How The European Parliament Works
How The EP Works •It is split between Brussels, Luxembourg and Strasbourg. Parliamentary committees spend two weeks a month meeting in Brussels and consulting the commission and the Council of Ministers. Although parliament does not sit in Luxembourg, its secretariat, which is responsible for the day-to-day running of parliamentary business, is based there. •The European Parliament is the only Community institution that meets and debates in public. Its decisions, positions and proceedings are published in the Official Journal of the European Communities. •Members sit in political groups in the Chamber, not in national delegations. Parliament currently has seven political groups, as well as 'non-attached' Members. Members also sit on parliamentary committees and delegations, as either full or substitute members. •Members spend one week each month at a plenary session in Strasbourg, when Parliament meets in full session. Additional two-day sittings are held in Brussels. •With the assistance of its translators and interpreters, Parliament works in the eleven official languages of the Union: Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish. •The President oversees all the activities of Parliament and its constituent bodies. He or she presides over its plenary sittings and chairs the meetings of the Bureau and
The Consequences of The White Australia policy
The Consequences of The White Oz policy The White Australian Policy was set up around the turn of the century to make Australia a white nation. Migrants from countries that had different cultures where targeted against and disallowed entry to our country. The policy seemed very nice and fair to read through. There was no line saying "No Asians" or "Must be white to enter". Or was there? A method to stop people that weren't wanted was devised, called the Dictation Test. The Policy said: "...any person who when asked to do so by an officer fails to write out a dictation and sign in the presence of the officer a passage of fifty words in length in any European language directed by the officer..."12 was prohibited entry. Even though the was no real written policy to stop Asian immigration to Australia up until the 1960's the government never encouraged immigration from non-European countries as the above quote indicates. While there may have been sound economical and social reasons for restricting the types of people able to migrate to Australia it was often influenced by prejudice bigotry and misunderstandings about foreign cultures Australia's attitude to immigration has changed over the years depending on the political and world situation. For example, after WW2 it was evident that the presence of 'coloured' people would make the defence of Australia all the more
Dear Elizabeth Dombeck,
Dear Elizabeth Dombeck, Someone wiser than me once said that "the surest sign of old age is loneliness". Though I don't know his name, I can give you mine before I echo his sentiments and urge you to act upon them. My name is Serena Raheja and as Previous Secretary/Current Treasurer of my Key Club, I recently attended the II District Convention. In doing so, I realized what an impact we, as Key Club members, can make. I feel that we, as Key Club International, should focus our efforts in the coming year upon forging an impact upon the senior citizen community. Senior citizens have become dangerously isolated in latter years. Without our efforts, even more of the elderly population will continue to discount the vast contribution they have to offer to society, much as stores discount merchandise for them. As older, more experienced members of the community the elderly have a responsibility to divulge their knowledge of the past to the youth of today, for it is only when we share our experiences, that we pay back our debts to society. "Men and women approaching retirement age should be recycled for public service work, and their companies should foot the bill. We can no longer afford to scrap-pile people." (Maggie Kuhn). Senior Citizens are our most valuable natural resource. In them we find a veritable mine of information as well as a vital link to the past. And not
The Composition and Role of the Institutions of the European Union
The Composition and Role of the Institutions of the European Union The Commission Composition * 20 commissioners - two from each of the larger member states (UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain) - one from each of the smaller. * UK commissioners are Neil Kinnock from Labour and Chris Pattern from Conservative. * The term of office is 5 years. * Governments appoint the president after consultation with the European Parliament - The current president is Romano Prodi. * The European Parliament has a veto over the appointment of the members. * It is a supra national body - membership of that body are independent of their country, they are concerned with promoting the European Union. * Each commissioner, like a government minister, has an individual portfolio and has a department of the European Civil Service working for them. Role * Key role - to propose legislation to be approved by the council of ministers. * Responsible for ensuring the proper functioning and development of the European Union. * Negotiates on behalf of the union in the field of external trade, e.g. Oil. Council of Ministers Composition * Non - permanent body * Each government of the 15 member states has one representative on the council. * Its composition varies according to the subject under discussion, the appropriate minister will attend for each topic. Role * Key Role - to vote
Why is the British Tabloid Press dominated by stories of celebrities? Do you think that the Press Complaints Commission does enough to control this?
