My Semester in London

Category: Politics

Global Citizens?

In my diplomacy class, we often discuss whether diplomacy will cease to exist. One reason, is because of the different ways countries are now able to communicate with one another like non governmental organizations such as the EU. Part of the idea of the EU is to unite countries, creating less boundaries and bringing the world closer to this idea of having people transcend nationalities to become global citizens.

The more I think about this idea the less I believe it is possible. People enjoy sovereignty and still are extremely patriotic, valuing their own views over others. Glimpses of this idea can be seen through the attempt of the Scottish referendum, the  ongoings in Catalonia (Barcelona and surrounding areas). This idea was reinforced and challenged during my weekend trip to Berlin. Berlin is often known for its part during the cold war. One city torn apart for the sake of a preferred ruling system and power.  This is a motif represented throughout the city through the many pieces of the wall still remaining. However, Berlin as a modern city today is quite different. There are people from all over the world who gather in Berlin because of its wealth of alternative culture, art, and music. While these people have yet to transcend state lines, my weekend in Berlin made it evident that a united world still may be achieved through a mix of alternative culture.

The Monarchy

One small difference between the US and the UK is the fact that the UK has a Queen. While the Queen hasn’t done anything political in a while, there is technically nothing stopping her. The UK has a uncodified constitution, meaning it is not written down. In other words, the way the Queen is supposed to act in a constitutional monarchy in the UK, is based off of precedent.

I recently went to see a play, which toyed with this idea of tradition and the uncodified constitution. The British theatre finds nothing sacred, and thus it was not terribly offensive that the play, King Charles III, created a scenario where Queen Elizabeth died and Prince Charles became King. Not agreeing with the first bill that is brought to him in office, Charles refuses to sign it, breaking the hundred year old precedent. Instead, he decides to act on his beliefs, going as far as dismissing parliament. Whether this situation is realistic or not, it taps into some very real themes in the UK such as the importance of tradition, democracy, and the role of the royal family. To hear more about some of the plays I’ve seen click here for my theatre section.

Cheers!

Politics in Action

While you can’t tell from watching the streets of London, there was a lot of commotion in the UK over the past couple of months. Yesterday (Thursday Sept 18 2014), there was a referendum for Scotland’s independence. After talking to some British citizens, I found people had very strong reactions towards the situation. Most were vehemently opposed to the idea of Scotland’s independence. Luckily for them, the vote came out this morning and Scotland decided that they were #bettertogether, with a 55% ‘Yes’ vote. Considering the small lead, it will be interesting to see how this plays out in the future, now that the UK has ignited the hopes of thousands for independence. Anyways, it was really fascinating to be in the UK during this historic moment, even though I don’t know nearly enough to have an educated opinion about it.

Cheers!