Govt Politics Handbook2

8/3/2019 Govt Politics Handbook2

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BTEC National Diploma

Uniformed Public Services

GOVERNMENT, POLICIES & THE

UNIFORMED PUBLIC SERVICES


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In order to successfully complete the course, you will need to:

1 Understand the different levels of government in the UK and the democratic

Election process at each level

2 Know the responsibilities government departments and other levels of

Government have for specific public services

3 Know the processes involved in developing government policies and the influences

That can affect government policy decisions

4 Understand government policies in the UK and how they impact upon the

Uniformed Public Services.

Using this handbook

This handbook is merely a guide to the module. It is fair to say that if an item is

mentioned in this book, then it is an important element of the course. As such this book

provides an idea of the direction of the module.

Please note that where an item is listed in colour and is bold , the subject is worth

researching. Mostly it is possible to Google the actual phrase that is highlighted.


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PLAGIARISM

Collusion and Plagiarism

What is collusion ?

Collusion is the submitting of work which is not entirely the work of the student

submitting the assignment when the assessment is intended to be an individually

assessed piece of work.

What is plagiarism?

Plagiarism is copying or paraphrasing directly from published sources, without correctly

citing, quoting and referencing. Both collusion and plagiarism are forms of cheating.

They will be dealt with severely and may require the culprit to withdraw from the

programme.

Unit tutors who suspect that collusion or plagiarism has taken place must report the

matter to an Internal Verifier, who will instigate an investigation panel. A panel will

be convened consisting of the Unit Tutor, the Programme Manager and the Internal

Verifier. The panel will interview the student/s involved, and make a decision on the

appropriate action to be taken.

Examples of action may include:

records of the incident be kept on file additional guidance be given on referencing completing additional work

failure of the unit withdrawal from the programme disciplinary action that may be noted in references given to future employers

HE and FE take this very seriously and penalties for collusion and plagiarism are

severe. Higher and Further educational establishments, such as Chesterfield College,

have computer software that can detect plagiarism & collusion.


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Course Content

This course has been designed to provide a basic understanding of current political

issues, and their development over time and how they affect the Uniformed Public

Services. Considering this, over the next few weeks you will discuss the development of

Government Policy, its impact on the Public Services and how Government can be

influenced by outside sources.

This course covers a range of issues in relation to Government policies and their impact

on the uniformed public services. There are three parts to this course:

Part 1: Initial knowledge base, workbook assignment & research

Part 2: Case studies of laws and their impact on uniformed public services

Part 3: Research for assignment work


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What is Government?

Put simply, Government is the ruling body in a society. Ask any politician whatGovernment does and they would probably answer that Government provides social

happiness and order, passes laws, decides on disputes and manages our society.

Do not confuse this with party politics (Labour, Conservative etc) as these are

organisations that fight with each other in order to gain our support in order to decide

the direction of Government.

Look around, do you see happiness or social order? If you could buy Government in a

shop, what would it look like? Would it be in a packet, a tin or a bottle? Would you

keep the receipt, go back to the shop and demand a refund? Some people think that we

do not need Government, that we have more freedom that previous generations and that

we can achieve what we want, how we want and when we want. But is the political

structure in place today the only option? Wars have been fought for centuries in order to

give us more freedom and to live peacefully, without intimidation and abuse, from

powerful Governments, groups and organisations. Yet it is suggested that these

freedoms are being eroded or are being watered down to the point where soon we may

not have the freedom that we think we have.

Types of Government

Across the world there are many types of Government, these can range from dictators &

military leaders to religious groups that have taken charge of the country. Some types of

Government are:

Democracy is a form of government in which the right to govern is vested in the

citizens of a country or a state and exercised through a majority rule. This is the form of

Government that exists in the UK and most western nations.

Theocracy is a form of government in which a God is recognized as the state's supreme

inspiration, or in a broader sense, a form of government in which a state is governed by

immediate divine guidance via the religious book, e.g. Bible, Koran. This is the system

that is in place in Iran and some other Muslim countries.


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Totalitarianism is a political system where Government recognizes no limits to its

authority and strives to regulate every aspect of public and private life wherever

feasible. The Communist USSR and Nazi Germany are classic examples of these

forms of Government. A more extreme example is the former East Germany ,

mentioned elsewhere in this document.

