The Great Offices of State GOVP2
Several key figures in the UK hold what are known as the Great Offices of State. Cameron, Osborne, May and Hague all occupy these great positions of power in the UK today. For GOVP2 or any course on the Governing of Modern Britain it is essential that you know about the secretive world that is these great offices. Whilst there is a wealth of information on the Prime Minister's Office little light is shed on the Treasury, Foreign Office or the Home Office. Thankfully the BBC has the provided a gold mine of information on these offices!
Enjoy!
Elections April 2013
Politics isn't just confined to the UK and USA you know!
Elections this month are as follows:
7 April: Montenegro - Presidential
14 April: Venezuela - Presidential (Snap Election to replace Hugo Chavez)
21 April: Paraguay - Presidential and Parliamentary
23 April: Bhutan - National Council
27 April: Iceland - Parliamentary
Get Election Details from
http://electionguide.org/calendar.php
Edexcel Politics Discussion - Global Issues
Edexcel have finally posted on their website the papers, mark schemes and examiner's reports from the January 2013 papers.
What are your comments - especially in relations to A2 Unit 4 - Global Issues.
Might it be worth starting a discussion thread below?
Where next for the GOP after The 2012 Presidential Campaign?
Is the Republican Party a party of "grumpy old men"? Why does the GOP no longer seem to connect with younger Americans - is it because they don't understand and connect with voter views on social issues?
The Republican Party is working through a series of internal reviews which seek to identify the issues and problems facing the GOP.
This brief 4 minute studio discussion by the Wall Street Journal experts examines the key issues:
read more...»A2 Students - It’s Crunch Time
You've had results day from January. You should by now know how many points you are going to need to get the grades you want to move on from College or Sixth Form. However this last push doesn't need to be you on your own! I've complied a list of websites and sources you may want to take a look at, as well as some tricks that you can do to not only help you live the subject but also help you achieve the grades you need and deserve. This is a golden opportunity in which you can evaluate what went wrong last time or what you can do better and do it!
read more...»Budget 2013 - Leaking left right and centre
Wednesday 20th March at 12:30 Osborne will stand at the dispatch box and deliver his fourth budget of this Parliament. He is probably hoping not to have a repeat of the 'Omnishambolic' budget which he faced last year with the now infamous 'Pasty Tax'. Before Wednesday's details are announced it may be helpful to look at what Osborne may whip out in the Commons designed to not only improve the state of the British economy but the electoral fortunes of the Conservative Party.
read more...»Budget 2013 - Leaking left right and centre
Wednesday 20th March at 12:30 Osborne will stand at the dispatch box and deliver his fourth budget of this Parliament. He is probably hoping not to have a repeat of the 'Omnishambolic' budget which he faced last year with the now infamous 'Pasty Tax'. Before Wednesday's details are announced it may be helpful to look at what Osborne may whip out in the Commons designed to not only improve the state of the British economy but the electoral fortunes of the Conservative Party.
read more...»Global Issues: Conflict, War and Terrorism: Iraq Ten Years On
Excellent Radio 4 programme this evening on How Iraq Changed the World'. Features telling contributions form all star line up including Emma Sky [former adviser the US military in Baghdad] and also Rory Stewart among many others.....even Tony Blair.
Click here for a link to BBC iplayer.
Here is the BBC blurb:
"Writer and broadcaster John Kampfner talks to Tony Blair, the former French foreign Minister Dominque de Villepin and others about the global consequences of war in Iraq.
How has the world changed since the fall of Saddam Hussein ten years ago? What effect did the war have on the balance of power, the respect for international institutions and the global standing of the United States and Britain?
George W. Bush described the war as 'a central commitment in the war on terror' but some say that, if anything, it has promoted terrorists and their cause. And then there's liberal interventionism. Have we created a tyrant's charter?
Leading thinkers from Britain, the United States, China and Russia discuss the impact of the war that has dominated our headlines and reshaped our history."
Global Issues: Terrorism ~ Beyond Bin Laden
Heads up on a fantastic feature in the Guardian by Jason Burke on Al-Qaida: how great is the terrorism threat to the west?
Jason Burke is author of the excellent '9/11 Wars' and also an earlier book on 'Al-Qaida'. Really good background reading for the Terrorism topic. His conclusion:
"But does this all add up to al-Qaida 3.0, more dangerous than ever before? There's a simple test. Think back to those dark days of 2004 or 2005 and how much closer the violence seemed. Were you more frightened then, or now? The aim of terrorism is to inspire irrational fear, to terrorise. Few are as fearful today as they were back then. So that means there are two possibilities: we are wrong, ignorant or misinformed, and should be much more worried than we are; or our instincts are right, and those responsible for the violence are as far from posing an existential threat as they have ever been."
Politics Quiz 29th January 2013
Business Studies can have the Biz Quiz, so here comes the Politics Quiz, a weekly round up of news and interesting political stories in the form of 10 questions! Helping you to live the Subject!
