...Composition, Role and Powers of the House of Commons: * It is an elected chamber, hence enjoys democratic legitimacy. * Composed of 650 MPs, whereby each has been elected to represent a constituency. * It therefore has supremacy and the commons may thus pass any bill that they wish and the Lords may only delay it becoming law. * Executive can therefore only govern if it retains the confidence of the House of Commons. * It the executive loses the vote of confidence, it has no option but to resign and hence provoking a general elections. * Given that there are two Houses of Parliament, the system is called Bicameral. Composition, Role and Powers of the House of Lords: * It compromises of four types of Lords. * The vast majority is Life Peers, where they have been appointed to the House of Lords by the Prime Minister on his own recommendations and that of other party leaders. * While a smaller number of People’ Peers have been appointed by the House of Lords Appointments Commission. * There are 92 Hereditary Peers. * There is Lords Spiritual, the 26 Bishops of the Church of England. * However they are not elected and therefore does not enjoy democratic legitimacy the powers of the Lords are inferior to those of House of Commons. * This means all they can do to proposed legislation that they disapprove of its delay it for one year. * But they cannot do this to the budget. * According to the Salisbury Convention, they...
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...A GUIDE TO THE CONSTITUTION OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO by The Trinidad and Tobago Humanist Association PREFACE The Trinidad and (www.humanist.org.tt) principle of rational to meeting challenges Tobago Humanist Association is an organisation founded to promote the and ethical thought and action, and devoted on the basis of common humanity. The nation of Trinidad and Tobago has for some time been in a state of political crisis, characterised by ethnic tensions and by an increasing lack of confidence, on the part of the population, in the institutions of State. Many people and groups see the prospect of a lessening of tensions, and the beginnings of a return to social harmony and economic progress, in Constitutional reform. In response to these pressures, the present government has appointed a commission to review the constitution, and the work of that commission is now open for public comment in a series of open meetings. Response to the official draft has been sporadic but largely negative. The best informed commentators have unanimously seen in it an increase in the power of the Executive, although excessive executive power without adequate checks and balances was said to be the major problem of the existing Constitution. Some human rights organisations have detected in it the beginning of sever erosion of fundamental rights. In addition, other groups, including one newly-formed national political party, have prepared their own drafts, and suggestions for reform of particular...
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...Every professional men and women has to abide by certain rules and regulations. Practitioners of mass communication is no exception. The individuals working under this profession have to observe and follow the law and ethics of mass communication. These are not just standards of what is right and wrong nor based only on morality, as what most people think so. There is more to ethics than their misconceptions. These standards of conduct are highly essential and therefore strict adherence is recommended. These ethics drive the practitioners to instill self-discipline, professional attitude and sense of responsibility among 1 themselves as they are guided on how to deal with day-to-day situations involving ethical dilemmas. Here in the Philippines, there have been a lot of reported cases of libel suits. No matter how hard practitioners of mass communication try to keep up with moral responsibilities, others could not fight the urge to defy the odds. There are instances wherein some reporters and journalists abuse the privilege given to them through irresponsible reporting and writing. Thus, under Act No. 3815 or the Revised Penal Code, the offenders shall be subject to...
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...GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS AS LEVEL UNIT TWO GOVERNING THE UK “Never, never, never give up” Winston S Churchill 1874-1965 1 GOVERNING THE UK 50% of AS [25% of A2] UNIT TWO SAMPLE QUESTION Answer one question from Section A and one question from Section B in 80 minutes. Spend 40 minutes on Section A and 40 minutes on Section B SECTION A QUESTION ONE PRIME MINISTERIAL POWER “For too long the big political decisions in this country have been made in the wrong place. They are not made around the Cabinet table where they should be, but they are taken on the sofa in Tony Blair’s office. No notes are kept and no one takes the blame when things go wrong. That arrogant style of government must come to an end. I will restore the proper process of government. I want to be Prime Minister of this country not a President (Source: David Cameron, The Times, 5th October 2006) “The Cabinet is the committee at the centre of the British political system. Every Thursday during Parliament, Secretaries of State from all departments as well as other ministers meet in the Cabinet Room in Downing Street to discuss the big issues of the day. The Prime Minister chairs the meeting, selects its members and also recommends their appointment as ministers to the monarch. The present Cabinet has 23 members (21 MPs and two peers). The secretary of the Cabinet is responsible for preparing records of its discussions and decisions”. (Source: From a modern textbook) (a) What...
