liberalism state structures and mechanisms

Question 1

what do liberals view about a constitutional state?

Answer 1

• at the core, liberal states belive that power should be excercised in an arbitary way, instead it should be limited through: the preconditions of government (the terms on which the governed give their consent to be governed) and the procedures and methods of government (agreed with the citizens)
• these conditions would be enshrined in a constitution, which would be constructed after exhaustive rational discussion among its architects
• inherent to this constitution would be a ‘formalised’ equality reflecting the liberal view that humans are born equal (known as foundational equality!!!!!). Hence, a liberal constitution aims to give the same legal and political rights to all

Question 2

what do liberals view about a fragmented state?

Answer 2

• Locke’s belief that the state’s powers should be fragmented and scattered was a reaction to concentrated monarchical power before the enlightment. liberals argue that power is more likely to be excercised wisely if it shared evenly, ‘power tends to corrupt…and absolute power corrupts absolutely’
• dispersed state power also reflects their optimistic view of human nature, that if individuals are generally rational and inclined to peaceful self-determination, it is reasonable to empower as many people as possilbe.

Question 3

what do liberals view about a representative state?

Answer 3

• consistent with Locke’s assertion that the state derives its power from its citizens, it is important for a liberal state to be reliably representative of the citizens it serves.
• therefore, liberal states will always include representatice bodies, such as parliaments, that allow rational discussion between representativrs of the people, who are accountablee to the people.
• friedan argued that liberals must reject the conservative idea of a paternalistic state

Question 4

what do liberals view about a meritocratic state?

Answer 4

• like a liberal socieety, a liberal state must be meritocratic, governed by those who have earned rather than inherited their authority. in this respect, the liberal state again stands in contrast to the pre-englightenment state where the principle of hereditary power usually applied.

Question 5

what do liberals view about a democratic state?

Answer 5

• initially, with ideas on natural rights and fundamentally equality, liberalism and democracy appears complimentary, however, the situation is complicated by liberalisms respect for ‘natural rights’ which liberals regard as non-negotiable
• classical liberals like Locke and JSM, had reservations about universal adult suggrage. Locke dissaproved of the vote being given to those without property, amaill feared that if votes were given to the ‘uneducated’, it could lead to a lack of tolerance
• although Betty friedan and rawls endorsed universal suffrage, they and other modern liberals have still been keen to stress representative democracy as opposed to direct
• thee second consequence of liberalisms ambivalent attitude towards democfracy is that the liberal state will seek to constrain the effect of elections

Question 6

what do liberals view about judicial supremacy?

Answer 6

• the dispersed power of a liberal state usually includes ‘supreme’ courts and unelected judges- in other words, state officials who may veto the policies of an elected government if they determine that some policies clash with a state’s bill of rights. this stems from liberals belief that ‘natural rights’ are sacrosanct and cannot be threatened, and that certain policies are unacceptable, regardless of their popularity.
• liberals are also wary of parliamentary sovereignty- a doctrine that places ultimate power in the hands of an elective body- as they fear it could lead to the legitimisation of ‘illiberal’ ideas
• consequently, the liberal state seeks to protect itself from ‘elective dictatorship and any ‘populist’ government which shows scant regard for ‘natural rights’