Scottish Devolution.
SCOTTISH DEVOLUTION On 25 March 1707, the Scottish Parliament met for the last time in Edinburgh and just over a month later it had moved 400 miles south to unite with England to form the Parliament of Great Britain. However, Scotland had managed to retain its very distinctive identity while enjoying the benefits and problems of a wider political association because it has maintained its own legal system, educational structure and local government from 1707 to the present day. Scottish (and Welsh) nationalism flourished in the late 1960s and 1970s and was sustained in the case of Scotland by visions of Scots taking all the North Sea oil revenues. ("It's Scotland's oil"). Many of those who voted for the SNP did so as a form of protest vote against the apparent incompetence and mismanagement of the economy by both Labour and Conservative governments, rather than because they wanted to see the break-up of the United Kingdom. This can be shown by the result of the 1979 Devolution debate. Although a slight majority voted for devolution, not enough people for the vote to be carried, (the West Lothian question). As a result, the word "devolution" has never fully regained its popularity in Scotland. Home Rule, which does not carry the implication of something being 'handed down' from Westminster, is now used by those who want change that stops short of full independence. Calvert
'Pluralists and Marxists provide fundamentally different accounts of the distribution of political power'. Discuss.
'Pluralists and Marxists provide fundamentally different accounts of the distribution of political power'. Discuss. There are numerous distinct differences between the pluralist and Marxist accounts of the distribution of power. Pluralists emphasise that political power is not concentrated in the hands of one particular group, but instead, it is dispersed among a number of different groups. They argue that political power can and should be regarded as analytically distinct from economic power. In contrast, Marxists argue that there is a ruling elite that economically dominates and exploits the rest of society. However, the two approaches should not be seen as static entities, there are in fact important areas of overlap and convergence between some pluralist and Marxist concepts. The main thesis of the pluralist argument is that political power is dispersed and not concentrated, therefore ensuring an open political system in a responsive state. This dispersion of power is assisted by the presence of a large number of groups. However, pluralists do recognise that there needs to be certain features in place to ensure that a pluralist political system prevails. Firstly, there is a need for social pluralism, which prevents majority tyranny, however, although this is a necessity, it does not in itself constitute a pluralist political system, this also requires seven
The United Nations.
Lauren Skinner PSC110 March 8, 2004 The United Nations The name "United Nations", coined by United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt, was first used in the "Declaration by United Nations" of 1 January 1942, during the Second World War, when representatives of 26 nations pledged their Governments to continue fighting together against the Axis Powers. In 1945, representatives of 50 countries met in San Francisco at the United Nations Conference on International Organization to draw up the United Nations Charter. The Organization officially came into existence on October 24, 1945, when China, France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, the United States and a majority of other countries had ratified the Charter. The Charter is the constituting instrument of the United Nations. It sets out the rights and obligations of Member States, and establishes the Organization's main parts and procedures. The purposes of the United Nations is to maintain international peace and security; to develop friendly relations among nations; to cooperate in solving international economic, social, cultural and humanitarian problems and to promote respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms; and to be a center for harmonizing the actions of nations in attaining these principles. The six principal parts of the United Nations are the General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and
To what extent was popular pressure an important factor in determining the progress of the campaign for parliamentary reform in the period 1780-1885?
To what extent was popular pressure an important factor in determining the progress of the campaign for parliamentary reform in the period 1780-1885? The demand for political reform within the United Kingdom was an issue that had been raised in the middle of the 18th century as Parliament before 1789 had reflected medieval circumstances, where numerous English counties, for example Cornwall, sent only a fewer number of MPs to Parliament than Scotland. Large industrial towns such as Manchester and Birmingham, consisting of 320,000 people, did not send a single representative to the upper chamber of Parliament. In a country whose population exceeded 24 million in 1831, only 500,000 were enfranchised and many were open to influence by social superiors or were victims of outright bribery. This underlines the undemocratic nature of the Parliamentary and Electoral system, as land was the basis of wealth and prestige. Support for Parliamentary reform increased alongside the French Revolution as political consciousness was raised but the public were divided in what they wanted. However, popular pressure also was an important factor in determining the progress of the campaign for parliamentary reform even though initially the reform movement was not unified with different groups having different objectives. The British radicals had made a strong case for political reform. The French
To what extent is liberalism compatible with democracy?
To what extent is liberalism compatible with democracy? Liberalism has an ambivalent relationship with democracy, as liberals are against collective power, but support political equality. In the nineteenth century liberals were often opposed to democracy as they saw it as a threat to individual rights - the people are not a single entity but rather a collection of individuals with different opinions and interests, and so it is impossible for every view and opinion to be respected. Since the twentieth century most liberals have come round to the idea of democracy, and support it, but they still have reservations. Liberals defend democracy for a variety of reasons. First of all it ensures public accountability. This gives the people a degree of protection against governments becoming too strong. Liberals believe in limited government, and democracy provides this system, as the government is accountable to the people. Although most liberals would agree that government is essential in order to defend the rights of the people, it can also be seen as a threat to individual liberty, so people need some form of protection against it. According to John Stuart Mill, 'the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilised community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others'. Therefore, the role of government is to protect the liberty of
Votes For Women.
