Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Elections in the UK (required)
Parliament is dissolved and the parties are in full campaign mode in the UK in preparation for the elections on May 7th. Go here and read/watch at least three articles about the ongoing campaigns(to answer all of the questions you might need to read more and feel free to go to any other website to supplement your research). After your research respond to the following questions and feel free to start a discussion about anything you found interesting. Who is the main contender to unseat David Cameron and conservative leadership? In your opinion, what are the three main policy debates that will decide this election? Who do you think will win and why? If you were a British voter, how would you vote? Which voting coalitions are the major parties trying to court for their votes? Do you think we will see another coalition government in the new Parliament or will there be one dominant party? Why or why not? How are the British campaigns for Parliament different than American campaigns for Congress and the Presidency? What is the role of money and the media in these campaigns? How does that compare to what we see here? Compare this campaign and election cycle with the Nigerian election we just covered in class. What are the most obvious differences? What are some similarities? What are the reasons for these similarities and differences? Remember, be specific in your responses and find the connections to the concepts we have talked about in class. Citing the articles/sources you have read and using excerpts from the articles is expected.
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I think the main contender against the conservatives and Cameron is the Labour party and Ed Miliband. The main policies in debate in this election would be education, the economy, and healthcare. The UK has been becoming more and more of a welfare country, so healthcare and education are both something the public wants. Also, the conservatives, labour party, and green party are all concerned about the economy as well. They all promote helping the poor (working class). From the arguments presented, I would side with the conservative party as the party to most likely win and to vote for them since they have the advantage of being an incumbent, and their argument of the “party of working class” appeals to a large portion of the population. The UK’s campaign for parliament is much more focused on the policy goals while Congressional or Presidential campaigns in the U.S are based on the person’s background as well as their policy goals. From the articles read: http://www.bbc.com/news/election-2015-32300555 (green party’s manifesto) and http://www.bbc.com/news/election-2015-32302062 (conservative party’s manifesto), both parties focused on persuading the public using their policy goals and beliefs. The media still plays a large role in this campaign as seen with the separate articles for each party and videos promoting and explaining each party on BBC, which means a lot of money as well. Compared to the Nigerian election, UK’s elections are less violent as seen with the physical and cyber attacks on voters in Nigeria. This is due to Nigeria’s history of military and authoritarian rule compared to the UK’s strict traditional and less violent history. Both elections have close electoral competition as seen with the last Nigerian election where Buhari overtook the incumbent, Jonathan.
ReplyDeleteThe main candidate that is challenging current Prime Minister David Cameron is the head of the Labour Party, Ed Miliband. The three main policy debates that will decide the elections, in my opinion, are how to handle the NHS, how to eliminate the deficit, and improving education access and quality. I think the conservative party will win the election because David Cameron has done an adequate job running the country for the past term and is a more likeable figure than Miliband in the eyes of the public. 'David Cameron tried to re-brand the Conservatives as the party of working people' and thus furthering the reach of the party to all societal classes (http://www.bbc.com/news/election-2015-32302062). Plus, with neither Labour nor Conservative, probably attaining a majority of seats in Parliament, another coalition government will take charge of the country to obtain the majority vote required. As a result, the Liberal Democrats will probably rejoin the Conservatives as an ensured way for both parties to benefit as it worked for the last term. The major difference between the political campaigns in the United Kingdom and the United States is that in the US the campaigns are more centered around the candidate's personality and personal activities than in the UK, who focus on the party's policy rather than the individualized. Their elections are not as individualized as in the US as the voters are voting based off of the party while the US has a greater emphasis on the person. Thus the commercials and ads in the US are centered on how great the candidate is while in the UK, the ads are centered on how great the party the candidates represent are.
ReplyDeleteWhen comparing the elections between the UK & Nigeria, the most obvious difference is the importance of religion in the latter while it is null in significance for the former. Violence spawns from opposing religious groups when their candidates do not win, adding a lot of tension on the results as they are the difference between life & death. Both are similar as they are, in theory, practiced through democratic means, however, since Nigeria is an illiberal democracy because of the lack of legitimacy, their faulty practices, such as voter fraud, adds a level of corruption at is not present in the UK.
