What influences our political thoughts

First of all, it is our family that shapes our first political preferences and attitude towards power and role in the society. Depending on how open our family is. Some of the parents may be quite tolerant with guy relationships, for example, some of they may not be so familiar with it. And here, the first political thought can be created like following (or not) the New Labour party that “likes its conservative predecessors” and their traditional family values.

Secondly, our friends and colleagues can become our pressure groups, they may influence the way we dress, our musical taste or even attitude towards sex. Then there is obviously our education, through which the hidden message dictates where the children belong in the society (history about Kings and capitalist values- providing training foe work at schools as an “investment good”). There is also The Arts (print, Bible, educated work force) and Advertising (free market capitalism- “if everyone buys and sells wisely, all will be well”), playing a crucial role in our lives. The Advertising industry is trying to get to our heads and shape our desires as well as it is directly involved into politics as the Parties are investing vast amounts into selling themselves to the voters.

The Religion is a very significant element in our lives. Thanks to the English Reformation Church and the State were formally connected as the Church of England headed by the monarch ( Bishops sit in the House of Lords; monarch is crowded in the Westminster Abby). In 1980-90s Britain was under the influence of the Anglican Church as the “Conservative Party at Prayer” whose leaders were attacking neoliberal policies (Brits against support for US plans to attack Iraq).“Religion socialises people into accepting inequality and purveyed patriarchal values.” However, nowadays Britain has a little room for religion. “Faith in science replaced faith in God and Sunday shopping has replaced churchgoing.” Religion stands for non-capitalist values (9/11 attacks were seen as attacks on western materialism).

Finally, the press, Britain is quite a small country thus, most of the newspapers are national. They are divided into quality press- broadsheets and the working class-tabloids. Broadsheets readers seam to be best informed about politics, whereas, tabloid fans are not so much politically acknowledged. Tabloids, however, are at the moment most popular amongst both classes.

Referance: Kingdom J. (2003) Government and Politics in Britain
Winchester University Journalism Course People and Politics

Local government is as important as the Whitehall

“The strength of free peoples residents in the local community. Local institutions are to liberty what primary schools are to science.” Alexis de Tocqueville

Division between executive and legislature is described constitutionally.
The local level government level is represented by Town Hall (law making and tax raising powers), which runs the counties. The Town Hall’s legitimate authority is more limited than Whitehall. Local authorities are “multi- functional”and provide most state services. (protective, environmental, personal, recreational, commercial, promotional and regulatory).
Whitehall is the executive power in the UK government and it can over-rule local government. The Town Hall is also able to seek judicial review. There is quite a steady shifting of responsibilities, money and power from Local to Central Government.

Local governments aim to support the central government, it works for and on behalf of councils including “lobby government, opposition parties and others for changes in policy and legislation” as well as building a “strong and positive reputation for local government with the public.” It is also important for them to “support councils and their partnerships to continuously improve and be innovative.” They provide service at a “national level which support and are complementary to the regional and local support that councils receive.”

In fact local fulfils so many functions that, it is thought that, “In general we suffer from too much government- especially local government.” Norman Tebbit

References:
Winchester University Journalism Course People and Politics lecture week 5
Kingdom J. (2003) Government and Politics in Britain
http://www.local.gov.uk/lgv2/core/page.do?pageId=1
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/index.htm
http://www.gwydir.demon.co.uk/uklocalgov/localtxt.htm

UK and its institutions- important facts

The classic definition of the sovereign’s power today is defined as “THE RIGHT TO BE CONSULTED, THE RIGHT TO ENCOURAGE, THE RIGHT TO WARN”.