Launch the Politics Quiz - 29th January 2013
Download printable version (PDF)
Extremism in the Desert - Where Next for the War on Terror?
David Cameron’s Bloomberg Europe Speech
David Cameron's Speech on Europe at The Bloomberg building, promises an In Out Referendum (BBC coverage here), but firstly can he keep his Coalition together, avoid more splits in The Conservative Party then win a General Election, all of which are big assumptions. Labour have to work out if their General Election campaign can really oppose a popular vote on Europe. Does it kill the UKIP fox, wait and see. If Labour won The next General Election, would Ed Miliband make sure that there is no return to Bloomberg and bust?
Barack Obama Inauguration Address 2013
President Barack Obama's second Inauguration Address presented as a word cloud.
Tory Modernisation 2.0
This video interview from The Economist with David Willetts provides a good introduction to the ongoing challenge of modernising the Conservative Party.
read more...»One Nation Labour & Some Revision on GOVP1 and GOV3B
If students of the political world were in any doubt as to Ed Miliband's thoughts towards Old and New Labour, they have certainly been ironed out, as Old and New Labour are definitely sent to the grave. This further announcement today at the historic Fabian's Society is political gold for all students sitting the Ideologies Paper next week.
Electoral Systems
A year ago I was revising for my GOVP1 Exam, and ultimately one of my favourite topics was that of Electoral Systems. 2011 had been a brilliant year for Electoral Systems with the AV Referendum in May. However it is important to know how each electoral system works. As well as drawing endless flow charts, CGP Grey helped a great deal, as did other internet sources.
read more...»UK Elections in November 2012
Rachel Fairhead reports that the low turnout (aprox 15%)for the elections of the Police and Crime Commissioners perhaps was the headline which grabbed most attention in November’s days of elections; that and the under-performance of the Liberal Democrats.
read more...»US Politics - King Obama?
Kevin Bloor explains the recurring debate within American politics about the power of the President; of which there are two contrasting schools of thought.
One theory claims that the President has exceeded his constitutional powers. As such, he acts in a manner comparable to an imperial monarch. The second is that the Head of State is greatly curtailed in his actions by constitutional and political considerations. This article examines the imperial thesis in the field of foreign policy to the 44th President, Barack Obama.
read more...»The Leveson Report
As Rachel Fairhead explains, the Leveson inquiry was a public, judge-led (Lord Justice Leveson) inquiry set up by David Cameron to examine the culture, practice and ethics of the press.
read more...»Spanish Politics - Catalan Independence
Nick Graham explains the background to moves towards independence by the Catalan region. During a period when easy credit, generous government subsidies and seemingly endless growth made Spain the economic dynamo of Europe, Spain’s highly decentralised system of government was an envied and admired way of organising a country with what historically had often been troublesome and destabilising centrifugal forces.
read more...»Elections in America 2012
As Kevin Bloor explains, once every four years, the American people elect their Head of State. Held at fixed intervals even during war-time, it is a practice which dates back over two centuries. The process may seem a little complex for students more familiar with British politics, particularly when they are first introduced to it. Now seems as opportune a moment as ever to consider the Electoral College, staggered elections and most importantly what the results of November 2012 mean for politics in America.
read more...»US Politics - Can You Buy an Election?
In this article, in conjunction with the one in a recent edition of FPTP, Mike Simpson seeks to question some of the traditional views of the role of pressure groups in light of the most recent developments. This time Mike's focus is on the USA.
read more...»
US Politics: Propositions in 2012 – a shift leftwards?
As Nick Graham reports, a subtle but perceptible shift in the United States’ political orientation took place in November measurable by the success of several ballot proposals from states as far apart as Maine and Colorado. Here and in Washington, voters approved constitutional amendments for the legalisation of recreational marijuana for the first time in the country’s history.
read more...»An Early Political Christmas Present
It's not long before the Exams are upon us and you are lucky as politics students to get this early Christmas Present!
read more...»Politics - Living the Subject
Politics is a subject which is very much alive, it's a social science because its famously unpredictable. Back in 1992 election pundits called the election in favour of Neil Kinnock and Labour, but as astute politics students I'm sure you know that wasn't the case. Election night is probably the jewel in the crown or the star on the Christmas tree for politics students as the fates of nations is in the hands of an electorate. I think that because of this unpredictability, I love the study of it!
read more...»@kingspolitics
When time allows will resume a blogging, especially on the Global Politics front. However, ijn the meantime for direct links to relevant articles, events etc. with a view to those studying AS British Politics and then at A2 Ideologies and Global Issues here is the link to the King's Politics Department twitter page:
US update: Initiatives in the recent US election
In the flurry of excitement around the re-election of Barack Obama many of you may have not noticed that many States in the US also voted on a raft of initiatives that were put before the electorates of these States.
read more...»Weblinks for AS Government and Politics Party Policies and ideas
The American Road Trip: Obama’s Story
Could well be worth a watch - 'The American Road Trip: Obama's Story' ahead of the upcoming election.
Channel 4
7pm
Tonight
read more...»
