Promise of Major Changes

The New York Times' article "Side by Side, Britain's Improbable New Leaders Promise Major Changes" discusses the promises that the new coalition has agreed upon. Prime Minister David Cameron and his deputy, Nick Clegg of the liberal democrat party, have agreed on a cabinet of mixed members of both parties. The political days of party self-interest are over, since the coalition requires much more conversation about policies. Also, the current tradition of dissolving parliament at any time during five years is being questioned, a fixed five year term proposed for the parliament. Apparently in the past David Cameron had joked that his favorite joke was "Nick Clegg". The coalition is launching a new campaign for "national" interest instead of "party" interest.

This is relevent to our class since the article has to do with public policy, and in such a critical time, the policies formed from this coalition will be an integral part of the future. The British system of government that we know today could be different in the next five years.

Article found in the Thursday May 13th issue of the New York Times.

Picture credits to flickr.

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Cold Feet

A Regulator Holds Up the Pru Giant Asian Merger

In the Economist on may 4th it was reported that British insurance Company Prudence PLC, Britain's largest insurer was about to strike a $35.5 billion dollar deal with AIA, the Asian version of AIG, when suddenly the FSA or Financial Services Authority decided that it would be to risky, given the recent economic collapse to create another conglomerate that is, " too big to fail". whether or not this breaks British anti trust laws was also in question. The OECD, endorses this idea. This merger would make Prudence the leading insurer in seven east Asian countries and the head foreign insurer in both India and Asia. This effects the ongoing repurcussions of the economy and public policy towards banks that can't fail.

The British Third World Ballot

This May 7th Telegraph article details the shortcomings of the current and aparently archaic ballot in the U.K. The day after the election fiasco that took place in the midst of an important election numerous media sources from the BBC to MSNBC have been criticizing Jenny Watson, the Chairman of the Election Commission. These attacks stem from numerous claims that election comission has become complacent with their outdated system at the polls. Reports that strict timing requirements were ignored and that many of the polling stations had run out of paper before the official closing of the polls at 10 p.m. All of these mistakes led to the misrepresentation of several districts and the loss of thousands of votes. Many British citizens were angered at this chaos because of the close race for the most seats in parliament.

This event calls into question the legitimacy of the U.K. government becasue with the race being so close they couldn't afford to mess up the voting and now the citizens have a reason to question the outcome. This also brings up holes in their transparency because the governtment has denied a recount even with the uproar in the public.

Pound Volatile on Hung Parliament

In BBC's article, Pound Volatile on Hung Parliament, the current value of the pound is being speculated. Due to the messy and confusing situation in the new British parliament, with all three major parties lacking a majority, the sterling is sinking to a year low against the dollar. What's even more surprising is that the pound is losing ground against the euro, which has spiraled downward from the eurozone crisis. Speculators are worried that the weak government will not have the ability to work past the UK's high debt. They are also worried that the parties will spend too much time worried about the government formation rather than dealing with the economic crisis.

This article displays the concepts of sovereignty authority and power as they apply to the UK. Due to the power split, who will gain control and be the prime minister is a major question, especially during such a critical period.

Grade this post. Picture thanks to Getty images.

5/7/10

Claire Austin

Cameron makes offer to Liberal Democrats

According to the BBC News article, "Election: Cameron makes offer to Lib Dems on government" Cameron has given a vague and open offer to the Liberal Democrats to form a coalition government. In the last election, the conservatives gained a significant number of seats in parliament, but not enough for a majority. The result is a hung parliament that will rest on coalition government. Unwritten rules in the constitution let the sitting Prime Minister make the first attempt to form a coalition government. Mr. Cameron however is arguing that Gordon Brown has "lost his mandate to rule," and believes he should get the first attempt. The leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg, has made statements supporting Cameron's claim. Meanwhile, Mr. Brown is making assertions about his "constitutional duty" as prime minister to try to "resolve the situation."

In speeches, Cameron referred to the Labour party as "outgoing," and cites his desire to fix Britains most "urgent problems - the debt crisis, our deep social problems and our broken political system," he said. He has made several comments about reaching out to multiple parties.

There are some large differences in Liberal Democratic and Conservative ideology, especially in regards to defense and the European Union. Cameron, however, cites "many areas of common ground." The two parties agree on reducing carbon emmissions, tax reform, and they both oppose to the Labour party's "ID card scheme."

Other political analysts doubt the possibility of a coalition government. There is another possibility, however--the liberal democrats could allow Cameron to govern by refraining from voting down the budget and the queens speech. This would prevent them from being associated with decisions they do not agree with, while still giving them some power in the new government.

This article relates to the concept of change in government. The British electoral system is unusual in that it can result in a "hung parliament" and no chief executive. This article discusses possible results from this hung parliament.

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Mephedrone Outlawed

Home secretary Alan Johnson says in a recent BBC article that he will out law Mephedrone, turning it into a Class B drug, similar to cannabis. this would be an increase in the legal action taken against those who use and those who distribute the drug. Importation has already been banned and they are seizing all shipments. This comes from the Liberal Democrats, oddly the shadow cabinet completely approves, bu they took the opportunity to say that they would make the Law even harsher announcing how they could do it more effectively. This shows the use of the shadow party in Britain, the general public policy of England and the countries move towards Conservatives. there have been no deaths in the UK due to Mephedrone.
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MPs Subject to New Expense Rules

In the light of past MP spending scandals the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority is levying new restrictions on MP spending, deatils the BBC article "MPs to lose right to claim second home expenses". MPs will now not be able to claim funds for the purchase of a second home unless their seat is more than 20 miles or an hour from Westminster. Those falling under that distinction will be able to claim rent up to 1,450 a month - equivalent to a one-bed flat. Another limit will be put on employment operations, from now on MPs will only be able to hire one relative and will have to report a precise salary for that person every year. The news rules will reduce annual maximum accomodation and office claims by 16000 a year for those inside of London, and 14,000 for those in other areas of the nation. MPs who already own second homes will be able to hold onto them until August 2012 at which point profits will be recouped.

This act increases the legitamacy of the MPs in parliament because with these new rules the people of the UK can be assured that they are not abusing their privieges. This also shows how swiftly the government can run in the UK because the response to these spending claims was dealt with quickly, cleanly, and efficiently.