Resetting Our Goals?

One major "development" experience that sticks out to me involves the elections England had in May, and the subsequent political climate involving the Conservative government lead by David Cameron and the stance the party takes in regards to the EU. For the Conservative government, their stance on England's continued participation in the EU is tenuous, and they vowed, if elected, to put their membership to a referendum.

That referendum is set to take place next year, and Cameron and the Conservatives want to see the peoples' opinion on the EU. There is an agenda of course, and the Conservatives are Euro-skeptical, believing that soon may be the time for the United Kingdom to leave the EU. They feel that developing both Europe and the global community can be better achieved without the regulation or support of the EU's governing bodies, and that the EU hurts the UK more than it helps.

Part of these sentiments arise from the situation in Greece, as well as the austerity measures the EU placed on the whole of Europe, in either reforms in places like Greece, or increased monetary help to bail out the countries in danger, which the UK has done. The UK feels that "development" of Southern Europe and Ireland is no longer in its own interests. Development to England means less about giving money directly to countries in its immediate region, but more on recovering its own economy, even as the bedroom tax and other Conservative policy places undue burden on citizens.

England also continues to gear its development towards devolution, with new proposed measures to give English MPs more control over the laws passed in England that do not relate to Scotland. The "English votes for English laws" proposals arise in retaliation of Scotland having its own Parliament and elections offset from the state wide elections, and the fact that even though Scotland determines its own path in certain terms, those same MPs can vote on England's budgets, even if those budgets do not affect Scotland whatsoever, or they are legally exempt from certain restrictions. Scotland is given flexibility with both welfare benefits and taxation, for example, a 5 pence tax on plastic bags in stores, a tax that does not exist in England. The divide between the Scottish and English cultures have forced development to center around both leveling the playing field for the English, and also giving Scotland more freedom to appease growing dissatisfaction. Because of this, the changing nature of development may mean Great Britain takes a turn into itself, further losing the prestige from its former empire, and instead working to ensure the Isles do not fully splinter from Westminster government.

The task of keeping the United Kingdom together is proved more difficult, both by the election of the Conservative party, and the failure of the referendum of 2014 on Scottish independence. Despite the Unionists prevailing, the Scottish National Party began to see membership increase, as many Scots still feel that English leadership is not in their best interests. To the British, the social importance of development is now more than ever focused on the home islands, leaving the rest of Europe and world at large on the back burner, until such time Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland are more securely tied to Westminster. A vote to leave the EU would further exacerbate the tensions, as Scotland at large is a pro-EU culture, despite the Cameron administration's Euro-skepticism.

Parliament Building, London, where much of the UK's talks of development take place