http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/keyword/british-politics Inquiries Journal provides undergraduate and graduate students around the world a platform for the wide dissemination of academic work over a range of core disciplines. en-us Sat, 04 Apr 2026 05:31:53 -0400 Sat, 04 Apr 2026 05:31:53 -0400 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1356/defeating-apathy-and-alienation-in-scotland-true-victors-of-the-scottish-referendum By Shaun Docherty - The seeds of this rebellion were initially sewn during the 1980s when the incumbent Conservative Government began to impose its newly embraced neoliberal ideology in the UK, creating a legacy of mass unemployment and social upheaval still experienced today. These events were particularly poignant in Scotland, demonstrating to the nation how they were the victims of a democratic deficit: where although the unpopular Conservative Party were a minority in Scotland, they still possessed a mandate from Westminster to impose a new devastating political economic doctrine which few north of the border... Wed, 17 Feb 2016 02:26 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1356/defeating-apathy-and-alienation-in-scotland-true-victors-of-the-scottish-referendum http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1111/a-report-on-electoral-turnout-in-the-united-kingdom-long-term-and-contemporary-factors-of-voting By Bethan Foweraker - Electoral turnout in the United Kingdom varies significantly from one election to the next, be that in a general election or in local elections.1 We originally wanted to discover the reasons as to why the public choose to vote or not. Having read research by academics such as Denver, we discovered that this question has already been asked on numerous occasions and therefore wouldn’t be very beneficial. For many years voting has been seen as irrational.2 To expand our idea, we decided to establish what persuades a voter when voting. We were curious to know what persuaded the voter in deciding... Fri, 01 Jan 2010 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1111/a-report-on-electoral-turnout-in-the-united-kingdom-long-term-and-contemporary-factors-of-voting http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1112/a-parcel-of-rogues-scotlands-politicians-and-the-issue-of-independence By Matthew Cambell - But the position becomes more interesting if one looks at how the House of Commons would be affected by the removal of all the Scottish MPs. The Tories have only one MP in Scotland5 (the constituency of Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale), out of a grand total of 193 UK wide.6 Labour, by comparison would lose no less than 39 MPs. While this is less than their current majority, it is still a significant number of MPs, especially if you consider that Scotland contains some of Labour’s safest seats, as well as the constituencies of the current Prime Minister, Chancellor and two other Cabinet... Fri, 01 Jan 2010 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1112/a-parcel-of-rogues-scotlands-politicians-and-the-issue-of-independence http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1095/a-house-divided-is-the-division-of-britain-a-bad-thing By D.J. Tyrer - New Labour’ has committed itself to giving each division of the United Kingdom a parliament or assembly of its own. Already we have a Scottish Parliament and a Welsh Assembly (just because Wales is a principality does it not deserve a parliament too?), as well as a nascent Ulster Assembly, unless the peace talks fail. So far England has been left out of this scramble for autonomy which has rather unfairly left it for now still under the control of the Westminster Parliament, giving Welsh and Scottish politicians a disproportionate say in British politics compared to those of England. Eventually... Sat, 01 Jan 2000 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1095/a-house-divided-is-the-division-of-britain-a-bad-thing http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1096/essential-modernisation-or-excessive-meddling-labour-wakeham-and-the-lords-reforms By S.L. Garlick - Tony Blair has long been committed to the abolition of hereditary peers; the 1997 Labour Party Manifesto promised that this would happen. Labour knew that reform would be difficult and would upset many people of influence, so they took their time and waited for the right moment. When that painful moment came, the abolition of hereditary peers was revolution by stealth.There was no fanfare, and no death knell after the debate was over. Even though Blair, Baroness Jay (Leader of the House of Lords) and the like might feel this to be the right moment, the latest piece of New Labour “modernisation... Sat, 01 Jan 2000 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1096/essential-modernisation-or-excessive-meddling-labour-wakeham-and-the-lords-reforms http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1097/monster-raving-mad By Paul Billington - In September last year, at its annual conference, a political party took a radical new direction with the appointment of a new leader. British politics is now feline fine, after the appointment of Mandu the cat as one of the joint leaders of the Monster Raving Loony Party. Mandu fought a fierce battle