Many people in this world believe that Britain has a “Majoritarian” government, a government that is run by the beliefs and views of the majority. This though is not true as Britain is not truly run by the majority as there are many groups that exert independent influence and power over the government. Despite this though many still consider reasonable to call the British government a “Majoritarian” government as it is substantially “Majoritarian” because of this the government does have some strengths and limitations that are a direct result of this unique structure of government it has. The British government is considered by many to have a Majoritarian government as many believe that the people have the majority have the most power in …show more content…
One major advantage is that they represent the majority so many laws and policies they pass or advocate is aimed to help or protect them making it easier to pass and get set up. Another example, despite there being numerous ways for the minority to exert there influence in politics at times they can never truly have control in politics as the majority party will always maintain its ideals and beliefs as it’s there to represent the majority and should they begin to drift from that they can easily be removed by the majority should they believe that their views are not being upheld. In fact should they want they could dissolve the entire parliament and elect each seat all over again (Parliament.UK) 3. Another advantage is that they can easily switch between beliefs should the majority want as the majority votes for the party. This was seen when voters went from a primarily socialist party to the Conservative party that was led by Margret Thatcher who dissolved the socialist policies in the UK after her election. Basically the advantage is that policy making is easier and keeping the populace happy will in theory also be easier as they are serving the majority and their
While government as an institution can be used for benevolent purposes, George Orwell’s novel 1984 contends that when taken to an excess in the form of totalitarianism, government becomes dangerously self-serving.
To assess the flaws of the British government, we should start with how they run their government: by monarchy. A monarchy passes the power and responsibility of running a kingdom down by blood relatives. This can give power to those who are hated, unfit to rule, or plain incompetent for such a role. The tradition dates back to centuries where people thought their monarchs were godlike. However, the current King of Britain seems less like a divine god and more like a creature that crawled from the
Power, is a small word with a strong meaning behind it. Being able to control anything and everything is what everyone seems to want in today’s society, everyone wants power. The government is the guiltiest of being power hungry. They want to be able to control everyone in the country, taking away the rights that our country was founded upon. This concept of the government wanting to take over its people is similar to that of Big Brother. Big Brother is the party that controlled the people, in George Orwell’s, Nineteen Eighty – Four. Nineteen Eighty – Four was published in 1949 where Orwell predicts what might come to Great Britain if the government, and surrounding governments, kept up with the way it was behaving. In 1949, World War
Pressure Groups have become increasingly important in liberal democracies in influencing and raising awareness of their group’s particular causes or interest. This essay will assess wither or not pressure groups are more powerful than the government in Britain. To fully understand if pressure groups are more powerful than the British Government we much take into account the varying classifications of pressure groups, define what is meant by power, the different way pressure groups influence public option, the arguments for and against pressures being more powerful than the British Government and also the power government holds which pressure groups do not. The main argument of this essay is that although pressure groups do have some influence and power in today’s society but they are still not as powerful as the British Government.
Paun Akash, Robert Hazell, Andrew Turnball, Alan Beith, Paul Evans, and Michael Crick. "Hung Parliaments and the Challenges for Westminster and Whitehall: How to Make Minority and Multiparty Governance Work (with Commentaries by Turnbull, Beith, Evans and Crick)." in Political Quarterly Vol 81, Issue 2: 213-227.
A1. England was run by a Parliament and per history had very limited involvement of the monarchy or direct rule by the king. As well as the colonial legislatures; members were elected by property-holding men and governors were given authority to make decisions on behalf of the king. This system our leadership and how it controls its people the reason many
We live in a very diverse society, observance of the rule of law is the best way that can guarantee that our basic human rights are preserved, successful government at home is operating and a fair progress on the international level is maintained. Basic principles of the rule of law go back to Dicey’s theory, which states that there should be an absolute supremacy of regular law, no one should be above the law and that the Constitution is the result of the ordinary law of land. There is no clear meaning of the rule of law; therefore it is essential that the government maintains the basic principles of the rule of law that were established by the philosophers who feared the concentration of power in one’s hands, on order to prevent tyranny. Rule of Law cannot exist without a transparent legal system, the main components of which are a clear set of laws that are freely and easily accessible to all, strong enforcement structures, and an independent judiciary to protect citizens against the arbitrary use of power by the state, individuals or any other organisation. Only if each branch has influence and retraining functions on each other, can the parliamentary machine function properly and give the effect of the rule of law without imposing any tyrannical or arbitrary power by a specific institution, which would infringe the main principles of the rule of law. The issue would arise if there would be very weak separation of powers with a strong concept of parliamentary sovereignty at the same time. The power of judicial review ensures that officials act within the scope of their legal powers and that individuals have an effective way of obtaining remedies if their rights were violated. Although UK is said to have an efficient system of...
