Blog and updates
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15 Dec 2015
Voting Age in the UK - Lords reject call for 16 year olds to vote in EU referendum
Like many other countries, the UK Government's legitimacy comes from a transparent democratic process which is highly inclusive of its entire population. Part of this legitimacy comes from the age...
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15 Dec 2015
No change to voting age in EU Referendum
In November, peers in the House of Lords voted in favour of allowing 16 and 17 year olds to vote in the UK referendum on staying in the EU, but this was rejected by the Commons because,...
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15 Dec 2015
How can the Republicans distance themselves from Trump?
A brilliantly titled article from the BBC this morning (Dumping Trump) examines how the Republican party, and its presidential candidates other than Donald Trump, might distance themselves from...
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14 Dec 2015
U2 and politics
Yet another super BBC iWonder interactive graphic has cropped up - this one explores the relationship between U2 and politics. This graphic helps you to explore the Troubles in Northern Ireland and...
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14 Dec 2015
Whatever happened to the British Empire?
I really like this BBC iWonder interactive graphic with videos, podcasts, images and text about the rise and fall of the British Empire. The analysis of the Suez Crisis is particularly good, and a...
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14 Dec 2015
Every Student Succeeds replaces No Child Left Behind in a bipartisan success story
For a Republican President nominally opposed to "Big Government", George W. Bush managed to radically increase the reach of the Federal Government in a number of areas, including his No Child Left...
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14 Dec 2015
US gerrymandering and representation - in the hands of the Supreme Court
An important but little-reported case is being deliberated by the US Supreme Court at the moment. Back in 1964, the Supreme Court ruled in the Reynolds v Sims case that the principle of "one person...
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14 Dec 2015
The rise of far-right parties in Europe
Many in France breathed a sigh of relief yesterday as the results of the second round of voting in France's regional elections were announced. The French National Front, led by Marine le Pen, had...
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10 Dec 2015
A Day in the Life of the Prime Minister
Ever fancied yourself having the top job? Ever wondered what it would be like to be Prime Minister? Well wonder no more! In the run up to the election The Sun followed David Cameron around for the...
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10 Dec 2015
Calling all Political Pundits
Opinion polling is a difficult art to master as the UK proved in the run up to the 2015 General Election, however with that in mind it would be excellent fun to predict how the US Presidential Race...
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10 Dec 2015
Should Jeremy Corbyn leave 'Stop the War'
The pressure on Jeremy Corbyn to resign his members of the Stop the War coalition shows what happens when pressure groups and political parties collide.
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10 Dec 2015
What is anarchism?
The Hip Hughes History Youtube channel is full of lively explanations of key political topics. For students of the A2 Ideologies option, his "What is an Anarchist?" video is really helpful and snappy:
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10 Dec 2015
Top ten most powerful political speeches
Here is a super selection of some of the best political speeches ever given, handily collated by Top Yaps, with some unexpected surprises in there. The excerpts range from Socrates, to Oliver...
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10 Dec 2015
Prime Minister's Quotes - an end-of-term lesson activity
This short and simple lesson activity requires students to work in pairs or small groups to work out which Prime Minister is responsible for each statement - a great way of deepening knowledge and...
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10 Dec 2015
David Cameron's EU negotiation talks in Poland
As mentioned in a previous blog post today, David Cameron's place at PMQs this week was taken by George Osborne, because Mr Cameron is in Poland conducting talks with the Polish Prime...
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10 Dec 2015
The UK's response to Donald Trump and the role of social media
Earlier this week, US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump called for a ban on all Muslims entering the US following a shooting in San Bernadino, California, that has been described as a terrorist...
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10 Dec 2015
Fun lesson starter - A Jeremy Corbyn Quiz
Go on, it's nearly Christmas! I'm sure that you've seen our Christmas quiz but if you wanted another 5 minute fun quiz to engage with your students then why not try our new Jeremy Corbyn game. It...
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10 Dec 2015
Is Prime Minister's Questions a good way to scrutinise the executive?
PMQs is often criticised as being merely a "theatrical" performance that merely shows off oratory and wisecracking skills, rather than the effective source of scrutiny of the executive that it is...
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8 Dec 2015
Party Factions - the rise of Momentum
Reports out today suggest that the Labour Party Faction known as Momentum is attempting to tone down its association with far-left organisations by restricting the power of non-Labour Party members...
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7 Dec 2015
Obama's Oval Office Address
For only the third time in his tenure as President of the USA, Barack Obama delivered a prime-time speech directly from the Oval Office, the ultimate symbol of executive power in the US. You can...
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