The Structure of the Political System in Britain - Essay Example

Politics: Why Center Parties Have Failed to Have a Greater Impact on British Electoral Politics Since 1945 When it comes to the United Kingdom, it is important to recognize the fact that the politics here take place in the framework of a constitutional monarchy. This is very different than anywhere else in the world, and their legal system in general is incredibly vast and different than those in the West. Since as far back as the 1920s, the Labour Party and the Conservative Party have been the most well-established and popular in British politics, and the constitution here is uncodified, meaning that it is made up of constitutional conventions and statutes, as well as various other elements. Although there are definitely many advantages to the structure of the political system in Britain, there has been great controversy and debate over the questionable matter of why center parties have failed to have more of an impact on British electoral politics, in particular since the start of the 1940s. In response to this, there are various issues that need to be taken into consideration, and the aim of this paper is to further discuss this matter, as well as the reasons and situations which can be used to explain this troubling situation. This is what will be dissertated in the following. The arrangement of government across the United Kingdom in general is considered as being rather complex and confusing. Presently there are some areas in England that are covered by parish councils, while many others, namely community councils, exist in Scotland and Wales. This is certainly nothing new, however, as British local government has been subject to major restructuring since as far back as the early 1940s. Prior to the mid-19th century, the Whigs and Tories pretty much dominated politics in Britain, the Whigs having been associated with the newly emerging industrialized classes, the Tories more with the landed gentry. The Whigs are often described as being one of the most popular political parties ever to reign in Britain, and although they were certainly present in the 1940s, they did not truly evolve until the late 1980s. The Whigs and Tories basically dominated the political scene until around 1920, which was about the time that the Liberal Party began to decline in terms of its popularity, and the Labour Party then stepped in to sort of take their place here, and since that point in time, it has been the Conservative and Labour Parties who have held the title of political domination in Britain. The Conservative Party is actually the second largest political party in the UK today, and as well the oldest in UK history. In regards to current policies, conservatives are "generally supportive of reduced government intervention in most matters. They are also noted for stance against further EU integration Conservatives hold a varying record of opposition and support on parliamentary devolution to the national the English regions of the UK. They opposed devolution to Wales and Scotland in 1997, whilst supporting it for Northern Ireland." (The British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 2006). The Labour Party, on the other hand, has been recognized as the principal party of the left in Britain since the late 1920s, and it is also known for being the largest party in the Welsh Assembly. Although these center parties do certainly still have an effect on British electoral politics, it has easily been recognized that this effect is much less impacting than it was a half century ago, and this issue is quite obviously one of great importance and necessity. The problem with party finance is one issue in particular which is considered as having played a major role in this situation, and the study of party finance as well as the resulting consequences are thus critical to take into account here. Parties have been continuing to spend more and more money over the years, and this has resulted in causing a number of different problems, in response to which several bills have actually been passed. One in particular is the Finance Bill, which was introduced by the UK government shortly after the Budget, with the primary aim of bringing the government's tax proposals into law. It is considered that "The Finance Bill is so complex that many amendments to the bill are suggested not only by the opposition parties but also by the government and The Finance Bill is briefly debated in the Lords but peers cannot amend it as the House of Lords has no power to amend bills dealing with public taxation." (BBC, 2007). The Labour Party in particular has been experiencing serious cash flow problems, and there has even been a cash-for-honours investigation, which began early this year, and the inquiry has since even been widened, in order to include some of the other parties in the investigation as well. Another issue here is that of how Nestle, the well known chocolate manufacturing brand, has been posing a problem for the Labour Party. "Nestle has carelessly bought cocoa from plantations that use child slave labour," says Bama Athreya, executive director of the International Labour Rights Fund. "We saw child slave labour on these farms." (The Independent, 2007). Another incredibly significant explanation put towards the reasoning of why center parties have failed to have a greater impact on British electoral politics since 1945 involves race relations. After all, although there have certainly been a few key moments in Britain's history that have shown dramatic improvement in the respect and consideration given to this matter, there are still some critical related issues that need to dealt with, and as of yet, no center party leaders, or any other party leaders for that matter, have really