Monarchism is the belief in the establishment, or restoration of a monarchy as a form

of government in a nation. Monarchs come from the line of the family that makes up the

Monarchy, which is what happens with the UKs Monarch. Brunei and Saudi Arabia

operate Absolute Monarchies ; here political decisions are made by the Monarch.

Republicanism is an idea that the head of state be elected as opposed to being born intothe right family (like Monarchism); this idea goes against the structure of the British

system where the Monarch is head of state. The USA is the most obvious example of a

republican nation; a campaign has been going on in Australia for several years where

people want to ditch the Queen as Head of State, and become a republic.

Anarchism is a political theory that considers that compulsory government is

unnecessary or can be harmful. Anarchists promote the elimination of Government.

Usually, anarchists are portrayed as violent thugs, rent a mob hooligans and, in some

cases, terrorists however there are peole in all walks of life who hold this belief.

The following pages contain handy hints of information that will assist withassignment one. Students looking for overall Distinction greades will note thatsome information can be useful for both assignment one and asignment 2.This section of the handbook deals with the develoment of our democraticinstitutions, structures of Government, electoral systems and the politicalspectrum.


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A Brief Explanation of How We Got To Where We Are Today!

The democratic institutions that exist today have been fought over for centuries. The

freedoms we enjoy today did not come as a result of kindness from our rulers and

leaders, but as a result of struggle and conflict by our grand-parents, great grandparents

and earlier generations. The democratic processes we enjoy today are the results of

some hard fought campaigns where an incalculable amount of people have lost their

lives. This, of course, has taken place over hundreds of years and after each occasion the

rulers have given ground. New agreements, laws and charters have been written up that

extended our freedoms and rights. The result is that we, as citizens of the UK, have no

single document stating what we are free to do (one exists in the USA, the US Bill of

Rights ), instead a series of documents, backed by the courts, provide us with our

protections against any abuse by our rulers.

Magna Carta

Written in 1215, the Magna Carta was the first of these documents. In 1215, there were

no countries, only areas controlled by Monarchs. What we call the UK did not exist for

another 500 years!

Magna Carta was an agreement between the then King, John , and a number of Rich

Landowners. In those days, Kings were considered to be Gods representative on earth

and were able to operate at will. The Charter forced the weak King to abide by a number

of legal procedures with the most important being Habeas Corpus (Body of Evidence),

where a person could not be lawfully detained without evidence. This principle still

exists today.

English Civil War (1641 1651) Parliamentarians v Monarchists

Although the English Civil War was about who ran England (and I mean England ,

not Scotland or any other part of the UK because the UK still did not exist at this time,

although a Scotsman had taken over the English Crown and ruled over both countries).

King Charles father was Scottish (James 1 st), and had hoped to unify Scotland,

England & Ireland. Wales was not a problem as it had been annexed by England

hundreds of years earlier.), there was a large relig ious element to the Civil War andbattle lines were set between Protestants & Catholics . At the time Parliament largely


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had an advisory role on affairs of the state and the King would look for advice on how

to collect taxes for wars, which like today, were quite expensive. It all kicked off when

the King attempted to arrest some MPs for treason. 400 soldiers were sent to Parliament

to carry out the arrests. They failed. Six major battles took place, the closest being near

Bradford. In the end, the Parliamentarians won. King Charles lost his head in a terrible

chopping accident (he got it chopped off) and the Monarchy had gone, but not forever.

Oliver Cromwell , a Parliamentarian leader became Lord Protector of England until

his death after which the Monarchy was restored, although with far less power. Power

remained with Parliament and does so to this day. This is the basis for our

Constitutional Monarchy.

Tolpuddle Martyrs

In the 1800 s there were no trades unions, although the country we call Great Britain

now existed and had done since 1707. The Industrial Revolution had merely begun.

People worked 12 to 15 hours a day during the week and 7 or 8 on a Saturday; they

were also expected to go to church on a Sunday. Children as young as 5 were expected

to work. There was no health & safety, no health service, no dole money, or any other

welfare or support system available. That came much later. Workers in Devon decided

to form an interest group or what we today call a trades union to protect their interests.

