The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Political System
To understand fully a country’s political system it is important to understand its history. This is especially true of the United Kingdom because its history has been very different from most other nations and, as a result, its political system is very different from most other nations too. The most important fact in understanding the nature of the British political system is the fundamental continuity of that system. There has not been a revolution of the kind experienced by so many other countries and Britain has not been invaded or occupied for almost 1,000 years as the last successful invasion of England was in 1066 by the Normans. This explains why almost uniquely in the world the British have no written constitution. Any change in the political system has been gradual and pragmatic and built on consensus. British attitudes towards the rest of Europe have been insular, not just geographically, but culturally, which was a major factor behind the Brexit decision of 23 June 2016.
To simplify the British political history, it is worth mentioning there has essentially been a struggle to shift political power and accountability from the all-powerful king to the national parliament that was increasingly representative of and accountable to ordinary people. Quite a few milestones are easy to notice along this long and troubled road to full democracy.
The key date in this evolution was 1215 when King John was forced to sign the Magna Carta which involved him sharing power with the barons. This is regarded as the first statement of citizen rights in the world.
The so-called Model Parliament was summoned by King Edward I in 1295 and is regarded as the first representative assembly. Unlike the absolute monarchs of other parts of Europe, the King of England required the approval of Parliament to tax his subjects.
The bicameral structure of the British Parliament - Commons and Lords - emerged in 1341 and the two-chamber model of the legislature has served as a model in very many other parliamentary systems.
Another important feature of the British political history is that three parts of the United Kingdom - Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - have a special status and have local administrations with a wide range of responsibilities. However, England - which represents about 84% of the total UK population of around 60 million - does not have a clear and strong sense of regionalism. So, the British political system does not have anything equivalent to the federal system of the 50 states in the USA. The nature of this (dis)united took on a new form in the General Election of May 2015 when the Scottish National Party won 56 out of 59 seats in Scotland.
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One more essential characteristic of the British political system is that for 43 years the UK was a member of the European Union (EU). Therefore the UK Government and Parliament were limited in some respects because certain areas of policy or decision-making were a matter for the EU which operates through a European Commission appointed by the member governments and a European Parliament elected by the citizens of the member states. However, in a Referendum held on 23 June 2016, the British people narrowly voted that the country should leave the European Union (a decision dubbed Brexit), a process that will take a couple of years and will be very complex.
The UK is a constitutional monarchy but the powers of the monarch as a head of state - currently Queen Elizabeth II – are essentially ceremonial. The most important practical power is the choice of the Member of Parliament to form a government, but the monarch invariably follows the convention that this opportunity is granted to the leader of the political party with most seats in the House of Commons.
The monarch is determined on the hereditary and primogeniture principles, which means that the oldest male child of a monarch is the next in line to the throne. In 2015 this primogeniture principle was abolished, so that the next in line can be a female eldest child, and the monarch can marry a Catholic but not himself or herself be one.
In the classical political theory, there is a concept of 'separation of powers', a term coined by the French politician and the enlightenment thinker Montesquieu. The three arms of the state are:
· the executive – the Ministers who run the country and propose new laws;
· the legislature – the elected body that passes new laws;
· the judiciary – the judges and the courts who ensure that everyone obeys the laws.
This is not the case in the UK because all Ministers in the government are members of the legislature, some senior judges sit in the upper house of the parliament and the formal head of the judiciary is a senior minister. This is an illustration of how pragmatic and flexible the British political system is.
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Political parties are an all-important feature of the British political system. Today there are four major political parties in the British parliamentary system: the Conservative Party – centre-Right party, the Labor Party – the centre-Left party, the Scottish National Party, the Liberal Democrat party. By convention, the leader of the political party with the largest number of members in the House of Commons becomes the Prime Minister, in practice, the most important person in the British political system.
The UK has a devolved system of government. The three devolved administrations are: the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Assembly, the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Economic Overview
During its heyday as the British Empire, the UK was the largest and most influential economy in the world. As the birthplace of the first Industrial Revolution during the 18th century, the UK ushered in what economic historians agree to be the most significant event in mankind’s history. The UK was also able to be at the forefront of technological advances during this time, which was a strong economic advantage over any other country in the world. However, as other countries began to catch up technologically wise, UK’s economy was greatly affected by the two World Wars and the breaking up of the British Empire. Although the UK economy has since recovered, it is unlikely to reclaim its former position as the top economic power in the world.
In 2016, the economy of UK was the second largest in Europe (after Germany) and number 5 in the world by GDP, totaling 2.848 trillion USD in 2016. The economy of the UK is overwhelmingly fueled by the strength of its services sector which accounts for 79% of the total GDP. Finance and banking are by far the UK’s most important services with London being one of the three major economic “command centers” alongside New York City and Tokyo. Important financial institutions located within London include the London Stock Exchange, the London International Financial Futures and Options Exchange, the London Metal Exchange, Lloyds of London, and the Bank of England.
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The UK is the world’s eleventh biggest manufacturing nation, with the civil and military aerospace and pharmaceutical industries of particular importance. Despite the decline in the past years, the manufacturing sector still plays an important role and manages to contribute 21% to the GDP. The south of England as well as the Greater Landon area is the motor of the UK economy. Furthermore, the automotive and construction industries are among the largest employers of UK residents, employing nearly 5 million people. Mining also contributes its share to the economy of the UK. The nation’s coal, gas and oil reserves are of great importance but declining in quantity – the UK has had to rely on energy imports since around the middle of the past decade.
With less than 1% agriculture may be the least important sector in term of GDP, but it is still of vital importance for Britain and Northern Ireland. As agriculture is not only mechanized and intensive, but also very effective, the men and women working in the primary sector are able to produce enough to meet about 60% of the food demand of the entire nation. Agriculture in the UK is also highly subsidized.
The economy of the UK was hit hard by the global financial crisis at the end of the past decade. Only through many different attempts and stimulating the economy while cutting down on public expenditures and raising taxes was it possible for the UK to get back to a stabilized economy. Moreover, the pro-Brexit vote in June 2016 has created uncertainty regarding its impact on the British economy: it is still growing although not as fast as originally predicted.
COMPREHENSION
Understanding the reading
1.4.1 Give extensive answers to the questions. Use the following expressions to present your answers:
· It ran through my mind that…
· Beyond the shadow of a doubt…
· To begin with…
· I am afraid I don’t know…
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· Frankly speaking, I am in a real predicament…
1. What is the most important fact in understanding the nature of the British political system?
2. What are the unique circumstances which contributed to the fundamental continuity of the British political system?
3. How did the British political history progress?
4. What is the author’s idea of ‘insular attitudes’ towards the rest of Europe which underlie the Brexit decision of 23 June 2016?
5. What are the milestones along the road to full democracy in the UK?
6. Why do you think the bicameral structure of the British Parliament proved to be the best two-chamber model for very many parliamentary systems in the world?
7. How is the British political system different from the federal system of the 50 states in the USA?
8. How did the UK’s membership in the EU affect its political system?
9. Why do you think the powers of the monarch as a head of state are essentially ceremonial?
10. What is ‘primogeniture principle’ and why do you think it was abolished in 2015?
11. How is the concept of 'separation of powers' put into action in the British political system?
12. What political parties are there in the British parliamentary system?
13. What makes the UK government system devolved?
14. What is the contribution of the British Empire to the world’s economic development?
15. What are the UK’s current economic ratings in the world?
16. What are the percentages of agriculture, industries and services in the UK’s GDP make-up? How can you account for them?
17. What is the impact of the pro-Brexit vote on the British economy?
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