Term Paper on "British Electoral System Reform"

Term Paper 20 pages (7210 words) Sources: 25

[EXCERPT] . . . .

British Electoral System Reform

Over the last year, the Labor Party of Great Britain has been facing increasing amounts of pressure. This is because an expenses scandal has exploded onto the political scene almost overnight. Where a large number of the Members of Parliament (MPs), were caught abusing the duties of their office, by having the government pay for various personal expenses. An example as to how brazen these corrupt politicians have become can be seen by looking no further than a report released by the Daily Telegraph, which found that 646 MPs are involved in various expense scandals. As a result, this has helped to set off a fire storm of rage within the general public that has been building for some time. Where, the deep seated feelings of anger as well as disconnect are being fueled by the size and scope of the scandal. (Burns) What this shows is that some type of reform is necessary to restore the confidence of the general public. With the Parliamentary election not far away, such reforms will more than likely occur. To understand the overall scope of possible reforms that could be enacted requires: examining the British political system, the American political system and comparing the strengths / weaknesses of both. This will provide the greatest insights as to how the British political system can be effectively reformed.

The British Political System

The British political system is one that evolved out of a struggle between the powers given to the monarchy and the people. This has been an issue of contention throughout the history of Britain, where the people wanted to have more of a voice various in the affairs of the government. As a result, the Magana Carta was the first document that forced the King (King John) to share power with the Barons. This is significant because it underscored a shift, where a discontent with the political system; would drive a series of reforms that would shape modern politics. Evidence of this can be seen with the creation of the House of Lords and Commons (also known as Parliament). (Darlington) Then, over the next several decades a series of upheavals and revolutions would lead to development of the modern day political system. Where, the overall powers of the monarchy would be greatly reduced and transferred to Parliament.

The Structure of the British Political System

The British Parliamentary system is based off of the principal of simple majority. This is where someone is elected to Parliament if they carry the majority of the votes in the district or area they represent. The system is divided into three different parts to include: the executive, legislature and the judicial branches. The executive branch of the government is selected among the majority party within Parliament. (Darlington) Where, the various Cabinet Ministers and departments are run by MPs, who serve a dual role in Parliament and in the government. The leader of the majority party is elected to head the new government and run the executive branch (the Prime Minister). Under the British political model, the Queen is considered to be the head of state, with no power. Where, the overall role of the monarchy is to be above politics. All of different departments of the government are run by Ministers. These are MP's who are from the House of Lords or Commons. Under this system, the various ministry positions are given to the most loyal political allies of the Prime Minister. Within the ministries itself, there is a subdivision of authority to include: Secretary of State, Minister of State and Under Secretary of State. The Secretary of State runs the different departments within the government. The Minister of State is the middle ranking ministers within the various departments. (Darlington) While, Under Secretary of State would be the lowest ranking position of the government ministers, within a department. The Prime Minister and the Secretaries of State form the executive committee that will run the government called the Cabinet. This is subdivided into Cabinet Committees that will deal with the various issues before they go to the Cabinet or in lieu of the Cabinet. Each of the different Secretaries of State are allowed to have two Special Advisers. These are people who have no responsibility or power within the government. Instead, they work similar to a consultant, where they will provide the Secretary of State with additional advice and insights on the different situations that will be encountered. (Birch)

Like what was stated previously, the legislative branch is composed of the House of Commons and Lords. The House of Commons are those representatives directly elected to Parliament, by the people of a particular district or geographic location. In general, the overall size of the different districts would be about 60,000 to 80,000 voters. (Darlington) Parliamentary elections are called by the Prime Minister and must take place no more than five years after the last election. What happens is the Prime Minister will go to the Queen and ask for the Parliament to be dissolved. At which point, Parliamentary elections must take place within three weeks. The House of Commons deals with various issues through the committee system. There are several different types of committees that are included under this system the most notable would include: select committees and general committees. Select committees will monitor the various activities of the different departments of the government. Where, they have the power to conduct investigations, issue reports and review evidence. General committees are formed to examine the aspects of a particular piece of legislation. (Darlington)

The House of Lords has deep seated traditions going back to when the monarchy was more powerful. Where, someone was selected to serve in the House of Lords at the request of the King or Queen. In most cases, the people selected were of noble decent and they would allow their family members to hold their seat in the House after someone has resigned or died. Over the years, this nepotism that was taking place has lead to various reforms; that limited the term that someone may serve in the House of Lords to the life of individual. The objective of the House of Lords is to create a committee of elder statesman and citizens that will serve to advise the government, as well as monitor the activities of the House of Commons. In most cases the Queen would appoint former politicians and prominent people within society (such as educators, doctors and lawyers). (Darlington) the House of Lords is organized under the various select committees. When the House of Lords and House of Commons committees are working together on a particular issue, they form what is known as a joint committee. This is the select committees from both Houses that are designed to work out the various differences on legislation. (Birch)

Within Great Britain the overall responsibilities of Parliament are divided between the House of Lords and Commons, where both dealing with various issues that are more of national focus. However, on the regional level this power is divided into various local assemblies to include: the Welsh Assembly, the Northern Ireland Assembly and the Scottish Parliament. Their responsibilities are to establish various rules and regulations that would apply on a local level (which are not in conflict with decisions of Parliament) to include: limited taxation powers. (Birch)

The Judiciary branch is currently undergoing various reforms. The system is different from many other countries because it is much more decentralized. Meaning that depending upon what area of Great Britain that you live, a particular judicial system would apply that reflects the customs and traditions of the area. A good example of this can be seen with how the legal system is divided, where there are separate systems for: Wales, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. All of the different legal systems work under a similar frame work, but have differences reflecting the part of the country that they represent. Originally, the Lord Chancellors Office was responsible for ensuring that the judicial system would function smoothly. However, this role has been changed and these responsibilities have been delegated to the Ministry of Justice. The highest court in all of Great Britain was the Appellate Committee of the House of Lords. Over the last few years, this role has changed, where the Constitutional Reform Act of 2005 replaced this with the Supreme Court. The idea is to bring more independence to the country's judicial system. (Darlington)

The American Political System

The American political system was born out of the frustrations from the British Parliamentary system, when America was a colony of Great Britain. During the American Revolution the British would engage in a number of different practices that would outrage citizens to include: the quartering of troops within private homes, illegal searches / seizures and unlawfully detaining anyone who supported the idea of an independent country. After America was given its independence, the various abuses that were committed would be reflected in the Constitution. This would specifically… READ MORE

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