History of the European Union.
HISTORY OF THE EUROPEAN UNION The process of European integration began shortly after the Second World War with two initial primary objectives: * The economic reconstruction of war ravaged Europe. * The gradual creation of a unified region promoting peace, development and democracy. These objectives were set out to help prevent the rise of totalitarian regimes and the outbreak of armed conflict on the European continent. Since then, the European Union has made great strides. The continuously growing membership, the development of more and more common policies, the adoption of the single currency, but above all the firm will for further European unification serve to confirm the success of the initial venture. On 9 May 1950, French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman, inspired by the visionary ideas of Jean Monnet, proposed the creation of a supranational European institution to co-ordinate the French-German production of steel and coal. This date is seen as the most important step in the process towards European unification. Six countries - France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg - responded to Schuman's declaration and on April 18 1951 they signed the Treaty of Paris establishing the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC). For the first time one of the central areas of policy, which was until then a matter exclusively for the nation state,
PastExam_egovernment
Contents Abstract 2 Introduction 2 E-Government Defined 4 The Benefits of E-Government 7 Implementing E-Government 9 Conclusion 21 Bibliography 23 Abstract This paper looks at e-government. E-government is defined as the delivery of government through (mostly) the Internet and how the public is clamouring for increased access to government via modern electronic means. Following the definition of e-government is a look at the benefits of e-government, including the potential ability of e-government to streamline, personalize, and improve government delivery of services and information to both businesses and the public. The paper next takes a look at how e-government can and should be implemented. The section includes a look at what commercial technology is available today for governments to take advantage of in developing their own e-government services. This also includes some suggestions of specific vendors and consultants of various software products that are currently being utilised by governments in the delivery of e-government services. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of what the limitations for e-government might be and some possible solutions to these problems. Introduction E- government is a reality. In the United States virtually all departments and agencies in the government have developed or have in the
The 'West Lothian Question'.
Public Law 1 Coursework Assessment The 'West Lothian Question' The infamous 'West Lothian question' was raised by Tam Dalyell1, M.P. for the former constituency of West Lothian in contemplation of the Scotland Bill 1978. Mr. Dalyell asked how it was, following devolution, that a Scottish M.P. at Westminster could vote on, say, health or education affecting English constituencies while he could not vote on health or education affecting his own constituency, because these are matters among those devolved to the Scottish Parliament. It is the flip side of this contentious issue that has caused the most controversy: it has been criticised in the context of the unfairness of the ability of Scottish M.P.s at Westminster to continue to vote on English issues, while English M.P.s are no longer able to vote on devolved Scottish matters2. It is said that "[i]t has become a political cliché to say that there is no answer to the 'West Lothian question'"3. The Scotland Act 1978, which was repealed following an unsuccessful Referendum, attempted to address the conundrum. Section 66 of the Act provided, subject to approval by a resolution of the House of Commons4, that where a Bill concerning a non-devolved matter obtained a majority vote on its Second Reading as a result of Scottish M.P.s' votes, a second vote would be necessary no less than 14 days later. If a majority
Finance & Public Expenditure - A case study
Introduction Devolution is a constitutional change that allows the organisation of independent government in regions where they consider themselves to have a national identity in the absence of transferring legal sovereignty. In the case of the United Kingdom, the establishment of the Scottish Parliament as well as the National Assembly in Wales has lead to the creation of English identity at the expense of the British identity. (Condor, 2006) In the process, the English and British citizenship were established in order to identify the social inclusion of each society. As an after effect of the constitutional change in the UK, the distribution of revenue throughout the regional and territorial government in relation to its corresponding public expenditure was greatly affected. (McLean, 2003) In order to minimise and prevent an unfair distribution of UK revenue among the English and British territories such as the Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, the need to examine the Barnett and the traditional Goschen formula used in the allocation of money to its corresponding territories arises. In line with the increasing concern over the use of Barnett and Goschen formulae in the UK, the researcher will first conduct an in-depth analytical study on the budgetary, financial arrangements, and public expenditure of Scotland including the impact of devolution over its finances. In
1169: English first arrive in Ireland 1690: Battle of the Boyne, Catholics defeated by Protestants who settle in Ulster, Protestants begin taking control over Catholics 1692 - 1829:
Chronology of Events 169: English first arrive in Ireland 690: Battle of the Boyne, Catholics defeated by Protestants who settle in Ulster, Protestants begin taking control over Catholics 692 - 1829: Catholics are excluded from Parliament and certain professions 845 - 1850: Potato Famine, population decreased by over two million 916: Easter Rising, Irish Republican Brotherhood take over Dublin head post office and claim Ireland is free from Britain 919 - 1921: Irish War of Independence against English 949: Southern Ireland become Irish Republic, free from English 972: Bloody Sunday, British Paratroopers fire at Irish demonstrators in Londonderry, Northern Ireland 981: Year of remonstrations; among them, the Hunger Strike and the Blanket Protests 984: The Anglo-Irish Agreement between the Irish and British Governments 994: IRA declare cease-fire 996: IRA disregard cease-fire and spend a year causing violence in England and Northern Ireland 998: The Good Friday Agreement The Good Friday Agreement: Introduction "A day of joy. The electorate has shown courage and vision." British Prime Minister Tony Blair, 19981 These words are referring to the day the Good Friday Agreement was established. The agreement was set up in 1998 as a way to abolish "The Troubles" that had surrounded Ireland, Northern Ireland and England for the past thirty years. However,
The German National Question and 1848
013_______________The German National Question and 1848 John Breuilly looks at the attempt to create a German nation-state and how it foundered on the questions of national minorities, border disputes, shared sovereignty in a federal state and the intersection of power politics with idealism. In 1992, the seal of the German National Assembly of 1848-49 was ceremoniously handed to the president of the Bundestag by descendants of Heinrich Simon, a radical deputy in the Assembly. With the failure of the revolution, Simon had gone to Switzerland where he pursued a successful business career. His nephew Henry Simon founded an engineering company in Manchester, where his family combined business success with philanthropy and public service. This branch of the family acquired the parliamentary seal after Heinrich Simon's death in 1860. The re-unification of Germany seemed a fitting moment to return the seal to Germany; finally there existed that liberal and democratic nation-state which had been the objective of the national movement in 1848-49. Encapsulated here is the view of 1848-49 as the missed opportunity to unify Germany on liberal and democratic lines. Those who seek a tradition in which to root the present Germany often turn to the national project of 1848-49. Then, as in 1989-90, revolutions crossed state boundaries within a generally peaceful context, not closely
The purpose of this study is to discover differences that may exist between demographic groups in peoples' attitudes toward free speech in terms of flag burning.
