Evaluate the extent to which European Union impacted the political system of the UK. Flashcards
Introduction - Themes
- Parties
- Policy
- Social
Introduction - Argument
The EU had a significant impact on the UK political system both while the UK was a member and once the UK left
Disagree - Parties - Point
It could be argued that the EU did not have major impact on the UK Political system because the parties that were voted in through the EU Parliament elections are very minor in the UK Parliament
Disagree - Parties - Examples
- The UK were unable to avoid the 2019 European Parliament election. Within these, the Brexit Party won 32% of the popular vote. The Brexit Party does not even have 1 seat in the UK Parliament
- The Second and Third Parties in the 2019 EU Parliament elections were the Lib Dems and the Greens, with 16 and 7 seats respectively. In the UK Parliament, these two have 12 seats between them
Agree - Parties - Point
Just because the parties which dominated the EU Parliament were not the Conservatives nor Labour, does not mean these major parties were not impacted by the EU
Agree - Parties - Examples
- The Conservatives were, and to some extent still are, massively divided over EU membership. During the campaign, CCR was broke, meaning divisions in the Cabinet were evident
- Labour was similarly divided - in the 2019 general election, Labour called for a second referendum, and were evidently very unsure of their position - this caused them a number of seats
Disagree - Policy - Point
The decision to leave the EU meant that all the lost sovereignty has returned to Parliament. This means it can be argued that the impact of the EU is realtively limited
Disagree - Policy - Examples
- Despite one of the key four freedoms of the EU being ‘free movement of the people’ since leaving the UK the government has take a particularly anti-immigration stance
- In the UK, the Rawandan immigration policy is in place. This means that those identified as ‘illegal immigrations’ are sent to Rwanda for processing, this is not the freedom of movement the EU promoted
Agree - Policy - Point
While the UK was in the EU the impact of EU policy was massive, and although the government may have U-turned on policy there have been many other laws which have been maintained
Agree - Policy - Examples
- The Common Fisheries Policy had a massive impact on the UK fishing industry as it granted all member states equal access to the waters of member states. It is widely believed tthat fleets from Spain and Portugal triggered terminal decline of British fishing
- The Retained EU Law Bill 2022 has meant that the government has chosen to retain around 2,400 EU laws
Disagree - Social - Point
The EU promoted strong social cohesion within the member states, promoting the rights of minorities. In the UK, much of the social progression were made as a result of the UK government, not the EU
Disagree - Social - Examples
- It was the UK government’s decisions to legalise gay marriage in 2013 under the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act
- The Equality Act 2010 was another aspect of UK government legislation whcih further promoted the right of minorities
Agree - Social - Point
Although the EU may not have been helpful in promoting social cohesion, the issue surrounding Brexit have definitely disunited UK society
Agree - Social - Examples
- The Northern Ireland terrorist threat level has been raised to severe recently. Although not completely to do with Brexit, the issues surrounding the Northern Irish border has compromised the Good Friday Agreement
- Scotland voted overwhelmingly to remain in the EU, 62% of voters wished to stay part of the EU. This has led to increased calls for Scottish Independence once again, despite only having a referendum in 2014
