Class Notes: 2/4/09

Fall 1998, while Blair was in power, he established a new idea in higher education. Colleges charged fees for the first time in Britain. The students went crazy as protests ensued.
-The students had "quiet protests" @ Cambridge U.
-fees were $1700 orignally (wouldn't that be nice)
-lower income families paid less
-30% still went for free based on this though
-Tuition was raised to $2100 per year and again to $5200 in 2006
In 2005, the House of Commons banned fox hunting which angered the rural upper class

Political Party System

* England has a multi-party system
-Only 2 parties (Conserv. and Labor) have held the gov. since 1945
*The system is competitve
-Major parties are the Conservatives, Labor, and Liberal Democrats
-Small regional parties, these were boosted when Tony Blair devolved power
(Scotland, Wales, N. Ireland get parliament assemblies)
-Wales has the Plain Cymru
-The Scottish National Party in Scotland
- The Democratic Unionist and Sinn Fein parties are in N. Ireland
*3/4 of electorate @ or near political center

Conservative

*Current leader: David Cameron (helping to revive the Conserv. party after Blair won in 97, 01, and 05)
*Tend to be middle class
*Right of the center
*Oldest party (majority of wins since 1880's)
*Roots in the British Nobility
*Noblesse Oblige: a sense to help others below them

Labor Party

*Working class
*Towards left not as far from center as Conservative Party
*More divided and diverse
*Unions dominate the party (providing funding and members) until Thatcher broke them down
*Known as the irresponsible reform party
*They ended their 77 year commitment to nationalized industry

Liberal Democrats

*@ one time b/w the Labor and Conserv.
-formed from dropouts from L and C due to fallout of the Collectivist Consensus
*Left of the Labor Party (farthest left) today
*Formed from an alliance of Liberal Party and Social Democrats
*1983, won 26% of the vote, only 2% less than the Labor Party
*2001, won 18% of the vote
*Victim of Britains "winner take all" system
-Single member districts
-Most votes wins
*Vote is spread out in favor of them and thus they win no seats
*1983, vote spread evenly, they win 3% of the seats but had 26% of the vote
*Set themselves up to be left of Labor Party w/ stronger enviornmental policies, income taxes hike for health and education uses
*1997, double representation from 20-45 seats have 62 seats today, out of 630 seats total

Regional Parties

*Parties made of those who resent English domination of House of Commons
*2005, regional parties won 18 seats in total


Constitution

*Britain has NO WRITTEN CONSTITUTION
*Unwritten British constitution
*Made up treaties, acts of Parliament, and judicial rules, and customs etc. of political game in Britain
*Vagueness makes things flexible
-pass an act, or make a ruling
*Few iron guarentees to British citizens
-Civil liberties protected by strong tradition
-Authority to change Constitution w/ acts from Parliament
-May take executive acts to est. new precedents
*England is unitary, no geographic separation of authority
-Blair takes steps to change this with devolution
-May 1999, Scottish and Welsh Parliaments held elections and rivals to Blair's party rose
-Commons can disestablish these @ anytime, nothing concrete
*Parliamentary system of government
*Powers of executive and legislative branches overlap
*Rival parties are the only check on maj. parties power
*Independant courts, no power of judicial review though
*Parliament totally soverign in UK, unlimited power. No court can call an act of Parliament unconstitutional also since there is no Constitution