Trouble is, in the eighteen hundreds groups such as these were illegal. The result being

that the main members of the group were caught and convicted as criminals and sent to

Australia. They became known as the Tolpuddle Martyrs and became heroes for

working people. They were all finally released in the mid 1830s where all but one

moved to Canada to live. The remaining Martyr, James Hammett , remained in

Tolpuddle and died in the 1890s. Modern Trades Unions look to this episode as an

influencing factor on their cause.

The Suffragette Movement

The Suffragette Movement is the name given to groups of women who campaigned for

the right to vote. Many examples of direct action took place included burning of

churches, chaining to fences, hunger strikes with the most famous Suffragette being

Emily Davison, who died by running in front of the Kings horse during the 1913Derby .


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In 1918, women over the age of thirty were given the right to vote . The Representation

of the Peoples Act (1918) was updated in 1929 when all women gained the right to vote

alongside men, at the age of 21.

The British Political System

The UK operates a Constitutional Monarchy whereby the Queen acts as Head of

State with her duties, powers and functions are managed and regulated by Parliament.

Political power is exercised by Parliament and the elected representatives who work

there. The UK is not alone, other countries such as Belgium and Spain, operate similar

systems.

Parliament

Parliament is the place where new news are debated and decided upon. It is where our

elected representatives (MPs) work. It consists of three parts, House of Lords, House

of Commons and the Monarchy . It is not to be confused with Government. New laws

can originate from either House but the processes used for checking and debating

potential new laws are different.

House of Commons

The House of Commons is where our elected representatives work. 646 Members of

Parliament are based there. Following a General Election, the political party that wins

the majority of seats is asked by the Monarch to form a Government.

The MP for Chesterfield is Mr Paul Holmes, a Liberal Democrat. He is the point of

contact for those who live in the constituency, or geographic area of responsibility.

House of Lords

The House of Lords is an unelected body that scrutinises the work done in the House of

Commons. There are 574 appointed or unelected Lords. Although some Lords can be

invited to work within Government, they generally have less power than MPs. In

addition, the Houses of Lords has less power than the House of Commons.


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The Monarch

Government gets its authority from the Monarchy . Without this, Government would be

operating illegally. In addition no law can be passed without the Monarchs approval.

The Monarch is also head of the Armed Forces.

Female representation in Parliament

Women over 30 obtained the vote in 1918 and obtained the vote on the same terms as

men in 1928.

The first female MP to be elected was Countess Markievicz in 1918. As a member of

Sinn Fein, she did not take her seat in the House of Commons. The first female to do so

was Nancy Astor, elected as a Conservative a year later.

Female representation in Parliament was very low (between 3%-6% right through the

20 th Century) until the1997 General Election when the Labour Party introduced a

quota system where certain safe Labour Seats adopted all women short lists of

candidates. Although the procedure was declared illegal, under the Sex Discrimination

Act , the selected women remained as Parliamentary candidates. The result was a huge

increase in female MPs (104). Labour then introduces an amendment to the sex

discrimination act to allow quotas to be used by political parties if they choose to do so.

All women short li sts were created as a form of positive discrimination designed to

overcome discrimination of women in the selection of candidates.

Different levels of Government

Central Government

Central Government is made up of three elements, the Executive, Legislature and

Enforcers. The executive is the body that sits at the heart of Government. This group

consists of the Cabinet , a group of the most senior Government members and senior

civil servants . The legislature is where Parliament fits in. The legislature decides lawsand is made up of MPs, who sit in the House of Commons, Lords and Judges, who sit in


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the House of Lords. Judges can also, from time to time, force Government to change the

law because of decisions that they have made in court. Enforcers are those who carry

out, or enforce, Government decisions and laws. These can include Police Officers,

military personnel, NHS staff, firemen and women, and junior civil servants. Here, the

person who says that you cannot get dole money has the same enforcement authority as

a Police Officer but obviously not the same powers.

Regional Government

Regional Government is the representatives of Central Government at regional level.

Based on historical ties, these regional authorities oversee the management of a number

of important local services. Our Regional authority is the Regional Government for East

Midlands. Amongst others, it is responsible for attracting trade to the area and managing

civil emergencies. The various Regional Governments answer to the Deputy Prime

Minister.

