To what extent is Britain a liberal democracy?

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 Politics

   Assignment one 

To what extent is Britain a liberal democracy

Student's name: LU ZHEYU (MERCURY)

Student number: LUZ11125509

Lecturer's name: JOHN BARRY

Submission date:

Through a long way of development, current democracy separate to two main forms. The direct democracy is describe the people are directly involved into making decisions. Relatively, representative democracy is defined instead people making decisions by themselves they elect specific number of people to represent them to making decisions.

Liberal democracy is a form of representative democracy where citizens are given certain rights and freedoms. It is a system of governing a country meanwhile the power of the government is limited. A liberal democracy is combine three basic types of power the first is legislative. In the United Kingdom the Parliament plays a same role to make new laws and to reform those already in existence. Second is executive power, in the United Kingdom this power has been granted to the government and its department. Last is judicial power, in the United Kingdom, these ranges from the House of Lords, the high-test appeal court, to local courts over control magistrates. These power is use to explain laws and to make judgments about whether people have been broken or not. In addition, separate power is a main feature for a liberal democratic country, because of separate power makes a stable and clean presidential system, and other presidential system can overthrow dictators and tyrants. Generally, separate power push the different parts check each others, make sure no individual can occupy a position during long time even reinterpreting the Constitution.

Thus, according to professor Bentley said the UK, like the USA and other members of the EU, is a 'liberal democracy'. (BENTLEY, 2006) However, there are several argues such as low voter turnout, long history constitutional monarchy, etc. There are all shows United Kingdom is not a complete liberal democratic country. This essay will analyze and assess whether Britain is a liberal democratic country.

As a liberal democratic country should have more features. Civil liberties is one of the main features, it is describe citizens enjoy in relation to the state and its laws. (McNaughton, 2010) Generally, it means citizens can have right to enjoy the high extent of civil liberties like freedom of speech, freedom of association, movement, and property,etc. And also include social freedom like abortion and divorce. In the United Kingdom, people enjoy those basic rights even they thought themselves freer than most people in the world. Meanwhile it also due to Parliamentary strong support, if any measures published form the government and it harm to liberties, Parliament has been as usual unwilling to allow them to do that. Thus in the British political culture, civil liberties had a solid foundation.

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In particular, when 1984s, Data Protection Act came to aim to gives citizens the right to see the contents of any computer file that contains information about them. (BENTLEY, 2006) Despite that, it also could help to correct those wrong personal information in police records. However, the original Freedom of Information Act was designed to give considerable powers to citizens to see government papers.(BENTLEY, 2006) Because in a liberal democratic country, the government cannot keep secrets to public except the national defense, that meant the public have right to check and scrutinize the government. Thus, free media and press ...

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