Pressure groups are mostly seen to be a major part of how democracy functions in the UK, however whether they undermine democracy is a question that has always been raised. They are mostly seen as to help democracy rather than hinder it however, as they help to represent the opinions and needs of minorities, as well as give an extra platform for participation. One of the ways in which pressure groups can undermine democracy is that they concentrate power,meaning some groups are able to influence the government more than others. These types of groups are ones such as the BMA and BDA, wealthy insider groups which a close and established relationship with the government and have direct access to decision makers, allowing them to influence policies
However there are cases in which the media has had positive effects on a Prime Minister’s popularity, such as “The Sun”, which, notably, turned its bias towards Tony Blair and the Labour party before their large win of 1997. Secondly, the cabinet is a large source of the Prime Minister’s power. Although the Prime Minister has the power to appoint and fire the members of his cabinet, these members have the authority to reject the Prime Minister; this was the case for Margaret Thatcher in 1990 after the leadership challenge by Michael Heseltine. The powers of the cabinet mean that a Prime Minister has to have significant support by the members to be able to receive the full amount of power. This source of power is also affected by members of the cabinet whom are too powerful and important to easily dismiss, most recently famous was during Tony Blair’s leadership, 1997 – 2007, and the pressure he received off Gordon Brown to leave.
However, looking at the statistics such as Bill Clintons presidency, in the first 2 years which was a united government, Congress exercised limited oversight, and when needed to, asked softball questions, however , when Republicans took over Congress, things got much harder as they seek to hold the President to account, and after a while, impeach. Although this shows that things are more different when it is a united or divided government, Congress still has a task to do in which they must do oversight on President, so, it being united or divided government should not affect the task Congress are suppose to do, as they are an independent
However it could be argued that Wilhelm II’s aims to crush socialism in response to Caprivi’s tolerance for Socialism in his years as chancellor disagree with this view as it suggests he is aiming for more of an autocratic state where he holds state control. Another notable factor which suggests Germany was a parliamentary democracy is Wilhelm II could ignore the views of the centre party; failed attempts to previously dismiss them such as the Kulturkampf were a failure because the party’s strong political views are extremely influential, and they have always had a substantial amount of seats in the party. This in turn meant the government was influenced by the parliament. However, there were many events which demonstrate the Kaiser
The United States does have a strong history of hostility towards specific immigrant groups such as the Nativists who opposed Irish immigration around 1850 and systematic bias against Japanese and German immigrants just before and after the second world war. Jews were also popular targets in the 20th centuary. These days most hostility is geared towards the Latin American immigrants as they are seen to be the largest group of immigrants entering the United States today. Some Americans have not completely adjusted to the largely non-European immigration and racism does occur. Hostility towards people of middle-eastern descent has also become apparent after the September 11th attacks conducted by an Islamic extremist group known as Al Qaeda.
The launching of the Great Experiment September 9, 2013 Establishing a durable Government in the 18th Century was very difficult because there was no way to please all of the country which all had different opinions. Americans have failed before with the Articles of Confederation because it did not meet the needs of our nation. There remained disputes between the Americans which led to the division of government; one remained for the American people and the other for the thirteen colonies belonging to Great Britain. The Constitution was also created to test Americans and to see if they could govern themselves without being watched by someone. The American people were in need of a government that would make everyone happy and satisfied.
In order for this checks and balances to be put in practice, the judicial branch must have some important role as surveillance. This applies to the fact that judicial review can stop the legislative branch from exceeding its power. Not only the legislative branch but also, the executive branch is under the judicial watch. The court can also claim unconstitutional to the executive acts that are judged oppressive. It is their job to declare void acts by other branches violating the Constitution.
However, I feel both went into submission with the political world and how politicians are making it hard for the rest of the 99% of the American population. Once an issue reaches the political soup of this country it never reaches an end, just continuous excuses on how not to make it equal for everyone or if any attempts are made to make it a bit easier, it conflicts with personal interest. Forgive me for being quite blunt but it is a bunch of excuses or invalid reasons provided by our own government to not succeed. Over the recent years I had come to realize we as a society are getting more and more babied by our laws to “protect” each individual equally. Soon we will have charges pressed against us just for breathing each other’s air.
Illegal votes minimize citizen’s rights in the Constitution and it undermines our democracy that was established and preached by the founding fathers; therefore a solution for this loophole should be quickly tied and these actions no longer tolerable or allowed under the 14th amendment. As citizens of the US, we have a right stated in the 1st amendment to be able to express our opinions; our values and beliefs should be directly represented through the voting process. Although future elections are predicted to be heavily influenced by this growing minority population, politicians are beginning to apprehend the negative brunt illegal immigration has bestowed upon our country as this could be a small factor in the current struggling economy. Congressman Tom Tancredo has vast prospective ideas on how to reform our immigration system. By working across the aisle a feasible and successful solution to the straining liability and encumbrances may be obtained to make our country incorrupt and hospitable to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness to the citizens of the United State of
This means that it is very important to choose a nominee who would be reflecting president’s political philosophy in the Court. However, if Senate decides that candidate is far too ‘extreme’ in their views or has been working with the president in the past, they might decide to strike the nominee down. For example Robert Bork’s critics regarded him as being both too conservative and too closely associated