stepped up and taken control of this matter. This is very significant and even detrimental overall, especially considering that only in the last fifty years or so have Blacks and Asians really settled into Britain within any great number, and even at this point they are more of a minority here than anywhere else in the world. Perhaps the most remarkable and surprising thing of all about this is the fact that no one really seems to have recognized this fact until it is blatantly explained to them. Most people do not understand just how non-mixed a country Britain is until given specifics. There are a few examples in Britain's history in particular relating to race relations that should be noted, one being the Empire Windrush, which refers to the arrival of the cruise ship entitled Empire Windrush, which arrived at Tilbury Docks in 1942. this was a very momentous occasion in British history because it basically marked the onset of moden day mass immigration to Britain. Then there is the Race Relations Act of 1976, which was one of the most dynamic and promising solutions to the issue of race that Britain still has ever experienced. This Act really enshrined many of the laws on discrimination that are still in place today, most of which are now taken for granted. The Race Relations Act applies to Great Britain and makes racial discrimination unlawful throughout the country. More specifically, it applies to fields of employment and housing, as well as to the exercising of public functions. Taken directly from the Race Relations Act, we see that: "3. In section 1 of the 1976 Act (racial discrimination), after subsection (1), insert- " (1A) A person also discriminates against another if, in any circumstances relevant for the purposes of any provision referred to in subsection (1B), he applies to that other a provision, criterion or practice which he applies or would apply equally to persons not of the same race or ethnic or national origins as that other, but- (a) which puts or would put persons of the same race or ethnic or national origins as that other at a particular disadvantage when compared with other persons, (b) which puts that other at that disadvantage, and (c) which he cannot show to be a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim. (Office of Public Sector, 2003). It is easy to understand, after reading this, why center and other political parties in Britain have failed to have a greater impact on British Electoral politics, especially since the 1940s in particular, as there have really been no major improvements or even changes in regards to some of the most significant and critical issues. Whether the problem lies in the fact that politicians are frightened to move forward or be the one to introduce the change, this is really debatable in any regards, however the fact still remains, regardless, that something does need to be done in order to alter this way of thinking. There are some incredibly serious potential problems facing Britain, particularly in the near future, and so not only the general population of Britain but of the world in general is starting to take more notice of this and make the issue of politics in Britain one of more importance. One of the potential problems that are likely to strike in the coming years involves rising shares of national income which are taken by public spending and taxation, and this can really be expected, considering how dramatically taxes have already been altered in recent years. Then there is also the continuing issue of the problems involving Afghanistan and Iraq, both of which Britain is still playing a major role in, much to the dismay of the majority of the population. This is because their participation here has had a very negative and detrimental effect on their country overall, and it is a potential nightmare if changes are not made soon here. There are very significant challenges that Britain is going to have to overcome here, especially since it is such a complex environment, particularly for a country such as Britain, which has not been this seriously involved in this sort of thing before. Overall from this review we are able to blatantly see that there are a number of different significant and critical issues that need to be dealt with in regards to British politics, and in the next few years at the most there needs to be at least one center party that steps forward and brings these issues to point and makes amends to deal with them. It is the first step that is going to be the hardest, but if politicians and the public in general want there to be more of an impact on British electoral politics in general, then this is something that is going to have to be done. Works Cited Art, R. J., & Jervis, R. 2006. International Politics: Enduring Concepts and Contemporary Issues. Boston, MA: Longman. Baylis, J., Smith, S., & Owens, P. 2004. The Globalization of World Politics: An Introduction to International Relations. London: Oxford University Press. BBC. 2007. 16 August 2007 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/default.stm The British Journal of Politics and International Relations. 2007. 16 August 2007 http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/editors.aspref=1369-1481 Denhardt, R. B. 2005. Public Administration: An Action Orientation. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing. Hopkin, Jonathan. 'The Problem With Party Finance'. Sage Journals, 10 (6), 627-651: 2007. The Independent. 2007. 16 August 2007 http://news.independent.co.uk/people/pandora/article1616672.ece Office of Public Sector. 2003. The Race Relations Act 1976 (Amendment) Regulations. 18 August 2007 http://www.opsi.gov.uk/ Steans, J., & Pettiford, L. 2004. Introduction to International Relations: Perspectives and Themes. Boston, MA: Longford. Read More