Great Britain: Geography

1
Great Britain Geography

• Island, safe from invasion... until the
  "Chunnel"!
• Mild, moist climate is excellent for farming.
• Vast coal reserves in past.
• England flat many old canals.
• Wales hilly.
• Scotland bleak highlands.
• North Sea oil since 1970s.

2
Great Britain Culture

• Religion Anglican 43.5, Catholic 9.8.
• Ethnicity 89.5 English (Anglo-Saxon fusion)
  9.6 Scots, 1.9 Welsh, 2.4 Irish plus 2.8
  immigrants.
• Heritage of free yeomen farmers (NOT peasants)
  encouraged democratic political culture.
• Nobility built massive estates, went fox hunting
  while "money-grubbing" middle class gained power.
• Shakespeare, Wm. Blake, Lord Byron, Jane Austen
• Fine cuisine? NOT!!

3
Great Britain Form of government

• Parliamentary democracy Prime Minister (Gordon
  Brown) is head of government, elected indirectly
  MPs choose P.M. "Westminster"
• Constitutional monarchy King or Queen (Elizabeth
  II) is head of state, but it's 99 ceremonial.
  Will Charles become King?
• Unitary structure top-down rule by London, but
  demands for autonomy by Scotland Wales.
  Northern Ireland is a special case. Devolution?

4
Britain Political development (I)

• Norman invasion (1066) -- French influence.
• Magna Carta (1215) -- King John conceded to
  nobles the origin of parliament and power to
  tax.
• Henry VIII (r. 1509 - 1547) -- Church of England
  vs. Catholics vs. Puritans. (Protestant
  Reformation)
• English Civil War (1640s) -- Parliament vs. King
  Charles I Protectorate of Cromwell
• Glorious Revolution (1688) -- William Mary
  Locke

5
Britain Political development (II)

• Industrial revolution, social upheaval, Reform
  Bills of 1832, 1867, 1884, 1918, 1928.
  Democracy!
• Zenith of Empire under Queen Victoria (r. 1837 -
  1901) colonies in India Africa. Kipling,
  Rhodes...
• World War I crippled Britain colonies gained
  some autonomy in British Commonwealth.
• World War II W. Churchill was heroic leader but
  lost 1945 election colonies soon won
  independence.
• M. Thatcher Anti-Soviet, cooperated with Reagan
  in NATO. Argentines underestimated her in 1982
  Falklands War. Urged Bush to stand firm vs.
  Iraq.

6
Britain Institutions policy (I)

• Constitution NOT written, based on customs,
  etc.
• "Westminster model" Parliamentary sovereignty,
  with fusion of executive, legislative, judicial
  powers.
• Courts cannot rule parliament acts
  unconstitutional.
• Cabinet government requires support of a majority
  of Parliament, forming a coalition of parties if
  necessary.
• A vote of no confidence leads to new elections.
  
• Parliamentary committees do most detailed work.
• Professional bureaucracy, servants of the Crown.
• Semi-public agencies Bank of England,
  nationalized industries.

7
Britain Representation participation

• Parliamentary democracy P.M. answers to the MPs
  who actually choose him, NOT to citizen voters.
• House of Commons (lower chamber) directs policy.
• All 659 MPs are elected from single-member
  districts in a "winner-take-all" system, for 5
  (?)-year terms.
• MPs are responsible to their constituencies, to
  their parties, to the P.M., AND to "political
  tendencies."
• Backbenchers hope to get key appointments, but
  since 1970s many have made a career of dissent.
• House of Lords (1,200 hereditary peers,
  bishops, etc.) retain some powers (final court of
  appeal), BUT...

8
Britain Political Parties

• Labour Party founded by labor unions in late
  19th century, with social democratic ideology.
  Tony Blair...
• Conservatives (Tories) used to represent landed
  aristocracy. P.M. Disraeli (1874 - 1880)
  reformed it..
• Liberal Democrats founded in 1983, combining
  the old Liberal Party (pro-free trade and
  business in 19th century) and the Social
  Democrats (ex-Labourites).
• Minor parties Greens, National Front
  (fascists), etc.