'Why and How Have Liberals Supported the Fragmentation\r'

' wherefore and how oblige full-growns back up the atomization of political index finger? (15) Why Liberals argon apprehensioned about precedent, more or less basically, beca ingestion military force constitutes a threat to liberty. Their concern about duckings of spring is root in their emphasis upon individualism and its implication that gay cosmoss atomic number 18 rationally self- interested creatures. self-seeking determines that those who have the office to influence deportment of another(prenominal)s are inevitably inclined to use that ability for their own benefit and then at the expense of others.The great the concentration of agency, the greater pull up stakes be the ground of rulers to pursue self-interest and, consequently, the greater corruption. maestro Acton stated â€Å"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are to the highest degree everlastingly bad men. ” behind Acton’s famous quote about p ower and corruption, he points out the liberal popular opinion that, since homo beings are individuals and so egoistical, they are bound to use power †the ability to influence the behaviour of others to benefit themselves and they entrust use, or maltreat, others in the furtherance of that goal.In essence, the greater the power the greater the scope for using and abusing others in the pursuit of self-seeking ends. much(prenominal) thinking has shaped liberalism in a number of ways. In particular it has boost them to endorse the principle of limited presidency brought through constitutionalism and republic. Liberals thus fight, for example, placementatise constitutions, bills of castigates, the separation of powers, federalism or devolution, as well as regular, free and fair elections, party aspiration and universal suffrage. Constitutionalism delivers limited presidency either by legally ring-fencing governing body (e. . , codified constitutions and bills of rights or fragmenting presidential term power so creating a meshwork of plosive consonants and balances (e. g. , the separation of powers, bicameralism and federalism). commonwealth delivers limited judicature because it bases government on a system of popular admit and accountably that also enables the public (through competitive elections) to unloosen themselves of unpopular or corrupt governments. The fragmentation of power brings many significant benefits. It creates a network of checks and a balance, ensuring that power is a check on power.Different bodies and institutions will in the end act as a check on distributively other. Fragmented government therefore creates internal constraints that prevent government from becoming a totalitarianism against the individual. Furthermore, it ensures that those who mould power have only a limited ability to influence other citizens, thus preventing absolute power. How Traditionally, liberals have always supported fragmented go vernment, checks and balances. Power at bottom liberal democracies is separated between the legislature, decision maker and judiciary which act as twain independent and inter-dependent bodies.The separation of powers emphasises it cuts on power into smaller pieces †thus preventing concentrations of power from growing †and that it creates internal tensions amongst institutions and power-holders which further diminishes the capacity of each to abuse or tyrannise the superior general public. Liberals support constitutionalism and consent because they fear that government may become a one-man rule against the individual, based on the assumption that power is inherently corrupting and concentrations of power will lead to absolute corruption.This assumption is rooted in the liberal view of human nature: as individualism implies self- interest, those with power over others are apt to abuse it for their benefit and at the expense of others. Constitutionalism is the supposit ion or practice of confine government power through the establishment of a framework of constitutional regulations, usually involving the fragmentation of power to create a network of checks and balances. Liberal constitutionalism is expressed through support for various external and internal devices, such as codified constitutions, bills of rights, the separation of powers, federalism or devolution, and so on.Liberal support for consent is obvious in support for electoral democracy in general and, more specifically, savvy for referendums and proportional representation. Consent is the principle that the right to govern derives from the willing agreement of the governed, who thus view the actions of government as rightful(prenominal) or legitimate. Consent is very much in practice associated with the act of voting and therefore institutionalised through a system of electoral democracy. Liberals emphasise the importance of constitutionalism and onsent because some(prenominal) ar e mechanisms for protecting or enlarging the world of individual liberty by restricting the capacity of government to encroach upon the individual. This commission to limiting government reflects the underlying liberal fear that power is inherently corrupting, a consequence of egoism, meaning that government is always liable to become a tyranny against the individual. Constitutionalism achieved this aim through formal, institutional and often legal restrictions upon government officials and bodies.Consent achieves it by ensuring that politicians are publicly accountable and, ultimately, removable. ? Federalism, based on the principle of shared sovereignty, devolution, fantanary government, storage locker government and so on. ? Power is devolved from the totality to regions and at local levels. In the UK: regional assemblies- welsh assembly; Scottish parliament ? Human rights act: giving muckle rights in law which means that they have a check to defend themselves from being disc riminated against by those in authority\r\n'