Ralph Footring; my warmest thanks to him for contributions, as usual, well beyond the mere call of duty. I would also like to thank successive years of my students at Liverpool Hope University 2007–14. I hope this little book provides a good comprehensive yet accessible summary and that it will help inform another younger generation of voters. Finally, I must thank my wife, Carolyn, for the help and support in writing this book which she unstintingly gives in all aspects of my life. Bill Jones Beverley, 2016 However, it has only been in the last decade that this has become a core issue in British politics. UKIP won the European elections in 2014, despite never having won a UK parliamentary seat. Following this, the Conservative Party won an outright majority in the 2015 UK General Election, having pledged to hold an EU referendum if they did so. THE FIRST PRIME MINISTER George I communicated with his committee of ministers, or cabinet, as it had come to be called, via the most senior finance minister. For a long time this key intermediary was the First Lord of the Treasury, Robert Walpole: initially called the first ‘prime minister’, with an irony destined soon to disappear as Walpole came to dominate the mid-eighteenth-century government of the country. He was followed by a number of exceptional talents, especially Pitt the Elder and his son, Pitt the Younger, who became prime minister in 1783 at the astonishingly early age of twenty-four.

The SNP was founded in 1934. It is socially democratic in its ideological outlook as well as being socially liberal, supporting policies such as LGBT rights, multiculturalism, and gender equality. The party is also pro-Europe and campaigned against Brexit. In the 2016 Scottish parliamentary elections, the SNP won 69 out of 129 seats, two short of a majority. which has not earned the confidence of voters can be removed by them. At election time the government has to defend its record and offer a new manifesto, or set of proposals, for the forthcoming session. Meanwhile, those parties opposing the government use every opportunity, especially during the ‘official’ four-week campaign (the unofficial campaign can be months or even years long) which precedes an election, to criticise and offer alternative programmes. Elections make governments accountable or responsible to voters. VOTING AND PARTY GOVERNMENT

Who makes the laws in the UK?

GLORIOUS REVOLUTION, 1688–89 The restored monarchy discovered it was very much not business as usual. The monarchy had been bested by a body with some claim to represent the country and from now on monarchs ignored public sentiment at their peril. Consequently, the attempts of James II to introduce Catholicism to what was now, largely, a Protestant nation repelled the political class in his own country. William of Orange was approached by seven leading politicians – Whig and Tory – and invited to overthrow his father-in-law. This was an astonishing act of treason from one point of view, but it is always the victors who write the history and, in 1689, William proceeded to become such a person, and with the minimum of bloodshed. On 11 April 1689, William The Green Party is a political party in England and Wales. Similar to green political movements elsewhere, the party is associated with environmentalism and sustainability. In the UK, the party also supports social-democratic economic policies, civil liberties, animal rights, grassroots democratic participation, and EU membership. The Green Party supports more radical progressive policies than most other mainstream parties, such as a universal basic income for all.

Of course I voted in the last election. Everyone should vote! Young people need to start voting in general elections. If we don't vote, we won't change anything

There are currently 11 political parties with seats in the House of Commons. Below is a brief overview of each one. Conservative Party Recent major scandals in UK politics include the 2009 political expenses scandal, the Westminster sexual misconduct allegations, and various controversies surrounding the government’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis. These include the response to the pandemic itself, the unlawful awarding of contracts, and senior government ministers failing to adhere to Covid rules. The UK and the European Union/EEA The tribunals system has its own structure for dealing with administrative cases and appeals. Decisions can escalate to the Court of Appeal. Political tensions in the UK