...Outline and evaluate the view that uk government policies support the traditional family values. [33] In Post-Fordist uk, David Cameron is a New Right politician but has inherited policies from the labour government under Tony Blair. Blair encouraged diversity and passed many laws which gave rights to same sex, single parents and cohabiters. In principle Cameron supports traditional family values. New Right want us to live in nuclear families as socialisation for children is the best for children in society. However many policies are currently in force which do not support traditional family values e.g. same sex marriage. At this moment in time in the uk, we have many different benefit systems which entitle families to extra allowances depending on their situation. Most common is child allowance. This is £20.30 a week given to children which gives them more chance of having basic needs such as clothing and shelter and warmth and also improving their lifestyles. This was introduced after The Second World War and has been in place ever since. Despite family allowance being reduced in February 2013, 85% of children will still receive the benefits. Next we have the educational system. New Right sociologists value education as they believe that education progresses society. The Government ensure that all 3 year olds have a place in nursery and that children now must stay in some sort of education until the age of 18. Bourdieu called this ‘deferred gratification’. They aim to...
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...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 criticism is David Cameron making of Tony Blair’s style of decision making in source 1? [5] (b) Explain the main functions of the cabinet [10] (c) To what extent have UK Prime Ministers become “presidential”? [25] Or 2 QUESTION TWO THE JUDICIARY A powerful coalition of judges, senior lawyers and politicians has warned that the Government is undermining the civil liberties citizens...
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...responsibilities; they should be honest, and not be hypocritical, but they also can’t be restricted by the social consensus. Since rhetoric is the art of influence,” (Heinrichs 4) rhetors who can’t undertake their responsibilities well, will mislead people and then our society will not be better functioned. A rhetor, who might be a politician, a reporter or even a social citizen, should be basically honest. There is no doubt that using rhetoric for persuasion is a skillful thing. But it still doesn’t mean that rhetors should use tricks to deceive people. Because sometimes a rhetor’s misleading persuasion can damage others’ lives. There are different rhetors in the movie Thank You for Smoking. They use different ways persuading people to believe their words. The most impressive one is called Nick Naylor. He is a spokesperson for the tobacco company and he uses twisting arguments to draw other people’s attention. Everyday he not only persuade people to smoke, but also use different words to deal with the protests from anti tobacco group, environmental group and scientific group in order to earn interest for the company. To some extent, I admire his courage to lead people to think about things in a different way and also he is brave to challenge the authority. But smoking is bad for people’s health, and it will damage people’s lives. One time Nick was kidnapped by the terrorists and then he fell in a faint. When he came to life, he was in the hospital. Although the doctor...
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...Grace Law 27/2/2012 “The Blair Premiership was a bitter disappointment” discuss. The Blair government arrived in office in very favourable circumstances in 1997. The economy was doing very good and the party appeared more united than at any time since 1945. The Conservative opposition was demoralise and press coverage, even from traditionally Conservative newspapers, was positive. Expectations of the new Labour government were very high, but Blair’s government found it impossible to deliver on all of the promises. In fact, they were ended up doing very little; one of the reasons could be that they were scared to make bold moves that would make them unpopular. Blair’s government could be divided into two phases: 1997-2001 and 2001- 2007. Blair’s policies were only adventurous in the second phase that Anthony Seldon said “He was a late developer. He began with a whimper, finished with a bang” This essay will assess Blair’s achievements and failure as Prime Minister and give conclusion on whether his premiership was a disappointment. The economy in 1997-2001 seemed very healthy under Brown’s Chancellorship. He decided that interest rates and inflation targets should be set by the Bank of England, not the government. Some saw this as a masterstroke as this would reduce political interest in the setting of interest rates although others said it was a convenient way...
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...The House of Lords an effective institution? an effective institution? Introduction Since the reform of the House of Lords in 1999 by Tony Blair’s ‘New Labour’ government, the status and legislative scope of the ‘upper house’ has steadily risen. Its role as a ‘revising chamber’, scrutinising bills sent to it from the House of Commons, is an important one. However, unlike upper houses in many modern democracies such as the Senate in the USA, theoretically it cannot stop, and at best can only delay, legislation sent from the Commons. As a largely appointed chamber, doubts remain as to its legitimacy and as recently as 2012 the government tried to replace the Lords with a largely elected chamber. This initiative however failed, perhaps partly because MPs were worried that a wholly elected Lords might in the future question the primacy of the Commons. Task Objective * This task requires you to explore the workings of the Lords and consider how effective it is as a parliamentary body. * It will ask you to consider whether the House of Lords should be reformed further. * It will guide you through a range of reading material and pose key questions for you to post on as you complete each section of reading. Task 1: Overview of Functions____________________________________________________________________ You can get a very quick overview of the role and work of the House of Lords by skim reading the following pamphlet and watching the YouTube clip: http://youtu...