The main contender to unseat David Cameron is Ed Miliband from the Labour Party. The three main policy debates are school funding, social housing and the economy. Education and worker conditions are the main focus of the debates which both parties were trying to address policy goals to attract potential voters. I would vote for the conservatives and I think they have a higher chance of winning because they address the guarantee of “good life” for lower and middle class families and workers which means they appeal to a large portion of the UK population. I think there will be another coalition government because both parties are trying to do their best to maintain and even expand the social welfare program while stimulating economic prosperity at the same time. The British campaign focuses more on addressing the policy issues and goals while US campaign also concerns with the party’s ideology as well as personal background of the running candidates. But the role of money and media are important in both American and British campaigns as running parties in both countries are trying to address their policies and criticize the shortcoming of the opposing parties. The BBC news and the articles I read showed the media plays an important role in the campaign as each party promoting their ideology and tried to make better connection with voters. The most obvious difference between Nigerian election and British election is that Nigerian election is more corrupted and violent. The violence and attacks caused Nigeria to have a lower voter turnout than Britain. But there is increasing influence of voters in the Nigerian election which one of the similarities is that there is electoral competition in both elections as the opposing parties trying to take power.
ReplyDeleteSources:
http://www.bbc.com/news/election-2015-32298636
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-31431456
http://www.bbc.com/news/election-2015-32302062
I believe the main contending party is the Labour party and their leader Ed Millband. The three main policy debates that will be seen throughout the election is about welfare, education, and the economy. I believe that the Conservative party will possibly win again if they accept the terms of the Liberal Democrats and form a coalition(http://www.bbc.com/news/election-2015-32312687). I would vote for the conservative party based on the assumption they truly wish to attempt to force the rich to pay taxes and support the poor(http://www.bbc.com/news/election-2015-32325930), among other things. I do believe that another coalition government will form, because i believe the election will be competitive and no one will gain a majority(http://www.bbc.com/news/election-2015-32311736). The main difference between elections in the U.S. and Britain is that we vote for our president/executive branch while in the U.K. they vote for members of Parliament. In both the U.S. and the U.K. the media plays the role of promoting or denouncing candidates and parties, while money is raised for campaign financing and propaganda. Furthermore, some similarities between the British election and the Nigerian election cycles is that both are competitive with no obvious choice. However, the Nigerian electoral cycle is inconsistent throughout history and this was the first time an incumbent was overtaken in an election.
ReplyDeleteSources:
http://www.bbc.com/news/election-2015-32311736
http://www.bbc.com/news/election-2015-32312687
http://www.bbc.com/news/election-2015-32325930
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-31431456
http://www.bbc.com/news/election-2015-32295970
ReplyDeleteThe main contender to unseat David Cameron and the conservative leadership is Ed Miliband and the Labour Party leadership. http://www.bbc.com/news/election-2015-32328664 I think the 3 main points addressed in these debates are going to be better treatment for the poor, especially children, equal treatment for Scotland and Wales and altering laws on immigration since that has become a growing problem. These three ideas are very specific in terms of the debaters, but I do believe that the points represent who the person is and will benefit or harm their voting outcome in the most drastic ways. http://www.bbc.com/news/election-2015-32326557 Appeal to the people is one of the biggest factors that come in to play during elections. Whereas Miliband may provide the country an alternative ruling party and is a high-profile individual with many great debate points, I believe David Cameron and his party will win once again because of the appeal he already has to the country and the success he has brought the country to. http://www.bbc.com/news/election-2015-32326557 As said before, voting by anyone is mostly based on the appeal they have towards a person, so if I were a British voter, I would vote for David Cameron also. The candidates are trying hardest to appeal to the middle, working class, probably because that is the majority of the population. I think we will once again see another coalition government, because for solely one party to rule, although it is a good idea and keep rules and laws regulated more easily, it is difficult for just one party to win and a coalition government might just happen whether people want it or not. http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-32001383 British campaigns and US campaigns are different in that the US provides a lot of personal background information on the candidate which in sense in truly irrelevant, or at least should be irrelevant to peoples’ votes whereas Britain focuses solely on what the candidate has to offer politically regarding society and government. Money allows for the candidates to spend grand amounts on getting their name out there in a positive and creative way. Media is a result of the money and plays a big role in appealing to the voters and persuading them to vote for whichever candidate. Media is playing less of a role in Britain than it would in the US. Money is playing a bigger role in that it is one of the main debate topics regarding the rich and the poor. This campaign seems to be less chaotic and more stable compared to Nigeria’s campaign. Voters know that their votes will count so they are actually participating in the election rather than sitting back and watching from an outside point of view like most of the people in Nigeria.