UK has become Liberal Democracy after 1930 (there was no votes for women till then). UK is a constitutional monarchy and no parties (apart from terrorism) are illegal (pluralism). UK Government is based on two principles, Rule of Law (arrest without trial – terrorism legislation; Civil Law) and Separation of Powers (Constitutional division of government functions).
UK has three (four*) sections of the Constitution known as Estates. Legislature (Monarch in Parliament which contains of the House of Commons, House of Lords and Role of Monarch in WESTMINSTER), Executive (Prime Minister in Cabinet, WHITEHALL), and finally, Judiciary (independent courts determine, common law, interprets Acts of Parliament) which is headed by the Lord Chancellor who also sits in the Cabinet – THE HIGH COURT (The Strand). There is also additional fourth estate- Press (journalists), which is created thanks to freedom of speech, freedom of expression act.

Whitehall is incredibly important, it rules government, regulates relationships and limits the power in the UK. Its features are described by ‘fundamental law’, it is organic and flexible. The sources of the UK constitutional law are Statute (laws written, Magna Carta, 1215); Common Law & Interpretations. Further more, Conventions allow it to rule with ‘royal prerogative’, Quinn can arrest anyone, when a State act it acts on Royal Authoritative, which means that it is an active tool working. Works of Authority is the next feature; it is ‘Parliamentary Practice’ governing rules of House of Commons. Lastly, there are European Treaties, The English Constitution, and Introduction to the Law of the Constitution.

References:
Winchester University Journalism Course People and Politics, UK institutions and Whitehall
Political junkies http://www.ukpol.co.uk;House of Lords www.parliament.uk/works/lords.cfm; Government News Network www.gnn.gov.uk; Guide to the government www.number10.gov.uk/output/page30.asp

How british politics deals with its problems

"The truth, Sir, is that we have a chaos as regards authorities, a chaos as regards rates, and a worse chaos than all as regards areas." G.J. Goshen, House of Commons speech introducing bills to reform local government (1871)

References:
Winchester University Journalism Course
Politics in Britain by John Kingdom
People and Politics Module

Would ‘A-priori’ ideology serve today’s society?

“Cogito Ergo Sum” I think and therefore I am (Descartes)
Empiricism as a direct sense of experience, literal evidence of existence, leads to a constant chase after the proof.
John Locke, known as a father of Empiricism, and also as Dr Locke (as he qualified as a medical practitioner) once said “Don’t blindly follow conventions or authority, look at the effects and think for yourself.”
When he left school, he became involved in both, politics and medical research. He worked on his philosophical master peace during the Glorious Revolution in 1688, called “An essay concerning human understanding”.

Rationalism is exactly opposite idea, it’s about figuring the man and A priori (meaning at the beginning) is based on rationalism. It uses logic and is quite independent from sensory experiences. Materialists would argue that matter comes first and ideas arise from that matter, however idealists would say that a matter comes after ideas.

Empiricism leads to a “scientific method and highly effective technological advance” in society.
Empiricism drives technological development. Technology is changing our lives, it is a root to everything. we are living in the era of Digital Revolution which has evolved thanks to the technological developments, it can be quite surprising how highly demanding people can be in this rapidly the changing environment. A priori thought would definitely be not enough for modern society. In modern society, empirical approach to reality seams a lot more reasonable and reliable to base a thought or idea on.


References and inspiration:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5jwktbnrZY&feature=related
Winchester University Journalism Course People and Politics, Lecture week 2 and research for the essay.

People and Politics, Pluralism

Nature of the state is the most important political concept. British State is about force and no one can opt out of it.
“The state benefits and it threatens", now it is “us” and often it is “them”. "It is an abstraction, but in its name men are jailed, or made rich on oil depletion allowances and defense contracts, or killed in wars.” (Ref.2)

Civil society plays an incredibly important part in the country.
“The strongest is never strong enough to be always the master, unless he transforms strength into right, and obedience into duty.” Jean Jacques Rousseau, The Social Contract (1762: ch.3)

The Dynamics of life is a relationship between the state and the society.
People living within the state are part of the society, being a part of the society they can create independent groups that are not ruled by the state.
All organisations created within the civil society are voluntary, civil forms of organisations and the state does not interfere in them unless the breach of law.

