Merriam-Webster dictionary defines majoritarianism as the philosophy or practice according to which decisions of an organized group should be made by a numerical majority of its members. The United Kingdom is defined as a majoritarian government through its strengths and rightfully so, however there are various limitations that affect this label and make it seem more of a consensus democracy at times.
Whether or not the United Kingdom is a truly majoritarian government is up for debate. Certain things limit the United Kingdom from being a completely majoritarian government such as the Fixed-terms Parliament Act of 2011. According to the Oxford journals this act constrains the prime minister's ability to dissolve parliament and thus creates …show more content…
It’s a two-party system with a single-party government and gives the executive branch power over the legislature and has an easily changeable constitution, which can be altered by the majority party however they see fit.5 The goals of a majoritarian government is to have a sense of transparency and accountability with only having one party in power. According to the parliament.uk this is accomplished by the Prime Minister Question Times where the government is forced to be transparent and answer any and all questions asked by the opposing parties and by their own party. Their motives and actions are clear and can be traced directly back to their parties …show more content…
Majoritarian rule within the UK provides several examples of the limits and flaws. For starters there is the possibility of forming a coalition government such as the one presented in 2010 with the Conservative-Liberal Democrat where no party controls a majority of the seats.4 A major fear created with the formation of a coalition governments is that the people don’t have a chance to vote for policies. All the policies are discussed and agreed upon between coalition partners instead of being put to a public vote.6 According to the Harvard Kennedy school of government another limitation of having a majoritarian government is the lack of checks and balances which allows for the possibility of their being a permanent majority or an elective dictatorship which could be detrimental.7 Another negative is the fact that in a majoritarian government it’s extremely easy to pass laws. In theory if the majority party wanted they could completely change the laws to their
Whether or not the United Kingdom is a truly majoritarian government is up for debate. Certain things limit the United Kingdom from being a completely majoritarian government such as the Fixed-terms Parliament Act of 2011. According to the Oxford journals this act constrains the prime minister's ability to dissolve parliament and thus creates …show more content…
It’s a two-party system with a single-party government and gives the executive branch power over the legislature and has an easily changeable constitution, which can be altered by the majority party however they see fit.5 The goals of a majoritarian government is to have a sense of transparency and accountability with only having one party in power. According to the parliament.uk this is accomplished by the Prime Minister Question Times where the government is forced to be transparent and answer any and all questions asked by the opposing parties and by their own party. Their motives and actions are clear and can be traced directly back to their parties …show more content…
Majoritarian rule within the UK provides several examples of the limits and flaws. For starters there is the possibility of forming a coalition government such as the one presented in 2010 with the Conservative-Liberal Democrat where no party controls a majority of the seats.4 A major fear created with the formation of a coalition governments is that the people don’t have a chance to vote for policies. All the policies are discussed and agreed upon between coalition partners instead of being put to a public vote.6 According to the Harvard Kennedy school of government another limitation of having a majoritarian government is the lack of checks and balances which allows for the possibility of their being a permanent majority or an elective dictatorship which could be detrimental.7 Another negative is the fact that in a majoritarian government it’s extremely easy to pass laws. In theory if the majority party wanted they could completely change the laws to their