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...Edexcel AS Politics ExamBuster 2009 Introduction to Unit 1- People and Politics Understanding the Examination and Exam Technique Choosing your questions In this unit you are presented with four questions. They are of equal value and each question covers one of the four sections of the specification. These are: Democracy and political participation Party policies and ideas Elections Pressure groups There is no significance to the order in which questions appear. Each question is divided into three sections (a), (b) and (c). When choosing which questions to do, the following principles are recommended: It is almost certain that you will be better off choosing your strongest question to do first. You should choose questions on the basis of how well you can answer the section (c) part. The (c) part carries 25 of the 40 marks available for the whole answer. Do not choose a question simply because you can do part (a) especially well. The (a) question is only worth 5 marks. It would be illogical to choose your strongest (a) part if you cannot do well on section (c). If you cannot decide between several (c) parts, i.e. you can do more than one equally well, make your choice on the basis of part (b) which carries 10 marks. But remember, it is the (c) parts that will determine most what your overall mark will be. So, when you first look at the exam paper, look at the (c) sections first. Assessment Objectives Each question is divided into three sections, as follows: carries 5 marks...
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...INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS IN FEDERAL SYSTEMS INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS IN FEDERAL SYSTEMS 1 Introduction 1 2 FEDERAL SYSTEMS 3 3 WHAT ARE INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS? 4 4 AUSTRALIA’S FEDERATION – HOW IS IT OPERATING? 5 5 INTERNATIONAL COMPARISONS 8 6 INTERNATIONAL FEDERAL SYSTEMS: A BRIEF OVERVIEW 9 7 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 PRINCIPLES OF INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS EFFECTIVENESS TRANSPARENCY ACCOUNTABILITY EFFICIENCY INDEPENDENCE 11 11 33 34 37 40 8 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 INTERGOVERNMENTAL FISCAL ARRANGEMENTS REVENUE RAISING SPENDING FISCAL EQUALISATION MONITORING POLICY 43 43 51 55 56 57 9 CONCLUSION 59 INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS IN FEDERAL SYSTEMS INTRODUCTION 1| INTRODUCTION Australia, like many other systems of government around the world, is a federal system. Federations, while divided into different levels of government inevitably have a degree of interdependency between governments. Inescapably there arises a degree of conflict or ineffective governance. For example, disputes may arise between different governments on the basis of service provision or infrastructure, constitutional jurisdiction, fiscal arrangements (e.g. vertical fiscal imbalance or spending powers) or environmental or social issues. Most federations have developed a system of intergovernmental consultation and cooperation to deal with such...
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...The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was a court-like body assembled in South Africa after the end of Apartheid. Anybody who felt they had been a victim of violence could come forward and be heard at the TRC. Perpetrators of violence could also give testimony and request amnesty from prosecution. The hearings made international news and many sessions were broadcast on national television. The TRC was a crucial component of the transition to full and free democracy in South Africa and, despite some flaws, is generally regarded as very successful. Creation and Mandate The TRC was set up in terms of the Promotion of National Unity and Reconciliation Act , No 34 of 1995, and was based in Cape Town. The mandate of the commission was to bear witness to, record and in some cases grant amnesty to the perpetrators of crimes relating to human rights violations, reparation and rehabilitation. The TRC has a number of high profile members: Archbishop Desmond Tutu (chairperson), Dr Alex Boraine (Deputy Chairperson), Mary Burton, Advocate Chris de Jager, Bongani Finca, Sisi Khampepe, Richard Lyster, Wynand Malan, Reverend Khoza Mgojo, Hlengiwe Mkhize, Dumisa Ntsebeza (head of the Investigative Unit), Wendy Orr, Advocate Denzil Potgieter, Mapule Ramashala, Dr Faizel Randera, Yasmin Sooka and Glenda Wildschut. Eunice Miya being comforted at the TRC hearings. (Photo: Iris Films) Committees The work of the TRC was accomplished through three committees: Human Rights Violations (HRV)...
