What is politics? - Written by Gianina Harvey

“Science and art of government; political affairs of life; political principles” _{(Oxford English Dictionary, 7th edition)}.

Naturally, when we want a definition, the first point of reference would be the dictionary. Unfortunately, it gives us a very vague definition to the word politics. This opens up the subject for much speculation. Is politics solely for the government, or do all members of society have a part to play? Science is all about facts, but isn’t it people’s opinions which are debated in politics? The word politics comes from the Greek word ‘polis,’ meaning ‘city-state’. Since then, lots of theories have evolved and been developed to try and explain what politics is, and they all contain so elements of truth in them.

Peace or war?

Politics can often be thought of as a process to decision-making.

“Politics is war without bloodshed, while war is politics with bloodshed” _{(Mao Zedong, from a speech in 1938)}. The constant struggle for power between political parties all simplifies down to one group trying to impose its views on another. The constant debating could be seen as a form of conflict, and after all, what is debate but a more sophisticated, controlled argument? Politics, therefore, can be seen as a destructive process, with people arguing all the time, fighting for control, and trying to conform others to their opinions.

However, many political disputes are settled with some form of compromise, “…a process of conflict resolution in which support is mobilised and maintained for collective projects” _{(Dickerson and Flanagan)}. Because it is done through debate (and not an argument) parties can present their cases in an orderly fashion, using a combination of morals and facts to convince their audience. This can lead to opinions being altered, based on the new information they have received. This perception of politics places it in a more positive light.

How is politics organised in the UK?

In the same way that debates are organised and carried out in a systematic process, the art of decision-making in the UK is done in a specific way. In its most primitive, basic terms, we live in a society where the argument with the most votes supporting it is accepted and put into practice. Unfortunately, the utopian ideal rarely matches the realistic one, and in practicality, the system is a lot more complicated…

There are 4 key points to remember, when talking about power in British politics: the first is the role of the monarchy. Although in modern day times they have been stripped of most of their political powers, traditionally the monarch is still the head of state.

Since Cromwell’s victory over Charles II’s autocratic “rule by divination,” power has been taken from the monarch, and given to the executive. In the UK, this is the Cabinet, of which both the Prime Minister and representatives of government departments (e.g. department of Health) are involved.

Although the Cabinet is the main source of power for suggesting new laws and enforcing current ones, the power to pass new laws (that is, turning those popular opinions into ‘laws of the land’) lies with Parliament. Parliament is the union of two Houses; that of Commons and of Lords. The House of Commons is made up of elected members of parliament (MP’s). The public can vote in new MP’s at least every 5 years, if not sooner.

The fourth point is somewhat indirectly related to the others, and guarantees that we will always have debate in Parliament. An adversarial system ensures that we don’t have one party simply dictating its policies, but a variety of ideas to choose from. This makes for healthy politics; choices are made through knowledge of the subject, rather than ignorance of options.

Implementing this institutional framework has given the UK a status of ‘liberal democracy.’ The USA and the EU are also run in this way.

Culture: a brief history

Political culture is “the set of values within which the political system operates” _{(Kavanagh 1983)}. Fundamentally, this is a term used to describe the political behaviour of a country (i.e. morals that people hold as a nation, what citizens expect from our government, etc.). This differs with each country. Traditionally, UK political culture has been based upon the following points: a Christian perspective, an urbanised island, a post 1945 consensus between the major parties, and a process of gradual change (as opposed to sharp, unstable revolutions). This is a much generalised political culture for the UK. Of course there is differentiation over the points, but the sub-cultures co-exist peacefully.

In addition to this, it was recognised in 1963 by Almond and Verba, that Britain was an example of a ‘civic culture’ – “citizens allow decision makers the freedom to make any decisions they feel appropriate so long as these decisions take into account public opinion.” This kind of culture works best in a stable democracy.

Evidence in the 20^th and 21^st centuries, however, show that our political culture is still changing. For example, the policies of Margaret Thatcher could be seen as ‘revolutionary.’ She tried to break the moderate Conservatives away from the consensus after the war, and unite all Conservatives under the right wing. Whether she was successful in this effort is questionable, but the fact that she had enough supporters to get her into office (‘Thatcherites’) showed that the values of the people were changing. The same could be said of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown’s ‘3^rd way’ creating a New Labour. Some Labour supporters are taking a more conservative approach to ideas – their political culture is changing.

Power to the people!

“The fact that they refer to politicians as ‘they’ and not ‘we’ shows that they feel removed from the political process.” It would seem that politics is just something for the government, and done on a national basis. This is partly true – the most important political decisions are made in Parliament.

However, the art of choosing one option in spite of another is incorporated into everyone’s lives. Simple decisions, made within families and schools are examples of politics. Parents can act as both executive and Parliamentary powers in the household, setting rules for the family members to follow. Student councils can be set up in schools, to petition for change within a school/college. Those are all examples of political activity, even at this micro level.

The way in which people develop political attitudes and opinions is known as political socialisation. This can be induced by anything in the individual’s environment: a parent telling a child the difference between right and wrong, teenagers conforming to peer pressure, religious beliefs, and/or persuasion from the media.

On a larger scale, people can get involved in national politics in a variety of ways. Probably the most common of these is voting. By voting, you have some influence over which ideas and policies make it to Parliament. If a person is unhappy with a particular decision made my Parliament, they can write a letter to their local MP, who can raise the issue at Parliament on your behalf. Some letters are even publicised in newspapers and on TV, to gain support. Alternatively, if they are feeling very strongly about an issue and feel that a letter may be ignored, you can take more direct action and join a pressure group. Although sometimes controversial, these groups can attract mass media coverage and support for their cause. If they create enough of a threat, they can pressure the government into agreeing to their terms. Examples of pressure groups range from moderate trade unions and extremist groups. Political activity is not simply for the middle aged men at Downing Street!

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In short, politics is such a broad subject, that it cannot be defined by one simple sentence. It isn’t one set definition, but contains elements of decision-making, struggles for power, and conflict resolutions. I think it is important to remember that politics is not an exclusive subject, but is accessible to all, and should be participated in by all. Quoting from the most recent advert created by the government, aimed at encouraging people to vote, “if you don’t do politics, there’s not much that you do do!”

Gianina Harvey

October 2006