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Cleavages in the United Kingdom (Social Class Distinctions (Social classes…
Cleavages in the United Kingdom
Multi-National Cleavages
The United Kingdom is made up of four different nations, each with their own distinct identities.
Scotland
Scotland retained their independence until 1603. A century later, the two countries became united under a single parliament. However, Scots have a very distinct culture and identity, and despite failed referendums, the SNP remains dominant in Scotland
Wales
Wales became part of the United Kingdom in the 16th century. Despite this, many Welsh are nationalistic. Their language and culture have been preserved, and some Welsh harbor resentment towards their exploitative neighbors.
England
The largest, highest populated region of Great Britain, England has a disproportionately large amount of power compared to the other regions.
Northern Ireland
In Northern Ireland, there is great tension between Protestants and Catholics. In the late 20th century, the Provisional Irish Republican Army, a paramilitary organization committed various terror attacks in order to gain independence from Britain and unify Ireland.
Social Class Distinctions
Social classes in Britain are often defined by education.
Private schools
Most of the middle class goes to these schools.
The dropout rate in British schools is much greater than most industrialized nations.
University
The easiest path to the elite class is through universities like Oxford and Cambridge. Approximately 50% of Conservative MP's have an Oxbridge education, and approximately 25% of Labour MP's do as well.
These universities have both helped and hindered social mobility.
The number of scholarships to these schools has increased
In 2012, Parliament raised the maximum tuition cost from $5400 to $14500
Public schools
These schools tend to preserve a family's elite status.
Public schools were designed to train children for a life in politics, the civil service, or the military.
Social mobility has been limited by solidarity among classes, especially the working class.
Ethnic Minorities
As of 2011, approximately 13% of Britain's population is non-European, an increase of 6% from 2001.
Britain has been accused of treating its minorities poorly
There have been reports of police brutality against minorities, some of which have sparked race riots.
Muslims
Britain is at a greater risk than most of the Western World for terror attacks.
Muslims are a distinct minority.
British Muslims tend to be poor, unemployed, and disaffected.
Most British Muslims are Pakistani. This has led to conjecture that, compared to other countries, British Muslims have a stronger link to Al-Qaeda
There is a lack of integration of British Muslims into mainstream culture.
Britain ignored the EU's refugee policy, instead setting their own, with much smaller refugee quotas.
Due to a history of immigration restrictions, most of Britain's immigrant population is under the age of 25
In 2010, the British government promised to cut in half the net immigration.
in the past 15 years, there has been a great influx of Easterb European immigrants
Political Beliefs and Values
British political culture has been characterized by trust, harmony, tolerance of differing points of view, deference to authority, and pragmatism.
There have been shifts in the political culture of Britain.
Support for labor unions has decreased, with Tony Blair's Labour Party and the third way distancing themselves from unions.
There has been increased violence regarding Northern Ireland.
Thatcherism promoted self-reliance, individualism, and a shift away from noblesse oblige.
There were several protests against British involvement in the Iraq War
Voting Behavior
Until WW2, voting behavior could be defined by class; the working class voted for Labour, the middle class, Conservative. Now, this distinction has blurred.
Some of the working class have Conservative leanings, due to the policies of low taxes and restricting immigration.
However, Labour tends to attract people who feel disadvantaged, like the poor, the Scots, and the Welsh.
The distinction between Conservative and Labour continues to become less noticeable, allowing other parties like the Lib-Dems and the SNP to compete.
People living in industrial areas as well as Central London tend to vote Labour, while people in suburban or rural areas tend to vote Conservative.