Abstract The purpose of this study is to discover differences that may exist between demographic groups in peoples' attitudes toward free speech in terms of flag burning. This study is important due to the fact that in a democratic nation it is vital to discover why people believe the way they do. A survey was disseminated, and statistical analysis was conducted on the questionnaires in search of significant differences among various demographic groups. Two significant differences were found: one was within the demographic variable of military connection for one of the survey questions, and the other was found within the demographic variable of religious differences for the fourth research question. The significance of these findings, broadly stated, seems to be that religious subcultures have influence on the attitudes of their members, and that being connected to the military limits a person's willingness to be interested in the motivations of a flag burner. Limiting freedom of speech: How far should we go to protect the First Amendment? The Constitution of the United States of America: First Amendment: "Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances." Literature Review Freedom, in the United States, is not absolute
Slvery bolition in Gret Britin
Sl?very ?bolition in Gre?t Brit?in In 1834, sl?very w?s ?bolished throughout the British Empire. However, immedi?te freedom w?s gr?nted only to sl?ves under the ?ge of six. Older sl?ves h?d to serve ?n ?pprenticeship of between four ?nd six ye?rs. This scheme gr?du?lly bec?me unm?n?ge?ble ?s there h?d to be decided either to ?bolish sl?very completely or le?ve it to exist ?nd be eligible for ?ll people. Ultim?tely ?ll British sl?ves were rele?sed ?t midnight on 31 July, 1838. M?ny sl?ves th?t were freed for the period of sl?very ?bolition migr?ted to Brit?in from the v?rious C?ribbe?n isl?nds, ?nd this l?sted until the ye?r of 1930s when the Depression brought ? p?use to the movement. There ?re well-documented det?ils of the lives, ?chievements ?nd contributions m?de to British society by ?n ?rr?y of people of ?fric?n descent born, brought to or living ?nd st?ying in Brit?in from the e?rly 19th century. They cover ?lmost every field of ende?vour, from politics ?nd medicine to sport ?nd entert?inment. The text in ?bove w?s gener?l inform?tion ?bout the points th?t I will cover further in my ess?y. Throughout the p?ges I will review the ?bolition of sl?very in Brit?in, emph?size the re?sons ?nd consequences of ?bolition ?ct of 1834 ?nd ultim?tely come up with conclusions ?s for British sl?very. Gre?t Brit?in relinquished her sl?ve tr?de in 1807, ?nd for the next sixty
Institutionalised racism and how it manifests in contemporary Britain.
Institutionalised racism and how it manifests in contemporary Britain In this essay I will be defining institutionalised racism; furthermore I will be looking at how it manifests itself in contemporary Britain. I will begin the essay with defining institutionalised racism. "Racism exists within all organizations and institutions... it infiltrates the community and starts among the very young." William Macpherson Report (1999) Institutionalized racism: Racism that is inherent within the structure, regulations and function of an institute. Racism is prejudice plus power. It is manifested by the "privileged race" through social and institutional structures that re-enforce and maintain the privilege and oppression. (Institutionalized racism, Wendy Kraus-Heitmann http://thelink.concordia.ca/features/03/02/11/0320213.shtml) Racism is the belief in the superiority of one people or nation over another. It is a narrow-mindedness that has evolved over history, and is not limited to one particular manifestation. For more than two decades, anti-racists have struggled to put the issue of institutional racism on the agenda (Back 2000) In the period from the Scarman inquiry of the early 1980s through to the last few months, the accepted wisdom was that police racism existed but it was a case of 'a few rotten apples'. To root out racism, all that was needed was a
Why do Historians Differ in Their Views of These Historical Characters
Why do Historians Differ in Their Views of These Historical Characters Aim: To find how reliable evidence is and to find out which factors constitute for a good reliable piece of evidence. In this essay I will be looking at political personalities of the early 19th century. I will compare and contrast pieces of evidence and give and accurate conclusion based around the evidence given to me. The first character is George, The Prince Regent from 1811, when his father was declared insane and not fit to run the country, until 1820, when his father died and he became King, until 1830. George's father had been relived of his position after they decided he was too crazy to run the country; in fact he wasn't mad he had a blood disease which made him seem crazed. Already the people were losing faith in the monarchy, this newly appointed King was the son of a lunatic, also George's public life was not the 'typical' Victorian lifestyle which many people demanded of their King. George was not a popular man in his time, one poem written by William Home (1819) states that George was "All covered with orders and all forlorn", which means he looked the part, but in fact he was a fool. Also the poem makes reference to George being frivolous with the countries money saying that he "leaves the State and its treasure, And, when Britain's in tears, sails about at his pleasure." These lines