over the top slot against his owner, chairman of the party Howling Lord Hope. Mr Hope launched a strong attack on Mandu’s manifesto labelling it ‘catastrophic’ and said that if he lost he would be forced to take a more dogmatic approach. The leadership contest was tied, each having... Sat, 01 Jan 2000 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1097/monster-raving-mad http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1098/can-you-live-on-two-grand-a-year By Claire Bradford - On Thursday 25th November, over 15,000 students gathered in London for a march and rally against tuition fees and student loans. Since the New Labour government announced they would implement the Dearing report’s recommendation to charge people to go to university, most of the student population has suffered financially. In the last year, mature student applications to UCAS have dropped by 26% and many school leavers have had to choose full time employment over a degree because they just can’t afford to come to university. Labour say that they’re trying to get 50% of people to... Sat, 01 Jan 2000 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1098/can-you-live-on-two-grand-a-year http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1099/john-major-the-man-and-the-myth By Jeremy Blackburn - John Major was born in Merton, Surrey on March 29, 1943. He was the son of a trapeze artist/self-employed businessman making garden gnomes; he was educated at Cheam Primary and Rutlish Grammar School, leaving at 15. In fact, Major was one of the most upwardly mobile politicians in British history, rising from the dole to Downing Street. He worked as an insurance clerk, trainee accountant, general labourer, overseas banker, and eventually as a branch manager for the Standard Chartered Bank. He became Member of Parliament for Huntingdon in 1979 on the bow wave of the storm that was Margaret... Sat, 01 Jan 2000 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1099/john-major-the-man-and-the-myth http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1100/michael-portillo-returns-to-parliament By Peter Hand - The former Defence Secretary and Member of Parliament for Enfield & Southgate, Michael Portillo, has been selected as the Conservative candidate for the safe Tory seat of Kensington & Chelsea. There is no doubt that the Conservative Party and indeed William Hague personally, will welcome Portillo, a man of great talent and a huge political beast, and look forward to his return to Westminster. While Portillo could potentially be a threat to Hague, both men know that their greatest threat is not each other, but Tony Blair and his Labour government. Therefore, the return and political... Sat, 01 Jan 2000 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1100/michael-portillo-returns-to-parliament http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1101/london-mayoral-election-something-old-something-new By Robert Euter - At 7.30 am, Glenda Jackson breezed past Euston station. In New Labour fashion she was purposeful but unhurried, radiating a ‘trust me with your future’ manner: truly one of the people, just another commuter. The entrance steps of the hall were thronged, as always, with Socialist Workers, lobbyists and an American woman who assured everyone of the sins of bombing Milosevic, Saddam, Gerry Adams and so on. She also advised us vociferously that Ken Livingstone supported ‘international capitalism’ (as opposed to ‘national socialism’?) by virtue of his position... Sat, 01 Jan 2000 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1101/london-mayoral-election-something-old-something-new http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1102/the-dragon-on-our-doorstep-new-politics-for-a-new-millennium-in-wales By Alun Michael - Of course, the commitment to openness also brings challenges and responsibilities – for all parties in the Assembly, and the media too. Take negotiations with third parties, for instance – with the European Commission over the Objective 1 Programme, or even the Treasury over public expenditure and the Barnett Formula. There are dangers when we dissect and debate in public the twists and turns of such critical negotiations. It sometimes feels like trying to play poker with your cards face up on the table while the other players keep theirs to themselves as they always have... Sat, 01 Jan 2000 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1102/the-dragon-on-our-doorstep-new-politics-for-a-new-millennium-in-wales http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1149/qanda-with-ted-rowlands-mp By Alexandros Karides - On the 14th of October 1998, Mr. Ted Rowlands, Labour MP for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhynmey, gave a brief talk on the Foreign Affairs Select Committee of which he is a member and took questions from students and staff of the International Politics Department on British Foreign Policy and Human Rights.  “It is made up of ‘has-been’s and ,never-will-be’s”, is how Mr. Rowlands described the composition of the Parliamentary Select Committee for Foreign Affairs.  