INTRODUCTION
Is it the change in political culture that generates the greatest challenge for democracy in the United Kingdom? That was the question I was asked to answer for this paper and through my research, I have concluded that the political culture provides the greatest challenge for the democracy because it is always changing on the basis of imperialist ideals, the problems with the class system and the changes that Tony Blair made.
DEFINITIONS
Social cleavages are divisions that can come from religion, ethnic diversity, race, and economic class that in turn interact with the political system. It is measured by how many people are getting along with each other, how people react towards policy; the number of revolts or riots in the country can also measure it. This affects the democracy in the United Kingdom, however, not enough to be considered the main reason for problems.
Inherited institutions are described as what is inherited from the previous regimes. For the United Kingdom, this is described as imperialism, colonization and even the monarchy. It can be measured in Britain and Northern Ireland by how much influence these institutions still have on the country. These institutions play a large part in the challenge of democracy, but not by themselves. They show through the microscope of political culture.
Political culture can be described as the set of beliefs and opinions people share about their government and social responsibilities. In the United Kingdom, it can be measured by what people think of the government and what they are doing to improve it. These problems play the largest role in the challenges because they are affected by all three compartivist ideas.
As you can see thro...
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...he one thing that is ever changing: political culture.
Works Cited
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"Trudeaumania" was arguably the most significant Canadian example of the important role culture plays in achieving political power. The course text Introduction to Politics, defines power as "the ability to make others do something that they would not have chosen to do" (Garner, Ferdinand, Lawson & MacDonald, 2009). The same text defines political culture as "the totality of ideas and attitudes towards authority, discipline, governmental responsibilities and entitlements, and associated patterns of cultural transmission such as the e...
Scottish devolution, with its advantages and disadvantages, is the best example of how great political and social changes can be achieved not through bloody revolution but with the patience, intelligence and hard work of a united country but is still a work in progress.
Hall, S., 1988, The Hard Road to Renewal: Thatcherism and the Crisis of the Hard Left. London: Verso.
When it becomes necessary for a group of people to break away politically from its fathering countries they should declare, in writing, as to why they are taking the action.
During the 1970s and 1980s, Britain was going through a difficult time and the Government was facing many problems; a lack of free markets, the public’s lack of support and a failing economy. People were unhappy and unsatisfied and for many people living in Britain, Margaret Thatcher was the reason why.
Margetts, H. John, P. Weir, S. Latent Support for the far-Right in British Politics: The BP and UKIP in the 2004 European and London Elections. Paper Presented to PSA EPOP conference: University of Oxford, 2004.
The Irish and British governments fought for many years over the ownership of Northern Ireland. Britain had main control over Northern Ireland, and Ireland did not think that was fair. Be...
A Political Culture is a set of beliefs and practices held by how a person shapes their political behavior, and a person’s attitude about how the government should function. This includes moral judgment, political myths, beliefs, and ideas about what makes a good society.
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The United Kingdom is formally called “United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.” Government in the United Kingdom is considered to be Parliamentary. Although it is parliamentary, it is also described as being “majoritarian.” Parliament in the UK works a little different than the United States; the people of the U.S. are allowed to elect their president. In the parliamentary system the people elect who will be in the legislature, and the legislature then selects who the next prime minister will be. Then, once the prime minister is selected he choses members of the cabinet. This system creates a quick and easy political decision-making by popular majority. In this essay we will discuss the strengths and limitations the majoritarian government of the UK. One of the strengths of majoritarian government is perhaps that it is the fastest to pass or veto legislation, however there are limitations or weaknesses also like it lacks checks and balances from the House of Lords, and the disadvantage that the smaller parties have when it comes to elections, and not having a set calendar date for elections.
George, S. and Bache, I. 2001.Politics In the European Union. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
While electoral systems do have an impact on the proportionality of electoral outcomes and to a lesser degree on the shape of party systems, it is not realistic to expect a change in electoral system to transform the style of politics in a country. For example, PR-STV was not responsible for the economic boom in Ireland and neither is it responsible for the economic crisis. In their cross-national study of the impact of a number of political reforms, including change to an electoral system, Shaun Bowler and Todd Donovan (The Limits of Electoral Reform, Oxford University Press, 2013) strike a cautionary note, arguing that such reforms tend to have minimal or zero impact. Expecting an electoral change to result in a transformation in the style of politics in a country is completely unrealistic. It is far too easy to blame PR-STV for the happenings in our country, the power is with the people and, therefore, it is down to us to try to create the best possible government that we can. In the words of Martin Luther King Jr. “and so we shall have to decide to do more than register and more than vote; we shall have to create leaders who embody virtues that we can respect, who have moral and ethical principles we can applaud with enthusiasm.” (Martin Luther King, Jr. Quote,
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The political culture of a country is the basic values, attitudes, beliefs, and ideas of the people t...