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...authorities of the FCT, or the Lagos State Ministry of Environment for allegedly being located in an industrial area. Suppose some customs officers at a checkpoint found you in possession of items which they claim to be contraband and, therefore, seized pursuant to the new Customs policy of zero-tolerance of goods likely to endanger the economic growth or contribute to the economic adversity of the country? But it turns out that you can, in law and in fact, possess or own those items. Imagine yourself as a principal of Secondary School in Lagos State. The host community of your School wrote a petition against you to the Ministry of Education. Acting on the petition, the Ministry indefinitely suspended you and later retired you compulsorily. How about a...
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...he can’t rectify it later when mud is dry and pot is made.Similarly we can make a juvenile good or bad from his childhood but later when he becomes fully hardened criminal its not easy to reform him.We blame parents for a bad juvenile but they alone are not responsible for a bad juvenile delinquent.A juvenile becomes delinquent due to environment all factors are responsible family,society,peers factors,etc.Juvenile becomes delinquent when he does not get the appropriate love and affection he wishes to have.Slowly the juvenile follows the path of delinquency and then becomes delinquent.We all see the cases of juvenile delinquency but no one cares to look into the factors responsible for juvenile delinquency.It is said that prevention is better than cure.After juvenile becomes delinquent we try to reform him but if we from beginning take steps so that a juvenile doesn’t become delinquent then we won’t have to look into cases of increased crimes by juvenile delinquents.I have tried to throw light on those factors which play an important role in making a child delinquent and what are the methods by which we can stop a child from becoming delinquent and also the laws which have been made for juveniles.It is important to train a child properly to make a juvenile a responsible citizen of our country.I have also thrown light on salient features of juvenile justice act.Juveniles laws also seen in international perspective. ...
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...A State Intervention Approach to International Trade and the Right to Health in the Crude Oil and Natural Gas Sector of Nigeria Table of Contents A State Intervention Approach to International Trade and the Right to Health in the Crude Oil and Natural Gas Sector of Nigeria 1 Chapter 1 General Introduction 6 1.1. Background 6 1.1.1. Definitions 14 1.1.2. Trade Liberalization 14 1.1.3. International Trade Law 15 1.1.4. Right to Health 16 1.1.5. Human Right Laws 17 1.2. Research Questions 18 1.3. Justification of the Research 21 1.4. Research Objectives 30 1.5. Research Methodology 31 1.6. Research Structure 37 Chapter 2 Theoretical Framework and Literature Review 40 2.1. Introduction 40 2.2. International Trade Rules and Protection of People’s Right to Health 41 2.2.1. Sources of International Trade Rules 41 2.2.2. Trade Liberalization and the Protection of the Right to Health 44 2.3. Scope of the Right to Health 54 2.4. Brief Overview of State Intervention Theory 59 2.5. States Duty towards the Fulfilment of the Right to Health 65 2.6. Legislative and Institutional Regulations Protecting the Right to Health in Nigeria 73 2.6.1. The International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) 1966 76 2.6.2. The African Charter on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR) 78 2.6.3. The International Health Regulations, 2005 81 2.6.4. The Nigerian Constitution 82 2.7. Conclusion 83 Chapter...
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......................................................................... Working through the Course.............................................. Course Materials................................................................ Study Units........................................................................ Textbooks and References.................................................. Assessment.......................................................................... Tutor Marked Assignments (TMA)................................... Final Examination and Grading.......................................... Course Marking Scheme..................................................... Course Overview/Presentation Schedule............................ How to get the most from this Course................................ Tutors and...
