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Theresa made a deal between a hard and soft Brexit. She has named it The Chequers Deal

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Are children too young in primary school to learn about politics?

One of the problems that I have with the British Education system is that a lot of content taught does not support children with their later lives. Since teaching the International Baccalaureate, I've had the opportunity to teach children about governing systems through How We Organise Ourselves.

As a student, I went through both primary and secondary school learning very little about politics or economics. This resulted in me having to teach myself as an adult. To empower children, I believe this information should be given to them in small doses from a young age. To start with, I've written this blog as a reference point to teach the basics of Politics within the UK. At a later point, I'll write a blog about how this information can be taught in an engaging way.

Brief History

In 1215, King John signed the Magna Carta which stated that no one, not even the king, was above the law. 50 years later in 1265, the Earl of Leicester, Simon de Montfort, invited representatives of his parliament to be voted in. This was the first step towards the distribution of power moving from the Monarch to the Parliament.

Later, in the 14th Century, Edward III had two groups of advisors divided into chambers. The Chamber of Lords was made up from wealthy merchants, lesser knights and lords, whereas, The Chamber of Commons was made up from the general population.

The Houses of Parliament has a rich history. One notable event was the Gunpowder plot. This happened in 1605 when Guy Fawkes attempted to kill King James and the king's leaders. Guy Fawkes wanted to restore Catholic rule to the nation. However, his attempt failed and is now celebrated as Guy Fawkes Night.

Remember, remember!
The fifth of November,
The Gunpowder treason and plot;
I know of no reason
Why the Gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot!
English Folk Verse, 1870

Over time, the House of Commons became more and more powerful. In 1649, King Charles was even executed by the House of Commons! Some people in the House of Commons were angry that the people from the House of Lords could get a seat without having to be voted in.

Overtime this changed, and in 1958, the Life Peerages Act introduced women into the House of Lords. Since then, any man or woman can join the House of Lords based on what they had achieved in their careers. The Lord's Act of 1999 reduced the number of hereditary peers in the house and stopped Lords passing their seat to their own family. A panel was made to help the Prime Minister (the head of the government) decide who was brought into the house. Now the House of the Lords is made up from political peers, crossbenchers, hereditary peers and bishops. They use their experience from inside and outside of parliament to check and challenge the government.

The UK is considered a parliamentary democracy. This means that the government is voted into power based on peoples' interests. However, the UK is also considered a constitutional monarchy. This is because in the UK we still have a royal family but they have very limited power.

Parliament Structure

As discussed, the parliament structure is made up of three sections: The House of Commons, The House of Lords and The Monarchs. The two chamber system (House of Lords and House of Commons) is used to ensure processes are checked and balanced.

House of Commons (First Chamber)

The House of Commons is the elected chamber of parliament. It is made up of 650 MPs ( members of parliament), each representing a constituency (an area of land) across the UK. Within the chamber, they debate big issues, propose laws, amend existing ones and challenge the governement.

The MPs either represent a political party (e.g. Labour Socialist, Conservative Tory etc.) or are independent. They are elected by the area they want to represent. Every 5 years, candidates can vote for their local MP.

If a political party has more than 326 seats, they will form a majority and the leader of their party will become the prime minister. The winning party chooses a cabinet of 20 senior ministers who each coordinate a different department for the government.

During meetings, the Speaker keeps the house in order by chairing the debates. The Opposition is the second largest political party (according to the number of seats that they occupy) and often challenge the winning party. Crossbenchers are members who do not belong to any political party.

House of Lords (Second Chamber)

Originally the House of Lords was created as an advisory council for the King to discuss matters of state. The House of Lords is made up of around 800 members. The members are made up of life peers (appointed members of those holding honory titles that cannot be inherited), bishops and other knowledgable people of high status.

The House has three main functions:

1. To question and challenge the work of the government.

2. To work with the House of the Commons to shape laws.

3. To investigate issues through committees and debates.

Monarchs

The Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, meets the prime minister once a week. This is mainly for ceremonial reasons but also involves the formal agreement to all new rules.

The real secret of royal influence is saying nothing.
Today I Found Out

Although the Queen does have considerable power e.g. she can declare war without consulting parliament and has diplomatic immunity in any foreign country she visits. She tactically chooses not to due to wanting to say in favour of her subjects and not wanting to cause a revolt. She even pays her taxes voluntarily despite being exempt from paying them.

The Political Spectrum

The Political Specturm is often described in a 2 dimensional way from The Left Wing to The Right Wing. These ideas were first used during the French Revolution. The Left Wing supported the French Revolution, whereas, the Right Wing wanted to keep the status quo. Most people consider that the extreme version of the Left Wing is Communism and the extreme version of the Right Wing is Fascism. Today, it is important to take into consideration other factors such as Authoritarian and Liberal views. Below I've left some generic statements which are viewed by those that adopt a Left Wing or Right Wing mindset.

Believes in an Equal society

Believes that Social Inequality is inevitable

The government should increas regulations on businesses and higher taxes for the rich.

The government should not impose too many rules on peoples' lives.

Adopt Progressive Views e.g. same-sex marriage, woman's right to abortion, opposing the death penalty, lenient views on immigration.

Adopt Traditional Views and more religious aspects than the left e.g. often opposes same-sex marriage and abortion.

The Keynesian Approach
Tax highly in boom times and spend when the economy needs it.

New Classical Approach
Deregulation of taxes will help to increase innovation and lower taxes will increase economic growth.

Government Control
The government wants total control of people.

Government Control
The government wants to have minimal influence on people.

Political Parties

Below I've written the key political UK parties (from left to right wing).

