Political Awareness
Political Awareness Introduction For this assignment I shall research all the relevant information needed to complete this assignment. I shall research all of the key government figures, functions and it's movements and actions since it has been in power (New Labour 2001). I shall research the key positions in this government and explain their roles and responsibilities e.g. Tony Blair is the representative of the 'New Labour' and one of his responsibilities are to choose who shall be in the cabinet. when I have finished all the tasks I shall give my conclusion and include the relevant references and bibliography. What is the cabinet? The Cabinet is composed of about 20 ministers, although the number can vary. They are chosen by the Prime Minister and may include departmental and non-departmental ministers. The functions of the Cabinet are to initiate and decide on policy, the supreme control of government and the co-ordination of government departments. The exercise of these functions is vitally affected by the fact that the Cabinet is a group of party representatives, depending upon majority support in the House of Commons. Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury and Minister for the Civil Service-The Rt. Hon. Tony Blair, MP Born in Scotland in May 1953 Tony Blair went to school at Durham and Edinburgh. He read Law at Oxford University and qualified as a barrister
How effective a Party leader was Peel in the years 1834-41?
How effective a Party leader was Peel in the years 1834-41? In the years 1834-41, Peel was limited in his effectiveness as leader of the Conservative Party. However, he was looked upon by the Tories to be the most capable man to lead the party out of its serious difficulties as a result of the Reform Bill Crisis. Although on the other hand, he was greatly ineffective of upholding Tory polices and beliefs. Also as leader of the Opposition, Peel was not favoured within his party on a number of occasions example- the Ultra Tories during the 'Bed Chamber Crisis', because of the significant proportion of Ultra Tories within the party Peel faced a dire relationship with them. However, Peel did attempt to reorganise the party, in an attempt to appeal to the newly enfranchised middle-classes, strengthened the Conservatives image and presented a party that was capable of operating a stable government. We could not describe Peel's personality as one that would normally be related to a popular leader. G. Kitson Clarke claimed Peel worked with a 'Blurred background, pollarded principles and no ardent or extensive ideas', he was also described as being cold 'his smile was like the silver plate of a coffin' - Daniel O'Connell, and 'like an iceberg with a slight thaw on the surface' - Lord Ashley. He was very unpopular with a large section of his party who accused him of betraying
Evaluate the arguments for and against a directly elected House of Lords
Evaluate the arguments for and against a directly elected House of Lords The Parliament in the UK consists of the House of Commons and House of Lords. The House of Commons obtains legitimation as the members are directly elected. House of Lords however have barely any members who are directly elected. There is controversy over whether to have the whole of the House of Lords directly elected or to keep to the majority staying indirectly elected. Many are for a reform in the House of Lords so that they are directly elected. Tony Blair, the current PM staged a reform in November 1999 to get rid of hereditary peers in the House of Lords. These are people who have a healthy interest in politics and get into the House of Lords as they had family in there. This reform was meant to get rid of all hereditary peers but only got rid of 92 as a compromise was met with the upper house for a legislation to go through. The reason for this was to try to make House of Lords more democratic. The hereditary peers were there as a result of family not because of the people voting for them which is undemocratic. Billy Bragg is a well-known entertainer and a campaigner. He believed the House of Lords really does need to be reformed. He had his own plan in reforming the House of Lords called the "secondary mandate" system. This plan also says that House of Lords members should be directly
The office is what the holder chooses to make of it. Access the accuracy of this statement in relation to the US President and the British Prime Minister.
The office is what the holder chooses to make of it. Access the accuracy of this statement in relation to the US President and the British Prime Minister. This is certainly true of the British example; we only have to look at our present Prime Minister, Blair to see how he has moulded the office to suit himself, and subsequently been dubbed by the press as "President" Blair. However, the American example seems somewhat less malleable as under the US Constitution, many checks and balances are in place to prevent a President becoming too powerful. Is the argument true that Blair's style of government is presidential? There is certainly substantial evidence to warrant such a conclusion. Blair's persona seems to be one that is well above that of the general image and public perception of the Labour party. Blair has an image of being a world statesman perhaps even more so than George Bush. This can be seen after the events of September 11th as we watched Blair travel the world to discuss its implications with world leaders. This seems odd as should this not have been Bush's job since the attack was on the United States, not the United States, it is also arguable that Blair has been stepping on the toes of Jack Straw, the British Foreign Secretary, in his actions. Blair certainly appears to be the main man of British government, but theoretically he is merely first among
Explain 2 reasons for the Liberal electoral victory of 1906.
Explain 2 reasons for the Liberal electoral victory of 1906. The Liberals won the 1906 election with a landslide victory over the Conservatives. This was due to, amongst other reasons; the impact of Joseph Chamberlain's Tariff Reform and the amount of things that went wrong under Balfour's eye that were blamed on him and the Conservative Party. The Conservatives made it relatively easy for the Liberals to win. There were a number of reasons that voters deferred to the Liberals party from the Conservatives. After Salisbury retired as Prime Minister in 1902, the Conservatives decided to run a coalition government. This was led by Balfour. He was only appointed as Prime Minister because all of the other candidates were worse. He was the best that the Unionists could produce. "I saw that Balfour was not a great man. He had charm and wit; he could be energetic when he chose, but he chose very seldom; he had a marvellously acute mind, but he feared the logic of its conclusions." The parliament went to pieces around him; many MP's didn't turn up to parliament and he only appointed rich lords into his cabinet. The party was further disjointed by the Boer war. The war was hard and it showed up how bad the state of England was. Not enough soldiers in a fit enough condition to fight could be found. The Public blamed the government for the losses and poor state of the army. The
To what extent has the Prime Minister become Presidential?