Devolved Government

Devolved Government is the newest level of Government. It is designed to provide

some forms of independent decision making for historical regions of the UK. Scotland

Wales and Northern Ireland all have their own bodies, Scotland has a Parliament but

Wales has an Assembly. Both bodies have varying powers. In addition, London also has

its own body, the London Assembly.

Unitary Authorities, Local Authorities & Parish Councils

A Parish Council is the level of Government that is closest to the people. There are

about 10,000 in the UK and they manage local services such as maintenance of bus

stops, burial grounds and crime prevention initiatives. Local Councils such as our local

Chesterfield Borough Council cost and run services such as street lighting & cleaning,

road maintenance and leisure services such as parks and libraries. Above them is

Derbyshire County Council where more strategic planning and service organisation

takes place. Unitary Authorities are types of councils that have sole responsibility for

an area. These tend to run cities or large urban areas and run independent operations.

These people will co-ordinate transport systems and all services needed to manage large

populations.


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The Cabinet & Government Departments

At the heart of Government there exist a number of key personnel. The Prime Minister ,

Deputy Prime Minister and key Ministers of State can all be found here. They all sit

in a group called the Cabinet ; here decisions of national importance are decided upon.

Ministers who sit here tend to be those involved with discussions that are taking place.

However there are a number of key people who meet up every time Cabinet meets.

Each one of these ministers oversees the running of a Government department, such as

Health (NHS), Education (schools, colleges, universities, training initiatives), Defence

(military personnel, UK resilience , nuclear missiles etc). Each department controls and

spends huge amounts of our money and make decisions that affect each and every one

of us. Cabinet ministers are appointed by the Prime Minister and rubber stamped by the

Monarch.

A list of the key Cabinet personnel are included at the end of this document, this list is

not exhaustive and does not include a list of nearly 100 junior Government ministers,

bag carriers and tea makers.

Electoral Processes

First past the Post (FPTP)

The British electoral system is based on the FPTP system, but what does this mean in

practice? Well, obviously, there is a post, or finishing line, and the first to get there is

the winner. Its a bit like a horse race really and that is all it actually is, although one

that is very important. Effectively, in an individual constituency, like Chesterfield, the

candidate with most votes wins the election. For example:

Candidate A (Labour): 22,000 votes

Candidate B (Tory): 17,000 votes

Candidate C (Lib Dems): 13,000 votes

Candidate A wins the election, which may upset our current MP, who is a Liberal, as he

will be unemployed soon.

FPTP is cheap in comparison to other forms of election. It is simple and in the majorityof cases produces a clear result that people accept. Its main drawback is the spread of


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support for each candidate. There are no prizes for second place. Look at the example

again. 22000 supported the winner but 30000 did not, therefore the majority of voters

are being forced to accept someone who won with less half of the overall support, or

what is called an overall majority. When all the constituencies up and down the country

declare their results, political parties look to be the one that obtains a majority of seats

in Parliament. Currently there are places for 646 MPs (one from each constituency), the

party that wins over 324 constituency seats are first past the post, it is then be invited

by the Monarch to form a Government and operate in Parliament as the Governing

Party.

Returning to the mock Chesterfield result above, the same can be said for General, or

national, Elections, Governing parties may have a majority in Parliament because they

have gone past the post but they are unlikely to receive over 50% of the national vote.

Some FPTP information

In the 1997 General election Tony Blairs Labour Party took Government with a

landslide election victory. They won 63.6% of all MPs seats but received only 43.2% of

the national vote. On three occasions the party gaining most votes did not win the most

seats. In 1929, the Conservatives polled the most votes but, the Labour Party won the

election with 27 more seats than the Conservatives. In 1951 Labour polled most votes

yet won 26 fewer seats than the Conservatives. In February 1974, the Conservatives

polled 180,000 more votes than Labour but won four fewer seats. In addition, in

Scotland in 1974, the Scottish National Party won 30% of Scottish votes but only 7

seats in Parliament. As already stated, there are no prizes for coming second. Under this

system, the SNP and the Liberal Democrats lose out mainly because they have large

amounts of voters but not enough to actually take most votes; therefore they tend to

come second in a large number of elections.