He was not only referring to colleagues like Virginia Bottomley but also to himself, having been... Fri, 01 Jan 1999 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1149/qanda-with-ted-rowlands-mp http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1153/the-future-of-the-british-monarchy By James T. Williams - In this article I intend to examine the question of whether the Monarchy has a role in Britain’s future. In order to answer this question it is first important to define what exactly is the role of the Monarch in Britain today and then to examine whether the existence of the Monarchy is essential for that role to be performed. In order to arrive at a more balanced view of the Head of State’s role I will also take a comparative analysis of the roles performed by the British Head of State and her counterparts in other advanced Western democracies. To conclude I will question... Fri, 01 Jan 1999 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1153/the-future-of-the-british-monarchy http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1152/is-the-house-of-lords-dead By James Ware - Yet the ‘Red’ corridor’s surrounding our second chamber, the House of Lords were not on the tour. Given ‘New’ Labour’s landslide number of 419 MPs (out of 659 =2/3) on 43% of votes cast nationwide, all of which committed in their manifesto to reforming the second chamber by removing the voting rights of hereditary peers as a first step. The lack of knowledge on what could be the most far reaching reform of our domestic legislative process is disturbing, if not downright deceptive against the people. In this article 1 seek to explain what the House... Fri, 01 Jan 1999 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1152/is-the-house-of-lords-dead http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1151/why-being-third-isnt-good-enough-a-critique-of-the-third-way By Peter Hand - For a government so keen on ‘sound-bite’ over substance, gimmicks over values and image over principle, the early indications were, that this was a government void of any real beliefs. Apart from a desire to win – a means in itself – it has been very difficult to pinpoint what exactly is this government’s philosophy. This indeed has been the case from the ‘peoples’ Prime Minster’, to the people themselves. For example, we started off with ‘Cool Britannia’, designed to represent the ‘new’ spirit of this Labour government... Fri, 01 Jan 1999 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1151/why-being-third-isnt-good-enough-a-critique-of-the-third-way http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1150/the-irish-presidential-system By Jason T. Williams - The role of President was laid out in the Irish Constitution (Bunreacht na hÉireann) of 1937 with the first elections to the position being held in 1938.  The role is defined in articles 12-14 of Bunreacht na hÉireann as being the ceremonial Head of the Irish State.  The Constitution defines the President as someone “who shall take precedence over all other persons in the State and who shall exercise and perform the powers and functions conferred on the President by this Constitution and by law.” Elections for the Presidency can take place every seven... Fri, 01 Jan 1999 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1150/the-irish-presidential-system http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1143/the-good-friday-agreement By Alison McCartney - To fully understand the implications of the Good Friday Agreement, one must realise the nature of the Northern Irish problem.  Northern Ireland has been a bi-confessional society for a very long time and therefore political beliefs are aligned along religious and ethno-nationalist grounds.Unfortunately, socio-economics has very little to do with affiliations.  It has previously been the reluctance of these two confessions to compromise their visions, that has led to the failure of previous attempts at regional government and it is the presence of compromise and accommodation... Fri, 01 Jan 1999 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1143/the-good-friday-agreement http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1123/tony-blair-thatchers-clone-or-original-thinker By Lee Taylor - The political reasons for this were clear. The overall public mood was in favour of state control of key industries. It was seen as the way forward. Many people had bad experiences of the lassez-faire economic policy that had led to the great depression and the large-scale unemployment that had followed. By having a workforce in the government sector it was hoped that such problems could be avoided. These policies were strengthened by the events of the war, where the government had exercised massive control over the economy. As the Labour party was fond of saying-“these policies... Fri, 01 Jan 1999 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1123/tony-blair-thatchers-clone-or-original-thinker http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1124/three-men-and-a-loan-the-fall-of-peter-mandelson By Chetan D. Sabnis - The Christmas of 1998 will be seen by political pundits in years to come as the first crisis to assail the ‘New Labour’ government of Tony Blair. I myself, remember sitting at home, having just returned from a short walk with the dog, to find that Geoffrey Robinson had resigned. The following day a similar series of domestic events proceeded the fall of Peter Mandelson. Within days Charlie Whelan had cleared his desk too. Sadly, my golden retriever failed to understand why I was riveted to the television and radio for the rest of the week. This was the greatest of presents... Fri, 01 Jan 1999 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1124/three-men-and-a-loan-the-fall-of-peter-mandelson http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1125/in-defence-of-the-third-way-a-response-to-peter-hand By Paul Williams And Rob Dixon - In Issue 53 of Interstate, Peter Hand argued that the ‘Third Way’ was nothing but a well packaged combination of rhetoric and soundbites on the part of a government wholly obsessed by presentation.