Are pressure groups good for democracy?
Are pressure groups good for democracy? There are many differing views on the role of the pressure group within the modern liberal democracy. Some political commentators claim that pressure groups led to an imbalance of democracy or a democratic deficit, because people who are members of pressure groups receive more of a political voice than those ordinary members of society whose access to democracy is their vote during elections. The opposite f this is the opinion which claims that pressure groups are not a form of democratic deficit but merely a way of the public getting its opinions herd and a form of communication between public and government. I am now going to analyse the pluralist model, and begin by answering the question what is a pluralist? Pluralists uphold the principle that political power in a liberal democracy is widely distributed, that continual competition between groups and that new groups constantly emerge. The pluralist would claim that the pressure group system is good for democracy as it allows people access to politics all the time as opposed to once every 4 years when an election is held. The pluralist view has four main standpoints. Firstly Pressure groups are an important means of political representation. By joining a pressure group people are able to express their feelings on certain issues and help to
International trade
European Union Agribusiness Teaching Center International Trade Fall 2002 European Union (EU) Abstract This paper is about the EU, its major policies, the key objectives, legislations, instruments for implementing those policies, who the members are, and the institutions involved in the implementation of the trade goals. Key word: European Union; Mission of the EU. Introduction The establishment of the EU intended to work toward common goals of European countries. This free trade zone or economic community was and is very successful which seeks special purposes such as political dialogue, free trade and freedom of movement, economic, financial, and cultural cooperation. Special attention was focused on the trade laws, regulations, and other issues (Kotler, 1999, p. 371). The key objectives are to keep market open, ensure fair trade, enforce the legislation objectively and transparently, ensure trade partners respect WTO legislation, and promote improvements to the system (European Union). The EU provides sovereignty to its Members to act as independent ones on behalf of the EU or in other words to welfare and interest of the Union as a whole (European Union). The integration of the EU after 2nd World War enabled the EU is to raise standards of living, build an internal market, launch the common currency - euro, strengthen the Union's voice in the world. To
Nationalism is inherently expansionist and destructive - discuss
“Nationalism is inherently expansionist and destructive” – discuss Nationalism has often been perceived as an expansionist and destructive ideology due to its somewhat self-centred nature. Unlike Socialism or Liberalism, which focus on what’s best for people generally (be it collectivism and co-operation or equality of opportunity and freedom), nationalism takes a more self-focused approach. The emphasis is on the situation of the nation itself as opposed to all of humankind. However the idea that this is expansionist and destructive is perception, the question of whether this is so in reality can only be judged by considering the forms of nationalism that have been evident in history. Whether in actuality nationalism is a force that encourages nations to behave in an expansionist and destructive manner (both towards other nations and to minorities within the nation itself) is largely dependent on the form of nationalism in question. The central themes of nationalism – belief in the nation, organic community, self-determination and identity – do not in themselves give a presentation of an expansionist and destructive ideology, merely one concerned with pride and preservation. However nationalism is an ideology that can be adapted to fit with various ways of thinking, from liberal to fascist. Within some varieties of nationalism, such as expansionist nationalism,
European Union
. Preface Since the early customs union, the European Union has been keen to create a single market for its member states. In this assignment, I am going to discuss to what extent the European Union has created a single integrated economy for its member states. 2. Introduction From the early Customs Union to the Single European Market to the recent Single European Currency-the Euro, the European Union achieved a lot of successes in the process of creating a single integrated economy for its member states in the last fifty years. Nonetheless, with so many successes, the European Union still have a long way to go to create a true single economy for its member states. For example, there are still significant differences of corporate governance regimes and social/labour models between member states. And the enlargement towards Central and Eastern Europe is another incomplete big task for the European Union. In the following, I am going to discuss, with more details, to what extent the European Union has created a single integrated economy for its member states. 3. Major Achievements 3.1 Customs Union and The Early Enlargement In 1948, the Benelux--a customs union in industrial goods was formed by the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. After the Treaty of Paris and the Treaty of Rome were signed, the customs union comprised Benelux, France, Germany and Italy and was
Electoral Systems.