Proportional Representation (PR)

PR is system of counting votes that match representation in a Parliament to the number

of votes cast. Some people consider this as a vital element of democracy, as opposed to

a system that elects a Government. There are various types of PR however the principle

stays the same. As already highlighted, the winning party very rarely gets over 50% of

the national vote. As such it is sometimes difficult to get things done. Governments find


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it difficult to operate with a minority of Parliamentary votes, relying instead on support

from minority parties , such as the SNP, Ulster Unionists and Independents to get a

majority vote. Here these parties find that they have an unequal amount of power and

have sometimes been referred to as kingmakers .

In recent years, reforms have occurred in places such as Northern Ireland where a form

of proportional representation has been used in the devolution elections surrounding

Scotland and Wales. However, for Parliamentary and Council elections, Britain uses the

tried and tested FPTP system. Elections for the European Parliament are run using the

PR system. PR is popular in Europe, in Italy PR has been used since after World War 2.

The problem is that Italy tends to be run by Coalition Governments , that is where two

or more political parties get together after the election to form a majority Government.

Unlike the UK PFTP system where Governments tend to be fairly strong, Italian

Governments are fairly unstable, and occasionally stumble from crisis to crisis. On

average, there is an election in Italy every three years.

Political Spectrum & Party System

Political parties are organisations whose members think broadly alike on how a country

should be governed. Political parties are normally classified as left, right or centre.

LEFT WING CENTRE RIGHT WING

Communism Socialism Liberalism Capitalism Fascism

Stalin/Marx Benn Blair Thatcher Hitler

USSR CHINA UK USA NAZI GERMANY

(Line of the Labour party)(Line of the Conservative Party)

(Line of the Liberal Democrats) (Line of the UKIP )

(Line of the SNP ) (Line of the BNP )

Left/ Liberals usually embrace freedom of choice in personal matters, but tend to

support significant Government control of the economy. They generally support a

Government-funded "safety net" to help the disadvantaged, and advocate strict

regulation of business. Liberals tend to favour environmental regulations, defend civil


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liberties and free expression, support government action to promote equality, and

tolerate diverse lifestyles .

Right/Conservatives tend to favour economic freedom, but frequently support laws to

restrict personal behaviour that violates "traditional values." They oppose excessive

Government control of business, while endorsing Government action to defend morality

and the traditional family structure. Conservatives usually support a strong military,

oppose bureaucracy and high taxes, favour a free-market economy , and endorse

strong law enforcement.

The following pages contain information relating to recent changes tothe law. It is importnt that you read and understand this informationas it will provide you with an exellent opportunity for improvedgrades from assignment two.

Students looking for a Distinction must not only understand the laws,but also their impact upon the Uniformed Public Services. Inaddition, it is important to understand various political arguments. Ahandy hint is to make comparisons with historic events.


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Influences on New Laws

Case Studies

Human Rights Act (1998)

In 1998, British citizens (you and me) finally got, in law, a series of rights that protect

us from abuse or inappropriate behaviour by the Government or its agents (Police,

Army, Courts etc). Principles of equality suggest that we should treat all human beings,

regardless of their social differences, their class , gender , ethnicity as equal in terms of

rights, as equally capable of rationality , as equally capable of experiencing pain and

pleasure etc.

In practice this has meant that we now have:

Equality before the law Equal civil and political rights Equal opportunities Protection from State actions

In the broadest sense human rights are ideas about how each individual should be

treated. Rights are different from privileges. One does not have to earn human rights


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through particular forms of behaviour (though in some circumstances particular rights

may be withdrawn, think about laws in this country that impact upon our human rights)

Is argued that human rights claims share a number of characteristics, they apply

universally to all human beings:

Rights cant be bought, sold or given away Human Rights are paramount i.e. not trivial but we cannot deprive someone of

their rights without a grave affront to justice.

Human Rights must be effective/enforceable

Impact of Human Rights on the Public Services

The Human Rights Act (1998) (HRA) brought the European Convention on Human

Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR) into UK law from 2 October 2000. The

Act makes it unlawful for a public authority to act in a way which is incompatible with

a Convention right. For the purposes of the Act Police officers are " public authorities "because their role includes certain public duties. This means police officers, and other

members of the uniformed services, have individual liability and therefore under a

legal obligation to act in a way which is compatible with the Convention Rights.