1984, a book by George Orwell, offers an alternate reality for what the future could have been. The concept of a totalitarian society is but a far off, if not long dead, ideal. In the past totalitarianism was not just an ideal but an actual living, breathing menace to people of the late 1940s. Totalitarian governments would go to horrific lengths in order to sustain and increase their power. In the novels 1984, by George Orwell, and Anthem, by Ayn Rand, propaganda, class distinction, and naivety are explored in fictional societies. Orwell’s and Rand’s stories are based on dystopias and the individuals of those societies who dare to stand out. George Orwell uses Winston Smith, the timidly rebellious protagonist; The Party, the ruling government; and Big Brother, the face of The Party; and Ayn Rand utilizes Martyrdom, the sacrificing of oneself; Naming, a process using words and numbers as a means of identification; and Collectivism, everyone is the same and refers to themselves as we, to illustrate how dangerous a naïve working class, spin and propaganda, and an unacknowledged class distinction can be in a society.
Total governmental control is what countries have been seeking since the beginning of civilization. With the complete control over governmental affairs a totalitarian government can function to an exemplary degree of efficiency. The people are left out of the decisions and they are not to be worried about worldly affairs because the government makes all the decisions and gets objectives completed quickly and without hesitation. In George Orwell’s “1984” the dangers of a corrupted totalitarian government are illustrated through the plot of Winston Smith, the main character whom decides to challenge The Party’s power and authority after he commits a thoughtcrime. Also when Orwell published his novel he released this statement to protect his intentions, “My recent novel is NOT intended as an attack on Socialism or the British Labour Party (of which I am a supporter) but as a show-up of the perversions to which a centralized economy is liable and which have already been partly realized in Communism and Fascism” (Bloom 44). As Orwell states, he is not attacking any forms of government or countries that seem similar, he is simply alerting us to the dangers of a totalitarian government and the effects it can have on society. George Orwell uses contradictions throughout his novel and these contradictions seem to be the very backbone of The Party. The totalitarian government in the novel, otherwise known as The Party, achieves the goal of absolute power of their kingdom at the expense of the attributes that set human beings apart from animals. The Party achieves this goal through the destruction of history, language, and intimacy.
take it anymore. But when there is a long train of abuses and attacks it is the people's right, it is their duty, to get rid of the government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. The same as these colonies have patiently suffered; the same that now forces them to change their old systems of government. The history of the present king of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and attacks, all contributing to the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states. To prove this, let facts be submitted to an honest world.
In Mellon’s article, several aspects are mentioned supporting the belief that the prime minister is too powerful. One significant tool the prime minister possesses is “… the power to make a multitude of senior governmental and public service appointments both at home and abroad,” (Mellon 164). Mellon goes on to state the significance the prime minister has when allowed to appoint the government’s key member...
Furthermore, a totalitarianism based government is a dictatorship, on in which the dictator is not limited by constitutional laws or further opposition. "Big Brother is watching you" (Orwell 3). Why is Big Brother so concerned with the surveillance of its citizens? In 1984 the journey of one individual, Winston Smith is narrated. His life characterizes the recklessness and deprivation of totalitarian...
The British public’s view on the monarchy has changed tremendously over the past two centuries. Because of this, the monarchy’s social and political roles have been steadily declining. The reasons behind this are the Great Reform Bill of 1832, growing political parties, and the actions of the Royal Family.
England’s government also has a few similarities with ours. Even though there government is a monarchy and ours is a republic. Their current leader is Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen of England is more of a symbol than a ruler. The actual ruler is a cabinet of people. The head of the cabinet is the Prime Minister. England also has a law making body, which passes all the laws. They are like our congress. The capital of England is London and the government buildings are located in a region of London call Westminster.
It is well known that the British political system is one of the oldest political systems in the world. Obviously, it was formed within the time. The United Kingdom of the Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the constitutional monarchy, providing stability, continuity and national focus. The monarch is the head of state, but only Parliament has the right to create and undertake the legislation. The basis of the United Kingdom’s political system is a parliamentary democracy. Therefore, people think the role of the Queen as worthless and mainly unnecessarily demanding for funding, but is it like that?