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...Since 1997 England’s uncodified constitution has seen a significant amount of change. Westminster has devolved some of its power, an Act protecting and stating human rights has been established and a referendum is due to be held in 2014 on whether or not Scotland should have a codified constitution. While one could argue that discussions as to whether the upper house should be elected or appointed have not yet reached a decision, and it has taken over a decade for a devolved assembly to have the chance to be independent, it would appear that constitutional changes have gone as far as they are ever going to, however it ... gone far enough. Parts of the British political system were seen as undemocratic, especially during Labour’s terms in office in the late 1990’s, in particular the House of Lords (HOL). The Labour government set out to remove all hereditary peers in 1999; instead they abolished all but 92 and now promoted life peers as an alternative. Many Lords and Ladies are offered a place in the HOL either for service, such as previous MP’s, or due to their particular knowledge in a field, such as Alan Sugar as he has a vast amount of knowledge in business. However this was the last reform made, no more hereditary peers have been abolished, the question on whether or not to make the upper house elected is still on-going and previous conservative MP’s still hold more seats than any other party thus making the HOL unrepresentative and undemocratic. Therefore many argue this...
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...To what extent has Putin’s Russia become a Dictatorship? Mussolini once said that ‘Democracy is beautiful in theory; in practice it is fallacy’ (ERepublik, 2009) and to some extent, this could be seen as true. However, how is it that a dictatorship can be truly defined? In the English dictionary (Oxford Collins Dictionary, 2003), a dictatorship is defined as ‘a government by a dictator or dictators’ however, whilst this does hold some truth, in the context of this question, this definition is far too simple, vague, and it does not help in any way to explain the extent to which Russia has become a dictatorship under Vladimir Putin since this only could really apply to a ‘yes, no’ question, which would abruptly end this investigation. But there are several questions that can be asked which will help in answering this query. In the context of Putin’s Russia and dictatorship we can inquire as to whether Russia has become a dictatorship under Putin, and if so why; is it politically correct to call it a dictatorship when compared to other countries such as Belarus and Zimbabwe, which are instated and well-known dictatorships; and another question we can ask ourselves is whether it is actually right for us, as westerners, to call it a dictatorship when it could be our own westernised and capitalised views affecting the way we see other political non-capitalist regimes, causing us to call Russia as such. To help answer these questions, several issues and subtopics will be addressed...
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... Interest groups are a natural outgrowth of the communities of interest that exist in all societies, from narrow groups such as the Japan Eraser Manufacturers Association to broad groups such as the American (AFL–CIO) and to even broader organizations such as the military. Politics and interests are inseparable. Interests are a prevalent, permanent, and essential aspect of all political systems—democratic, authoritarian, and totalitarian regimes alike. Definition According to Wikipedia, ‘The term interest group refers to virtually any voluntary association that seeks to publicly promote and create advantages for its cause. It applies to a vast array of diverse organizations. This includes corporations, charitable organizations, civil rights groups, neighborhood associations, professional and trade associations’.1 Professor Dennings denoted that, ‘an interest group is usually a formally organized association that seeks to influence public policy. This broad definition, increasingly used by scholars, contrasts with older,...
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...Australia`s Decision on Joining Iraq Conflict: Introduction: Australia always has been a global player in combating conflicts in different regions along the other global power like USA, UK. Recently Australia has decided to join in Iraq in combatting violence and conflict there. Earlier in the year both of the Australian prime minister and defence minister had ruled out the possibilities of sending military to aid Iraq conflict. Defence Minister David Johnston has said Australia is “not ruling out providing some back-up assistance” to American military action against insurgents in Iraq. But the situation demands Australia`s presence there. Factors and consequences concerning sending troops to Iraq: In Iraq war during 2003 ,the Australian military contributed. The contribution of them was small in proportion. They aided 2000 military personnel who constituted only 2.42 per cent of its military compared to USA and UK proportions. The then Howard government had supported the demilitarization of Iraq and provided one of the four most substantial combat force under the codename “operation falconer”. John Howard termed that invasion as a successful one. The 2003 Iraq invasion was when US President George W Bush called Prime Minister John Howard the “Man of Steel” for his firm sustenance for the expedition. There are strong reasons for Australia joining a united front — diplomatic protest, trade restrictions for example. The fall of Iraq and Syria to extremists would further undermine...
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...“How can UK democracy be enhanced?” Democracy is a political system where decisions are made in the interests of the people by decision-makers who are elected, accountable and can be got rid of peacefully. There 2 types of democracy: direct and representative ones. In the UK there is a direct democracy which gives every citizen the right to participate, the opportunity to express their views, thoughts and where voters determine specific policy outcomes. There is a constant debate whether the UK is a truly democratic country or not and to what extent. It is believed that nowadays Britain has a massive issues: the electoral system is totally unfair, there are unelected political members and the lack of parties, Civil Rights are in danger, citizens no longer have a wish to participate in elections, the media is prejudged and, finally, the UK is not representative. This essay will evaluate how to make the Great Britain more democratized. The major point is that there is a low rate of political participation in the UK that might lead to an arbitrary and autocratic government. It is significant element because it makes the government more accountable. There are some ways which can prevent this undemocratic style. Firstly, the UK government can introduce the compulsory voting which is nowadays enhanced in Australia. This method would force citizens to affect the outcomes of elections and make them more politically aware of issues. The second way is to increase the use of referendums...