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...CRIME, PROCEDURE AND EVIDENCE IN A COMPARATIVE AND INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT This book aims to honour the work of Professor Mirjan Damaška, Sterling Professor of Law at Yale Law School and a prominent authority for many years in the fields of comparative law, procedural law, evidence, international criminal law and Continental legal history. Professor Damaška’s work is renowned for providing new frameworks for understanding different legal traditions. To celebrate the depth and richness of his work and discuss its implications for the future, the editors have brought together an impressive range of leading scholars from different jurisdictions in the fields of comparative and international law, evidence and criminal law and procedure. Using Professor Damaška’s work as a backdrop, the essays make a substantial contribution to the development of comparative law, procedure and evidence. After an introduction by the editors and a tribute by Harold Koh, Dean of Yale Law School, the book is divided into four parts. The first part considers contemporary trends in national criminal procedure, examining cross-fertilisation and the extent to which these trends are resulting in converging practices across national jurisdictions. The second part explores the epistemological environment of rules of evidence and procedure. The third part analyses human rights standards and the phenomenon of hybridisation in transnational and international criminal law. The final part of the book assesses Professor...
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...Impact of Nigeria's Bilateral Investment Agreements in Oil and Gas on the Right to Health and the Right to a Healthy Environment: A Case Study of the Niger Delta” Full Name of Student (Your student registration number) A XXXXXXXXXXX DISSERTATION SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT FOR THE REQUIREMENT OF DEGREE OF XXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX UNIVERITY Declaration I hereby declare that research thesis is my original work and has never been used presented for any degree or diploma in any university or institution. Where material is obtained from published or unpublished works, this has been fully acknowledged by citation in the main text and inclusion in the list of references. Table of Contents Declaration 2 Table of Contents 3 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 11 1.1 Background of the study 11 1.2 Statement of the Problem 27 1.2 Research Aims 29 1.3 Research Objectives 30 1.4 Research Questions 31 1.5 Justification of the Research 32 1.6 Research Methodology 42 1.6.2 Research design 45 1.6.2 Target population 45 1.6.3 Sampling 46 1.6.4 Data collection 46 1.6.5 Data presentation 46 1.7 Definition of terms 46 1.8.2 Environment 47 1.8.3 The right to health and the right to a healthy environment...
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...contracts with major fiscal implications were signed by the State Electricity Boards. A third set of circumstances, with the potential for equally powerful forms of institutional lock-in, appears to be in the making with the reproduction of the Orissa model on the national scale. This paper provides an analysis of the social and political context in which power sector reforms have taken place in India. While a state-led power sector has been responsible for substantial failures, is the design of the reformed sector well aimed at balancing efficiency and profit-making on the one hand and the public interest on the other? The discussion of the forces and actors that have shaped the reform processes is intended to contribute to an understanding of how the public interest can best be served in the ongoing effort to reshape the power sector. NAVROZ K DUBASH, SUDHIR CHELLA RAJAN I Introduction he electric power sector in India is in a state of upheaval. Over the decade of the 1990s, the long-held belief in public ownership and operation of this critical sector has been eroded. In its place has emerged a growing vision of the sector organised around participation by the private sector, competition and independent regulation. The significance of these changes for economic, distributive and political outcomes is potentially profound. Since independence, the sector has been operated as an instrument of public policy. Critics of this approach have argued that public ownership has led to inefficiencies...
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...been struggling to establish stability on the administration of its affairs. One of these, which is inevitable is to suppress corruption that seems to worsen. (Olivares-Cunanan, 2013) Although there is no known document that will lead us to where corruption began and who started this practice, there are already existing documents that proposes how it started and the reason why this exists. Corruption began in the early period as far back as the old Egyptian kingdom. There is also a clear founding that corruption through its most common form existed in other civilizations that existed in the early ancient world. In the Athenian state council, bribery is common in order for the major power the so-called elite to implement what they want. The same practice was committed by roman emperors who used give lands to the senate members in order for the latter body to be on their side. (Freille, 2007). In the modern era, documents from the past that can possibly tell us where and when corrupt practices have begun may seem to be impossible to retrieve, and if ever possible, these documents may have a little relevance to no use at all in the study on how we can curtail at least corrupt practices on the national scale. ( Co, 2007) Defining what is corruption and determining its root cause is one of the center of interest of analysts and international organizations primarily because it’s direct connection to development. A lot of moves have been made in order to fight corruption. Studies regarding...
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