UK Government and Politics Unit 1 People and Politics

Introduction to Government and Politics

Bernard Crick Politics: - Is the means by which different groups of people with conflicting interests are able to live together in harmony. -Is essentially a process which seeks to manage or resolve conflicts between people usually in a peaceful manner and by legal means. -Is used to describe the interaction between any group of individuals but in its specific sense refers to the many and complex relationships which exist between state institutions and the rest of society.

Heywood Politics: -The principles upon which human society should be based -Is the study of political values and normative theories -Is an academic discipline -Is the study of international or global influences upon modern life, such as the impact of trans-national technology and multinational corporations’

Marxists Politics: -In a conventional sense refers to the apparatus of the state. Political power is merely organized power of one class for oppressing another. -Together with law and culture, is a part of a ‘superstructure’ that is distinct from the economic ‘base’ that is the real foundation of social life.

Other views of politics: 1.As the art of government and the activities of the state. This notion involves just the organization and running of the state. 2. As the authority to govern. Here, power is exercised with the general consent of the governed. 3. As struggle for power and influence: According to this view, the essence of politics is power, the struggle for power in government and society and how the power is used.

4. Politics as deception: This is the world of politics in which politicians pursue self-interest. Kingdom asserts that deception takes place, for example, as competition between Cabinet ministers and via government secrecy or by manipulation of the media

Why Politics Matter Studying politics gives each member of society a better understanding of the general rules under which they live. Active citizenship means that as many people as possible participate in making the rules, upholding and changing them. A society is healthy when many people take part in political activities and are able to do so with insight and understanding.

Power and Authority Power suggests a capacity to achieve desired results and compel obedience. An entity exercising power has the ability to use sanctions (force) in order to make people comply with its decisions. Power as decision making refers to the ability to determine what constitutes public policy. Power as agenda setting is the ability to affect what issues are discussed by the political directorate. Power as thought-control refers to the ability to affect how people think, in other words, their beliefs, ideas and values.

A further distinction is also made between hard ‘power’ and ‘soft’ power. Hard power is demonstrated through the use of threats and/or rewards. Soft power relies mainly on influence. Other categories are: political power, economic power and military power.

Authority is the quality of being able to get people to do things because they think the individual or group has the right to tell them to do so. Authority can best be understood as a means of gaining compliance which avoids both persuasion and rational argument and any form of pressure or coercion. Legitimacy is the quality that transforms power into rightful authority. Legitimacy ensure that an order is obeyed out of duty rather than because of fear.

Types of Authority Max Weber distinguishes three forms of authority: a.Traditional – based on appealing to the past, looks back at old customs, etc. This is typical of pre-industrial societies. b.Charismatic – based on personal attributes of an individual which gives him/her the ability to get others to follow him/her even if it means breaking the law. c.Rational-legal is based upon appealing to rules and laws.

Relationship of power and authority Although the concepts of power and authority can be analysed separately, the exercise of power and the exercise of authority often overlap. Authority is seldom exercised in the absence of power and power usually involves the operation of at least a limited form of authority. E.g. political leadership almost always call for a blend of authority and power.