Political Tolerance Assignment
Topic:
Political Tolerance in Great Britain
Submitted to:
Sir Anwar Ali
Submitted by:
Group 2
(Roll No.10,11,12,13,14)
Class:
BS-IR 2nd semester (Morning)
Department:
Political Sci.& IR
Political Tolerance in Great Britain
Political tolerance, defined as the willingness to grant political rights to disliked groups.
United Kingdom
4 UK Intro-Fast Facts Population: 60,068,000 Capital: London; 7,615,000 Area: 242,910 square
kilometres (93,788 square miles)Currency: British pound Life Expectancy: 78GDP per Capita: U.S.
$25,500Literacy Percent: 99EconomyIndustry: Machine tools, electric power equipment, automation
equipment, railroad equipment, shipbuilding Agriculture: Cereals, oilseed, potatoes, vegetables; cattle;
fish Exports: Manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals; food, beverages, tobacco.
2 United Kingdom Political tolerance Citizens, Society, and the State Sovereignty, Authority, and Power
Public Policy Political Institutions
3 Political Change Gradualism Evolution, not revolution In comparison, Mexico, Russia, and China all
experienced political change as a result of revolution Adjusting to the Industrial Revolution Creation of
new social classes Voting rights (Great Reform 1832, Reform 1867, Representation of People 1884,
Women’s suffrage 1918, 1928) Labour Party created in 1906
5 Political Change Loss of Imperialist Powers Collective Consensus Helped colonies prepare for
independence Collective Consensus Result of WWII End Collective Consensus Political party split as
result of economy The UK has a liberal attitude toward change In contrast, Iran has a conservative
attitude and China has a reactionary attitude
14 Political Beliefs and Values “Civic culture” (political culture) marked by trust, deference to authority
and competence, pragmatism, and harmony British citizens have good qualities for democratic
participation High voter participation, acceptance of authority, acceptance of law, tolerance for different
viewpoints “Politics of protest”
15 Changing Political Beliefs and Values Decreasing labour union support Increased Violence in Northern
Ireland Issues about British claims to Northern Ireland intensified in 1970sThatcherismConservative
Party controlled British government from 1979 until 1997New Labour Tony Blair, Labour Party Protests
over Iraq War Citizens and political leaders (even of Blair’s party) protested
16 Voting Behaviour More than 70% of eligible citizens participate in parliamentary elections Tied to
social class and region Social Class Historically rigid, but lines are more blurred today Regional factors
Labour succeeds in urban, industrial areas Conservative succeeds in rural, suburban areas
17 Sovereignty, Authority, and Power Great Britain has the oldest democratic tradition of any country in
the world Authority and power provide stability and legitimacy Social Compacts and Constitutionalism
Historical Evolution of National Political Traditions Political Culture
19 Historical Evolution of National Political Traditions British political system is influenced by many
traditions Developed gradually and consensually, with little conflicting comparison, Russia changed
primarily through revolution and Nigeria experienced change through several coup d’etats Evolution of
political traditions: The shaping of the monarchy Began as a limited monarchy Over time, its powers
have been restricted by Parliament Today, the monarchy has no decision-making power but plays an
important symbolic role in British society
20 Evolution of National Political Traditions Challenges of the Industrial Revolution Economic influences
with colonial mercantilism and the Industrial Revolution Established England as a major economic power
Changed society because poor peasants moved to cities to work in the factories this is similar to China,
where currently a majority of the citizens live in urban areas
21 Evolution of National Political Traditions Colonialism Between 1750 and 1914, nationalism and
industrialization made it possible for European nations to build global empires that stretched across the
continents Industrialization allowed the British the to produce goods to sell in foreign markets
Industrialization increased communications and transportation with other countries
22 Public Policy and Current Issues Transparency in Government British government has had a solid
reputation for its transparency as a result of recent transparency scandals, the prime minister’s office
announced in 2010 a new website, whose purpose is to provide users with information about
government activities and policies relations with the European Union Always been debate over whether
or not to join the EU Cameron promised a renegotiation of the U.K.’s membership of the EU and a
