Assignment on Politics (major constitutional changes) - Essay Example

?Assignment POLITICS' After elections, the government became the first formal coalition since the second world war . The Coalition has been made between Liberal Democrats and The Conservatives .Both parties now have the same plan for the government as they give promises about solving different issues in the UK . As such many new reforms have been proposed and implemented in this new political environment. This essay will discuss the political changes that have been presented by the new coalition government. One of these changes is tax changes . According to (Redston,2010), this change is "the most radical for a decade", and it affects everyone whether they are rich , poor , unemployed or employed . People think that the policy of increasing the tax-free personal allowance to 10,000 GBP is too much , but this policy allows an individual to keep more of his income before tax, and decrease the need to the government money .It is like a roundabout, as the government take from a hand and gives from another hand .In line with this, the coalition government is planning to increase the National Insurance Contributions (NICs) for employers, leading to the protection of jobs and increase a few of revenue (Redston,2010). As a start the coalition government is attempting to change the taxes system . Additionally, changes have been proposed for gains taxes. In these regards, it’s understood that the capital gains tax would be raised from 18% to 40% for all non-business assets. After taking control the coalition government decided on a number of areas that they would work to change. One such area is banking. In terms of banking they decided to attempt to reform financial measures, such as too large bonuses (“Policy-by-policy: The Coaltiion,” 2010). They also want to change banks by dividing between separating the retail and investment parts. In terms of business the coalition government is trying to make the economy more suitable for small businesses. They are going about doing this by trying to make the rate relief automatic and make the tax system more easy with allowances. Finally, they want to replace the Regional Development Agencies with Local Enterprise Partnerships (“Policy-by-policy: The Coaltiion,” 2010). Another major area they are trying to reform is in terms of civil liberties. Within these changes perhaps the largest is the introduction of a Freedom Bill. This bill does away with, “ID cards, the National Identity register and the ContactPoint database, and halt the next generation of biometric passports” (“Policy-by-policy: The Coaltiion,” 2010). Still, a growing number of critics have noted that the coalition government has not gone far enough in establishing civil liberty reforms. It’s noted that, “the people with the passion, audacity and sacrifice who set the Freedom Bill in motion are being sidelined” (“The coalition government,” 2011). Another civil rights aspect is the implementation of consumer protection measures. This included banning excessive interest rates on credit cards and placing a seven-day wait period for store cards. Furthermore, credit card companies will need to provide better information to consumers and put it in electronic format so they can figure out if they are getting the best deal. A large amount of consideration has also been given to local and community government change. In these regards they have proposed a freeze council tax in England for an indefinite period. They also are trying to have mayors elected directly from the 12 largest English cities. They also are trying to stop the general restructure of councils throughout many parts of Great Britain. Local and community crime is another major area of concern. Health and safety laws and being amended through ‘common sense policing’. Greater levels of transparency are also being developed in terms of crime and policing. For instance, local police agencies are now being required to publish statistics about crime and crime rates every month. New attention has also been given to stopping the selling of alcohol below the cost price. Shops that are found to regularly sell alcohol to people under the age limit will be permanently shut down and there will be a much larger fine for under-age alcohol sales. A prominent consideration is the new coalition government’s response to the Eurozone economic crisis. British Prime Minister David Cameron said that he will not sign any European Union treaties economic treaties that aren’t in the best interest of the British. He says that current economic treaties that have been developed to help to Eurozone crisis do not go far enough in protecting the single market and the UK financial services sector ("Eurozone crisis: Pm," 2011). Currently, the Eurozone is trying to rewrite a treaty that would work to better unite the European countries. The United Kingdom coalition government must approve this change though and they have objections. Still, another members of the coalition government it’s believed may be attempting to engage the United Kingdom in a disagreement that would lead to them leaving the European Union ("Eurozone crisis: Pm," 2011). This becomes a major issue not just for economics, but for a number of coalition government policy measures. There has been a significant degree of criticism of changes introduced by the new coalition government. A large amount of criticism has occurred regarding changes in defence. The coalition government has instituted a number of large spending cuts that limit defence strength. Another major criticism has occurred regarding education. While the coalition government had set out to reduce costs and curb tuition rates, thus far it’s argued they have been unsuccessful. One critic even noted, “students will be forced to choose between substantial debt or flipping burgers A huge knowledge and social mobility gap beckons (“The first year,” 2011). The coalition government also tried to reform National Health Service. In these regards, it’s argued that Conservatives and Liberal Democrats were not able to agree on any constructive path forward and have since had to stop the reform measures. A great amount of criticism has occurred in terms of economic elements. From an overarching perspective, there has been a rising rate of inflation in the last few years that has been attributed to the coalition government’s ineffective economic policy (“The first year,” 2011). Unemployment has also greatly risen. While a large part of this rise can be attributed to the European Sovereign Debt Crisis and Western economic recession, it’s also noted that the coalition government has contributed largely to cutting government jobs, such as policemen, teacher, and firefights. This has contributed to the high unemployment. Tax considerations have also received prominent criticism. It’s believed that for the poor the tax rate is too high, while other corporate entities are almost completely able to escape large taxes. In conclusion, this essay has examined the United Kingdom’s coalition government in terms of political changes that have been implemented. In this context of understanding, it’s revealed that in large part the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives have come together and put in place many policies. These policies include reforms of tax policy, economic structures, civil liberties, and local and community governments. Still, while there are a lot of changes, criticism has emerged that indicates the government has not gone far enough in instituting important reforms. Ultimately, it’s clear that while the coalition government has made progress they still have a long way to go. References Eurozone crisis: Pm 'may refuse to sign eu treat'y. (2011, December 6). Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-16048131 The coalition government is introducing major constitutional changes. (2011). Retrieved from http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/2010/10/29/the-coalition - government-is-introducing-major-constitutional-changes-but-does-not-have-a-coherent-overall- constitutional-strategy-the-results-will-not-provide-a-stable-basis-either- for-british-libert/ The first year of coalition government . (2011, May). Retrieved from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/the-first-year-of-coalition-government-2281956.html Policy-by-policy: The coalition government's plans . (2010, May). Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8693832.stm Redstone, A. (2010). New government: All change for personal finances. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10111201 Read More