Democratic parliamentary system of United Kingdom

Running head: POLITICS
Politics
Name of the student
Name of the University
Author note

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Table of Contents
Part I...........................................................................................................................................2
Part II..........................................................................................................................................4
Answer 1)...............................................................................................................................4
Answer 2)...............................................................................................................................5
References..................................................................................................................................7

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Part I
Westminster model- Westminster model refers to democratic parliamentary system
of United Kingdom system which was used within Palace of Westminster. The head of the
state can be said to be the theoretical source of the executive power who would hold various
kinds of the reserve powers but in reality he would act as the ceremonial figurehead. The
Westminster model consisted of de facto executive branch which was made up of members of
the legislature that had senior members of executive in Cabinet (Richards & Smith, 2016).
The members used to execute the executive authority that was on behalf of the nominal
executive authority. This model provides the power to the government of being defeated or
being forced into the general election which is independent of the government that has been
chosen.
Fusion of powers- Fusion of powers can be said to exist in the event of executive
along with the legislative branches of the government being intermingled. It can be said to be
a feature of the parliamentary democracies and it contrasts with strict separation of powers
which is found within the domain of the presidential democracies. Walter Bagehot was
instrumental in coining the term who was a renowned British Constitutional expert. British
political system have undergone changes over the course of the time and power of monarch
has been constrained by the Parliament in the present time. UK have the system where
members of the executive can also act as members of legislature.
Personalized proportional representation- Personalized proportional representation
is indicative of the electoral system that aids in the creation of the representative body which
helps in reflecting the interest of the citizens. The political parties earn the votes by winning
number of the seats within representative body which can be said to be directly proportional
to number of the votes which have been received in election (Pukelsheim, 2017). All the

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political groups in the society are represented in the legislatures which is in proportion to that
of strength in electorate. Everyone within the framework of the society have right of fair
representation in the event of personalized proportional representation. The form that is most
prevalent in relation to proportional representation requires using the multiple-member voting
district as the single seats cannot be filled in the proportional manner.
Single member plurality- Single Member Plurality refers to the form of the electoral
system which can be administered very easily. In the event of this system, candidate who gets
the majority of the votes when compared to the other candidate are declared winner. It can
create the way for significant distortion in between percentage of the votes and percentage of
the seats that is won by a party across the whole province or the entire country (Lin, 2016). It
takes place on account of the geographical distribution of the votes. This system works with
the help of two elections and the primary is held that helps in determining nominee within
each party. It is followed by another general election which pits primary winners against that
of one another.
Grand Theory- Grand theory refers to form of the highly abstract theorizing where
formal organization along with arrangement of the concepts takes the precedence over the
understanding of social reality. It can be stated to be separate from the concrete concerns of
the everyday existence. It helps in the integration of the sociological components along with
the psychological and the economic component (Wilson, 2018). It helps in integrating all
social sciences within the broad theoretical framework. Grand theories can be said to be at the
center stage of the comparative politics and it helps in guiding the policies in the society.
Electoral fallacy- The electoral fallacy refers to the notion among the people that the
elections can help in measuring democracy. The elections can be said to be a required
condition for the democracy and it is the visible form of the mass political participation

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(Forcina & Pellegrino, 2019). Fallacy of the electoralism denotes mistaking of holding of the
elections with development of the democratic regimes. The electoral fallacy points forward to
the conception in the society that the costs of the voting exceeds the benefits that the people
get out of it. The vote that is given by a person would not prove to be pivotal and it would not
benefit the government.
Part II
Answer 1)
There are various kinds of pre-conditions that can help in making a democracy
successful. The existence of the state is an important factor that is necessary for the
functioning of a democracy. The modern polity cannot become consolidated in the event of
the absence of the state. Firstly, there should be the conditions that can develop the lively
civil society that can be said to be integral for the democracy (Stepan, 2018). The self-
organizing groups should articulate the values and create the associations that can aid in
advancing the interests of the groups within the society. Secondly, the development of the
valued political society can be said to be of great importance in the democratic set-up. The
civil society should be demobilized that can allow the developing of the normal democratic
politics (Is.cuni.cz., 2020). The polity should make the arrangements so that it can contest
legitimising right of exercising the control over the public power along with the state
apparatus. The society should constitute itself in the political manner that can help in
monitoring the form of the democratic government. Thirdly, there should be the rule of the
law that can help in taking care of the freedom of the citizens. It can aid the people in leading
an associational life that can be said to be crucial for the formation of the democratic form of
the government (Linz, 2019). It can help in taking up an institutional approach that can help
in building the democracy within the framework of the society. The formal along with the