Votes For Women Question One A Campaign for women's suffrage developed in the years after 1870 because of the disadvantages women had in the community. Women in these times were considered as second class citizens. Women created this campaign because they wanted to be ordinary citizens and have an equal status to men. Although they sought independence, men were skeptical and objected to them saying that they were more likely to vote for the best looking man or would take most of their time choosing what dress to wear. In the 1800's, both rich and poor women had to depend on men when it came to money. Husbands practically owned their wives, the property and earnings all belonged to the husband and they would always keep custody of the children when divorced. Men were even allowed to imprison their wives in his own home. Many working class women had to go to work whilst many rich and upper class women stayed at home which signified that their families were better off than others. Women were there to obey their husbands and please them, if not they had the authority to beat them. Another reason which contributed to the foundation of the campaigning for Women's Suffrage was the poor education system for girls. All children were taught to read and write but in 1878, 'Domestic Economy', a new law was introduced which meant giving girls lessons in washing, ironing and various
What did Nationalism mean to the revolutionaries in Italian and German lands in 1848?
Assignment for Term One Revolutions What did Nationalism mean to the revolutionaries in Italian and German lands in 1848? Index * Introduction............................................page 4 to 4 * What did nationalism mean to the revolutionaries in Italian and German lands in 1848?....................................page 5 to 8 * Conclusion...............................................page 9 to 9 * Bibliography............................................page 10 to 10 * Work Made By........................................page 11 to 11 Introduction In this essay, I am going to discuss what nationalism means to the revolutionaries in Italian and German lands in 1848. I will begin by making a brief historical view before the revolution in Italy and Germany. Then, I will explain what nationalism meant to them, and finish with a short historical view after the revolutions. For the conclusion, I will answer directly to the main question of this essay. But firstly, I would like to give the definition of Nationalism by the sunysuffolk site. "Nationalism is a sense of identity with the nation. It is similar to tribalism, and like the family, is held together by a sense of kinship. [...]The original use of the term nationalism refers to elite groups, but in modern usage it refers usually to a very large group, sometimes as large as an empire. A nation differs from a tribe
Was Thatcherism anything more than traditional Conservatism adapted to the conditions of the 1980s?
Was ‘Thatcherism’ anything more than traditional Conservatism adapted to the conditions of the 1980s? When Margaret Thatcher took up her position as the first female leader of a Western democracy, few would have envisioned the profound effect she would have in reshaping the political landscape. British politics had been in a state of near consensus across the main political parties since the Second World War ended, but Thatcher’s arrival on the political scene marked the death of the ‘ancient regime’. It was also the end of Keynesian Economics, subsidized welfare and trade union power. Before Thatcher there was a general agreement across the political middle ground on many issues; such as a Keynesian interventionist economic policy with a focus of minimizing unemployment and a firm commitment to public spending on the Welfare State. This was at odds with Thatcher, who said herself in 1981 that, "political consensus seems to be the process for abandoning all beliefs, principles, values and policies”. It was in keeping with this declaration that Thatcher swiftly moved the Conservative party away from this political centre and to the radical new right. [1] Furthermore, this quote can be seen as an indication of ‘The Iron Lady’s’ unwavering, unflinching public personality that came to dominate and influence much of the social change in Great Britain across the
What Is Globalisation?
WHAT IS GLOBALISATION? "Globalisation is unavoidable" (World Bank, 1995:54) "Globalisation is a myth suitable for a world without illusions, but it is also one that robs us of hope" (Hirst and Thompson, 1996:6) There are many theories that try to define and explain globalisation. What is commonly accepted by most of them is the fact that globalisation is a multidimensional process. The major aspects of globalisation are economical, political and cultural. It can be claimed that globalisation in our days has created a strong debate field where supporters and opponents of globalisation, act in very dynamic ways. The antiglobalisation movement has become a global social movement that has many supporters in a big number of countries who think of globalisation as a big threat to their world. On the other hand, support of globalisation is also widespread in many countries, and what strengthens this support is the belief that globalisation is the progress and the future. For some, globalisation is not a new phenomenon. This view has to do mainly with the economical aspect of globalisation. According to this view, globalisation is described as the process which involves growing economic "interdependence" of countries worldwide. But the economic interdependence is not a new phenomenon (Singh, 2000:3). By the second half of the 19th century Adam Smith's theories and the "Laissez
What is politics?
WHAT IS POLITICS? Approaches to Politics Studies 07/08 On hearing the word politics, claimed and enhanced by dictionary definition as "the practice of the art or science of directing and administering states or other politics units" 1 what usually springs to mind are images of government, politicians and their policies or more negatively the idea of corruption and dirty tricks? The actual definition seems to have been obscured and almost lost by such representations and clichés that tend not to pinpoint the true essence, which defines this thing, called politics. Politics in its broadest sense appears to be the activity through which people make, preserve and amend the general rules under which they live. Although conversely, Politics is also an academic subject- sometimes identified by the use of "Politics" with the capital P- it is clearly the study of this apparent activity. Politics can thus be claimed to be inextricably linked to the phenomena of conflict and cooperation, since on the one hand, the existence of rival opinions, different wants, competing needs and opposing interests guarantee disagreement about the rules under which people live. On the other hand, people recognise that, in order to influence these rules or ensure that they are upheld, they must work with each other; hence Hannah Arendt's definition of political power as "acting in concert".2 :
