Chapter 4 Politic Time Allocation: 2 periods Focal Points: the importance of general elections; the Conservative Party and the labour party. Introduction to party systems a political party system consists of all the parties in a particular nation and the laws and customs that govern their behav ior. There are three types of party systems (1)multiparty systems,(2) two-party systems, and 3)one-party systems Multiparty systems are the most common type of party system. Parliamentary governments often develop multiparty systems. In this type of electoral arrangement the number of legislative seats held by any party depends on the proportion of votes they received in the most recent election. When no party gains a majority of the legis lative seats in a parliamentary multiparty system, several parties may join forces to form a coalition government In a two-party system, control of government power shifts between two dominant parties. In such a system, it makes sense for smaller parties to combine into larger ones or to drop out altogether. A single-party system is one in which one party nominates all candidates for office. Thus there is no competition for elected offices. The only choices left to voters are to decide whether or not to vote and to vote yes" or no"'for the certain candidate Politics in both the United Kingdom and the united States are based on the two-party system The Conservative Party and the Labor Party in the United Kingdom and the Democratic Party and Republican Party in the United States
1 Chapter 4 Politics Time Allocation: 2 periods Focal Points: the importance of general elections; the Conservative Party and the Labour Party. Introduction to Party Systems A political party system consists of all the parties in a particular nation and the laws and customs that govern their behavior. There are three types of party systems: (1) multiparty systems, (2) two-party systems, and (3) one-party systems. Multiparty systems are the most common type of party system. Parliamentary governments often develop multiparty systems. In this type of electoral arrangement, the number of legislative seats held by any party depends on the proportion of votes they received in the most recent election. When no party gains a majority of the legislative seats in a parliamentary multiparty system, several parties may join forces to form a coalition government. In a two-party system, control of government power shifts between two dominant parties. In such a system, it makes sense for smaller parties to combine into larger ones or to drop out altogether. A single-party system is one in which one party nominates all candidates for office. Thus there is no competition for elected offices. The only choices left to voters are to decide whether or not to vote and to vote “yes” or “no” for the certain candidate. Politics in both the United Kingdom and the United States are based on the two-party system. The Conservative Party and the Labor Party in the United Kingdom and the Democratic Party and Republican Party in the United States
General elections Why are the general elections important? The election is seen as an opportunity in influence future government policy-or ss positively, that whatever else the failings of the political system, at least the election provides the opportunity to "kick the rascals out!(P44. paragraph 1) What's more. in the UK. the citizen's right to vote for the cand idate of their choice to represent them in parliament is a right that has been struggled for over the past two hundred years When do elections occur? The General Elections are held every five years But the Prime Minister can call an election sooner than five years on the following condition (1)if the Government is defeated in the Commons on the issue (2)if the Prime Minister wants to a government cannot stand ve years exce circumstances(it has happened twice this century, when elections were delayed until the end of the First and Second World Wars) Who can stand for election as an MP? Any citizen can become a cand idate for election to the House of Commons. But, (1) certain classes of people are forbidden to sit in the House These include(a)judges,(b)civil servants, (c)members of the regular armed forces, (d) full-time police officers, and(e)members of many public boards and commissions(共同事业委员会) (2) He or she must get 10 electors in the constituency (3) He or she must pay a deposit(押金,保证金)off150, which he loses if he fails to get one-eight(1/8)of the votes at the election What happens in an election? (1) The voter receives a voting card telling him the exact time and place to vote, (2) The political parties are campaigning;(P 45. last paragraph) (a)Advertisement in newspapers (b)Door-to-door campaigning (c) Postal deliveries of leaflets (d)"Party electoral broadcasts"on the television () The voter votes on the election day; ( P46. paragraph 3)