The main contender to unseat David Cameron and conservative leadership is Ed Miliband, who is the choice between Labour and Conservative. The three main policy debates will be security, social issues, and political devolution. I think Ed Miliband will win because he is the compromise between the views of the Labour and Conservative parties. I will vote for Ed Miliband because he seems like he is the next David Cameron because he has the same aspects and has some of the same beliefs. The voting coalitions are the people of the different ideologies that differ from person to person and place to place. I think Ed Miliband’s party will be dominant enough to not have to go through a coalition government. According to BBC, “Mr. Miliband is the only leader taking part who could realistically be prime minister after the election.” The British campaigns have more homeland influence whereas American campaigns have more varied influence due to individuals in the country. More role of media and money in American campaigns because they try to bring their opponents to public shame, whereas in Britain it is the total opposite. The public cannot see the influence until after the election is won by one person. One difference include the level of corruption between the leaders and the amount of public support. Another difference is the level of violence between Nigeria and Britain. Both campaigns have democratic elements to it and they both also have a strong connection to their homeland and their fellow people who share the same beliefs as they do. Britain is more free and democratic than Nigeria, more international relief for Nigeria, and Britain is bigger global player.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bbc.com/news/election-2015-32298636
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-31431456
http://www.bbc.com/news/election-2015-32302062
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ReplyDeleteEd Miliband of the Labour Party appears to be the main contender to unseat the current prime minister, David Cameron. The three main points being discussed in the debates are welfare, education and the economy which are all the usual points that a politician focuses on to gain the support of people. I think that the conservative party will win the election mainly because of the fact that they are addressing the hardships that the middle class families face as well as the fact that David Cameron has done well as prime minister of Great Britain without many conflicts to tarnish his reputation as well as the reputation of the conservative party. I would side with the conservative party because they are attempting to reduce the gap between the rich and the poor by imposing certain taxes upon the wealthy in order to support the poor in Great Britain. I do see another coalition government being formed because neither the Labour or Conservative party will have the majority of seats in Parliament and that a coalition government will be necessary to obtain the majority vote. British campaigns for Parliament differ from American campaigns is that American campaigns tend to be more focused on the personal aspect of potential candidates as they use things such as family to make the people voting develop a connection with them and see the candidates as real people instead of politicians. In the U.S. there is a lot of money spent on advertisements focusing more on the candidates themselves compared to the party that they are representing. In the U.K. there is more emphasis on the the party itself and less on the representative. An obvious difference between the elections in Nigeria and the U.K. is that religion has played a large role in gaining the support of voters in the Nigerian election. However, in the U.K. religion has played a very small role in the elections. These two elections are similar because each are supposed to be democratic elections with leaders chosen by the people. With Nigeria being an illiberal democracy due to a lack of legitimacy, this election is not following the same fundamental democratic theory as Great Britain.