A Political Compass

Green Party (small party, interested in the environment)

Labour Socialist (traditionally interested in working people)

Liberal Democrat (currently a lower than normal number of seats)

Conservative Tory (current government, has a small majority of seats)

UKIP (United Kingdom Independent Party, small party)

Other Parties

As well as the those mentioned above, there are also the National Parties (England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland), Independents (an individual politician not affiliated with any political party) and those less well-known. One example of another political party is 'The Official Monster Raving Loony Party'. They encourage others to cast a Protest Vote for their party if voters disagree with other parties policies.

General Elections

General elections take place once every 5 years. Before an election occurs, candidates that want to represent a party will run a political campaign. A political campaign involves advertising through the media to influence voters. The candidates will write a manifesto which explains their policies. At the age of 16 citizens can register, and at the age of 18, citizens can vote. In the UK, you can vote in person at a polling station, you can vote by post or by proxy (someone votes on your behalf).

General Election 2010

A Map of the UK that shows the winners of the General Election 2010

During the 2010 general election, there was no majority vote. The Conservatives won the most seats, 306, but this was still not enough to form a majority. As a result, David Cameron (leader at the time for the Conservatives), made a deal to form a coalition with the leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg.

General Election 2015

During the 2015 general election, the Conservatives, led again by David Cameron, had a majority vote. The second largest party, led by Jeremy Corbyn, was the Labour party.

Since the General Election in 2015, lots has happened. In 2016, David Cameron resigned after campaigning hard against a referendum (a general vote by the electorate on a single political question). The referendum was based on whether or not Britain should remain in the European Union. On 23 June 2016, the public voted and leave won by 51.9% to 48.1%. Theresa May took David Cameron's position as leader of the Conservatives, agreeing to guide the nation through Brexit. The process of leaving the EU formally began on March 29, 2017, when May triggered Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty.

Local Councils

Within a council, there is often a Mayor (sometimes elected or sometimes just chosen)Elections happen every four years for councillors Councils are broken up further into wards There are over 30 councils in London

Brexit

What options do the UK have?

In 2016, a referendum happened which resulted in Brexit (British Exit from EU). Lots of people are anticipating what this will mean. The UK now has the following options...

No Deal

If a no deal occurs, Britain will crash out of the EU and use standard international trading rules. Also, British rules will become separated from EU rules and border checks will start straight away. Many believe that it will result in a possible economic crash, food shortages, inflation and a lack of medical supplies. Ireland will become separated across the border of Northern Ireland which may result in sectarian violence. The UK will be able to make its own policies on migration but there will be no specific arrangement to protect expatriates in Europe.

Hard Brexit

Conservative MPs are for a Hard Brexit. A hard Brexit would result in the government having more freedom to make its own rules. This will be good for businesses that only trade in Britain but bad for businesses crossing the border. Peoples rights to live abroad but will change with expatriates having to apply for 'Settled Status'. If a Hard Brexit happens, there will no longer be a complete freedom of movement.

Softer Brexit

Other MPs including Labour and the Liberal Democrats are hopeful of a softer Brexit. This means that fewer changes will occur. The UK may even stay in The Customs Union (a group of countries that have agreed to charge the same import duties as each other and usually to allow free trade between themselves) and The Single Market (an association of countries trading with each other without restrictions or tariffs). There will be continued competition from foreign businesses and moving abroad should remain easy. Within Ireland, there will be little change in Ireland. This means that overall, under a soft Brexit, there may still be many of the same rules.

Chequers Deal

Theresa May has tried to make a deal between a hard and soft Brexit. She has named it The Chequers Deal, after her home country. The Cheques Deal focuses on more freedom for Government e.g. more trade details, control of free movement, less bad trade agreement, no uncontrolled immigration, no hard hard border. Michael Barnier has not agreed to it.

Useful References

If you're more of a visual learner, take a look at the Youtube videos below. I've left some links to useful websites from reputable resources to explain some of the concepts discussed within this blog.

* If you also try to keep your students up to date with British politics, than I'd love to hear from you. Please get into contact.

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Teaching British Politics to Primary School Children ⋆ Mr Myerscough Says So

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Are children too young in primary school to learn about politics? One of the problems that I have with the British Education system is that a lot of content taught does not support children with their later lives. Since teaching the International Baccalaureate, I've had the opportunity to teach children about governing systems through How ...

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The house of Lords
has three main functions :

1. To question and challenge the work of the government.

2. To work with the House of the Commons to shape laws.

3. To investigate issues through committees and debates.

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Other MPs including Labour and the Liberal Democrats are hopeful of a softer Brexit. This means that fewer changes will occur. The UK may even stay in The Customs Union (a group of countries that have agreed to charge the same import duties as each other and usually to allow free trade between themselves)

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the queen can 't make the laws

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The parliament structure is made up of three sections:
-The House of Commons
-The House of Lords
-The Monarchs

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If a no deal occurs, Britain will crash out of the EU and use standard international trading rules. Also, British rules will become separated from EU rules and border checks will start straight away.

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The Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, meets the prime minister once a week. This is mainly for ceremonial reasons but also involves the formal agreement to all new rules.

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The house of common(the first chamber) is made up of 630 MPs.

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Originally the House of Lords was created as an advisory council for the King to discuss matters of state. The House of Lords is made up of around 800 members. The members are made up of life peers .
link:

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Some people in the House of Commons were angry that the people from the House of Lords could get a seat without having to be voted in.

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Originally the House of Lords was created as an advisory council for the King to discuss matters of state. The House of Lords is made up of around 800 members. The members are made up of life peers (appointed members of those holding honorary titles that cannot be inherited), bishops and other knowledgable people of high status.
(link)

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Over time, the House of Commons became more and more powerful. In 1649, King Charles was even executed by the House of Commons! Some people in the House of Commons were angry that the people from the House of Lords could get a seat without having to be voted in.

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In 1215, King John signed the Magna Carta which stated that no one, not even the king, was above the law.