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.
