Politics UK (textbook) - chapter 16

Question 1

What power does the crown have today and how has their power changed over time?

Answer 1

The crown dates back to at least the ninth century. The crown, during this time, was the symbol of all executive authority which was conferred on the monarch. It had the power of the executive, legislative and judicial which was all exercised personally by the monarch.

Over time popular perception of what formed legitimate government changed. This, along with the growing population, demanded that government take over as the executive. The monarchy today has still remained a representative institution. The instruments of government today are still done in the crowns name. Parliament is summoned and prorogued by royal decree. Civil servants are crown appointees.

Question 2

How is representation defined in the modern day; how was it defined; what did this change; which definition of the representation applies to the monarch?

Answer 2

Representation is defined as someone who represents a people and speaks on behalf of them. This however, can only be sustained through the ballot box i.e. this person must be chosen by the people.

Before the nineteenth century, the condition that the person representing a people must be elected by the people was not a condition for that description.

This increased the number of people who could vote as by the 1880s this extended the vote to working men and by the end of the 1920s it was also extended to women.

The monarch represents the country in a symbolic sense. This is symbol often looked at through unity and strength.

Question 3

When was parliament and the two houses created?

Answer 3

The House of Commons and Lords were created in the thirteenth century.

Question 4

When did we have a republic and why?

Answer 4

We had a republic in the short time between 1649 - 1660. This was due to a civil war which led to the beheading of Charles I in which he tried to rule by the divine right of kings.

Question 5

What is the bill of rights and when was it created?

Answer 5

The bill of rights was embodied in statue in 1689. It declared the suspending of laws and the levying of tax without the approval of parliament to be illegal.

Question 6

When the King stop appointing the ministers in the House of Commons and why?

Answer 6

This occurred in 1832 when the Great Reform Act was introduced creating a uniform electorate system and replacing virtual representation with representative democracy.

Question 7

When did the monarch lose most of its power?

Answer 7

By the beginning of the twentieth century. At this point the monarch was unable to control parliament, exercise a choice in appointing ministers, and unable to appoint judges.

Question 8

Who exercises the powers of the crown today?

Answer 8

Ministers are now largely responsible for exercising the powers of the crown.

Question 9

What is the contemporary role of the monarch?

Answer 9

The monarch today has two primary functions. The first is representation in being a symbol of unity and tradition of the nation. The second is to fulfil certain political functions.

Question 10

What is the benefit of the monarchy representing the country?

Answer 10

They are not partisan and do not represent the head of government. This helps maintain its symbolic role and relations abroad.

Question 11

How do the armed services relate to the crown?

Answer 11

The armed services are in the service of the crown. Loyalty is thus owed to the monarchy. Members of the Royal family also serve in the armed forces. This emphasises the apolitical role of the monarchy.

Question 12

What is the Queens duty to the Church of England and the role religion plays in the monarchy?

Answer 12

The Queen is the supreme governor of the Church of England. Her close links with the Church makes preserving high standards of Christian morality an important factor in the monarchy since the nineteenth century.

Question 13

How is the link between the crown and Protestanism perceived today and what do people think of this?

Answer 13

This might actually be perceived as dividing the United Kingdom, as our society has non Christian religions and a growing secular element also. The amount of people who believe that the royal family should uphold a strict Christian morality is declining.

Question 14

What are the two principal reasons for power remaining vested in the sovereign?

Answer 14

The first is that the monarch acts as a constitutional safeguard. As head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, the monarchy could deny both legitimacy and support to anyone who sought the usurp the democratic institutions of the state.

The second is that retention of the prerogative powers serves as a reminder to ministers and other servants of the crown that they owe a responsibility to a higher authority than a transient politician.

Question 15

What are the four main criticisms of the monarchy?

Answer 15

That an unelected monarchy has the power to exercise certain political powers; the monarchy is unrepresentative; maintaining the royal family costs too much; and that the institution of monarchy is now unnecessary.

Question 16

Explain the criticism of the monarchy exercising political power?

Answer 16

This is when the monarchy exercises political power which influences political decisions. Examples of this can be seen in 1957 and 1963 when the Conservatives had no formal mechanism for selecting a new leader and no obvious one had emerged. In 2019, when Boris Johnson asked her to prorogue parliament for five weeks. This was deemed as unlawful by the supreme court and her acceptance of this was overturned.

Question 17

Explain the criticism of the monarchy being unrepresentative?

Answer 17

The monarchy cannot make a claim to be representative under two definitions of the word. The first is that the monarchy is not freely elected, and the second is that it is not representative of the population - for reasons such as it is Christian, white, wealthy and ultimately socially atypical. At the same time people make the case that in order to be the royal family they have to be different from us otherwise they would not be the royal family - it is a paradox.

Question 18

Explain the criticism of the monarchy being too costly?

Answer 18

The argument that they do not pay any income tax and are reluctant to use their personal wealth. They instead use their estates and assets such as Buckingham Palace to generate money to cut the cost to the public. There is also a case for too many family members on the list of beneficiaries from the royal purse.

Question 19

Explain the criticism of the monarchy being unnecessary?

Answer 19

It is argued that all the roles the monarchy carries out can be given to an elected president or other member of government as we, as a nation, derive no benefit from the continued existence of the monarchy and that all the supposed benefits are a myth to increase legitimacy. Some however value a smaller role for the monarchy like that of the Scandinavian monarchy, where the monarch moves more freely with citizens and without excessive trappings.

The arguments against that of a president is that of bias and thus not being able to represent the nation in the same way.

Question 20

What can the four proposals of change for the monarchy be grouped under?

Answer 20

Abolition, reform, leave alone and strengthen.

Question 21

Explain the argument for abolition of the monarchy; who supports it; what is the view of a substitute?

Answer 21

The argument for abolition and its support has risen and fallen over the years. This usually goes hand in hand with positive years and bad years for the monarch. It is often the left leaning intellectual liberals that support abolition of the monarchy. When faced with the option having a president instead a large majority of those polled opted to keep the monarchy.

Question 22

Explain the criticism of reform of the monarchy?

Answer 22

It is argued that members of the monarchy should be seen interacting with the public a lot more and that members of the royal family, especially the minor royals, should take up paid employment.

Question 23

Explain the criticism of leave alone?

Answer 23

The argument here is to leave the royal family alone. The argument that they need to be reformed here applies in the sense that the royal family, over the years, has been adaptable and flexible to change when it knows it needed to be.

Question 24

What is the criticism of strengthening the monarchy?

Answer 24

This argument states that the monarchy does not have enough responsibilities and that the Queen should be given a more substantial role in government. This is argued for because there are people who believe that she would do a better job than politicians.

Question 25

What is the conclusion as to where the monarch stands on society today?

Answer 25

Most people would like some kind of reform to the monarchy over the other arguments that have been presented. Its quality is that it is not partisan putting it above any politics.