Democracy and the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom uses which type of electoral system?

• Instant run-off
• Mixed member proportional
• First-past-the-post
• Single transferable vote

After World War II and until the "Thatcher Revolution," the two major parties of post-war Britain built and sustained a welfare state.  This was known as the:

• Commonwealth
• Collective responsibility
• Neoliberalism
• Collectivist consensus

Which of the following is true of the Crown?

• The crown is the head of state and the prime minister is the head of government.
• The Crown controls the military and the Parliament controls the economy.
• The Crown controls the rule of primogeniture, where the oldest son (or daughter if there are no sons) inherits the throne.
• The Crown is a costly and unpopular institution.

British society is very diverse, but this is probably the most important of all social divisions within the UK:

• Ethnicity
• Religious affiliation
• Class
• Race

The 2010 parliamentary election in the UK resulted in:

• A new majority for the Liberal Democrats
• A hung parliament
• A victory for the Labour Party
• A Conservative party minority government

Prime Minister Tony Blair's policies became known as the Third Way. Which of the following was a key feature of the Third Way?

• State ownership of key industries
• Adoption of the euro
• Free-market trade policies
• Consolidating power in the central government

The United Kingdom uses a common law political and legal system, which means:

• It has an aristocratic system based on the power of hereditary peers
• It is a system based on a strong written constitution
• It is a system based on local customs and precedent, not formal legal codes
• It is a system based on religious tradition

What was the final result of the English Civil War?

• King John signed the Magna Carta
• Oliver Cromwell's government was replaced and Parliament restored the monarchy under Charles II
• King James I was crowned, establishing a Catholic king over the Protestant nobility
• King Charles I was executed and England was temporarily ruled as a Republic under Oliver Cromwell

Which of the following is true about individual members of the House of Commons:

• They are less powerful than their counterparts in the USA; it's the party that counts in the UK
• They are appointed by the Cabinet and Prime Minister
• They include Life Peers, distinguished citizens who are appointed by the Crown
• They are more powerful than their counterparts in the USA; it's not the party, but the individual interests of legislators that are key

What are quangos?

• An example of neo-corporatist lobbying relations, these are members of non-governmental organizations who assist in policy making
• A confederation of the UK's strongest trade unions
• Representatives in the Scottish Parliament
• Top members of the UK government who assist the Prime Minister and run the ministries