Military law , for instance, had to be adapted. Prior to the HRA becoming law, it was

illegal to have non-heterosexual tendencies. Today, the military cannot deny a member

of the gay or lesbian community a job. In addition, same sex couples have the right to

live in married quarters . The military death penalty is still legal but only in

exceptional circumstances, such as in times of war. It cannot be enforced as a matter of

routine. The military also have to provide access to leaders and guides from all religious

faiths. Previously only Christian Padres (vicars) practiced within military circles.

The legislation has also impacted upon other activities of the public services. People

held by uniformed services have the right to be free from the threat of torture and

degrading treatment. Much has been made of events where soldiers have abused locals

in Iraq and Afghanistan. In addition, claims persist that various members of the

enforcement have been involved in torture or been aware of the activities by other

agencies from other countries. In addition changes to our rights of protest , our

freedom of assembly and association have created conflict between the police and


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protesters. The recent G20 protest still rumbles on. Police have been accused of

breaching the rights of protesters and also manslaughter. New laws mean that our right

to privacy has been eroded (see RIPA mentioned later).

Impact of Terrorism on Government Legislation

The UK experienced armed violence, mainly from Northern Ireland, for nearly thirty

years. This conflict showed that the UK is not immune to long term terrorist campaigns

similar to those seem elsewhere in the world. Reviews of this period showed that many

laws used against the IRA and other groups were way out of date. For example, many

IRA members were arrested for offences listed in the Explosives Act (1875). The

attacks on the World Trade Centre changed that. Threats to the UK, perceived or

otherwise, have meant the Government has to change laws, update procedures, use

different approaches to what was used in Northern Ireland and educate the enforcement

(Police, Army, Fire Brigade etc).

In 2008, Government spent over 2.5 billion pounds on counter-terrorism initiatives.

This is more than double of that spent prior to the world trade centre attacks in 2001.

New counter terrorism units have been set, the security services have seen a vast

increase in its staffing levels and initiatives such as UK Resilience have been

launched. Between 2000 and 2008, Government created four laws in order to either deal

with or combat terrorism in the UK. These are: The Terrorism Act 2006 , Prevention

of Terrorism Act 2005 , The Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001

(ATCSA) , The Terrorism Act 2000. Government is responding to new threats and the

creation of any associations that are likely to threaten the stability of the UK.

The Civil Contingencies Act (2004) (mentioned later), deals with managing

emergencies as diverse as floods, foot & mouth, and major terrorist attacks. In addition

to these new laws, countless others have been created that allow the enforcement to

carry out surveillance on UK based citizens. These include The Regulation of

Investigatory Powers Act (2000) .

Further to this numerous databases that hold information on ALL of us have beencreated. The NHS and Local Authorities both hold personal details on file. The


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Childrens Act (2004) allowed for the creation of a database called Contact Point .

This holds details of all children residing in the UK. Here, Council departments such as

education, social services and Primary Care Trusts will be able to access information

about every child under the age of eighteen who resides in the UK.

The NHS Spine has been designed to centralise all NHS records, which can be

accessed by over a million public and private sector employees including social

workers, the police and chemists. The legislation permitting the introduction of identity

cards has been passed. DNA and biometric databases now also exist and the

technology is available to link all the databases together.

The upshot of all of this is that Government stands accused of attempting to create a

surveillance state . The concern is that Governments that keep an eye on their citizens

tend to be totalitarian (weve already discussed this!) in nature, not democratic. The

Former East Germany employed its security service, the Stasi, to watch the

population. At its height, the Stasi employed over 2 million informants and had files on

every single East German citizen. Many political commentators, observers and activists

are fearful that the UK could go along a similar path. These new laws, they argue, mean

that Government now has the framework to carry out these activities, should they wish

to do so.

Civil Contingencies Act (2001)

This law gives the UK Government unprecedented powers in an emergency. There are

two elements to this legislation.

The first element relates to Civil Defence : Since the end of World War 2, the West (and

the UK) has feared nuclear annihilation from our old enemy, the USSR. This fear has

largely gone but now has been replaced by the fear of terrorism; hardly a week goes by

without someone on TV talking about nightmare scenarios whereby terrorists get their

hands on nuclear weapon. It is the job of our civil defence agencies to prepare for any

kind of attack or emergency. These agencies include the various levels of Government,

enforcement, certain voluntary groups and private companies.


