Wiki+Assignment+2

=Legitimacy =

Definition :  The foundation of government where it is perceived to have the right to govern and is approved by those under it.

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A) The legitimacy of the United Kingdom comes from the tradition of the monarchy and the country's list of laws and customs that forms its constitution. While the monarchy's power is greatly less than that of Parliament, it plays an important ceremonial role in British society, bringing stability through old customs. Legitimacy of the country is also derived from the "Constitution of the Crown"; a collection of laws, legal codes, and important documents. Two of the major documents are the Magna Carta and the Bill of Rights. These two documents gave specific powers to the government of the United Kingdom which are widely accepted by the country's people. [|Constitutional Renewal] The Prime Minister discusses the topic of constitutional renewal to move the country forward in an attempt to gain trust and legitimacy in its populace. ======

[|Gordon Brown admits to leadership deal with Tony Blair] //This article reveals the secret deal (nicknamed as the Granita pact) between Brown and Blair. Brown agreed that Blair would have a clear run to win, and that Blair would support Brown himself when it was time for Blair to step down. The article directly discuss the legitimacy of the U.K. government by showing that the people did not necessarily choose the Prime Minister due to the leadership deal.//

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B)There is no written Constitution in The United Kingdom. Instead the “constitution” has evolved to include legal documents, Parliamentary rulings, legal codes and customs. It is sometimes known as the "Constitution of the Crown" and two of their major documents are the Magna Carta and the Bill of Rights of 1688. One of the greatest examples of the differences between the United States constitution and the British constitution is that in Britain no law can be unconstitutional. This is because every law passed by the Parliament is automatically added to the unwritten constitution of the nation. This lack of a written constitution has been pragmatic to many because the theory of the constitution gives the Parliment unlimited power, with no court to decalre its actions void. (SLE) ======

= = = = = = =__Political Culture__ =

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// This article describes a newly rediscovered "English pride" that has emerged in the UK, because of devolution and insecurities about globalization. This pride has more to do with ties to tradition in Great Britain than pride for the nation as a whole, which has led to some ethnic pride and racism. The British people share a common bond with their long and rich history, which deeply affects their political culture. (MBK) //======

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// While this article is not necessarily current, the British position on adopting the Euro as the official currency of the UK has not changed in the last year. Although part of the European Union, the UK retains its national currency, the pound, featuring the face of its monarch. This reflects the general attitude of the British people, who wish to retain some separation from mainland Europe. (MBK) //======

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__Gradualism__: The political culture of Great Britain is united by a tendency toward gradual change, rather than revolution. As an example of this trend, political scientists believe that since the social and economic changes that occurred in the 1970's, the British are slowly moving towards having a tendency to disagree openly with the government, and become less supportive of the collective consensus. ======

Policy-Making Power (over time)
Article: [|Britain's Politics Towards The Environment] //This article is an example of how the policy-making power in Britain has gradual changed over the course of its history. The monarch ruling at the time time used to make a majority of the political decisions, however, now the Houses within the British Parliament seem to be making most of the political decisions. This shift of political power is seen withing this article because it discusses how the members of the Labour and Conservative parties are primarily the ones implementing policies concerning the environment, which is just one sector of politics that is gradually being controlled more by Parliament than the monarch.//

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__Geography__: Due to Britain’s small size and island nature, she has limited resources and needs a navy to protect her. Geography and limited resources have also shaped efforts to become an imperial power. (MBK) ======

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__Noblesse Oblige -__ Even today there is a great distinction in Britain between the working class and the middle class, a term known as solidarity. Along, with this, the British are united in their belief that the upper class has a duty to take responsibility for the well-being of the lower class, and this can best be exemplified in the collective consensus to accept a welfare state. Although this belief is not as strong has it has been in the past, it is still a significant component of British Politics. Article: [|Aristocracy In Britain] //This article describes the clear separation between the wealthy elite and the working class in Britain, along with the inequalities that come with this division. It discusses how a very small percentage of aristocrats own a majority of the land, and most of these elites have not even earned the land, but merely inherited it. Even more so, some of these wealthy landowners are receiving subsidies from the government, which has caused outrage among the less wealthy taxpayers. Finally, the article ties everything together by stating that for such a strong democratic nation, "Britain's land is not being democratized very well among all of its citizens."//

__Multi-nationalism:__ England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland were all separate nations in the past, but are now united under one government. The common language, English, is spoken with differend tialects and the Protestant vs. Catholic conflict in Northern Ireland remains a major issue to this day. (MBK)

Article: [] //In this article Sir Jon Shortridge, a former civil servant, declares that Wales is in such bad economic shape because of continued control by England. He advocates for Wales gaining more power in the law-making process and becoming more like Scotland. (SLE)//

[[image:http://vercors.univ-savoie.fr/ressourcesenligne/cours_hh/new/LEA_L&C2/L&C2_02/flag_scotland.gif width="288" height="189"]]
Flag of Scotland (MBK)

Flag of Wales (MBK)



Flag of Northern Ireland (MBK)



Flag of England (MBK)

= = =__**Historical Trends**__ =

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Legitimacy- SE, ZZ Political Culture- MBK, LB Historical Traditions- RH