According to Robert Dahl, the existence of political equality is a fundamental premise of democracy (Dahl, 1989:60). Almost all thinkers, left and right, emphasize the importance of freedom and equality. However, freedom and equality mean different things to different thinkers. For example, classical liberalism's equality means only moral equality, which is the minimal equality for most thinkers. Most democratic theorists demand more equality than the minimal, moral equality of the classical liberalist.
With regards to liberalism, it is a broad category of political philosophies that considers individual liberty to be the most important political goal. Liberalism emphasizes individual rights and equality of opportunity. Liberalists believe that people in that market should have the right to own private property or their own business. They also believe that people are selfish, greedy, and materialistic, and that the role of the government should be limited. Liberalism supports equality of opportunity fully, but not so much equality of condition. As put forth by Miroff, Liberalism is a philosophy that elevates and empowers the individual as opposed to religious, hereditary, governmental, or other forms of authority (Miroff, 1997:95). Liberalism features a strong belief in equality and in a government role in reducing racial, class, gender and political inequalities. Within liberalism there are various streams of thought which compete over the use of the term "liberal" and may propose very different policies, but they are generally united by their support for a number of principles, including freedom of thought and speech, limitations on the power of governments, the rule of law, an individual's right to private property, free markets and a transparent system of government. All liberals, as well as some adherents of other political ideologies, support some variant of the form of government known as liberal democracy, with open and fair elections, where all citizens have equal rights by law.
Conservatism in Britain is concerned with maintaining the status quo. The conservative party is often seen as the party of Pragmatism. Conservatives argue that liberalism has removed the traditional mores that informally regulated societies, replacing them with intangible and idealistic principles which are imposed by the liberal-dominated schools, media, courts and bureaucracy. In public life conservatives believe that the power of leaders should be limited. If power is concentrated in the hands of a few people, there is danger that the liberty of the people will be infringed (Williams, 1998:72). John Rawls’ position on the fair equality of opportunity is that we must ‘require not merely that public offices and social positions be open in the formal sense, but that all should have a fair chance to attain them’ (Rawls, 1958:43).
The two party system in Britain ensures that one party has more political majority and authority in government. The UK executive governs subject to the usual democratic checks and balances, provided it commands the support of the legislature elected at a general election (Heffernan et al., 2005: 14). The government in power is indefinitely more powerful than the opposition party and even more so than the largest party in Britain. Heffernan and Thompson state “Now, perhaps more than ever, parties are dominated by powerful and predominant leaderships” and “The parliamentary party, the party at Westminster, has become ever more important than the party at large in the country” (Heffernan et al., 2005: 31).
A fundamental requirement for a future society is greater political equality. While conservatives and liberals stress political equality, socialists emphasize economic equality. Without greater economic equality, they argue, true political equality cannot be achieved. Britain has achieved political equality to some extent; however there are some aspects of the idea that can be improved upon. The wealthy will always have more political power and better access to the protection of the rule of law. Like the democratic ideal itself, and indeed like most ideals, certain basic aspects of human nature and human society prevent us from ever fully achieving complete political equality among the citizens and government of a democratic country. Yet in one of the most profound changes in human history, since the late eighteen century democracy and political equality have greatly advanced around the world (Dahl, 1989:2). Political equality as a goal is desirable, but it is questionable if it is achievable. If we make two assumptions, the case for political equality becomes extremely powerful. The first is the moral conclusion that all human beings are of equal primary worth, that no person is primarily superior to another, and that the good or interests of each person must be given equal consideration. Concluding that political equality is desirable in governing a state, how may it be achieved? It goes without say that the only political system for governing a state that derives its legitimacy and its political institutions from the idea of political equality is a democracy (Dahl, 1989:9). Effective participation, equality in voting, fundamental equal rights and inclusion are just some features required to achieve complete political equality.
Bibliography
Dahl, R.A. (1989): Democracy and Its Critiques. Yale University Press, Connecticut
Jacobs, L.A. (2004): Pursuing Equal Opportunities: The Theory and Practice of Egalitarian Justice. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Miroff, B. (2007): The Liberals Moment. Kansas University Press, USA
Rawls, J. (1958): Justice as Fairness: A Restatement. Belknap Press (2001) ed. Erin Kelly
Williams, A. (1998): UK Government and Politics. Heinemann Educational Publishers