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Part two of the Act deals with Emergency Powers for Government should things kick

off. Government has the power to amend any piece of legislation it chooses, apart from

the Human Rights Act (1998), although Human Rights Articles can be wholly removed,

this includes Habeas Corpus (also mentioned earlier!). In addition, Government now has

powers to suspend a General Election whilst emergency powers are active. This could

mean that, if events dictated, Gordon Brown could be in charge for years to come,

without ever calling an election.

The following pages contain additional information such as Governingparties and the UK Cabinet make up. In addition, two brief biographies of some well known politicians are included.

Please also note that the two assignments you will be working towards areincluded in this section.


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British Prime Ministers since 1940

2007 Gordon Brown Labour

1997 Tony Blair Labour1990 John Major Conservative

1979 Margaret Thatcher Conservative

1976 James Callaghan Labour

1974 Harold Wilson Labour

1970 Edward Heath Conservative

1964 Harold Wilson Labour

1963 Sir Alec Douglas-Home Conservative

1957 Harold Macmillan Conservative

1955 Sir Anthony Eden Conservative

1951 Winston Churchill Conservative

1945 Clement Attlee Labour

1940 Winston Churchill

Conservative (Coalition

Government)

Political biographies

Tony Benn (1925 present)

Anthony Neil Wedgwood Benn was born in April

1925. During World War Two he served with the RAF

as a Pilot in Southern Africa. In 1950, at the age of 25

he became an MP. When Tonys father died in 1960,

Tony became Viscount Stansgate 2 nd . He was barred

from entering the Houses of Commons and had to take his seat in the House of Lords. In

1963, the Government changed the law in order that those (such as Tony Benn) who

inherited a title could renounce it. Tony Benn was the first Lords Peer to do so and

became an MP again. He served in the Labour Government for eleven years between


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1964 - 1970 and 1974 - 1979 where he oversaw the development of many of the

countries important industries. As Secretary of State for Energy he ran British Gas

and the North Sea Oil Fields . In 1984 he became the MP for Chesterfield until his

retirement from Parliament in 2001 when he decided to, in his words, "spend more time

involved in politics". He has campaigned for many left wing groups, such as supporting

the miners during their strike of 1984 1985 ; He also believed that United Nations

was best placed to resolve the Falklands Crisis. Benn is an anti-monarchist and has

proposed several Bills that, if successful, would have meant the abolition of the

Monarchy. Throughout his career, Tony Benn has campaigned for the extension of

democratic values in society and actively looks to persuade younger audiences to

become involved in politics.

He is currently the President of the anti - war pressure group - Stop the War Coalition .

Quote:

5 questions to ask a politician

1. What power do you have?

2. Where do you get your power from?

3. In whose interests do you exercise it?

4. To whom are you accountable?

5. How can we get rid of you?

Only DEMOCRACY gives us the right to ask these questions. People in power do not

like DEMOCRACY. This is why every generation must struggle to win and keep it,

including you and me, now!

Margaret Thatcher (1925 present)

Margaret Thatcher was born in October 1925. Prior to

becoming an MP, she studied science prior to training

as a barrister. In 1959, she was elected as MP for

Finchley, north London. She served in the Conservative

Government from 1970 1974. In 1975, she was


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elected the first female partly political leader and in 1979 became the first female Prime

Minister. Her political ideas were based upon small Government and reduced

Government intervention in society. Her Privatisation programme meant the sell off of

many state owned companies, such as British Airways, British Telecom and British

Gas . In the early 1980s, Thatcher's popularity decreased, though economic recovery

and the 1982 Falklands War brought a resurgence of support and she was re-elected in

1983. She took a hard line against trade unions, survived an assassination attempt, and

opposed the Soviet Union (gaining the nickname, the " Iron Lady "); she was re-elected

for an unprecedented third term in 1987. The following years proved difficult, as her

Community Charge plan was largely unpopular. She resigned as Prime Minister in

November 1990. Margaret Thatcher is largely responsible for the economic structure

that the UK has today.

Quotes:

There can be no liberty unless there is economic liberty.

