Liberalism remains hugely influential in British Politics Essay

gratis(p)ism clay hugely influential in British Politics, moulding the hold dear systems and policies of all(a)(prenominal) the mainstream political parties. Discuss.The prime focus of Liberalism is freedom and autonomy the type of intimacy they filtrate for depends, however, on which of the twain types of Liberalism is being referred to. Firstly classical Liberalism, believe in negative freedom and progressive Liberalism leaning more towards coercive freedom. I would argue that Liberalism does still have an influence in British politics however I would non go as outlying(prenominal) as to say that it is hugely influential.Firstly, I would outline that the advertize political fellowship is possibly the least liberal in their political approach. Their unembellishedo does not set out many liberal policies due to their stintingal stance. The concomitant that Labour is traditionally a moderately socialist party, concentrating on equivalence within association and for th is reason, they would steer away from the free-market and limited government interjection approaches that liberals may take to politics.The limited government that Classical liberals see as ideal would not conjure up to the Labour party as they strive for the equality of their citizens and would feel that they need to impose policies, such as their insurance policy on housing set out in their 2010 manifesto No stamp duty for counterbalance- clock time buyers on all house purchases below 250,000 for two years, paid for by a five per cent rate on homes worth more than 1 million. This policy exposes a socialist locating to New Labour, highlighting a from each jibe to his ability, to each according to his need ideology within Labour politics.However, progressive liberalism may be seen to have had more of an influence on Labour Party politics. The point that the Labour party believes in imposing policies of equality on society implies that they value positivistic freedom. Polic ies put forward such as the comparison Bill which has been justified as a consolidation measure carry different strands of anti-discrimination law together while implementing EU directives highlight the controlled brass of the Labour partys equality regime.It could be argued that in the past, aspects of Liberalism, although uncomplete truly Classical or Progressive, such as Neo-Liberalism have had a signifi dismisst influence on British politics as easy as the policies and value systems of the fusty party in particular. During Thatchers time in office, she highlighted an ideal of a pragmatic means to progress. The Thatcherite bourgeois party saw Neo-Liberalism as an obvious way to adapt to the constantly changing nature of modern political thought. Tony Blairs New Labour could similarly be seen as a Neo-Liberal trinity way government, on both a social and economic scale.The current Conservative party however, bet to be significantly less affected by Liberalism. Arguably, the free-market ideals that Cameron appears to hold argon seen as Neo-Liberal however, it is apparent that in the current coalition government that Britain is soon led by, this free-market and Neo-Liberal philosophy has been limited to the catch-all demands of mainstream politics.This is apparent in Conservative economic policies such as that put forward in their 2010 pre- habitual election manifest A five per cent pay cut for Ministers followed by a five-year freeze, and a 10 per cent reduction in the number of MPs. This policy in itself shows how Camerons Conservative party are trying to appeal to the masses in controlling the pay of ministers. This does not necessarily touch a free-market approach to the economy and does not play into the meritocratic determine that have been seen in the Conservative party in the past.It could as well be argued however, that more prominent economic policies put forward in the Conservative manifesto pre-2010 have shown that Camerons Conservati ves are moving toward the Neo-Liberal, Thatcherite ideology that the Conservative party once had. Although this may not have been the case when Cameron first became the leader of the Conservative party in 2005, aspects of his partys general election manifesto in 2010, such as Reduce welfare dependency and Stopping tax credits to families with incomes over 50,000 have proven to have shown the partys shift back towards Thatcherite economic politics. These policies show a move back towards meritocratic society and a translucent step away from the something for nothing culture that has emerged in modern Britain.Finally, the Liberal Democrats both by name and by nature are arguably more influenced by Liberalism than any other mainstream political party. Progressive Liberalism can be seen clearly in certain aspects of their recent policies, on bringing up for example Cutting class sizes to ensure children get the single(a) anxiety they need. This is a fine example of how the Liberal Democrats would like to impose positive liberty and freedom on its citizens cutting class sizes would increase individual attention and therefore arguably create more freedom and liberty for pupils in the long-term.It could also be argued however, that the Liberal Democrats are no endless such a liberal party, but more of a third way political party much like the Conservative and Labour parties who have shifted towards the centre of political ideals and values in order to also become more catch-all and appeal to the masses.In conclusion, I would argue that generally Liberalism is not hugely influential in British politics as a whole and does not necessarily mould the value systems and policies of all the mainstream political parties. However, I would argue that liberalism still remains influential in certain specific parts of each partys policies and value systems therefore remaining an influential force, to an extent, in British politics.