Electoral Systems. First-Past-The-Post How the System Works: The current system for electing MPs to the House of Commons is called First-Past-The-Post. There are 659 separate constituencies across the UK each electing one single Member of Parliament. In order to vote you simply put an 'X' next to the name of the candidate you support. The candidate who gets the most votes wins, regardless of whether he or she has more than 50% support. Once members have been individually elected, the party with the most seats in Parliament, regardless of whether or not it has a majority across the country, normally becomes the next government. The system is used: for elections to the House of Commons and local elections in the UK and in USA, Canada and India. Arguments used in favour: * It is simple to understand. * The voter can express a view on which party should form the next government. * It tends to lead to a two-party system. The system tends to produce single party governments, which are strong enough to create legislation and tackle the country's problems, without relying on the support of any other party. * It provides a close link between the MP and their constituency. * The system represents the views of the people, as the candidate with the greatest support wins through a fair process. * The UK's democracy is one of the strongest in the world, it works and since
Political Parties
Political Parties Questions (a) What is the purpose of a political party? (5) A political party is an organisation that seeks to win political power by putting up candidates for election. They mobilise support in order to win power. They offer differing policy positions across the political spectrum in order to give the electorate a diversity of choice when voting in an election. For example, the Labour Party traditionally believed in providing extensive help for the working-class and trade unions. Furthermore, political parties help to get people active in politics by creating local organisations in every UK constituency. This is very useful for political parties looking to recruit new members. (b) By what means do MPs seek to serve their constituents? (15) MPs are elected by their constituents to represent their local and national interests in Parliament and elsewhere. They achieve this through several means available to them. One way is through the media. Evidently, the media is a force that can influence many people. In 1997, journalist Martin Bell ousted Neil Hamilton from the Tatton constituency - his aim was to rid Parliament of the 'Tory sleaze' from the Major years. He used the media very effectively during his campaign. Another example of an MP using the media for politics is George Galloway's appearance on Celebrity Big Brother. This enabled young people to
"Presidents have only the power to persuade" discuss.
"Presidents have only the power to persuade" discuss. The president of the United States of America is seen around the world to be the most powerful man on Earth. However, many believe that his only real power is the power to persuade. The checks and balances of congress and the Supreme Court over the president are great, and without their support he has relatively little power. A president cannot get any legislation passed if he does not have the support of the senate and or the house of representatives. If a president wanted the US to sign a new treaty, the senate would have to ratify it with a 2/3 majority. If a president wanted new legislation, he must submit it to congress and persuade both houses to vote for it. The president cannot pass legislation without congress, and it may be checked by the supreme court. Once the president has submitted the piece of legislation, he can only try and persuade both houses to go along with it. There is no system by which the president can pass legislation without the checks and balances of congress. The president supposedly has the power to submit the annual budget aswell, however, as with other legislation, this must be checked and approved by a majority in both houses of congress. As far as legislation goes, the presidents options are very limited. The last two years of Clinton's presidency he faced a republican controlled
To what extent do pressure groups promote pluralist democracy?
[To what extent do pressure groups promote pluralist democracy? 25m] By Mati Saidzai 12N Pressure groups are organised groups of people who are united by a common cause or topic. They do not seek for power instead they wish to influence and change the policies and views of government. They also try to get the public involved and they seek to influence and change their opinions and views too. Pressure groups have different classifications. One could be sectional pressure groups which are described as interest groups, who usually represent limited, specific interests. An example of this could be Unite, Britain’s biggest trade unions that represent general workers. Another classification could be insider pressure groups; they tend to have close and established working relationship with government. An example of an insider pressure group could be the RSPCA who consult with ministers and Parliament on animal welfare. The definition of insider and outsider pressure groups was created by Wyn Grant and considered pressure groups from the perspective of their relationship with the political establishment, the government and civil service. Pluralist democracy is a particular type of democracy, which operates with numerous organised groups who all have some political power in the decision making forum. Pressure groups promote pluralist democracy as there are a numerous amount of
To what extent do Pressure groups undermine democracy?
Q) To what extent do pressure groups undermine democracy? Supporters of pressure groups claim that they enhance pluralism in our democracy and make our democratic system much more effective as a result. However some political scientists claim that many organized groups can undermine the policy making process since they are dominated by people with vested interests concerned only to improve the relative position of certain groups within society. Supporters of liberal democracy believe that its main elements make for a relatively effective and representative political system. In liberal democracies, States represent the interests of societies as a whole rather than the interests of the minorities. Therefore, pressure groups are needed for the representation of citizens' views on particular issues relating to their own personal well-being or their believes. As a result of the resources at their disposal, pressure groups can represent individuals more effectively than they could do themselves, a point which may be especially relevant to more disadvantaged individuals such as the poor or the disabled and to minority groupings such as immigrants. It is possible that pressure groups can address controversial issues which political parties might initially seek to avoid and likely also that as new issues reach the political agenda new pressure groups can be formed to address these
To what extent does Parliament control executive power?
Transfer-Encoding: chunked To what extent does Parliament control executive power? Executive is the branch of government that is responsible for the implementation of laws and policies made by parliament. They hold a substantial amount of authority and responsibility and have the ability to enforce legislation, formulate government policies and govern general maintenance. Alongside the PM, the cabinet and all the ministers form an alliance together to form this exclusive body of executive power. The parliament consists of the House of Lords and the House of Commons, which includes various party representatives, Lord Hailsham stated that the UK has an ‘elective dictatorship’, implying that executive is able to dominate the legislature, meaning that they used to have more power than parliament, but many things have changed so has parliaments power, but it can be improved. There has been a strong argument that parliament does control executive efficiently. Standing and select committees, are chosen by an independent body as of 2010 under the Bercow and Wright reforms, which are able to act by an independently from the executive, often giving greater power to backbenchers, junior ministers and the H.O.L committees peers and therefore scrutinising department effectively; the H.O.L committees perhaps to an even greater extent given the greater time and expertise involved.
