...How democratic is the UK political system? In the UK we have a political system which is, essentially, democratic. As there are some 63 million people living in the UK, complete democracy – whereby the public decide on everything – would be impossible, as there would need to be constant referendums. Representative democracy means that elected politicians represent each constituency in the country; this aims to be a democratic system where each politician acts in the interests of their constituents. However, this system could be undemocratic as each MP belongs to a specific party, and therefore could vote on behalf of their party rather than with the opinions of the constituents. Although Britain is a democracy, some people and institutions which have power have not been elected by the people. This could be seen as undemocratic. An example of this is the House of Lords; the members are unelected, yet still hold power as bills cannot be passed without being considered by both Houses. The House of Commons could be viewed as more democratic than the Lords, as all MPs are elected, for example Ian Lucas was elected as the MP for Wrexham. The UK has a ‘first past the post’ electoral system. Many seen this as undemocratic as it allows a political party to gain seats in parliament even if another party had thousands more votes. An example is the Green party, who gained a seat in parliament with around 300,000 votes in the last election. UKIP had over three times this amount of...
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...authoritative, highest law of the land. Binds all political institutions – leads to 2 tier legal system ▪ Provisions of it are entrenched, difficult to amend or abolish ▪ It is judiciable, all political bodies are subject to authority of the courts, in particular a supreme court. o Uncodified – increasingly rare, UK one of few ▪ Not authoritative, constitutional laws treated same as ordinary laws ▪ Not entrenched, constitution can be changed through the normal process for enacting statute law. ▪ Not judiciable, judges do not have legal standard to declare that actions of other bodies are constitutional/not constitutional. o However: ▪ No constitution is entirely written, written documents do not encompass all aspects of constitutional practice ▪ No constitution is entirely unwritten, no constitution consisting only of rules of conduct or behaviour. • Unitary and federal o Unitary – establish constitutional supremacy of central government over provincial and local bodies. Reflected in UK via Parliament o Federal – divide sovereignty between 2 levels of government, both central and regional posses a range of powers that the other...
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...------------------------------------------------- The relationship between Modern Conservatism (UK) and Classic Liberalism In the UK Margret thatcher was the true pioneer of modern conservatism. Thatcher had completely shifted the party to the right. This was known as the new right. The party had adopted many ideas off classic liberalism due to this it was fair to assume that Margret thatcher might have been a classic liberalist. Mainly down to the reason because its central theme is an extreme form of individualism. Both Margret thatcher and classic liberalists believed that humans are egotistical, self-seeking and largely self-reliant creatures. They both believed in negative freedom. Negative freedom to its most basic form means an individual is only free when the state leaves them alone to do whatever they wish. Thatcher said there is “no such thing as society.” She argued that individuals had to take responsibility for their own lives. She thought it was pointless to blame society for ones problems. She famously said that “it is our duty to look after ourselves and then also to help look after our neighbours”. The point thatcher was trying to get across was people would have less incentive to provide for families and communities if the government took on the responsibility. Instead government shouldn’t interfere but let natural self-reliance and charity to flourish. Classic liberalists differ from this they exaggerate extreme liberty as thy believe individuals don’t...
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...various cultural traditions, beliefs, food etc. can be seen as either already having a permanent place within other societies or as being slowly integrated. Simply, globalisation can be seen in the food we eat and the products we buy. The advancements of new technology, the ability to book a flight cheaply and the influence of international media corporations means that various parts of the world are becoming more westernised and increasingly multicultural – Like the UKs. While this may sound like a good thing in theory, it can be argued that globalisation can cause fundamentalism in response, meaning that some groups of people and individuals respond to globalisation in a hostile way as they see the introduction and integration of various other cultures as threat, to what they see as, their own dominant culture. Steve Bruce identified one function of religion as creating cultural defence. When applied to a context of globalisation and fundamentalism it can be said that some communities feel that their culture and identity is threatened not by individuals but by alternative ideals and beliefs from other cultures. For example In the 50s Western capitalist powers had significant influence in Iran, which in turn resulted in the implementation of pro-Western regime. In 1979 there was a revolution in protest to the regime and an Islamic Republic was created. Though this is an extreme example, on a smaller scale similar can be seen within countries like the UK – such as the rise...