All attempts to destroy democracy by terrorism will fail. It must be business as usual

If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman.


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British Cabinet (as of August 2009)

Portfolio Minister

Prime Minister

First Lord of the Treasury

Minister for the Civil Service

The Rt Hon Gordon Brown

MP

Leader of the House of Commons (deputising for Prime Minister at

Prime Ministers Questions in the House of Commons)

Lord Privy SealMinister for Women and Equality

The Rt Hon Harriet Harman

QC MP

First Secretary of State

Lord President of the Council

Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills

The Rt Hon The Lord

Mandelson PC

Chancellor of the Exchequer The Rt Hon Alistair DarlingMP

Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth AffairsThe Rt Hon David Miliband

MP

Lord Chancellor

Secretary of State for JusticeThe Rt Hon Jack Straw MP

Secretary of State for the Home Department The Rt Hon Alan Johnson MP

Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs The Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP

Secretary of State for International DevelopmentThe Rt Hon Douglas


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Alexander MP

Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government The Rt Hon John Denham MP

Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families The Rt Hon Ed Balls MP

Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change The Rt Hon Ed Miliband MP

Secretary of State for HealthThe Rt Hon Andrew Burnham

MP

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (unpaid)

(also "provides Ministerial support to the Prime Minister in the Cabinet

Office

on the coordination of Government Policy and Strategy")

The Rt Hon Shaun Woodward

MP

Leader of the House of Lords

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

The Rt Hon The Baroness

Royall of Blaisdon PC

Minister for the Cabinet Office

Paymaster General

Minister for the Olympics

The Rt Hon Tessa Jowell MP

Secretary of State for Scotland The Rt Hon Jim Murphy MP

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions The Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP

Chief Secretary to the Treasury The Rt Hon Liam Byrne MP

Secretary of State for Wales The Rt Hon Peter Hain MP


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Secretary of State for DefenceThe Rt Hon Bob Ainsworth

MP

Secretary of State for TransportThe Rt Hon The Lord Adonis

PC

Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport The Rt Hon Ben Bradshaw


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Assignments

Assignment 1

Levels of Government and electoral processes

There are two parts to this asignment. Part one relates to the structure of Government, part two relates to the differing electoral processes between elections forParliament and Local Councils

Assessment Criteria

Assignment Part one (P1, M1, D1)

Create a diagram or flowchart that explains the structure of Government in the UnitedKingdom. With each level of Government you must discuss the role of that level, theGovernment minister with responsibility for overseeing that level of Government andgive expanded examples of the services provided by that level of government.

Central Government What is it? Which structures exist within this level of Government? What is its mainfunction? Provide examples of how this level of Government affects the Uniformed

Public Services?

Regional Government What is it? Which Government Minister & Department oversees this level of government? What is its main function? Provide examples of how this level of Government affects the Uniformed Public Services?

Local Government What is it? Which Government Minister & Department oversees this level of government? What is its main function? Provide examples of how this level of Government affects the Uniformed Public Services?

P1 outline the different levels of Government in the UK

M1 explain the responsibilities of different levels of governmentand local councilsin the UK

P2 describe the electoral processfor onelevel of government in theUK

M1 compare the electoralprocesses at different levels of government in the UK

D1 analyse the responsibilitiesand electoral processes of twodifferent levels of Government inthe UK


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Assessment Part two

Electoral Processes (P2)Describe the process of a general election and ensure that you clearly identify to whichlevel of government it relates. The description should be detailed and you will be

expected to identify the complete process from the initial application to stand forelection to the declaration of the vote.

Electoral Comparisions (M2)Provide a comparison of the election process for the elected representatives for at leasttwo levels of government. You must not present simple list of comparative pointsbetween the election processes for the different levels of government. You shouldprovide evidence of independent thought when making the comparison comments.

Analysis of Government Structure (D1)Analyse the appropriateness of both the responsibilities and the electoral processesinvolved at the various levels of Government. Demonstrate your ability to analyse theinformation that is provided as evidence for all parts of this assignment (parts one andtwo). To do so you will need to evaluate the current organisational structure. Forexample, is it right that Regional Government is not accountable to the electorate?


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Assignments

Assignment 2

Govt Politics Handbook2

Documents

Transcript of Govt Politics Handbook2