Livvy Ollin 12b2 To what extent has the Prime Minister become Presidential? Questioning the Prime Ministers governing style is commonplace in today's society. Conventionally the British governmental institution is referred to as a Cabinet government, but many feel that the system is evolving (noticeably under Blair) to a point where the Cabinet has become suspended and centralisation of power a reality. In the 1960s, Conservative MP Humphrey Berkeley claimed that Britain had an almost "unchecked Presidential rule"; and at the dawn of a new century comparisons between Blair and Bush stretch beyond foreign policy to governing system. To discuss the question, it is necessary to define both systems and examine how the British system has developed in to what it is today. The most prominent example of Presidential administration is the American model therefore I shall be using it as my example for comparison. When questioning the nature of Blair's leadership, there are many features that link his style to that of a President. Firstly, he has often been criticised for appearing to position himself above the party and for the fact that he chooses to communicate directly with his voters, rather than discussing through Parliament - a feature prominent in Presidential politics in which the leader regularly addresses the nation and the media. Another example of Blair's disregard for
The role of the Prime Minister.
The role of the Prime Minister The Prime Minister has various roles in the British government system, which coincide to some extent with the administrative divisions of the No.10 Office: The head of the Executive: The Prime Minister is in charge of overseeing the civil services and government agencies, and is ultimately answerable for all its decisions. This may seem like a fairly big task in its own right, however, he/she is aided in this particular duty by the Cabinet secretariat and the Private Office. The head of government policy: Though most policy is produced through the departments and through the party's own policy making apparatus, the Prime Minister has a key influence over the party's election manifesto and the annual Queen's speech outlining government legislation for the coming year, and more generally can choose which policies he/she wishes to highlight or play down. Prime ministers traditionally are particularly influential in economic and foreign policy decisions. In this task the Policy Unit and the Press Office aid him. The party leader: The Prime Minister is not only in organisational charge of the party as well as the government, but also the figure who personifies that party to the public at large. In this task he/she is aided by the Political secretary (party outside parliament) and the Parliamentary private secretary. The Head appointing officer:
Examine the claim that the Supreme Court is independent enough to be an effective defender of Civil Liberties.
Examine the claim that the Supreme Court is independent enough to be an effective defender of Civil Liberties. The Supreme Court is a complicated organisation. It is different in many ways from the other branches of government, but there are still similarities and the same factors that affect all three branches equally. What appear at first to be weaknesses of the Supreme Court may not measure up to the not so obvious strengths and advantages that it possesses. The Court plays an important role in the protection of Civil Liberties, but it is debatable whether it is truly independent enough to perform without any bias. It is natural to assume that a Justice of the Supreme Court will have a political position, some stronger than others, but it does not necessarily mean that they are voting in this way for any partisan reasons. The Court is supposed to pass judgement on matters concerning the constitution and their decisions can be of up most significance because a judgment made in a case then affects the whole country. The method by which the Court exercises its power is by Judicial Review. This was established by a case put forward in 1803, known as Marbury v. Madison. It was decided that there had to be a way of settling constitutional disputes, especially when a branch of government or law is being challenged. It is, therefore, vital that the Court is independent and not
In this report I will talk about four of the different types of voting system, and which one out of them I find most preferable.
Which is the most preferable voting system? In this report I will talk about four of the different types of voting system, and which one out of them I find most preferable. The four systems I will talk about are; first past the post, Additional member system, single transferable vote and the proportional voting system. The first system I will talk about is the one used in England when a general election is held. This is called 'First Past the Post' (FPTP). England is split into constituencies and in each of the constituencies a candidate from the different parties stands to get elected. The people within each constituency vote for their favourite candidate in the hope they will get in. After all the votes have been counted the new consistency MP is announced, This all happens across the country and at the very end the amount of MP's from each party is counted to see how many seats they have gained in parliament, the party with the most seats becomes government. When talking in terms of proportionality, I feel that this method is not very, this is because the number of sets a party gets is not based on how many votes they received. For example, in the 2005 general election the Liberal Democrats gained 22% of the votes and gained 62 seats (9.6%), the Conservatives had 32% of the vote and gained 198 seats (30.7%) and the labour party had 35.2% of the vote and gained 355 seats
Outline the problems of the First Past the Post system and consider whether the Alternative Vote would provide a fairer system.
Coursework 2 British Politics Question: The Coalition Government has proposed that a referendum be held in May 2011. The question that will be asked is concerned with the changing of the electoral system used in British General Elections - the Simple Plurality System (FPTP) to the Alternative Vote. Outline the problems of the "First Past the Post" system and consider whether the Alternative Vote would provide a fairer system. Word count: 967 2/16/2010 Coursework In most of the modern societies an electoral process is an important symbol of a democracy that represents a concept of freedom of choice and fairness. The UK Coalition Government is now facing a need of reforming the process by choosing between FPTP and AV systems. As final decision can affect the whole society, it is crucial to carefully analyze advantages and disadvantages of both systems. FPTP allows a candidate to win by the majority of votes. It is a straightforward system that requires comparatively simplified procedures. In addition, it usually provides stable and strong one-party government. Also, elected party usually governs effectively and carries on the manifesto promises. Another advantage is a good-organized constituency link between MPs and their constituents. They can easily contact their MP to get support (Coxall et al. 2003, Jones and Norton 2010). Finally, FPTP tent to limit extremist