ReplyDeleteSources
http://www.bbc.com/news/election-2015-32311736
http://www.bbc.com/news/election-2015-32312687
http://www.bbc.com/news/election-2015-32325930
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-31431456
Ed Milliband of the Labour Party is going to be the main opposition of Cameron and the Conservative leadership. The three main policy debates will be over health and education, economy, and welfare for the community. The Conservative Party may have a chance at winning the election, but they must acknowledge that a coalition must be formed because the Labour Party has already distinctly pointed out that the Conservatives are not a party of the working people; they appeal towards the “richest of the society”. If I were a British voter, I would vote for the Labour Party because they seem to focus on the working majority and provide greater terms of welfare and care for the nuclear family. Another coalition government will most likely occur because parties will see it necessary to come together in order to gain the working class’ votes and balance out the ideologies that the Conservatives have. British campaigns seem to focus explicitly on the policies of their terms, while American campaigns seem to conduct ad hominem arguments and to target their personal lives in order to exploit potentially scandalous background info. Money and media allows the parties to disseminate their views and try to gain support, such as the Conservative’s push to post their policies on Instagram. Compared to the Nigerian elections, we see that there is more political participation and less corruption in the British elections. Because there are not terrorist groups focused on preventing the votes, British citizens actually exercise their right to vote because they know that they have an influence in the policies that could be enacted with the election of the prime minister.
ReplyDeleteSources:
http://www.bbc.com/news/election-2015-32312687
http://www.bbc.com/news/election-2015-32302062
http://www.bbc.com/news/election-2015-32315705
http://www.bbc.com/news/election-2015-32284159
The main opposition to David Cameron for the position of Prime Minister is Ed Miliband. His top focuses include education, members of the Commonwealth as well as social opportunity for the poor (in health and housing). I think that the conservative party will when the elections because they already hold the office and they haven’t done anything bad enough to implement a change just yet. I would vote for the conservative party because David Cameron is taller than Ed Milband (by an inch) and also because I feel Cameron is more established. I see another coalition government developing in Parliament due to its previous success and the need to obtain a majority. Campaigns for Parliament are more focused on the collective ideas of the party while runs for Congress and the President are much more individualized. In America it seems the candidates with the most money. Has the best media. With Britain and the BBC it appears they seek to tell all sides for each party. I feel like the Nigerian elections had a lot more at stake pertaining to who won as seen in the previous wars and violence that broke out due to disagreements with the winner. Similarities are seen in the fact that elections take place and there is campaigning and electoral competition. Difference include the influence social standing ethnic and religious background has on who one votes for.
ReplyDeleteThe main contender to unseat the Conservative Party is the Labour Party led by Ed Miliband. I suspect the main policy debates will be about balancing the budget, the NHS, and immigration. If I was a British voter I would be in a tricky spot because I identify best with a more middle ground party like the Labours, but Ed Miliband was rather dislikable during the debate. I might end up voting for some smaller party like Plaid Cymru or SNP simply to help them win some power in a coalition. I think the Conservatives and Labour parties are going to be close enough that a coalition will have to form but I don’t know what either would do. Cameron seems to have a decent amount of support because he hasn’t messed up this far, yet Miliband is definitely gaining popularity as the main alternative for people who hate Cameron. Recent polls show a closeness in elections (1). American debates are, first of all, easier to understand (the accent was throwing me off) and more interested in the character of each politician, less so with the values of their party. British campaigns for Parliament are less about individual politicians' personalities because it’s expected to follow party lines very closely. Compared to the Nigerian elections, UK's won't have a clear winner and there won't be a threat of massive violence if the wrong party wins. The Nigerian politicians seem more polarized in their views than the British, in part because Nigeria has so many strong divisions (north/south, Muslim/Christian, etc.) Religion played a considerable role in the Nigerian elections, and the British emphasized the environment and decentralized power way more than Nigerian politicians would have. The reason for these differences are two completely separate political cultures. Yes, they’re both democracies, but the UK is stable and focussed on less pressing issues. That is, Nigeria lacks legitimacy and needs to focus on improving the basic health of Nigerians and Boko Haram, whereas the UK is worried about too many people immigrating in part because it has such a high standard of living.
