The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Politics (159 page)

Descriptively, majority government means a government formed by one party with a majority over all other parties in the legislature, a condition most likely to be fulfilled under
two-party systems
. When used normatively, it refers to the belief that a government formed in this way offers the most effective and accountable form of government. Proponents of this view would argue that parties should have the maximum opportunity to implement their policies once they are in office, both because this makes the electoral choice made by electors meaningful, and because it leads to consistent and coherent policies. The merits of such a form of government are often emphasized by opponents of proportional representation who see electoral reform as reducing the chances of one party forming the government without engaging in bargaining with other parties. Such bargaining is seen as diluting the coherence of party policies, and diminishing the link between the elector and the government, while the poorer survival prospects of multiparty governments for a legislative term are seen as undermining political stability. So-called majority governments often, however, lack the support of a majority of an electorate, and may be less willing to take account of views of minority groups, or respond to evidence that their policies are not working. One party majority government was once viewed as the desirable norm, but this is no longer the case.
WG 

 
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In the US Congress the majority leader is the congressman or senator selected by the majority party to organize the passage of legislation. The Senate majority leader controls the legislative schedule, sets party strategy and is the party's chief spokesman. The House majority leader, although subordinate in rank to the
Speaker
, has an important role in organizing the passage of legislation. Minority leaders organize the minority party's strategy, and are the party's main spokesmen in Congress.

 
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Widely used as a synonym for ‘universal franchise’ (for instance in the slogan ‘No independence before majority rule’ or NIBMAR, which was the British Government's position on Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, in the period leading up to the unilateral declaration of independence by the white minority regime there in 1965). As this instance shows, it is easy to recognize what is not majority rule, but harder to say what is. ‘Majority’ means ‘more than half’; but most political choices involve more than two people or courses of action, and therefore no one may have the support of as many as half the electors. What then is majority rule? This is a deep and still unresolved question, for which see further
Borda
,
Condorcet
,
democracy
, and
impossibility theorems
.

 
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Maladministration in UK public administration was defined by Richard Crossman , the minister responsible for legislating in 1967 for the UK parliamentary ombudsmen, as ‘bias, neglect, inattention, delay, incompetence, ineptitude, perversity, turpitude, arbitrariness and so on’ leading to perceived injustice. It refers to defective administration rather than defective policy. However, in practice, administration and politics are hard to distinguish and over time ombudsmen have taken an increasingly flexible approach to accepting complaints for investigation. By 1987 over 5,000 complaints of maladministration had been investigated by the parliamentary commissioner, the proportion in which a complaint was upheld rising from around 10 per cent in the late 1960s to over 30 per cent in the 1980s. The health service ombudsman generally investigates little more than 100 complaints per year. By far the heaviest load is shouldered by the local commissioners for administration. The commissioner for Wales receives over 200 complaints per year; the commissioner for Scotland 600; and the commissioner for England over 4,000. They prove about 200 cases of maladministration leading to injustice each year. The relative significance of these figures as a barometer of competence in public administration is impossible to state, but the very practice of investigation of maladministration has provided a legitimation for public provision made necessary by the shortcomings of the convention of ministerial responsibility and the problems of other forms of redress of grievance.
JBr 

 
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(1925–65)
Black radical leader prominent in the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska, he became a Black Muslim (Nation of Islam) convert whilst in prison in the 1940s. Released in 1952, he subsequently became the principal lieutenant of Elijah Muhammad , the leader of the Muslims. Suspended from that movement in late 1963, he was assassinated in 1965. For most of his short political career, Malcolm X was a devout, totally loyal follower of Elijah Muhammad, espousing his leader's unorthodox version of the Muslim faith and the political doctrine that went with it. This included an emphasis on black pride and black culture; elaborate schemes to promote black rehabilitation and self-sufficiency; abstention from the political process; and a rigid commitment to separatism. As a strident and vivid spokesman for the Black Muslims, Malcolm X bitterly denounced the moderate, integrationist strategies of
civil rights
leaders such as Martin Luther
King
. The violence of his rhetoric alarmed many white Americans, but although he regularly used incendiary language as an attention seeking device and as a means of awakening black consciousness, he was careful not to advocate violent methods by blacks, except in self-defence.
Towards the end of 1963 Malcolm X became increasingly frustrated by the fatalism and the narrow sectarianism of the Muslim faith. The break with Muhammad gave him the opportunity to set up new organizations of his own, the Muslim Mosque Incorporated and the Organization of Afro-American Unity. He now abandoned political abstentionism and urged upon blacks the need to organize voter registration drives and to develop political unity in order to exploit their pivotal position in elections. During this latter period Malcolm X's commitment to separatism also appeared to waver.
While he was alive, Malcolm X's skills as a communicator allowed him to have an impact on the United States far in excess of the relatively small number of African Americans who could be counted as his followers. In death, he has become an even more significant figure. For young blacks especially,
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
is a classic work and its author a symbolic figure of great importance.
DM