The EU
The Labour Party believes that involvement in the EU is crucial for success. More involvement would lead to economic stability and easier adaptation to globalization. The Labour Party also believes involvement in the EU will help Britain become a strong world leader. Involvement in the EU will strengthen the ties between Britain and other European nations needed to make Britain stronger in this time of economic turmoil and globalization. Heavier British participation in the EU would benefit the entire world. As a world leader, Britain would be able to tackle pressing issues such as immigration and climate change, and money would go to important causes such as relief from world-wide diseases and the war in Iraq. Involvement in the EU would also help boost Britain's economy. Many people's job depend on interconnected trade of the world. The EU is a powerful unit in economic policy-making, and if Britain becomes a leader in the policy-making, their economy would be revived to an equal or better state than before. While the Labour Party sees the EU as an advantage, the Conservative Party believes the EU is deleterious to Britain. To the Conservative Party, the EU means giving up control. The Conservatives fear a change in how government is run and how policy is made. The Conservatives believe participation in the EU does not let Britain be the strong world power it could be and does not give the British people their political voice.
The Labour Party and Devolution
The Labour Party believes that the voice of the people is crucial for a strong state. However, in order for the people's voice to be heard, they must control over their own lives, they must be empowered. Devolution will give the people this empowerment. Devolution breaks down the government and give back power to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. This makes the government more accessible to the people. Along with devolution, direct elections for city mayors are also introduced. Labour believes that devolution has been a successful key in strengthen the British government. Devolution exemplifies important British qualities such as communities, tolerance, and self-improvement. The Conservative Party is more unstable on the issue of devolution. In 1997, they opposed the devolution of Wales and Scotland, but supported that of Northern Ireland. The devolution of Scotland has made David Cameron fear the separation and independence of Scotland. He wishes to keep the two countries together as one. However, the Conservatives now do not want to reverse any of these reforms of devolution. The Conservative Party believes in decentralization, or the transfer of power from the central government to the people and institutions. They believe this idea is effective because it gives the people more direct control and gives them a stronger voice in the government.
The Treaty of Lisbon was signed on December 13, 2007 by the European Union member states. The treaty consists of a number of amendments to the Treaty on the European Union and the Treaty Establishing the European Community. The treaty makes the Charter of Fundamental Rights legally binding.