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...what extent have the modern Conservative Party abandoned their traditional policies? Conservatism is a state of mind or political movement which is natural adverse to excessive change and reform and generally supports the retention of traditional values and institutes. The current Conservative government however is more in the centre rather than further to the right, due to the new tradition that emerged in the 1790’s, under Margaret Thatcher called New Right conservatism, or Thatcherism. There is great debate as to whether the modern conservative party have retained any of their traditional, original policies. One way in which the modern Conservative party has abandoned its traditional policies is the role the state takes in the country. Traditionally the role of the state was limited, with little economic or social intervention, linking directly with the Conservative idea of change should be avoided, however the modern Conservative party has taken the view that the state places a key part in increasing opportunities and reducing poverty, with less regulation at a local level. This directly abandons the traditional policies as this policy aims for the state to help socially - through reducing poverty and economically - through acting more quickly on things. This can be seen as a good thing however, as people prefer to see the government taking a more involved effort, which is not what the traditional policies of the Conservative party believed the role of state should be....
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...levels of autonomy for the different areas (units) within the nation-state, whereas federalism usually requires each unit to have the same powers. It's not right to think that devolved states (such as the UK) are highly centralised, it was actually brought in specifically to decentralise the UK and Spain, turning them from highly unitary states to what have been dubbed 'quasi-federations'. Devolution is increasingly viewed as a modern type of federalism that allows flexibility, as opposed to the more rigid "traditional" federalism. Only 2 countries really use devolution (UK and Spain), with most federal systems using traditional federalism in one of two forms: federation (strong federal government), or confederacy (weak federal government). It is also wrong to think that devolution means the upper/central government can abolish the lower levels or force them to comply: In the UK all political parties recognise the democratic legitimacy of the devolved institutions and their right to govern within their spheres of responsibility. Each was established after the people voted in referenda to create them, and no british government could remove them. Obviously Britain has no written constitution forbidding this, but the constitution based on tradition has now established a tradition of holding referenda to implement radical constitutional change. Britain sort of operates on the beleif that constitutions aren't strong because of the paper they are written on, but rather because they are...
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...Two major issues have divided competing traditions and tendencies within socialism. The first is the goals or ends for which socialists should strive for and the second is the means they should use to achieve socialists ends. The two variations of socialism which focuses on the means are revolutionary and evolutionary socialism while the two that focus on the goals are fundamentalist and revisionist socialism. Revolutionary socialists believed that socialism could only be introduced by a revolutionary overthrow of the existing political system which was, in most countries, capitalism. The first successful socialist revolution was the Bolshevik revolution in 1917, which served as a model for subsequent generations of revolutionary socialists. Revolutionary socialists seek a mass uprising of the working class to seize control of the economy and create an egalitarian society based on common ownership. However as the 19th century progressed, enthusiasm for popular revolt waned in advanced capitalist states such as western Europe. Capitalism had matured and the urban working class lost its revolutionary character. Wages had increased and the working class had more rights and better working conditions. Therefore, evolutionary socialism developed, which believed that socialism would develop naturally and peacefully out of liberal capitalism. The Fabian Society introduced parliamentary socialism in the UK and they believed that socialism could be introduced through political action...
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...In 1997, the British airline brought in a total of 130 million passengers and 17.9 million tons of cargo. By 2015, that total is expected to surpass over 300 million passengers. Great Britain is a legitimate kingdom. The constitution does not exist on paper but a centuries-old gathering of statutes, judicial decisions, usage, and tradition. The inherited monarch, who belongs totally to the Church of England according to the Act of Settlement of 1701, is completely limited to the following of ceremonial functions as the head of state. The two main parties are the Conservative party, came from the old Tory party, and the Labour party, which was established in 1906 and is very socialist. The Liberal Democrats, formed by the union of the Liberal and the Social Democratic parties is a less powerfull third party. Both Scotland and Wales have nationalist parties whose purpose in life is the to reach the independence from...