popular vote on whether to stay in the bloc if his party wins the 2015 election outright
23 Public Policy and Current Issues Devolution and Constitutional Reform Government is unitary China is
also a unitary government desire by the Scottish and Welsh for their independence and the problems
with Northern Ireland has resulted in devolution Since 1999, Scotland and Wales have had the power to
its own regional assembly, which has the powers of taxation, education, and economic planning People
have mixed feelings over devolution Russia and China both have cleavages but neither government
supports devolution and giving these groups power Regardless of reforms, Britain still has a strong
attachment to its many traditions Britain still serves as a role model for the development of democratic
traditions in the modern world
24 Political Parties Labour- Largest party on the left Controlled government from under the leadership
on Tony Blair until the conservatives and liberal democrats formed a coalition Began as an alliance
between trade unions and socialist groups Supports EU membership Liberal democrats-Want
proportional representation instead of a plurality voting system so they can have more seats in
legislature wants a bill of rights Formed coalition with conservatives in 2010Support EU membership
Conservative-Main party on the right Traditional wing: want country to be ruled by elite and support EU
membership Thatcherite Wing: want less government control and a full free market economy; don’t
support EU membership (Eurosceptic) David Cameron is the current prime minister and party leader
Formed coalition with liberal democrats in 2010
25 Elections British voters only elect members of parliament then elects one of their members as Prime
Minister Elections are held every five years but the Prime Minister can choose to hold them earlier
Parliamentary elections are “winner-take-all” aka “first-past-the-post” aka a single member plurality
system In contrast, Russia uses proportional representation for the Duma
26 Interest Groups Interest groups are very powerful Quangos: quasi-autonomous nongovernmental
organizations Policy advisory boards appointed by the government Neo-corporatism: Interest groups
dominate the state Most powerful interest groups: those related to class and industrial interest
27 Government Institutions 3 branches of government Bicameral legislature Executive Judiciary
Parliamentary system Unitary state: centralized political authority in London
28 Cabinet and Prime Minister Cabinet: prime minister and ministers who are party leaders from
Parliament chosen by the Prime Minister Collective cabinet: centre of policy making Collective
responsibility: cabinet member take collective responsibility for making policy Important for government
stability Prime Minister: member of Parliament and majority party leader UK prime minister is the head
of government and is elected by a majority in the House of Commons Russia and China’s prime ministers
are also heads of government but they are appointed by the president Speaks for all members of
Parliament Chooses cabinet members Makes decisions in the cabinet Campaigns and represents party in
parliamentary elections
29 Parliament Little separation of power between the cabinet and parliament House of Commons: Setup
to function with two parties: the majority party and the “loyal opposition “Setup with 2 long benches
facing each other with a table in between; the prime minister sits in the middle surrounded by his
cabinet members; they face the leader of the opposition party and the “shadow cabinet; less important
MP’s sit on the back benches and are called “backbenchers ”Debate can be intense and very spirited
House of Lords: Hereditary parliamentary house Has very little power Can delay legislation and debate
technicalities of proposed bills Hereditary peers: hold seats that have been passed down from family Life
peers: people appointed because of their service to Britain
30 Bureaucracy Stable and powerful force in politics Top bureaucrats stay with their particular policy
area and are usually experts in that area have input in policy making and have discretionary power
which gives bureaucrats the freedom to decide how they will carry out executive and legislate decisions
UK government employees are supposed to be politically neutral while in Nigeria they are hired based
on patron-client system called prebendalism and focus more on personal benefits
31 Judiciary Parliamentary sovereignty: Parliaments decisions are final Limits development of judicial
review British legal system based on common law A supreme court was created in 2009 to replace the
law lords as the highest judicial authority It consists of a president and 11 justices Serves as final court of
appeal Has much more limited powers than the U.S. Supreme Court
