The Westminster Model No More? Flashcards
Describe Bagehot’s assessment of the British Constitution - The Westminster Model No More?
Bagehot believed the British Constitution was based upon Cabinet having power over Parliament, the constitution being unmodified (mix of statute, common law, tradition, convention, prerogative), Westminster being supreme legislative power, organic change.
Why did Bagehot believe that the British Constitution would be immune to manipulation by governments? How did this seemingly fail in 2022? - The Westminster Model No More?
Bagehot believed that a reliance upon convention and tradition would create a ‘gentleman’s agreement’, binding upon governments and participants to prevent forms of foul play. Seemingly failed in 2022 with misleading of Parliament by Johnson and refusal to resign.
How did Richardson believe the British Political Tradition combined both liberal and conservative elements in its governance? What is the outcome of this? - The Westminster Model No More?
Richardson believed that conservative elements such as top-down government and responsibility were combined with liberal elements such as a representative democracy within the BPT. This creates a political elite exercising power, endorsed by populations at election times.
How can the BPT be said to encourage adversarial politics? - The Westminster Model No More?
The BPT relies upon a ‘winner takes all’ system which encourages competition between 2 main parties and disincentivises either party working with another. Seen as a partisan political culture, one which does not desire collaboration.
How can the British Political Tradition see the electorate as endorsers of governments rather than informers of them? - The Westminster Model No More?
The BPT relies on the electorate to endorse and legitimise a government at election times, yet is not generally consulted on policy creation. This generally occurs in a way separate from the electorate rather than in a way that works in conjunction with them.
Describe majoritarian systems/legislatures. Describe consensual systems/legislatures - The Westminster Model No More?
Majoritarian - centralised power, few limits on parliament, based around single-party govt, plurality electoral system
Consensual - PR voting, multi party, dispersal of power, checks and balances, separation of powers
Describe unitary systems. Describe federal systems - The Westminster Model No More?
Unitary - centralised state, often unicameral or weak bicameral, no constitutional court, flexible constitution, central bank under exec control directly or indirectly.
Federal - decentralised, strong bicameralism, strong and rigid constitutional law, constitutional court
How did the British Political Tradition change in terms of class-based voting post-1979? - The Westminster Model No More?
Post-1979, class-based voting declined substantially, moving starkly away from the settlement post-1945. Largely under Thatcherism and rise in aspiration.
How did the British Political Tradition alter further under New Labour? - The Westminster Model No More?
New Labour led a drive for decentralisation, rights, democratisation and reform of the judiciary. Did so by removing all but 92 hereditary HoL peers, devolution, referendums, elected mayors, Constitutional Reform Act.
How has the 2 party system been challenged in British Politics? How has this impacted the Executive? - The Westminster Model No More?
The vote share commanded by the 2 main parties has declined, with minor parties now taking a significant portion of the vote at General Elections, with this even more amplified at local elections. Has led to coalition and minority governments in 2010 and 2017 respectively.
What is Rhodes’ idea of the ‘hollowed out state’? How does this impact the Westminster Model? - The Westminster Model No More?
The ‘hollowed out state’, as described by Rhodes, refers to the increasing reliance on international institutions above the remit of the state and devolved governments/agencies below. This impacts the Westminster Model by eroding away the centralised nature of government.
How does the fragmenting of services in Rhodes’ ‘hollowed out state’ undermine the Westminster Model? - The Westminster Model No More?
This fragmentation recognises the involvement of multiple different actors in the operation of governance, rather than just a single government. It takes a broad view of people and society rather than an elitist one, and incorporates pressure groups into policy making.
How does devolution in Rhodes’ ‘hollowed out state’ undermine the Westminster Model? - The Westminster Model No More?
Devolution de-facto transfers sovereignty away from the unitary state, creates alternative legislative competencies. Devolution also an evolving and changing process.
Also, has undermined 2 party system, as has led to alternative parties being in Executives of sub-state nations. This achieved through more proportional electoral systems.
How does ‘Europeanisation’ in Rhodes’ ‘hollowed out state’ undermine the Westminster Model? - The Westminster Model No More?
Accession to the EU created the supremacy of EU law over domestic UK law. Mention the Factortame case. Had perhaps resulted in decline of sovereignty of UK as a state.
How does the Sewel Convention contribute to Rhodes’ ‘hollowed out state’ and undermine the Westminster Model? - The Westminster Model No More?
The Sewel Convention (only a convention and therefore not technically binding) asserts that the UK Government cannot intervene in Scottish domestic legislation without the permission of the Scottish Government. Further erodes at the principle of a central UK Government.
