Political life

Introduction
the British show little enthusiasm for politics
stereotypical view of politics: necessary evil, dirty business
politicians regarded with suspicion; it is assumed that they are not
telling the truth
In recent years, the public trust in politicians has dropped dramatically due
to various corruption scandals (cash for honours scandal under Blair,
MPs expenses scandal under Gordon Brown)
> general disillusionment with institutions that were once considered the
pillars of the liberal and democratic British system > a crisis of the political
establishment

Background info
A key fact to the character of British politics > Britain has not been
invaded and occupied since 1066 > development through gradual change
and reform based on consensus, rather than through revolutionary events
A major feature > the British political system is not very neat or logical;
much of it is based on custom and tradition; there is a great deal of
pragmatism involved
There is no written constitution! Instead, three sources serve its
purpose:
All the laws and decrees made over the centuries (Common Law)
The way these laws have been interpreted and re-interpreted in Law
Courts
The way things have been done over the centuries, though not written
down

Key developments
The main historical development > shift of power from an absolute
monarch to a parliament increasingly representative of and accountable to
the general population (the bicameral Parliament > from 14th century; a
model to parliaments elsewhere)

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland > have their own representative
assemblies with a wide range of powers
Since 1973 > membership of the EU > the Parliament is limited in some of
its decision-making (European Convention on Human Rights and others)

Corridors of Power
The style of politics marked by the respect for privacy and secrecy
important decisions not taken at large meetings, but at lunches, over
drinks or accidental encounters in the corridors of power > things
decided before discussed officially
The layout of the Westminster Palace mirrors this practice > incredibly
complex, allowing the unofficial encounters to take place

The political parties Conservatives

Traditionally a party representing and defending British institutions (from
parish to palace)
In the past two centuries, they have cleverly combined the appearance of
traditionalism with adaptability to changing environment (aristocratic
facade combined with middle-class businessmanship)
After Churchill's defeat in 1945, the party reinvented itself under
Macmillan
Despite the patriarchal image of his government, Macmillan was moving
his party to the left
retreat from the Empire
moving towards Europe
promising a good living standard to ordinary Britons
After the subsequent defeats by Wilson's Labour Party, the Tories came
back under Ted Heath (a carpenter's son) > beginning of a big rift in the
party
the traditional Tory grandees and landowners
the new, more egalitarian Tories, embracing European
integration,business competition and meritocracy

1979 Heath ousted out by Margaret Thatcher > a stark break in the
Conservative party philosophy, a move towards the policy of personal
domination
Thatcher spoke the language of Churchillian patriotism but her real belief
was in American-style individualism and moneymaking
Little respect towards institutions
As a strong leader Thatcher became less and less accountable to her
party > her domineering tendencies finally contributed to her fall
Under John Major the crisis in the Conservative Party deepens as the
weak PM is unable to offer a new vision of the party that would match the
youthful Tony Blair's rebrand of Labour
Three subsequent leaders not strong enough to win elections
William Hague intelligent but lacking media image and charisma
Iain Duncan Smith from the right-wing section of the Tories; too
weak to keep his split party unified
Michael Howard capable and resolute but mocked over his
Romanian roots (nicknamed Dracula), His anti-immigration stance
also proved controversial

Cameron's Conservatives
David Cameron elected Tory leader in 2005 on a mandate to change and
modernize the party
His agenda: social justice and social action, environmentalism, protecting
the NHS, more women and ethnic minority candidates standing for the
Conservative Party
After becoming head of the Coalition government in 2010 > his goal has
shifted towards reducing the budget deficit
Some criticism of Cameron (from various angles):
A Tory toff (too privileged to be in touch with people)
Too weak to carry out the reforms Britain needs in order to
recover and too politically correct
A PR man just like Blair all image, no substance

Cameron's flagship social programme, with an aim to:

1. Give communities more powers (localism and devolution)
2. Encourage people to take an active role in their communities
(volunteerism)
3. Transfer power from central to local government
4. Support co-ops, mutuals, charities and social enterprises
5. Publish government data (open/transparent government)
The plan received with a mixture of positive and negative reactions
Chief criticism = it's just a disguised way of making money

Labour
In the early 1960s Labour is still a movement as much as a party, with
ideals of socialism attracting workers and left-wing intellectuals
Strongly tied to Trade Unions (in finance as well as membership)
The gap between the TU members and Labour's intellectual leaders (many
Oxford-educated) - increasingly widening
Despite its Socialist agenda Labour is not a revolutionary party; even
more reluctant to embrace change (especially in economy and industry)
than the Tories
The underlying fear - of factory closure and job losses the opposition of its
members to modernization brought about the industrial chaos of the
1970s and Labour's subsequent defeat
During the years of Thatcherism Labour in political wilderness > the
party fails to find a new voice as the country is swept by Thatcherism and
rising consumerism
Leaders Michael Foot, (hard left), Neil Kinnock, John Smith (both more
moderate)
1994 > Tony Blair a new leader, transforming Labour from a party
comitted to socialism and public ownership into a centrist, free-market
party > election victory in 1997

