United+Kingdom's+Freedom+Report

Freedom House

Political Rights Scores- 1 Civil Liberties Score- 1 Status- Free

Spain and the Marshall Islands are also free

Political Rights- With a strong tradition of democracy, the British parliament is internationally one of the most legitimate governments. The United Kingdom is an electoral democracy that allows all adult citizens to both vote and hold political office. All votes are counted equally in determining the makeup of parliament. Recent elections in the UK have been judged both free and fair, without undue politically motivated delays. The UK's first past the post system has a long history of use, imparting legitimacy to the system. Citizens are allowed and encouraged to participate in campaigns, interest groups, and the free media. Corruption is limited in the UK, despite some recent political scandals. Still, the presence of and outrage at these events demonstrates the independence of the media and its unrestrained role in checking the government. The UK has recently taken moves towards developing an independent judiciary and thus cementing a genuine separation of powers. The UK's bureaucracy is relatively just and the government has little to no influence in the political process.

Civil Liberties- Citizen property rights and education opportunities are reverently protected. Traditional freedoms of speech, press, religion, and assembly are protected by the tradition of common law. The state owned press, BBC, is ideologically independent and competes with the private sector. For the most part protests operate freely, and even organizations that criticize the government are even allowed to exist. The police and courts run smoothly and justly with very few news making exceptions. However, the UK is one of the strictest nations in the world in regards to its anti-terrorism laws, denying terror suspects many of the rights given to other potential criminals. Minorities, immigrants, and women are all treated equally under the law. (the only exception being immigrants who are more often accused of terrorist activities).