2 I. General Elections --- Why are the General Elections important? The election is seen as an opportunity in influence future government policy—or, less positively, that whatever else the failings of the political system, at least the election provides the opportunity to “kick the rascals out”! (P44.paragraph 1) What’s more, in the UK, the citizen’s right to vote for the candidate of their choice to represent them in parliament is a right that has been struggled for over the past two hundred years. --- When do Elections Occur? The General Elections are held every five years. But the Prime Minister can call an election sooner than five years on the following condition: (1) if the Government is defeated in the Commons on the issue; (2) if the Prime Minister wants to. A government cannot stand for longer than five years except in exceptional circumstances (it has happened twice this century, when elections were delayed until the end of the First and Second World Wars). --- Who can stand for election as an MP? Any citizen can become a candidate for election to the House of Commons. But, (1) certain classes of people are forbidden to sit in the House. These include (a) judges, (b) civil servants, (c) members of the regular armed forces, (d) full-time police officers, and (e) members of many public boards and commissions (共同事业委员会). (2) He or she must get 10 electors in the constituency. (3) He or she must pay a deposit (押金，保证金) of ￡150, which he loses if he fails to get one-eight (1/8) of the votes at the election. --- What happens in an election? (1) The voter receives a voting card telling him the exact time and place to vote; (2) The political parties are campaigning; (P 45. last paragraph) (a) Advertisement in newspapers (b) Door-to-door campaigning (c) Postal deliveries of leaflets (d) “Party electoral broadcasts” on the television (3) The voter votes on the election day; (P46. paragraph 3)
(4) Teams of volunteers check the voting cards and count the votes, (5) The result is announced through television stations low, the House of Commons is constitutionally the dominant House. The representative is also known as a Member of Parliament, or MP. A House of Commons is chosen as a whole at a general election. The general election normally takes place every five years. But it will be held before the fixed date (1)if the Government is defeated in the Commons on the issue. In this case, the prime Minister e ither resigns or asks the Monarch to dissolve the parliament. (2)if the Prime Minister wants to. The Prime Minister can decide on a general election before the legal time limit at the time favorable to the victory of his or her party. By this way the Prime Minister may continue to stay in power. The Party that won the majority of seats in the house of commons will form the government Members of the House of Commons are elected from geographical constituencies The voting age for British subjects was lowered to 18 in 1969. Those not eligible for election to the Commons include members of the House of Lords, selected clergy, government contractors, sheriffs(郡治安官), and certain designated election official basis of representation depends on the total number of seats agreed on by process unique to the House of Commons and on the total population of the nation. In Great Britain, each constituency appro of 60.000. In northe Ireland, with 17 representatives, the population base is somewhat larger. Total In the general el each voter can vote for only cand id ate. The votes are counted in the presence of the cand idates. And the cand idate who receives the largest number of votes is elected even if they are less than half of the total a person may be a candidate in any constituency, even if he has no connection ith the place. So if a member of the he defeated at a general election, he can later try to be elected for another place The general election is held on the same day all over the country, but voting is not compulsory. As soon as the results of the general election are published everybody knows which party will govern Britain for the next few years. If the Government wins a majority of the seats in Parliament, there is no need to make changes. If it fails to win a majority, the Prime minister concedes his partys defeat and resigns at once. The Queen then automatically appoints the leader of the new majority party Prime Minister and empowers him to organize a new govemment for the next five years. The former Government has to assume the role of the Opposition Party, which can only form its"shadow cabinet
3 (4) Teams of volunteers check the voting cards and count the votes; (5) The result is announced through television stations. Now, the House of Commons is constitutionally the dominant House. The representative is also known as a Member of Parliament, or MP. A House of Commons is chosen as a whole at a general election. The general election normally takes place every five years. But it will be held before the fixed date (1) if the Government is defeated in the Commons on the issue. In this case, the Prime Minister either resigns or asks the Monarch to dissolve the parliament. (2) if the Prime Minister wants to. The Prime Minister can decide on a general election before the legal time limit at the time favorable to the victory of his or her party. By this way the Prime Minister may continue to stay in power. The Party that won the majority of seats in the House of Commons will form the Government. Members of the House of Commons are elected from geographical constituencie s. The voting age for British subjects was lowered to 18 in 1969. Those not eligible for election to the Commons include members of the House of Lords, selected clergy, government contractors, sheriffs (郡治安官), and certain designated election officials. The basis of representation depends on the total number of seats agreed on by a process unique to the House of Commons and on the total population of the nation. In Great Britain, each constituency approximates a population of 60,000. In Northern Ireland, with 17 representatives, the population base is somewhat larger. Total membership of the Commons now numbers 659. In the general election, each voter can vote for only one candidate. The votes are counted in the presence of the candidates. And the candidate who receives the largest number of votes is elected even if they are less than half of the total. A person may be a candidate in any constituency, even if he has no connection with the place. So if a member of the House of Commons loses his seat by being defeated at a general election, he can later try to be elected for another place. The general election is held on the same day all over the country, but voting is not compulsory. As soon as the results of the general election are published, everybody knows which party will govern Britain for the next few years. If the Government wins a majority of the seats in Parliament, there is no need to make changes. If it fails to win a majority, the Prime Minister concedes his party’s defeat and resigns at once. The Queen then automatically appoints the leader of the new majority party Prime Minister and empowers him to organize a new government for the next five years. The former Government has to assume the role of the Opposition Party, which can only form its “shadow cabinet