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substantive feature of the rule of the law can be said to be crucial for the formation of a
democracy.
The rule of the law can play an integral role in ensuring that the civil along with the
political rights are safe that can help in the preservation of the spirit of a democracy.
Fourthly, the presence of the state bureaucracy which can be used by the form of the
democratic government. The normative support from the civil society can create the way for
the establishment of a democracy (Linz, 2018). Fifthly, the presence of the institutionalized
economic society can be said to be of great importance for carrying out a democratic social
order. These parts can be said to be interconnected that helps in forming the systemic model
of the democracy (Sedelius & Linde, 2018). The creation of the groups can help the people
in the advancing of their interests that can set the stage for the democracy. It can pave the
path for the development of the policies that can help in the running of a democracy.
Answer 2)
The proportional representation can be stated to be the optimal approach that can help
in setting the foundation of the democratic system. The system of the proportional
representation can give the minority parties along with the independent candidates better
chance of getting elected. It can help the new voices in being heard and it can provide the
people with the chance of making a difference in the society. It helps in the production of the
coalition government that suggests that more number of the voters can be provided with
representation under the single government (Pukelsheim, 2017). There exists the higher
turnout at the polls that can aid in setting the democratic system in the right order. The
electorate realises that their votes have been counted that helps in strengthening the form of
the democracy. This system helps in taking care of the fact that parties appeal to the core
supporters instead of small number of the ‘swing voters’ in the marginal seats. It helps in
treating the minority parties along with the independent candidates in the fair manner.

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The single member plurality helps in representing the electorate in a better manner as
all candidates can appear on ballot and voters can indicate their own choice. It helps in taking
care of the representation of the plurality of the voters and that all the geographical areas have
the voice within legislature (Kedar, Harsgor & Sheinerman, 2016). It aids in the production
of the single-party majorities within the framework of the legislatures. The proportional
representation system can aid in streamlining the government as it helps in electing
representatives from districts that can aid in the co-ordination of the various activities of the
government. The increase in the party magnitude can encourage the parties in nominating the
women along with the minority candidates for the election. The inclusion of the parties
within legislature can be stated to be essential for the social stability that can greatly help in
the consolidation of the process of the democracy. The system of the coalition government
can force a compromise in between the parties that can create the way for continuity and the
stability in a country.

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References
Forcina, A., & Pellegrino, D. (2019). Estimation of voter transitions and the ecological
fallacy. Quality & Quantity, 53(4), 1859-1874.
Is.cuni.cz. (2020). Retrieved 3 March 2020, from
https://is.cuni.cz/studium/predmety/index.php?
do=download&did=29890&kod=JPM522
Kedar, O., Harsgor, L., & Sheinerman, R. A. (2016). Are voters equal under proportional
representation?. American Journal of Political Science, 60(3), 676-691.
Lin, P. C. (2016). Electorate redistricting for a single-member district plurality, two-ballot
voting system: Taiwan's electoral reform. Yugoslav Journal of Operations
Research, 24(1).
Linz, J. (2018). Some Thoughts on Democracy and public opinion research. In Election
Studies (pp. 83-110). Routledge.
Linz, J. J. (2019). to the Return of Democracy. Religion and Politics.
Pukelsheim, F. (2017). Proportional representation. Springer International Publishing AG.
Richards, D., & Smith, M. J. (2016). The Westminster model and the “indivisibility of the
political and administrative elite”: A convenient myth whose time is
up?. Governance, 29(4), 499-516.
Sedelius, T., & Linde, J. (2018). Unravelling semi-presidentialism: democracy and
government performance in four distinct regime types. Democratization, 25(1), 136-
157.

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Stepan, A. (Ed.). (2018). Democratic transition in the Muslim world: a global perspective.
Columbia University Press.
Wilson, D. (2018). The Place and Purpose of Grand Theory. Polity, 50(4), 590-600.