Understanding the Westminster Model and UK Political System

• Westminster Model: parliamentary sovereignty and supremacy of UK. Makes parliament the supreme legal authority, which can create or end any law
  • Fusion of powers: executive/legislative branches together; PM is head
• Backbenchers: rank and file MP’s of the majority party not part of the gov. or the opposition; sit in rows of benches behind their party’s spokesperson
• Shadow Cabinet: opposition; sits across the majority party; designated replacement
• Margaret Thatcher (1979-1990): conservative, moving away from corporatist interest groups and from welfare, wanted privatization/Thatcherism/Neoliberalism
  • Bully authoritarianism/austerity; no to labor unions, created social divides
  • Took Keynesianism to monetarism (many permanent changes)
• Whips: MP of the majority party who ensure that the backbenchers vote the way they are supposed to; help organize their party’s contribution to parliamentary business
• White Hall: colloquial term for the policy creating executive branch, streets where all the ministries are; executive branch creates policy here
• Hung Parliament: no party has a majority of 326; must form coalition (2010,1017)
• Keynesianism: uses gov spending to stimulate the economy and shift the demand curve
• Monetarism: uses the money supply to raise/lower interest rates and reserve requirement, also focuses on money supply to regulate economy
• Austerity: govcut spending and raise taxes
• Big Society: embraced by new coalition gov; integrating the free market with a theory of social solidarity. Commitment to Thatcherism but appealing to young.
• White Papers: gov/authority report giving info on an issue (policy statement)
• Question Hour: occurs when members of parliament ask questions of gov. ministers which they are obliged to answer; allows members of parliament to challenge gov
• Corporatist: pre-Thatcher, sociopolitical organization of a society by major interest groups, known as corporate groups
• Gradualism: process by which the gov has evolved without way and violent civil strike

Welfare State: state undertakes to protect the health/well-being of citizens by means of grants, pensions, and other benefits (Beveridge Report founded this and NHS)