IL. The political parties In the United Kingdom politics is controlled by political parties. Thats to say its politics is party pol itics. The pol itical party system, dating from the 17th century, is an essential element in the working constitution There are a number of political parties in the United Kingdom and, theoretically they are granted equal treatment by the law. But in practice, politics in Britain is based on the two-party system. We know nationwide general elections are held every five years for voters to elect Members of Parliament. The majority party forms His or Her Majesty's Government, and the second party is officially recognized as His or Her Majesty's Own Loyal Opposition. The opposition leader is paid a salary fron public funds for that role. Since the end of World War I (1914-1918),the Conservative Party and the labor party have been dominant Or we can say, a two-party system has existed in the United Kingdom since the late 17th century, though it is occasionally threatened by a third party. The Conservative Party and the Labor Party are the dominant parties of the modern era (In the early 20th century, Labor displaced the Liberals as one of the two dominant Small parties are usually called minor parties. Minor parties in the early 1990s included the Scottish Nationalist. Welsh Nationalist. Ulster Unionist. Social Democratic, Communist, and Green parties. The Liberal Party, which provided governments periodically for decades, lost electoral support and merged with dissidents from Labor and the Conservatives to form the l iberal democrat Party. In the general election of 1992, minor parties won 44 seats from the total of 651 in the House of commons British parties developed in the 17th century. By 1679 there were two groups Tories and Whigs. In 1660. Charles I's son became the english king known as Charles Il. But political struggles and religious dispute were still tense. In his old age Charles Il, fearing that his young son would be unable to control the situation, made arrangements for James, his brother(the Duke of York), to succeed him, some people opposed the kings plan on the ground that James was pro-Catholicism. These opponents, who favored Protestant ism, were derisively(4I])called the "Whigs, a nickname once given to the rebel Scottish drovers(家畜贩子) The Tories represented the interests of the smaller landed gentry and tradesmen--forefathers of the middle class, while the Whigs represented the interests of the landed aristocracy and big merchants of the towns The whigs wanted Parliament to have more power than the Crown, and played an important part in the Glorious Revolution"of 1688-1689. They were in power from 1714 to 1760. The Tories became the party of the Anglican Church and of country landowners, while the
4 II. The Political Parties In the United Kingdom politics is controlled by political parties. That’s to say its politics is party politics. The political party system, dating from the 17th century, is an essential element in the working constitution. There are a number of political parties in the United Kingdom and, theoretically, they are granted equal treatment by the law. But in practice, politics in Britain is based on the two-party system. We know nationwide general elections are held every five years for voters to elect Members of Parliament. The majority party forms His or Her Majesty’s Government, and the second party is officially recognized as His or Her Majesty’s Own Loyal Opposition. The opposition leader is paid a salary from public funds for that role. Since the end of World War I (1914-1918), the Conservative Party and the Labor Party have been dominant. Or we can say, a two-party system has existed in the United Kingdom since the late 17th century, though it is occasionally threatened by a third party. The Conservative Party and the Labor Party are the dominant parties of the modern era. (In the early 20th century, Labor displaced the Liberals as one of the two dominant parties.) Small parties are usually called minor parties. Minor parties in the early 1990s included the Scottish Nationalist, Welsh Nationalist, Ulster Unionist, Social Democratic, Communist, and Green parties. The Liberal Party, which provided governments periodically for decades, lost electoral support and merged with dissidents from Labor and the Conservatives to form the Liberal Democrat Party. In the general election of 1992, minor parties won 44 seats from the total of 651 in the House of Commons. British parties developed in the 17th century. By 1679 there were two groups: Tories and Whigs. In 1660, Charles I’s son became the English king known as Charles II. But political struggles and religious dispute were still tense. In his old age, Charles II, fearing that his young son would be unable to control the situation, made arrangements for James, his brother (the Duke of York), to succeed him, some people opposed the king’s plan on the ground that James was pro-Catholicism. These opponents, who favored Protestantism, were derisively (嘲笑的) called the “Whigs,” a nickname once given to the rebel Scottish drovers (家畜贩子). The Tories represented the interests of the smaller landed gentry and tradesmen—forefathers of the middle class, while the Whigs represented the interests of the landed aristocracy and big merchants of the towns. The Whigs wanted Parliament to have more power than the Crown, and played an important part in the “Glorious Revolution” of 1688-1689. They were in power from 1714 to 1760. The Tories became the party of the Anglican Church and of country landowners, while the
