Abstract
Back in 2008, Barack Obama won the US presidency on a promise of ‘Change we can believe in’. Since then that simple six-letterword-‘change’ has become a mantra for politicians and political parties around the world.
In the UK, during the 2010 general election campaign, the Conservatives asked us to ‘Vote for change’ while the Liberal Democrats pledged ‘Change that works for you’. More recently, Fine Gael employed the rhetoric of change and reform to win the Irish election.
Change has been the watchword of 2011 so far, too. Revolts have swept across the Middle East, while closer to home on-going budget cuts have introduced new political dynamics. In this issue's lead article, Patrick Dunleavy investigates one notable change in recent years: the emergence of visceral anti-governmentsentiment the right in the wake of the financial crisis.
Meanwhile, the UK could be about to witness a significant change to its election system. On May 5, a referendum on changing the system for electing MPs from first-past-the-post Alternative Vote will be put before the public. In this issue, Michael Pinto-Duschinsky debates the merits of the proposed switch to AV with Iain McLean and Guy Lodge.
Whatever the decision in May, the redrawing of the UK's electoral map could have even greater long term importent than the adoption of AV. Under a coalition bill passed by Parliament in February, the number of MPs will be reduced from 650 to 600, quotas will be increased and traditional boundaries revised. Here Ron Johnston reviews these changes and considers what they might mean for electoral politics in Britain.
One change that was met with little fanfare or media spectacle was the establishment of a Supreme Court for the UK. Comparing the British Supreme Court with its American counterpart, Mark Garnett argues that, despite its relatively inauspicious beginnings, the new Supreme Court could have a significant lasting impact on British politics.
Budget cuts have been a key theme of the coalition's first year -with one notable exception, international development spending. Molly Dunne, David Hall-Matthews and Simon Lightfoot examine why international aid remains a government priority. Elsewhere, Michael Hallsworth looks at the challenges facing policy-makers, while Stuart Wilks-Heeg revisits, another old chestnut, party funding, and asks who should pay for these crucial, though of ten unpopular, organisations.
Looking beyond the UK, Mahrukh Doctor reports from Brazil, where new president Dilma Rousseff will be hoping to build on Lula's remarkable legacy. Brazil's annual growth stands at a vertiginous 7.5 per cent and employment is soaring, but political reform will be needed if this success is to be maintained.
Change is not a word many would associate with the European Union and its institutions, however, with the Euro in serious trouble and disquiet in the region's periphery, these are trying times for the European project. Michelle Cini looks at where power lies in the polycentric EU, while George Irwin analyses the options for saving the embattled single currency.
This is only issue one of 2011, but the winds of change seem unlikely to abate anytime soon. It promises to be a very interesting year for politics across the globe. If would like to join the debates or contribute to Political Insight please drop me an email (address on the opposite page) or log on to http://www.politicalinsightmagazine.com.