Handout1September 2008
European StudiesYear 1
Ms Joan Morrison
European Studies is where we take a look at the history and geography of Europe examining social, cultural and political developments happening in Ireland and on the European mainland. This course will be responsive to events on the ground both in Ireland and Europe. Before we begin to examine what goes in Europe and how the European Union ,works, we will examine firstly Irish national political institutions, why and how they operate and then their interaction in the wider international arena.
The European Union is the most sophisticated form of inter-state cooperation that has emerged since the formation of ‘nation-states’ in the 17th century. But at its core are the 27 member states. In this course therefore we will begin by examining Ireland as one of these member states with comparisons to its fellow EU states.
We will begin by asking ourselves what ‘politics’ is all about!
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It is useful to ask firstly ‘what is politics’?.
Politics is such a familiar subject it is probably much easier to recognize than to define. It can be understood as the process by which groups make collective decisions - from the family, to the international community and within this process diverse interests are being reconciled. This can be a very elaborate process in relation to the job of government in the late twentieth century as it intervenes more and more in the life of the citizen and in the operation of the economy.
Hazelkorn, P. 24 says, ‘ politics is the means by which we achieve the principles upon which democracies are based - freedom, equality and justice’
There are less neutral definitions which are worth considering. Here politics can be seen as either
the unscrupulous pursuit of private disadvantage or
a civilised mode of decision-making
Is politics an ideal to aim at, or, a reality to be described? Whatever hue we prefer to give to our definition of ‘politics’ the constant problem is to promote the common good in the midst of diversity. The aim of politics is to promote the welfare of the community as a whole while taking account of the interests
and attitudes of individual members or groups. Do you think this is an easy task? On consideration of many recent issues in Irish politics we can see that the management of diverse interests within the Irish community takes most of the time and energy of those elected to govern and make laws for our society.
As a result political decisions in Western liberal democracies are reached after much thorough discussion, bargaining, and compromise. But political decisions can also be reached on the basis of custom, voting, and sometimes even violence.
Let us take note of some comments by political scientists and politicians on the matter of ‘politics’ and their perception of this ‘master science’.
To quote Peter Calvert - Politics, Power and Revolution, an Introduction to Comparative Politics, London: Wheatsheaf Books 1983 p.1
“Politics, the ‘master science’ of Aristotle, is, on account of its importance and complexity, most difficult to define. Its field of interaction is to be found in every aspect of society where decisions are to be made, and nowhere more so than where the most fundamental and crucial questions have to be resolved. But the principal institution of any society dealing with political matters, and the key to understanding its politics as a whole is its government.
Politics can be defined as the art of getting others to do the things you want them to do… But politics is not action but interaction; it is both what govenments do to rule people and what people do to try to influence their government.
In the Newsom Report, Half our Future, 1963
“A man who is ignorant of the society in which he lives, who knows nothing of his place in it, is not a free man even though he has the vote. He is easy game for the ‘hidden persuaders’. A society in which he and his like predominate is at their mercy. We may turn Abraham Lincoln’s saying to our situation: ‘this nation cannot survive half slave, half free”
And to illustrate the ongoing relevance of ‘politics’ in our lives, we only need to consider the recent referendums in Ireland, May 22 1998. As Tom Garvin wrote, Irish Times May 25, 1998
“The Belfast Agreement has helped move people North and South past a collective Irish tendency to treat politics as a kind of warfare, in which winner automatically takes all. … the general philosophy behind the agreement is … non zero-sum, and based on a fundamentally correct diagnosis of the Irish disease… to treat politics as a kind of warfare, where enemies are driven from the field, rather than treating your political opponents as people with whom you indeed contend, but also as people with whom you must co-operate, if only to have a tolerable existence. [1]
And politics, the process of ‘reconciling diverse interests’ is also clearly seen in the ongoing experiment of the ‘European Union’. In the words of CJHaughey
“…countries of Western Europe which had been in conflict had come together to create a new structure of co-operation which had no precedent in international life. … The immediate means of those who founded the Community were economic; their deepest aims were profoundly political. They wanted … ‘to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war’”[2]
Assessment exercises:
1.
How does this process operate in our lives. Examine the circles in which you move and consider the process which goes on, on a daily, perhaps even hourly basis, when you discuss, debate, bargain, compromise, bully to get a decision made. How in fact are decisions made within these groups set out below.
Family ,Friends ,College authorities,Neighbourhood ,Town,Country ,EU,UN.
2. Articles/Cartoons : the File
We can study politics by looking at life itself. What are the problems which affect your community? The main topics in the press probably relate to such issues as - jobs, inflation, law and order, international affairs. You can look at the Irish dimension first and then go on to examine the wider international dimension. As you read about these issues use the following questions to aid analysis.
what gave rise to the problem?
what are the issues involved?
what individuals or groups are affected?
who is trying to resolve the problem?
what methods are being employed?
is it negotiations or imposed solutions?
how would I solve/handle the problem?
Read and summarise articles from a recent newspaper and consider how the ‘political process’ is at work. Did it ‘manage diverse interests’, ‘create further tensions leading to more conflict’, provide a solution to the problem’ or ‘force the opponent into submission? Into which of the categories mentioned above do the content of the articles fall - family, friends, EU ? Is their any overlap between these categories?
Martyn Turner
Government - a condition of orderly rule; as groups/organisations become more complex, stable patterns of decision-making emerge
Governments - the Taoiseach and cabinet who have executive authority on behalf of society and the state
The state - the authoritative decision-making making institutions for an entire society; all other groups are legally subject to it; it is legally sovereign; its authority is compulsory; it is the ultimate regulator of the legitimate use of force
The nation-state - this is when the two overlap
nation - people sharing a common identity, tradition, culture and language
state - the political and legal entity through which collective decisions made and enforced
An abstract entity - we defend it in song, in sport, in war, in peace, flags and emblems
P.24, Hazelkorn &Murray
What are these institutions in Ireland?
The Dail, the ministers, the courts, the Gardai, the army, the civil service, semi-state bodies
They make and enforce collective decisions
Does the European Union have similar institutions?
Where can you see how its authority is compulsory? (tax.. conscription, …
The legitimate use of force - look at article on riots in Indonesia - what does that say to us about the ‘legitimate use of force’
Is Ireland a nation? A nation once again/The sash…
What about Bosni, Kosova,
Look at the articles below and read critically what they tell us about the problems when the nationa and the state do not overlap
1
[1] Tom Garvin, ‘Deal marks beginning of the end for politics of total victory or total defeat in Irish Times, May 25, 1998. See photo-copy of article below
[2] Speech by An Taoiseach Mr CJHaughey, opening debate on European Union, Dail Eireann 28 November 1991 from Documents on Political Union, Dublin: European Parliament Office