Britain's relationship with European Union Essay

Britain's relationship with European Union - Essay Example However as Schmidt suggests the problems of Britain in adapting to European policies are not related with the EU changes in government practice or EU related changes in the policies of the EU nations although these changes seem to have been significant for these countries and have affected politics, governance and decision making. However the fact that Britain has problems adjusting to EU changes could be related to the fact that the EU policy changes have never been justified or explained within the context of discourse on EU policies or EU law (Schmidt, 2006). Schmidt points out that France had greater changes in policies and practices and greater challenges to ideas than Britain although in cases of Germany and Italy there haven't been too many significant changes due to EU policies. Thus Britain's adjustment problems with EU policies should be comparatively less than France but more than certain other nations. Baker (2005) studied on the enlargement and expansion of the European Union to its membership of 25 as also the agreement on the EU constitution and elections of the EP. These events occurred in 2004. Baker focuses on the fact that the Blair government emphasises on helping to promote better relationships between the US and the EU and although this constrained the EU policy for Britain, the fact that Blair had some support for EU policy was a tool to influence the British public which is obviously more pro Europe rather than pro America. Within the British parliament, Britain's policies on the EU and its policies towards America seem to have contradictory implications and in certain cases spark intra party and inter party disputes (Schmidt, 2006; Baker 2005). Political analysts have argued that despite Britain's apparent closeness to the United States in recent times especially during the Iraq war; historically Britain has been much closer to Europe than to America. Although it was widely speculated that Britain's membership in the EEC could lead to a complete breakdown in its relationship with America, 30 years now, this may not have really happened. In fact the question of Britain's relationship with America is not so much under speculation or doubt as Britain's ambiguous relationship with the European Union. Britain unsuccessfully applied for membership within the EEC in 1961 but within the context of major controversies and the fact that the UK had a special relationship with the US in terms of sharing nuclear weapons. However despite Britain's reluctant approach to the concept of the European Union, Britain joined as a member of the EEC in the 1970s. The election of the Labour party in 1997 led to a more euro friendly approach of government although Blair also seems to emphasise on UK as acting as some sort of bridge between the EU and the US. The 1997 Amsterdam treaty helped Britain maintain its own border controls and despite its membership into the EEC, Britain seems to have stayed away from the crux of EU policies and approaches giving rise to speculations on whether Britain's relationship with EU will ever be resolved and whether Britain could ever be fully integrated within the European Union. The remark made by Ernest Bevin, who was the Labour Foreign secretary in 1949: "our

How privatization of police and community policing have changed law Term Paper

How privatization of police and community policing have changed law enforcement - Term Paper Example With no rules to govern them, private police also become intrusive. In order to achieve law enforcement without compromising on right to security and without intrusions, extensive propagation of community police model can help. Many people consider law enforcement as synonymous with policing. In the late 20th century, the systems of law enforcement and crime control in many modern nations have undergone a paradigm shift. For many centuries, government employed police had the responsibility of enforcing law. Early 1980s saw the evolution of pluralized policing; apart from government employed police or public police, private security personnel, and communities started offering paid and voluntary police services, respectively (Bayley & Shearing, 1996). They have affected law enforcement to such an extent that many new definitions of the word police include these forms of police service as well. In order to understand how these systems have changed law enforcement, we shall consider the evolution of these systems, law enforcement in these systems, their limitations, and possible solutions. Private police or private security is not a new concept — since ancient times groups of mercenaries have been selling their services, be it as guards, as warriors, or as bounty hunters. Before World War II, this system had an unfavorable reputation, viewed as motley gangs of heavies hired either to spy or to use illegal force. Both civilians and the police considered them a "dangerous and unauthorized intrusion by private interests into a government preserve" (Bayley & Shearing, 1996). With increasing crime rates in the 20th century, overburdened police forces and the public began to consider them a necessity. Since 1980s, many governments have started to outsource to private security agencies (Bayley & Shearing, 1996). Today, private police outnumber public police in many nations, including in the United States. Community policing on the other hand is a