Compare and Contrast the Westminster Political System in Britain and Any English-Speaking Caribbean Territory
A comparison of political systems is done to deepen our understanding of our own institutions, as well as to expand our awareness and views on other political alternatives. But what is a political system. David Easton (A System Analysis of Political Life, 1965) defined a political system as that "behavior or set of interactions through which authoritative allocations are made and implemented for society". Simply put it’s a set of institutions and agencies that implement goals of a society. The Westminster system derives its name from the Palace of Westminster, the home of the British House of Parliament. It is a adversarial two party system that utilizes a single member plurality system. The plurality system is easy to understand--voters simply place a mark next to their preferred candidate. The candidate receiving the highest number of votes wins. This allocation rule is referred to as "first past the post." The Westminster political model is evident in many Commonwealth countries to include Jamaica; however it is not necessarily exclusive to them. This presentation examines the Westminster political system in Britain and Jamaica focusing on the separation of powers which according to Professor Vile (Constitutionalism and the Separation of Powers, 1967) divides the institutions of government into three branches: legislative, executive and judicial: the legislature makes the laws; the executive put the laws into operation; and the judiciary interprets the laws. The similarities as well as the differences between Britain and Jamaica are highlighted and consideration is given to the future of the Westminster political model in both states.
BRITAIN
The United Kingdom often called Britain consists of England, Scotland and Wales (which make up Great Britain) and Northern Ireland. Britain is a constitutional monarchy in which the monarch (the Queen) is the head of state but whose daily duties requires her to a larger extent to adopt a ceremonial role.
BRITAIN
The United Kingdom often called Britain consists of England, Scotland and Wales (which make up Great Britain) and Northern Ireland. Britain is a constitutional monarchy in which the monarch (the Queen) is the head of state but whose daily duties requires her to a larger extent to adopt a ceremonial role.