Easy intro to British Politics
I frequently get asked for an easy to understand guide to the UK political system. Until recently I lacked an adequate answer. But BBC’s Democracy Live page has a whole host of simple guides to UK institutions. Useful for citizenship, lower school PSHE (for teachers and pupils) and those new to AS looking to do a bit of home research.
Follow me on Twitter
On Twitter I have been posting links to news stories that are an essential daily read for students of Politics that I have come across as part of my personal reading on the web.
This type of heads up on what is in the news is not a substitute for students doing their own reading, but I know that for many students it is the case that there is so much information freely available on the web that it is not always easy to discriminate between items in terms of their direct relevance to the syllabus. This is where the posts are supposed to fill the gap. Just a couple of links each day, and if students have time to read more then they can use these stories as a starting point for further browsing.
My students have already said they find it useful, and I hope more can.
Follow me on @bgsmacca
Politics Classroom Posters - Devolution
This new classroom poster set focuses on the topic of devolution and covers:
- The difference between devolution and federalism
- Origins of devolution
- Devolution - powers and responsibilities
- Devolution in action - positives and negatives
- Impact of devolution on British politics
- Future of the UK as a unitary state?
Order the Devolution Classroom Poster set here
Useful Politics online resources on the BBC
The BBC has launched a new online service that should make tracking politics on film easier.
There’s also a very useful section on the various governing institutions, what powers they have, and so forth.
I also came across a section on the online archives on Mrs Thatcher. Lots of clips and Panorama interviews that I once stored on VHS tapes.
A decade of devolution
My media Monday material is drawn from the rather excellent Total Politics magazine
read more...»Single transferable vote
I bet these three words had readers salivating at the prospect of what was to come. Probably not. I once made the mistake of admitting that I liked electoral systems as a topic. My colleague showed no mercy.
Anyway, on my travels through electoral reform websites I have come across some computer generated graphical explanations. Useful teaching aids.
Election systems
My notes on the mechanics of the different systems we use to elect our representatives in the UK were getting a bit out of date, so with a scan through the Electoral Reform Society website and the BBC election results I reworked the exemplars.
From war to peace: Northern Ireland
On the same day that Americans go to the polls blog readers would be well advised to get themselves down to the LSE for a round table discussion on Northern Ireland as part of the universities public lecture series.
Ideal for anyone covering the UK issues route with Edexcel or students interested in the story of a unique political problem and its peaceful resolution.
From the LSE website:
Date: Tuesday 4 November 2008
Time: 6.30-8pm
Venue: Old Theatre, Old Building
Speakers: Professor Richard English, Jonathan Powell
Chair: Professor Michael Cox
How did the Northern Ireland peace process come about and what lessons - if any - does Northern Ireland hold for other disturbed regions of the world today?
Professor Richard English is professor of politics, director of research and chair of the Irish Studies International Research Initiative at Queens University Belfast. Jonathan Powell was chief of staff to prime minister Tony Blair.
This event is free and open to all with no ticket required. Entry is on a first come, first served basis. For more information, email events@lse.ac.uk or phone 020 7955 6043.
If you are planning to attend this event and would like details on how to get here and what time to arrive, please refer to Coming to an event at LSE
Developments in devolution
Power sharing at Stormont is no panacea. This posting considers increased fears about terrorist activity by republicans
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