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...Should the Electoral system used in general elections in the UK be reformed? The election system that we currently have in the UK is a lot like marmite, you either love it or you hate it… There are many different arguments for and against this system, however people forget that within getting rid of the First Past the Post system, you will then need to then replace it. This then poses the vital question of which is the best fitting system and should we really change tradition? First past the post is a simple plurality system which requires the plurality of votes to win: that is one more vote than the second candidate. There is no requirement to obtain the votes cast. In contests involving three or more candidates, the winner may fall well short of an overall majority. MPs are elected in a single member constituencies. Each of the 650 constituencies in the UK elects one representative to the House of Commons. There has been a long running debate on this issue, as there are other electoral systems being currently used I the UK for other things for example the Supplementary vote used the elections of the London Mayer. People argue that one of the other electoral systems could replace the First past the Post, in May 2011 a referendum was held asking the public if they would want to change to the system to AV. This was a resounding ‘no’, which makes the question of a possible reform purely hypothetical at this moment in time. Was this because people do in fact like the FPTP system...
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...CONSERVATISM Key concepts 1) Hierarchy and organic society * The term ‘organic society’ refers to a belief, which became entrenched in traditional conservative thought in the latter part of the 19th century. * It was a reaction against the rise of liberal individualism. * It proposes that society is more than merely a collection of individuals, but it is a single entity. * We are connected to each other through our humanity and common membership of community. * Organic society is seen as a reality, which is superior to our own, individual interests. * The ideal organic society – where goals and aspirations of individuals coincide with the goals of the whole society. 1980s – Margaret Thatcher famously challenged this remarking that there “is no such thing as society”, implying that the goals of individuals are superior to those of society as a whole. * Traditional conservatives believe that there is a ‘natural’ order into which each individual fits. * It is normal and natural that society should be divided by a number of strata. * The very rigid feudal system had long since disappeared, but there remained a belief that some kind of class system was inevitable. * Hierarchy like this supports organic society in that it creates an order and stability, which the individualistic society lacks. * Different parts of the hierarchy have different roles that complement each other. * This implies inequality, but an ordered inequality, and one in which...
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...opinion is the industrial revolution. Leading the global movement of industrialization made the UK today a prosperous country. Citizens enjoy their civil liberties according to the Human Rights Act 1998 which gives further effect to the European Convention on Human rights in the United Kingdom. The Kingdom of Morocco is the most politically stable country in the Arab World. The Alaoui Dynasty reigned and governed the country for several centuries and is still the central pillar of the Moroccan state. The Monarchy is believed to be the rationale for the exceptional stability of Morocco, and few Moroccans would argue the contrary after the events of the “Arab Spring”, yet the country has a long democratization process to achieve. The constitutional reform that was launched by His Highness the King Mohammed VI is a decisive step for Morocco to become a democratic state. Comparing the political systems of the United Kingdom and Morocco is an interesting subject of study. Both countries are very old monarchies but share only some few characteristics. Throughout this essay, we will try to compare the political systems of the UK and Morocco according to the following subjects: the monarchy, the legislative, the executive, and the judicial branches. II. Body A. The Monarchy Also referred to as the Crown, the British Monarchy is an important aspect of the UK’s political traditions. According to the uncodified Constitution of the United Kingdom, the Monarch is the Head of...