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...following topics: (a) Antiterrorism legislation in Britain; (b) the use of stop and search powers; (c) racial and class discrimination in the criminal justice system; (d) the English Riots that took place during the summer of 2011 | Debate: | A debate on the right to revolt: The English riots that took place during the summer of 2011 | Host | Thank you for tuning into Provoke, the live show that asks the questions that provoke your thoughts and gets you thinking. My name is Alison and I will be your host tonight. Our guest panel consists of 3 influential theorists: English philosopher and physician, John Locke, who has been credited for the enlightenment thinking and the construction of social contract theory. Karl Marx and Frederick Engels (1964), who attack class distinction and the ruling class as an unjustified dominant force in society. Last but not least, Immanuel Kant, a German philosopher who wrote the essay “What is Enlightenment?”, arguing that “enlightenment is man’s release from his self-incurred tutelage” (Schmidt, 1996, p. 58).Tonight’s debate will focus on the on the English riots, which took place during the summer of 2011. The panel will take questions from our live audience and debate on the right to revolt and whether it was justified by the working class. It is essential to provide an overview of tonight’s debate for our audience. In the summer of 2011 in London, Mark Duggan, an unarmed 29-year-old was shot dead in Tottenham by police officers. Some...
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...Australia`s Decision on Joining Iraq Conflict: Introduction: Australia always has been a global player in combating conflicts in different regions along the other global power like USA, UK. Recently Australia has decided to join in Iraq in combatting violence and conflict there. Earlier in the year both of the Australian prime minister and defence minister had ruled out the possibilities of sending military to aid Iraq conflict. Defence Minister David Johnston has said Australia is “not ruling out providing some back-up assistance†to American military action against insurgents in Iraq. But the situation demands Australia`s presence there. Factors and consequences concerning sending troops to Iraq: In Iraq war during 2003 ,the Australian military contributed. The contribution of them was small in proportion. They aided 2000 military personnel who constituted only 2.42 per cent of its military compared to USA and UK proportions. The then Howard government had supported the demilitarization of Iraq and provided one of the four most substantial combat force under the codename “operation falconerâ€. John Howard termed that invasion as a successful one. The 2003 Iraq invasion was when US President George W Bush called Prime Minister John Howard the “Man of Steel†for his firm sustenance for the expedition. There are strong reasons for Australia joining a united front — diplomatic protest, trade restrictions for example. The fall of Iraq and Syria to extremists would...
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...by a number of strata. * The very rigid feudal system had long since disappeared, but there remained a belief that some kind of class system was inevitable. * Hierarchy like this supports organic society in that it creates an order and stability, which the individualistic society lacks. * Different parts of the hierarchy have different roles that complement each other. * This implies inequality, but an ordered inequality, and one in which those at the upper levels of the hierarchy are expected to take responsibility for the welfare of the lower orders – noblesse oblige. * The idea of hierarchy now appears largely outdated, but the organic society remains a key idea for many conservatives, not least some of the supporters of David Cameron’s style of conservatism. 2) Individualism * This is a difficult conservative...
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...British Petroleum (BP) Case Study Executive Summary This case study report examined a public relation management problem that British Petroleum (BP) faced since the oil spill accident happened in April, 2010. In addition, this thesis recommended possible solutions and implementation plans for BP to deal with the public crisis. On April 20, the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico led to the largest accidental release of oil into marine waters in history. As a result, a huge loss of money and life was caused and affected serious environmental damage to wild animals and water pollution. BP was accused of their irresponsibility that it took 87 days before the well was closed and sealed. BP’s shares plummeted to the lowest point since 1996. The communities around the Gulf of Mexico blamed BP for their carelessness and appealed for more actions to recover their low income life. BP has already established $20 billion fund to respond the situation in the Gulf of Mexico. However, according to recent research, the amount of the money is not enough to straighten out the crisis. In order to examine the case, we performed PEST and SWOT analysis methods. We focused on evaluating economic and socio-cultural factors that were the major elements had affects on BP’s public image. At the same time, we analyzed and key strengths and opportunities that essential for BP to revitalize its brand image. Our analysis revealed two crucial factors. First, BP’s own...
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...together promise to transform the institutional structure of the United Kingdom. ▪ The Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly are the most tangible signs of this transformation but other constitutional reforms are either in being or well under way …… ▪ including the Human Rights Act of 1998 (incorporating the European Convention on Human Rights), ▪ a directly-elected mayor and assembly for London, ▪ a reformed House of Lords ▪ and Freedom of Information legislation. ▪ Although reform of the electoral system for Westminster now seems a somewhat distant prospect, the 1999 elections to the Welsh Assembly, to the Scottish Parliament and to the European Parliament were all conducted using electoral systems very different from the traditional first-past-the-post method. ▪ Referendums have been widely used, and more promised o Lecture by the Lord Chancellor, Lord Irvine of Lairg, to the Constitution Unit, Westminster. 8 December 1998 o No other Government this century has embarked upon so significant or wide-ranging a programme of constitutional reform as the New Labour Government. It is therefore my particular pleasure, as the member of the Cabinet entrusted with driving forward development of policy, to have been invited here to give the Annual Constitution Unit Lecture. o We came to power with specific problems identified: o a government...
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