ReplyDeleteOn the debate (side notes): Farage was ridiculously dislikable and seemed like a dumbass. (2) Sturgeon was my favorite person to listen to and she seemed to really know her stuff. (3) Miliband looked way too smirky during his final statement. I think he liked challenging Cameron to a debate like a duel. (4) Wood had an interesting dedication to welfare but she didn’t try to compromise at all on the budget. She was in a cute video with kids, too. (5)
Sources:
(1) Recent poll http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/general-election-2015/11537202/New-poll-on-April-9-Who-will-win-the-General-Election.html
(2) Dumb Farage http://www.bbc.com/news/live/election-2015-32313846
(3) Sturgeon calling people out http://www.bbc.com/news/live/election-2015-32313846
(4) Smirky Miliband http://www.bbc.com/news/live/election-2015-32313846
(5) Wood interviewed by Welsh kids http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/32301907
This election, David Cameron's main competition is from the Labour Party's Ed Miliband. The main policy issues are education, healthcare, welfare, and the economy. Right now, it's unclear who may win this election, since recent polls have placed both the Conservative and the Labour parties at 34%. However, due to the Conservative's incumbent advantage, and the fact that UK's economy recovered significantly under Cameron's leadership, I think that they have the upper hand. I would also vote for the Conservative party due to its recent steps towards social progress, such as its legalization of gay marriage. Because the Conservative Party is starting to take some of Labour's votes by embracing a more socially liberal agenda, Labour is now trying to attract the middle ground. There will probably be a coalition government, however, due to how close the race is between Conservative and Labour right now. The British campaigns are different from those in the US because they are campaigning for a party to win, not an individual. This allows them to focus more on the party's policy, and not the individual's background or beliefs. The media is integral to spreading information about the parties and the campaign to the people, so that they can be informed on election day about each party's ideologies and goals for their country. The advertisements and campaigns also cost a lot of money. The British elections are also different from those in Nigeria, because they are viewed as more legitimate, and therefore, they are less violent. This is because the UK has a longer history of democracy in Nigeria, and it is more culturally ingrained. However, Nigeria's elections seem to be becoming more legitimate, as the most recent elections have not elicited any violence. Eventually, they might be as accepted as those in the UK.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bbc.com/news/election-2015-32345462
http://www.bbc.com/news/politics/poll-tracker
http://www.bbc.com/news/election/2015/manifesto-guide
http://www.bbc.com/news/election-2015-31551457
The primary competition to David Cameron is Ed Millband from the Labour party. The three key policies that are being debated are about education, welfare, and the economy. As of right now, the race is extremely close with the Labour and Conservative parties each having about a third of the vote, but the Conservative party will have a good chance of winning again if the form a coalition with the Liberal Democrats. I would most likely vote for the conservative party because of their welfare programs, as well as some of their other social policies. I think that most likely another coalition government will be formed because as stated previously, the two parties are extremely close in terms of percentage of votes and it will likely come down to who can attract the other parties best. Elections in the United States and Britain differ because of who we vote for. While we are similar in that we vote for a Congress (USA) or a Parliament (Britain), in the US we vote for our president while in the UK they vote for the members of Parliament. A similarity between the US and the UK’s elections are that the media plays a large role in gaining support for the parties. A similarity between the British and Nigerian elections is that they’re both pretty competitive, although this is the first time that an incumbent in Nigeria did not re win his position.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bbc.com/news/election-2015-32312687
http://www.bbc.com/news/election-2015-32325930
http://www.bbc.com/news/election-2015-32311736
The main contender to the conservatives is Edward Miliband, who is the leader of the Labour Party. I believe the three main policy debates are over the economy, healthcare, and foreign policy. I believe that David Cameron will win due to multiple polls indicating that the conservatives are leading. I would lean toward supporting David Cameron because the conservatives appear to have a greater focus on eliminating the deficit and promoting economic growth. I think a coalition government may from out of necessity, but I think there will be some difficulty in doing so. Vince Cable notes so of the issues that the Liberal Democrats would have with joining either of the two leading parties. David Cameron noted that he did not expect to work with the party UKIP, while Miliband stated that he wanted to reach out to any undecided voters. I believe that the media and money plays a much greater role in American politics especially in the election of the President than the elections of the UK. Looking through the BBC website, there is not as much fanfare over the leading candidates for Prime Minister as would be seen on American websites for president. It seems as the are more focused on policy issues, than the public image of the candidates as seen with presidential candidates. In comparison to Nigerian elections, the British one does not involve as much sectionalism and issues such as religion. Nigerian elections are revolve much around ethic divisions, while British elections are focused more around policy issues. Political violence in Nigerian elections are much more prevalent than in British elections as well. While the UK does have some ethnic tensions, it is on a much lesser scale than in Nigerian, where it can be a deciding factor in the elections.