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...quality life UK, as a developed country, undoubtedly has a high quality of life and owns important international influence because of its strong economy and military. How does one island country become so powerful? The suitable environment, democratic politics system and colorful culture constitute the great country. UK’s nice environment not only be good for local people’s quality of life, but also influences the economic development of UK. First of all, UK has ample natural resources, the strategic resource played important part in UK’s history. For example, British took advantage of the abundant coal and oil finished its industrial revolution quickly, right now, UK’s CO2 emissions has been declining because it has finished its industrial transformation. It means UK has entered into era of science and technology, they do not need to spend much money on solving the CO2 pollutions, they can focus on the development of healthcare or education to improve British quality of life. In addition, the suitable environment is good for people’s health, so every year there are lots of aliens moving to UK because of the comfortable weather. For example, over 590000 immigrants moved to UK in 2010, but only 339000 British moved out UK, so there are about 252000 net migration came to UK in 2010(http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15868793). It means UK’s high quality of life indeed attracted other countries’ people, also, these immigrants inevitably brought vast assets to UK, they use their...
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...BUSINESS CULTURE OF UK K2014 5/1/2014 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In this executive report, key cultural benefits of UK are evaluated. When we intend to start business in any country it is very crucial to have knowledge of business culture of the country. Culture defines the complex of distinct elements from a spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional point of view, which describes society or a social group. Furthermore, the culture includes not only art but literature as well as the community’s way of life, the fundamental human rights the values systems, the traditions and the beliefs. A businessman or an entrepreneur must have knowledge about the business custom, legal and political issues to get competitive advantage. He must analyze economic, investment or market areas and also identify the customer preferences, living standards, income pattern, GNP, GDP, inflation rate and tariffs etc. This country-specific research gives a comprehensive description of British business culture which will be helpful to interact more effectively with British clients and colleagues. TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction ----------------------- 03 Culture objective ----------------------- 03 - 04 The Culture Analysis -----------------------...
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...Minister enjoys certain privileges and powers that the rest of the executive. The Prime Minister is the most important figure in the UK political system, there is debate to the extent of he or she’s power; the PM draws power from a number of sources. The extent to which these powers are harnessed and used is dependent upon a number of factor, but in reality the PM can gather an incredible amount of power from the traditions, conventions and laws which regulate the post of Prime Minister. The post is seen as providing “National Leadership” and is therefore the pre-eminent position in UK politics. The Prime Minister is first and foremost an MP. This affords them legitimate power to act as they see fit on behalf of the electorate. Moreover, they have also been democratically elected within their own party, therefore they have a mandate to rule. The principle job and source of power for the PM is to set up a government. Ratified by the Queen this gives the PM the power of patronage. They can hire and fire; this gives them control and power over the careers of party members and peers. As a result party member and ministers want to impress the PM and often agree with his or her policies. Much of the PM’s power comes from being able to “hire and fire”. Although this does come with constraints; firing members of the cabinet can cause tensions within the party. However, substantial reshuffles have secures a PM’s power such as Blair’s. In addition during a coalition government management...
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...there were two or more 'winning' parties at the 2010 general election. The Conservatives are head of the government and the Liberal Democrats are deputy. By having a coalition government the two parties have to change their ideologies and come up with ideas that fit them both. Evidence shows that the coalition government hasn't forced the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats to revise their traditional ideological stances, this means that they haven't changed their traditional values so they can run government together. An ideology is an 'ism', a more or less coherent set of ideas, values and theories that help to explain the world and guide political action. The conservatism is the set of ideologies that the Conservatives believe in. Conservatism is an ideology that is defined by a 'desire to conserve'. It has traditionally been suspicious of abstract principles or developed theories, preferring instead to place its faith in tradition, experience and history. The defining values of Conservatism are; tradition, this means that they respect ideas, practices and institutions that have been passed down from one generation to the next. They also believe in human imperfection, the belief that people are security-seeking creatures and also morally flawed. Finally they believe in hierarchy and authority, they think it would be better to have a 'top-down' social organisation as it is natural and beneficial. There are two kinds of conservatism in the UK, One Nation conservatism and Thatcherite...
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