Jeremy Corbyn

Unexpectedly elected
Labour Leader in 2015
A lifetime backbench rebel and street protester
-

left-wing humanitarian

against war + Western expansionism

(Afghanistan, Iraq,

Syria)

against corporate

capitalism

Strong emphasis on equality and caring for the societys vulnerable

LibDems
After WWI > Liberals lost their power to Labour > become a marginal third
party
Their core beliefs same as in the 19th century (human rights, civil
liberties, opposition to autocracy)
Sudden opportunity in 1981 a group of four MPs broke away from Labour
Party to form the Socialist Democratic Party (SDP) > Roy Jenkins, Shirley
Williams, Bill Rodgers and David Owen
reason: Labour had become too left-wing
The SDP agenda: commitment to Europe, independence of trade
unions,
constitutional reform (PR instead of majority system)
1988 SDP merged with the Liberals > Liberal Democratic Party
Leader: Paddy Ashdown
Ideology a mixture of include social democracy, green liberalism, civil
libertarianism, internationalism, community politics and economic
liberalism
From 2010 a member of the Coalition Government (leader: Nick Clegg)

The mavericks BNP and UKIP

The British National Party (BNP) > far-right populist party with an aim to
restore the overwhelmingly white ethnicity of Britain that it says existed
prior to 1948 through legal means
Voters mainly working-class people disillusioned with the failure of
mainstream parties to address immigration and job losses for British
vorkers > protest vote
Leader: Nick Griffin
UK Independence Party > started as a single-issue party (to effect UK's
withdrawal from EU)
Under current leadership of Nigel Farage - it adopted a wider agenda
Ideology mixture of national conservatism and economic liberalism (free
trade, flat tax rate)
Against political correctness and multiculturalism but also rejecting
nationalism based on ethnicity > advocating uniculturalism (a single
British culture embracing all races and religions)

The Cabinet
Traditionally, seen as the heart of Britain's democracy, a buckle that
fastens the legislative part of the state to the executive
The cabinet's role in the unwritten constitution has always been informal
(originally just a committee of Privy Council, the monarch's advisory
board)
Members some 22 key government secretaries
Meetings every Tuesday at Downing Street in the so-called Cabinet Room
The Cabinet functions on the principle of collective responsibility >
the ministers required to be loyal to Prime Minister, not showing their
differences of opinion (in US cabinet disagreements are allowed)
Once they openly disagree, they are expected to resign (such as Labour
ministers Robin Cook and Clare Short did in 2003 after refusing to support
Britain's war on Iraq)

Decline in Cabinet's role

Increasing role of the Prime Minister at the expense of Cabinet
members

Originally, the PM was only primus inter pares - first among the most
important government officials
However, in a trend started by Thatcher and continued by Blair > the PM is
now assuming almost presidential powers
One effect of this > decisions taken with the help of unelected advisers
rather than discussed with Cabinet colleagues or in the House of Commons
Lack of talent among cabinet ministers
The pool of talent for choosing govt members > too limited to find enough
able personalities
An American President can choose whomever he wants to have in his
Cabinet; a British PM can only choose from among the MPs

Cabinet members
Usually highly unrepresentative of the rest of the nation; members of small
closed groups
Macmillan's cabinet full of Old Etonians and aristocrats
Wilson's Oxbridge academics and economists
Thatcher's many businessmen
Blair's from more diverse class backround, but most were from the
North or Scotland > the most populous South East barely represented
Many of Blair's ministers professional politicians rather than experts in
particular fields
Owing to frequent reshuffles they did not get to know their resort
properly
Few of them were down-to-earth people with a sense of the ordinary
voter's needs, contrary to Attlee's requirement.
No real spokesman for workers or trade unions > almost complete
insulation from the electorate

Whitehall the legacy

The Civil service - function

the permanent professional bureaucracy supporting and advising HM's

Government; established in mid-19th century
Civil servants (colloquially called mandarins) guardians of state
continuity
Ministers often change posts > not enough time to gain expertise of their
entrusted fields
On the contrary civil servants understand the complex apparatus of
administration, so their advice is invaluable
Their permanent position > they are loyal to their ministers regardless of
party membership
Historically, some civil servants have been more powerful than Cabinet
ministers (as seen from the figure of Humphrey Appleby of Yes, Minister)
Their position: difficult, as they have to combine loyalty with independent
judgment

Changes in Whitehall's power

Combining loyalty with independent expertise > difficult during
premierships of more dictatorial PMs
Thatcher > weakened the Civil Service
politicizing it and making sure its representatives agreed with her
attempting to introduce business management methods into the
traditional environment
Blair continued with the process of politicization
Result: the quality of the Whitehall staff decreased as opposed to the
1960s and 70s.

The civil servants suffer from loss of self-confidence and status

Another threat to the Civil Service > commercialization and increasing
interconectedness between government administration and business
many Civil Service heads move to boards of big corporations
(Shell, ICI, HBSC, BskyB)
They get involved in the companies they were originally
supposed to oversee
They become mixed up with corporate executives