People start up or join up certain groups to express their various views and beliefs. (Churches, Clubs, grade unions, professional associations etc). With the moment they want to make a change or be influential through the group, their groups become pressure groups or effective pressure groups (Greenpeace). All of them coexist independently from the state and legally. Thanks to the pluralism in the state all the groups are allowed to work within the society helping the voices being heard.

If the state didn’t allow for the existence of the independent organisations and pressure groups the state would become totalitarian. We would have totalitarian society- and that is, as we know from history no good.

In totalitarian society everything is controlled by only one organisation, very often political part that runs everything. There would be no way to disagree with the state.
Just like it happened it the Nazi Germany, Russia or even with the ruling of Sadam Hussain.


Referances:
Winchester University Journalism Course People and Politics
Dunleavy, P. Oleary, B. (1987) Theories of the State, The politics of liberal democracy and the lecture about the Civil Society and Pressure Groups.

Western Politics, ancient voices about obeying the State

Aristotle believed in the doctrine of human nature as being priory to creating rules. Understanding the human’s behaviour becomes easier if we look at it through imperfections that go with the human's nature. Political science for him is fused with ethics it is fully controlling and obeying the state should be a natural response from a citizen for belonging to the state. “The man’s happiness depends on being a “citizen of a well run polis or city–state”.

Socrates developed the thoughts of who should rule, how and why should they rule- this made him hesitate if the democracy is the best form of political system.
Socrates was a friend and teacher of Plato, he constantly examined peoples beliefs and convictions.

Plato believed that “a specific form of political organization is especially justified in that it is most in accordance with our nature.” Thus, the state functions as an “organic whole”. And to keep the organic whole, certain rules need to be obeyed.

It is important to obey the state, the ancient voices say, as that helps to keep the State as a well functioning and profiting organisation.


Inspired by :
Winchester University Journalism Course People and Politics, lecture week 1;
Roberts,P. Sutch,P.(2004) An Introduction to Political Thought and Kingdom, J.(2003)Government and Politics in Britain

People and Politics- Anniversary of the 3rd May Constitution in Poland

Discovering other cultures and their political history

In 3rd May 1791 Polish parliament announced the signing of the Constitution. It was the 2nd codified constitution in the world as it was set soon after the US Constitution (1788). It was also the first Constitution in Europe. Effectively, it lasted only for a year, until the Russo- Polish War of 1792.

The Constitution was aiming to improve the situation in the country after the “1st Dividing period in Poland”, stabilising the bases of the new system in Poland (System of Golden Liberty).
Thanks to the Constitution the Liberum Veto rule was abolished that previously put the parliament at the mercy of any deputy who might choose, or be bribed by an interest or foreign power, to undo legislation passed by that parliament. The three powers were introduced to the state, Judiciary (parliament and ministers), Executive (monarch as a head of the country and his so called ‘guardians of the law’) and The Court Power (Legislature). Poland became a Constitutional Monarch based on power spread and democratic election (candidate chosen with the most of the votes).

In the first stage, the new law about so called “small parliaments” (parliament gatherings) was introduced, in 1791. Poland was still divided into states but the aristocracy influences on the election, state’s ruling and Senate were reduced. Lower classes (city classes/in between middle and lower class) were allowed to purchase their own goods, lands and properties. State’s power became more centralized keeping its immunity from The Crown and Lithuania (neighbors). The Government became more stabilized, the army and treasury more reliable. The parliament election was set to be every two years, and every 25years there was meant to be a gathering for the Constitution improvements.

Catholicism was still the ruling religion, however the tolerance for other faiths expanded.

This Constitution was seen to be incredibly important and meaningful as the ‘free election’ was banished and after the death of the last King (Stanislaw August) the crown would be inherited by his child and in case if the royal dynasty died out, the aristocracy could choose the next candidate who would start a new dynasty. It was a significant achievement for the Polish nation as it aimed to keep the country’s independence and secure the political and economical development for the future.

Winchester University Journalism Course People and Politics