Separation of Powers
Separation of powers, a classic doctrine of liberal politics, is associated with
bothLockeandMontesquieu, and is supposed to typify, above that of all
other countries, the structure of the US Constitution. The idea is that the
dangers of political power overcoming the public interest will be minimized if
the different sorts of legal power are distinguished and handed to separate
bodies for exercise. The three forms of power that are usually identified are the
rule-making power (legislature), the power to apply rules and policies
(executive) and the power to try alleged offenders against these rules (judi-
ciary).
If these three types of power are rigorously separated, with checks against
the usurpation of one type of power by another agency, it is thought that the
utilization of power will be kept under control. Furthermore it is seen as
inherently likely that abuse of power will arise if, for example, the same body
both makes a rule and decides if someone has broken it. Few political systems
operate, even in theory, by a strict separation of power—the role of judicial
power in the United Kingdom, for example, is less than clear, and both
parliament, the legislative body, and the cabinet, as the executive, interpene-
trate each other’s area. (This has begun to be politically controversial at the
beginning of the 21st century because of the role of the Lord Chancellor, who
is the head of the judiciary, the presiding officer of the House of Lords, and a
cabinet member heading an executive department. Even the senior judiciary
have called for an end to this anomaly.) However, the distinction between
legislature and executive is valid, and keeping at least roughly to it not only
reduces the dangers of abuse of power, but probably makes for more efficient
government. One of the major problems with totalitarian political systems, or
with one-party states and military dictatorships, is that the desires of one major
group are not only politically dominant, but are exercised in all three fields.
The doctrine is closely linked to the idea of therule of law, which absolutely
requires a separation between at least the executive and judiciary.
Sexism
Sexism, afterracism, was one of the first of the negative ‘-isms’ to come into
the public consciousness as a result of the general rethinking of roles, reactions
and obligations in modern society that started in the 1960s (see alsopolitically
correct). Other, later, examples would include, for example, ageism, which
has now achieved almost equal legal status in some constitutions, such as that of
Canada. In theory sexism is a difference in treatment between genders where
none is merited (many -people would only allow such distinction where purely
physical characteristics are concerned, and some even look foraffirmative
actionin those areas), or the behaviour of members of one gender which is
Sexism