The United Kingdom is a parliamentary democracy. Citizens vote for candidates to represent them in Parliament. Those representatives make decisions on behalf of their constituents - the people who voted them into office. That sounds too simple, because United Kingdom Democracy deserves more explanation than that.
Democracy UK: Key Takeaways
- The UK is a parliamentary democracy
- Citizens vote for representatives in Parliament
- Representatives legislate on behalf of their constituents
- Representatives serve in six-year terms
Is Britain a Democracy?
The short, quick, and obvious answer is 'yes', particularly as you read that fact in this article's introduction. You even know what type of democracy the UK practises: parliamentary democracy.
What's less clear is that there are many types of democracy, and what they are.
By some accounts, there are more than 40 types of democracy active in the world today.
Admittedly, many are quite narrow applications of democracy, such as workplace democracy and market democracy. The types of democracy this article studies are broad governing movements. In that category, we count eight types. Of them, four dominate:
Direct democracy
- the people vote on issues
- referendums are direct democracy
- Switzerland has a direct democracy
Representative democracy
- the people vote for representatives
- elected officials represent the people's will
- the most common form of democracy
Presidential democracy
- citizens vote for president directly or indirectly
- president holds considerable power
- United States is a presidential democracy
Parliamentary democracy
- legislators hold more power
- elected representatives choose the head of government
- UK has a parliamentary democracy
What Type of Democracy is the UK?
As noted above, the UK is a parliamentary democracy. This type of government is, in fact, a more elaborate form of representative democracy.
- Citizens vote Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons
- The dominant political party in that House makes its leader the Prime Minister
- The Prime Minister answers to Parliament, and operates with the monarch's approval
Understand that the House of Commons gets its power from direct elections, and then uses it to run the UK government. However, the elected officials get their power from the citizenry.
What Is a Working Majority in Parliament?
In a perfect world, one political party would present an irresistible agenda that all voters could get behind. The electorate - us, the voters, would send those party representatives into office, in a landslide victory. This hardly ever happens.
Most often, what we get is a mishmash of agenda items; some good and many that are not so beneficial to us.
Confronted with these choices, citizens have three options:
Vote along party lines
"Once Labour, always Labour!", for example.
Vote for the least-bad option
"At least, they aren't Labour!", for example.
Withhold one's vote
sit the election out.
In today's political climate, the best any political party can hope for is earning enough seats to get things done. Ideally, without having to form a coalition with other parties, whose agenda items might impact their own.
Having enough seats in Parliament to make sure that passing legislation will happen, with no support needed from other parties.
You might wonder: what's the problem with collaboration? In politics, everybody wants something. Collaboration often means a trade-off, making concessions in exchange for votes. That's not always a bad thing, but then, politics is a cut-throat business.
The demands might be too high to make the needed votes worthwhile. Or, the 'supporting' party might insist on a concession that goes against the leading party's agenda. They might, in fact, lay a political trap, so they might wrest more power for themselves.
In all cases, ceding any measure of power is not a good look in political circles. Having a working majority prevents parties from having to ask for votes from members of other parties. So, party members campaign hard to earn the votes needed for a majority.
When Did the UK Become a Democracy?
It wasn't like somebody flipped a switch to turn Great Britain's monarchy into a democracy. The changes were slow, incremental, and hard-fought. It took centuries for British subjects to become citizens.
1215
King John signs the Magna Carta
Establishes rules for how the country and the law operate, going forth.
1265
Simon de Monfort establishes Parliament
Representatives from around the country fill the House of Commons and the House of Lords
1414
King Henry V acknowledges Parliament's powers
The monarch can no longer make laws on his own.
1536
King Henry VIII grants Parliament the use of Westminster Palace
1649
King Charles I attempts to destabilise Parliament
From then on, the monarch may only enter Parliament by invitation.
1649
House of Commons abolishes the monarchy and House of Lords
Declares England a Commonwealth
1653
Oliver Cromwell becomes Lord Protector
He turns England into a military dictatorship
1660
Restoration
The monarchy and House of Lords return
1688-89
The Glorious Revolution
Establishment of the Bill of Rights
1721
Robert Walpole becomes the first Prime Minister
King George II grants him quarters at 10 Downing Street.
1832 - 1837
Reforms to permit male householders the vote
Until then, only male landowners could vote.
1918
Select women permitted to vote
Only property-owning women over 30.
1928
All women 21 and older may vote.
The UK finally has universal suffrage.
1948
One person, one vote system established.
Ensuring fairness in elections.
The inexorable march towards democracy in Great Britain was often violent and bloody. It suffered many setbacks along the way, and provoked many dramatic acts of heroism. Fortunately, today's democratic participation activities are nowhere near as dangerous.
Can a Lord be Prime Minister?
Indeed, such a worthy can become Prime Minister. British law makes no mention that would bar a Lord from serving in that capacity. Instead, it makes clear that the monarch should appoint the best-qualified person.
Recall that King George II appointed the country's first Prime Minister, Robert Walpole, a Whig and a Lord. That was in a time when the monarchy had a hand in politics. Today, the monarch still must approve any candidate's nomination to that post, despite being politically neutral.
However, it's more of a ceremonial function. Today, the King does not choose who will serve in that capacity.
No statute or constitutional document spells out who may be Prime Minister.
Convention dictates that the leader of the majority party in the House of Commons will serve as the head of government. On reflection, that is democratically just, as citizens vote representatives into the House of Commons. And the government, in turn, has a mandate to steer citizens' safety and wellbeing.
By contrast, the monarch appoints peers to the House of Lords. The Lords hold their Parliament seat for life. They are not beholden to - or, held to account by the citizenry.
From a democracy standpoint, a Lord serving as Prime Minister short-circuits the purpose of UK citizens' votes. Still, British history includes more than one instance of a Lord serving as Prime Minister.
The Marquess of Salisbury was the last Prime Minister from the House of Lords.
Lord Salisbury retired in 1902, after serving three stints as Prime Minister (1885 - 1902).
Several former Prime Ministers have been granted peerages after their tenure at Downing Street. David Cameron is a recent example of such. Though not a Lord at the time of his service in that role, he now has a seat in the House of Lords.
Can the Public Sack the Government UK?
That seems to be the prevailing sentiment, these days, doesn't it?😡 Unfortunately, citizens may not 'sack the government'. At least, not through traditional electoral means. As they do not vote the Prime Minister and cabinet into office, they have no power to vote anyone out of there.
However, citizens did vote their MPs into office, and the party in power selected the Prime Minister. Voters truly displeased with the state of government affairs may contact their parliamentary representatives to register their complaints.
It is the MPs' duty to present the Prime Minister with the issues the citizenry raises. When fielding calls from citizens, the question of immediate general elections (snap elections) often crops up. On these initiatives, the citizens have no recourse, either.
Only the Prime Minister may decide to hold an early election.
The Prime Minister will announce an immediate general election (a snap election) if there is a call from Parliament to do so. Typically, the opposition party in the House of Commons calls for such an election.
Though Parliament has representatives from many parties, the UK's party system revolves around only two groups. Labour voters will likely find no relief when they call their representatives. Tory voters may find a bit more traction.
In July 2024, Prime Minister Sunak called for an early election.
The Sunak government and, by extension, the Tory party, were deeply unpopular. Furthermore, economic, civic, and global issues were overwhelming government leaders and citizens alike.
The Prime Minister gambled on waning confidence to see his party through another election. His political manoeuvre was a stunning miscalculation. The early election he called for effectively changed the UK government leadership.
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