[1] Given the constraints of space we will limit ourselves to primarily responding to Hand’s agenda by contesting four of the central themes of his “argument”. However, it is sometimes difficult to flesh out the assumptions and lines of argument Hand was making because of his own indulgence in ‘soundbite over substance’. The four themes we wish to contest... Fri, 01 Jan 1999 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1125/in-defence-of-the-third-way-a-response-to-peter-hand http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1126/will-new-britain-mean-the-end-of-the-uk By Jeremy Blackburn - The political entity that is the United Kingdom can often baffle its own population as much as it may baffle visiting tourists. Its main units are England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, its peripheral areas including the Shetlands, the Hebrides and the Isle of Man, while a number of anomalous dependencies exist such as Scilly, Sark, Jersey and Guernsey. Within these areas exist the definitive regions of the U.K. generally based around a cosmopolitan centre, each with its own specific character and opinions, all overlaid by either the ‘North-South’ or the ‘East... Fri, 01 Jan 1999 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1126/will-new-britain-mean-the-end-of-the-uk http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1172/change-within-the-conservative-and-labour-parties By Chloe Campen - One Nation or Traditional conservatism (pre-Thatcherite) after the war could attach its self to the post war consensus of a Keynesian Social Democracy (we must be very careful with the term PWC as it is highly debated as to whether it actually existed, however, few would neglect a commitment to KSD and for those reasons I use that term). We can break the KSD into three main features which had the most political bearing. Firstly the commitment to keynesian economics meant a commitment to full employment, secondly the progression of the welfare state therefore narrowing inequalities and... Wed, 01 Jan 1997 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1172/change-within-the-conservative-and-labour-parties http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1171/re-stating-the-case-for-monarchy By Robin Burls - Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth’s visit to Aberystwyth, to open the new extension of the National Library of Wales, has predictably generated considerable furore in the local media, political circles and even the academe. The familiar siren’s song wails for the abolition of the monarchy and optimistically urges the introduction of a political system that is more ‘representative’ and more ‘relevant’ to the British state as it staggers towards the twenty-first century. Now is clearly the time to remind ourselves of the superiority of monarchy as a political... Wed, 01 Jan 1997 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1171/re-stating-the-case-for-monarchy http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1159/northern-ireland-revisited By Kerry-Anne Clancy - I was prompted to review the situation in Northern Ireland for a number of reasons, not least because my previous article published in this journal now seemed to be a waste of paper in the light of the disappointing end to the IRA cease-fire which consequently affected the ongoing quest for a settlement of the Ireland situation. A settlement which is laden with emotion, characterized most recently by the twenty fifth anniversary of Bloody Sunday, when paratroopers opened fire on a crowd of civil rights demonstrators in Londonderry on January 30 1972. Thirteen unarmed people were killed... Wed, 01 Jan 1997 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1159/northern-ireland-revisited http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1160/should-politicians-be-legally-accountable-for-their-election-promises By Brendan Norris - It would be impossible to implement the legal enforceability of election promises though, because of the format and procedures of our governmental’ and legal systems. The major reason is that the question, in stating “legally accountable,” suggests that election promises should be enforceable before the courts. However, that would mean that judges would be overseeing the operation of Government and the Parliament. If this was the case, it “would be contrary to Dicey’s Rule of Law” (Senator O’Chee, 1996), which requires laws to be made by Parliament... Wed, 01 Jan 1997 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1160/should-politicians-be-legally-accountable-for-their-election-promises