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Differences in Foreign Policy between UK Political Parties
Is there a consensus amongst major UK parties about foreign policy?
2005 election
War on Terror
Conservative FP
- Backed military action in Iraq
- Does not support an early withdrawal of troops agrees with Labour
- Support Labour’s diplomatic approach to Iran, Syria and North Korea
- Supports six-nation talks
- Want higher standards of proof before terrorists can be caught and held
- Want terrorists to be prosecuted before attack
- Support the introduction of ID cards
Labour FP
- Right to go to war with Iraq
- Will pull out when the insurgency has been put down and the government asks them to leave
- Advocates a diplomatic approach to Iran, Syria and North Korea and rejects suggestion of further military action
- Supports six-nation talks
- Terrorists can be house arrested and restrictions put on their movements without trial
- Can be prosecuted before they commit an attack
- Proposes introduction of ID cards
Aid and Trade
Conservative FP
- Want to double international contributions to the world’s poorest countries
- Support the cancellation of debts
- Wants to give less aid through international bodies like the EU and more through NGOs
- Support IFF plan
- Press for reform of CAP
- Want to protest poor countries using an advocacy fund before completely opening markets to exports from them
- Want Europe to allow poor countries free access to European markets
- Support Labour over Africa and AIDS
- Would pledge to spend £5.3 billion on aid by 2007/2008
Labour FP
- Want money from IFF (International finance facility) to help the world’s poorest countries
- Gives 100% dept relief to countries committed to using proceeds to benefit poor
- Want to address multilateral dept by paying back the UK’s share of the dept owed to the World Bank and AfDB
- Press for reform of the CAP
- Wants to completely open markets to exports from poorer countries
- Committed to increasing aid and governance to Africa
- Pledged £1.5 billion to tackling AIDS
- Pledges to spend £6.5 billion on aid by 2007/2008
Europe
Conservative FP
- No vote on EU constitution
- Want to renegotiate UK membership
- Opposed to membership of EURO
- Oppose separate EU defence structure wants to work purely with NATO
- Want to opt out of CFP
- Want to abolish CAP
- Want to opt out of EU’s social chapter
- Support enlargement of EU
Labour FP
- Yes vote on the EU constitution
- Remains committed to joining the EURO
- Backs plans to strengthen the EU’s defence role so EU can act without NATO
- Wants to continue with reform of CAP and CFP
- Committed to retaining national veto not renegotiate
Why are both major parties in the UK still divided over European Integration?
- Conservatives are opposed to the idea of having an EU Constitution: the EU doesn’t need one. Countries have constitutions; nation-states make treaties between themselves. The EU needs to become more flexible to meet the challenges of the 21st Century. The EU Constitution would be bad for Britain and bad for Europe.
- The Prime Minister claims that there is no alternative to the Constitution. But this is simply not the case. In fact, by saying “no” the British people would be doing Europe and Britain a huge favour. Europe would be forced to confront its failings and Britain could take the lead in developing a coherent plan to modernise the EU.
- Labour support the constitution because they believe it “is essential to avoid gridlock in an enlarged union of 25 member states” (The Guardian)
- In 1997, Blair said in his manifesto that ‘we oppose a European federal superstate’ (Labour Manifesto 1997). The Belgian Prime Minister has described the EU Constitution as the ‘capstone’ of a ‘federal state’ (Wall Street Journal Europe, 26 November 2003).
- The conservatives believe:
- The EU Constitution would increasingly transfer power over our asylum system to Brussels. European judges would decide how we deal with asylum seekers and it would become impossible for us to change international treaties to adapt international asylum rules to modern circumstances.
- The EU Constitution would mean that the EU would decide what people’s rights were on arrest. At present it is our Parliament and judicial system which sets these rights and laws. Our rights on arrest, how much time some prisoners serve and some criminal laws (such as those on fraud or trafficking and or any cross border organized crime) will be decided in Brussels, not Britain.
- The EU Constitution would increasingly give powers to unelected European judges under the Charter of Fundamental Human Rights. European judges could tear down our Trade Union laws, replacing our industrial relations framework with a more European one, such as in France – taking us back to the bad old days of the seventies.
- The EU Constitution would establish an EU President and EU Foreign Minister (with his own diplomatic corps). He or she would represent the EU to the rest of the world. That would mean the Prime Minister and Government, which we elect, would increasingly take a back seat and Britain’s interests would be lumped in with every member state’s.
- The EU Constitution would give the EU a new status – making it all but a European federal state. Under these arrangements Britain’s place in the EU would be on the verge of becoming akin to California’s place in the US. The ultimate authority over our lives would be Brussels and not be Parliament answerable to the British people.
- Because there is a split opinion throughout the nation and the parties reflect this, not just between each other but within themselves too.
- Labour is now pro-European and signed the social chapter
- “In Europe but not run by Europe” Conservative slogan
- “stop the slide to a European super-state” Conservative John Maples
Is it true to say that Labour foreign policy is more based on idealism whereas the Conservatives base theirs on the national interest?
- No maybe previously but now due to globalisation both have moved to the centre ground. Labour has moved the most, embracing privatisation and to some extent capitalisation
Comments
These notes are aimed at people studying for Edexcel A Level Politics, module 5 and 6, route D, but will be suitable for other people too.
Originally submitted by joker13na on TSR Forums.