ReplyDeleteSources:
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-32371153
http://www.bbc.com/news/election-2015-32366391
http://www.bbc.com/news/election/2015/manifesto-guide
The main contender to unseat David Cameron is Ed Millband from the Labour party. The three main policy debates that will decide this election are education, welfare, and the economy. I believe that David Cameron will win because polls indicate a conservative lead, and because he was not a bad prime minister (no major scandals). If I were a citizen of the UK, I would support David Cameron because the conservatives appear to have a greater focus on eliminating the deficit and promoting economic growth, while still providing welfare. I think that most likely another coalition government will be formed because no party can attain a majority, since the three leading parties have roughly 1/3 of the vote. I predict the continuation of a coalition government, but not necessarily between the Conservative and Liberal parties. A coalition between the Conservatives and Labour party is likely as well. British campaigns are different from those in the US because of the emphasis on the party, not an individual. This allows them to focus more on the policies of the party/candidate, and not on personal background or beliefs. Media in the United States attacks candidates, persuading voters to not vote due to personal issues, but that is more difficult to do in the UK. Similarly, in the US, monetary contributions support candidates, not necessarily parties. Whereas Nigerian elections are divided by region, tribe/ethnicity, and religion, Britain’s elections are focused more on policies. The difference is caused by the variation of the two countries’ political cultures and their political legitimacies. The UK is more stable and does not have to deal with terrorism (Boko Haram) and does not have a history of successful military coups. Still, both countries are democracies and power can be peacefully transferred from one party to another.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-32371153
http://www.bbc.com/news/election-2015-32302062
http://www.bbc.com/news/election-2015-32315705
http://www.bbc.com/news/election-2015-32284159
The main candidate that is challenging David Cameron is Edward Milliband, leader of the Labour Party. Policy issues that are of main concern is security, economy and healthcare. I would think that the Conservative Party will will win if they accept the coalition agreement with the Liberal Democrats. Additionally, David Cameron has previous experience with his current term and he seems to be well liked by the British people. The main difference between political campaigns in the United Kingdom and the US is that in the US, campaigns are more centered towards the individual. It highlights their personality and personal accomplishments as opposed to the UK which highlights foreign policies and their goals. In the U.S a lot of money is spent on centering upon the individual candidates while in the UK they center on the political parties, being more collectivized. Obvious differences between Nigerian elections and elections in the UK is that in Nigeria, elections are based a lot on ethnicities and religion while in the UK, a majority of people base their votes on the goals and foreign policy of the candidates. Additionally, there is a lot less political corruption in the UK due to their political culture. A similarity is that they are still democratic elections in which the people choose their leaders. However, in Nigeria, it is a lot less legit and would be considered an Illiberal Democracy.
ReplyDeleteSources:
http://www.bbc.com/news/election-2015-32325930
http://www.bbc.com/news/election-2015-32311736
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-31431456
http://www.bbc.com/news/election-2015-32312687
The main contender to unseat David Cameron is Ed Milliband from the Labour Party. I believe the three main policy issues are education, economy, and foreign policy. I think the Conservative party will win again because Britain has a history of traditional legitimacy. The conservative party also focuses on the working class, appealing to a majority of people. David Cameron has also done a fairly good job so the majority of people will not vote against him. However, I feel like it will be hard for one party to win the majority, so i
ReplyDeleteI think a coalition will happen. A major difference in UK elections and US elections is that the UK focuses on the party while the US focuses on the individual. The media plays more of a role in the US and both use money for campaigning. These elections are different from elections in Nigeria as Nigerian elections are usually corrupt and include a great deal of violence. They are similar in that they both have democratic elections.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2015