Democratic Political Society & UK Governance

• Power and decision-making are central to the features of a democratic political society.
• Devolved and reserved matters define the distribution of power within a country.
• The role and powers of the Prime Minister are crucial in governing.

Features of a Democratic Political Society

• Democracy originates from the Greek term "demos," meaning "people."
• Democracy is a system of government where power resides in the people.
• Citizens can exercise democracy directly or through elected representatives.

Elements of Democracy

• Citizen Rule: Adult citizens have the right to elect representatives, enabling them to hire or fire their representatives.
• Britain typically holds a General Election every 5 years. The last one was in December 2019.
• Individual Rights: Protection of individual rights such as freedom of speech, religion and protection from unlawful search and seizure are examples of individual liberties in a democracy.
• The UK's Equal Pay Act enforces equal treatment, ensuring fair pay for males and females in similar jobs.
• Free and Fair Elections: Elections are held regularly at all government levels, ensuring adult citizens can cast votes.
• 13.9 million people voted in the UK General Election held in December 2019.
• Citizen Participation: Citizens not only have the right to vote but also the responsibility to participate.
• Such an example includes writing to newspapers like The Herald to express their concerns.
• Majority Rule: Operates under the principle of majority rule, where decisions reflect the will of the people through free and fair elections.
• A referendum can also gauge the will of the people between general elections.
• A majority (52%) of British people voted to leave the EU in the 2016 Brexit Referendum.

Devolved and Reserved Matters

• Devolution is a system where government decisions are made at a local level.
• The UK has multiple examples of devolved government including the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Assembly, the Northern Ireland Assembly, and the Greater London Authority.
• Scotland is part of the UK and the UK Parliament in Westminster is sovereign with ultimate power.
• Devolved matters include areas of government where decision-making has been delegated to devolved institutions such as the Scottish government.
• Reserved matters are decisions still taken by the UK Parliament at Westminster and have effect in all regions of the UK.
• The Scotland Act (1998) outlines Scotland's devolved powers within the UK system.
• Scottish Parliament cannot make decisions in all areas affecting the lives of people of Scotland, but can make decisions in many important areas.

Devolved and Reserved Powers Examples

• Devolved matters include: agriculture, forestry and fisheries, education and training, environment, health and social services, housing, land use planning, law and order, local government, sport and the arts, some forms of taxation, and many aspects of transport.
• Reserved matters include: benefits and social security, broadcasting, constitution, defence, employment, equal opportunities, foreign policy, immigration, and trade and industry.
• Defence falls under reserved powers. British Parliament makes laws to ensure the security of all 4 nations within the UK. The UK's Secretary of State for Defence from July 2024 is John Healey.
• Equal Opportunities is a reserved policy area which makes laws such as the Equality Act (2010) applied in all workplaces by the Equality and Human Rights Commission. Bridget Phillipson MP is the current Minister for Women and Equalities.
• Immigration is a reserved power, overseen by the Home Office. Yvette Cooper MP is in charge of the Home Office, which looks after immigration for the UK.
• Education falls under devolved powers and the Scottish Parliament is responsible for education in Scotland. From August 2020, all 3 and 4 year old children are entitled to 1,140 hours of nursery care each year, an increase from the previous amount of 600 hours. Shirley Anne Sommerville (MSP) is the current Education Secretary.
• Health falls under devolved powers and the NHS in Scotland is therefore the responsibility of the Scottish Parliament. GP surgeries, hospitals, and health boards are looked after by the Secretary For Health And Wellbeing, Jeane Freeman MSP. In 2020, the former Health Minister (Jeane Freeman) had a budget of about £11.9 billion to spend on health/health care.
• Sport and The Arts falls under devolved powers. The department has a leading role in organising the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014. It is headed by Humza Yousef MSP.

Impact of Devolution on Scotland

• The Scotland Act 2016 was a consequence of the Scottish independence referendum of 2014 which promised further devolution for Scotland.
• Each of the three main UK parties (Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat) promised more powers beyond the Scotland Act of 2012 when Scots voted to remain within the UK.
• Devolved powers enables the Scottish Parliament to provide "Scottish solutions to Scottish problems", as such.
• Devolved powers enabled the Scottish Parliament to abolish university tuition fees in Scotland (2001) and introduce a ban on smoking in enclosed public places (2006).
• In 2012, the Scottish Parliament introduced the Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Act.
• Same sex marriage was legalised in 2014 by the Scottish Parliament.

Role and Powers of the Prime Minister

• The UK Government carries out 3 main jobs.
• The Judiciary which is the court system.
• The Legislature which is when the Government makes laws.
• The Executive which carries out the work of governing the country on a daily basis.
• Part of the Executive is the office of the Prime Minister.
• Keir Starmer is the current Prime Minister since July 4th 2024, and replaced former PM Rishi Sunak. The Prime Minister's powers and roles include:
• As the leader of the party that won the most recent General Election, the PM becomes Head of the Government who has the final say on policies and laws.
• Acting on behalf of the UK at home and abroad. The PM attends conferences and speaks to world leaders on behalf of the British people.
• The power to appoint new members of the House of Lords. A peerage (Lord, Baron, Lady) becomes a reward for people who have contributed to the country.
• Appointing members of the winning political party to the Government's Cabinet. These MPs will be put in charge of running departments.
• Setting the Agenda at weekly Cabinet meetings.
• Deciding when to call a General Election when the entire country can vote for who they want the Government to be.