Why is the British Tabloid Press dominated by stories of celebrities? Do you think that the Press Complaints Commission does enough to control this? The British Tabloid Press is the most popular press in Britain. With papers like The Sun, The Daily Mail and The Daily Mirror among the most popular. Recently the tabloid papers have been dominated with stories of celebrity scandals and gossip. You cannot open a tabloid paper without finding a story about a celebrity. There are many different types of scandal. Quite a lot of stories are to do with sex. For example, the alleged rape of Ulrika Johnson. This kind of story would catch the reader's attention and sell more papers. Another example of scandal is drug/alcohol abuse, an article, which shows this is Liam Gallagher's alleged drunken fight in Germany. Some areas of scandal are to do with violence and crime. I think that these stories should be exposed to the public because the celebrities deserve to be named and shamed. However, stories to do with celebrities' health should be kept private. For example, Geri Halliwell's weight loss, as this promotes anaemia and bulimia. The Press Complaints Commission (PCC) deals with complaints from members of the public about the material printed in newspapers and magazines. It also sets certain guidelines by which the journalists must abide by. The success of the PCC
'The European Single Currency project was a bad idea from the start and ought to be abandoned.' Critically examine this statement.
'The European Single Currency project was a bad idea from the start and ought to be abandoned.' Critically examine this statement. In December 1991 the Maastricht Treaty paved the way for the European Central Bank (ECB) and the European Single Currency - the Euro. On the 1st January 1999 11 member countries replaced their national currency for the European single currency. The single currency is thought to bring Europe closer politically and economically. It is an ambitious and risky project as it is the first example where sovereign states launch a single currency project. From the introduction of the ideas about the Euro there have been mixed views regarding its success and benefits to the countries. Some of these arguments are political but most are to do with the effects a single currency can have of the economies of the membering states. A common view towards the EMU is why should a stable currency which is not facing any foreseeable downfalls be replaces with a currency to which only predictions can be made about its success? The first argument against the Euro which is going to be discussed is commonly known as the 'One Size Fits All'. The countries in the European Union have such diverse needs economically, it would be unrealistic to think that they could be brought together to have similar growth rates. This means one country could be suffering inflation when
What happened in the Iraq versus Iran war?
What happened in the Iraq versus Iran war? By territorial disputes Iraq invaded Iran. The devastating war lasted until a ceasefire was arranged in August 1988. Thousands of Kurds, who occupy an enclave in northern Iraq, were killed by the Iraqi government for having cooperated with its enemy. What is the danger of the combination of a rogue state and terrorist groups? The danger is that because the rogue state is mischievous and destructive it could supply arms and weapons of mass destruction to the terrorist network. By doing this the rogue state is putting weapons into the hands of dangerous and untrustworthy members of society, these people are not afraid to use these weapons and they will not hesitate in using them either. How was Iraq first formed? Iraq was first formed three provinces of the Turkish empire until world war I when Turkey was defeated and Iraq was taken over by British troops. How does the Un vote? When the assembly is voting to reach a decision any of the 15 members can say "no". when one of the permanent members say "no", this is known as a veto. The security council can take action only when nine of its members including all the permanent members say "yes" although permanent members may abstain from voting without blocking an action by the council. How did Israel come to exist? Israel was founded in 1948. After WWII in which more than 6
The horrors of The Ku Klux Klan
* The Ku Klux Klan was formed in 1864 by former soldiers after the American Civil war. * They wore white hoods to cover their faces and they wore a white robe with KKK sign on it. * Most of the Ku Klux Klan were in the Southern states of America. * They would use parades, beatings, lynching and other various violent acts and methods to intimidate foreigners especially blacks! * The KKK had members that were in politics so they became a powerful political force in the 1920's. * In some areas in the South of America the whole population of a town would be Klan's men! That was the degree of their power at that time. * By 1920 the KKK had around 100,000 members! But by 1925 it claimed a membership of 5 Million!! * Sources tell us of the violent conduct and discrimination the KKK used to frighten and intimidate Blacks and non Native Americans in America. But the KKK was broken up. But it was re-awakened in 1915! This reawakening was helped by a film called This movie showed how Klan members saved white families from black gangsters. * The KKK were and to what they thought to be true and wanted! * They thought America should have no and no only (white Anglo-Saxon Protestants). * They were anti-communist, anti-negro, anti-Jew,
