Is there still a viable Social Democratic tradition in British Essay

Is there still a viable Social Democratic tradition in British Politics - Essay Example It suffers from a democratic deficit, and this has been established by the Westminster scandal. Nevertheless, the United Kingdom has a well established political culture that is based on values, moderation and public service. The class system of this nation served to establish a political class that has the ability to resist the exploitation of power and privilege (Soutphommasane, 2009: 11). Moreover, the British Empire generated a sense of common identity, in a society that was based on an inflexible classification on the basis of class. However, with the passage of time, these traits have been eroded. Furthermore, due to the professionalization of politics, parliamentary culture based on duty has been weakened (Soutphommasane, 2009: 11). The decline of the imperial power, in conjunction with multiculturalism and a disregard for national pride has rendered the UK a socially fragmented nation. The void thus created is being occupied by the nationalists of the far right. This is the real crisis being faced by the parliamentary system of UK. With European elections, in the offing, the political parties of the UK are making every possible effort to propose reforms to the constitution and the electoral process, in order to restore public trust in politics (Soutphommasane, 2009: 11). Thatcherism emerged in the aftermath of the acute social tension of the 1970s, wherein corporatist strategies of resolving competing demands on the economy and society had proved to be dismal failures. The mine workers’ strikes had defeated two governments; and inflation levels, were at the maximum level. It was believed that the UK had become ungovernable; and cultural and social warfare was being conducted against promiscuity, abortion, immigration, universities, and schooling. At that critical juncture, Margaret Thatcher was elected as the Prime Minister of the UK, on the basis of her