Whigs were supported by nonconformists and by the trad ing classes. Towards the middle of the 19th century the whigs took the name Liberal and became the liberal Party. Then the Tories got a new name and became the Conservative Party. Later the Liberal Party split into two halves and lost its place to the Labor Party. After 1922 the Labor party became one of the two major parties in Britain. The Liberal party now is the third largest political party in Britain Now lets see the two major parties The conservative party The labor party Development: From tories by Unionists, liberals, socialists (a political group which appeared under King Charles II) and the Fabian Society Time the middle of 19th century (old) in 1900 (young) Characteristics: Right wing party Left wing party They stand for private enterprise and They stand for national and Supporters: middle and upper-middle class Working class and common people People of higher position relatively poor or underprivileged Organization: more democratic but looser The main support of the Conservative Part from the middle and pper-middle class. For this reason it is sometimes called the", although the label is mislead ing. Accord ing to election returns, a majority of the middle class vote for the Conservative in national elections. Nearly all the voters of the upper-middle class give their votes to the Conservatives. Many of the well-to-do workers also support Conservative candidates. It can be said that the higher one goes up in social and economic class, the more likely he is to vote the Conservative ticket. Thats why some people labeled the Conservatives as the party of the rich The Labor Party was founded in 1906 by union ists, liberals, social ists and the Fabian Society. At first, it was known as the Labor Representation Committee, which was then changed into the Labor Party. The basic doctrine of the Labor Party is to promote national and communal growth. They believe that socialism should lead to the growth of society, not the uprising of a class. They ad vocate class co-operation so as to achieve social and economic equality.(They support nationalization of big enterprises. They are more inclined to support reduction of military expend itures and the expansion of the social welfare program any of the labor leaders are from the working-class families, but it is not a proletarian party. Actually, it represents the interests of confusing class elements Taking all its basic doctrine into consideration, we may say that the labor Partys
5 Whigs were supported by Nonconformists and by the trading classes. Towards the middle of the 19th century, the Whigs took the name ‘Liberal’ and became the Liberal Party. Then the Tories got a new name and became the Conservative Party. Later the Liberal Party split into two halves and lost its place to the Labor Party. After 1922 the Labor Party became one of the two major parties in Britain. The Liberal Party now is the third largest political party in Britain. Now let’s see the two major parties: The Conservative Party The Labor Party Development: From Tories by Unionists, liberals, socialists (a political group which appeared under King Charles II) and the Fabian Society Time: the middle of 19th century (old) in 1900 (young) Characteristics: Right wing party Left wing party They stand for private enterprise and They stand for national and freedom from state control communal growth Supporters: middle and upper-middle class Working class and common people People of higher position relatively poor or underprivileged Organization: more democratic but looser The main support of the Conservative Party comes from the middle and upper-middle class. For this reason it is sometimes called the “Right”, although the label is misleading. According to election returns, a majority of the middle class vote for the Conservative in national elections. Nearly all the voters of the upper-middle class give their votes to the Conservatives. Many of the well-to-do workers also support Conservative candidates. It can be said that the higher one goes up in social and economic class, the more likely he is to vote the Conservative ticket. That’s why some people labeled the Conservatives as the party of the rich. The Labor Party was founded in 1906 by unionists, liberals, socialists and the Fabian Society. At first, it was known as the Labor Representation Committee, which was then changed into the Labor Party. The basic doctrine of the Labor Party is to promote national and communal growth. They believe that socialism should lead to the growth of society, not the uprising of a class. They advocate class co-operation so as to achieve social and economic equality. (They support nationalization of big enterprises. They are more inclined to support reduction of military expenditures and the expansion of the social welfare program. Many of the Labor leaders are from the working-class families, but it is not a proletarian party. Actually, it represents the interests of confusing class elements. Taking all its basic doctrine into consideration, we may say that the Labor Party’s