Policy Is Now Made In A More Democratic Manner Essay

What Extent Do You Agree With This Statement? The 1997 general election in Britain changed the way that policies were made in both of the leading political parties. The Labour Party is composed of three major institutions: The NEC (National Executive Committee) -the administrative authority of the party, the PLP (Parliamentary Labour Party) which consists of all elected Labour Party MP s and the Annual Party Conference. The Annual Party Conference is the supreme decision-making body within the Party. Ordinary members of the party are given the opportunity to publicly articulate their views and for cabinet members (or shadow cabinet members if the party is not in government) to deliver set-speeches directed towards the party or the public. The Conservative Party had a system where power rested entirely in the hands of parliamentarians with little or no organisation outside of parliament. It also consisted of three main institutions: The Parliamentary Conservative Party, the National Union Of Conservative and Unionist Associations and The Conservative Central Office. The ultimate decision making body in the Party is the leader himself. He or she may be advised however this advice does not have to be taken. Before 1997, any member of the Labour party could raise a topic to be debated. However after the 1997 election, in an attempt by Tony Blair to meet the demands of party unity and discipline, the Labour Party changed its structure to include the NPF (National Policy Forum). The job of the National Policy Forum was to set our the agenda to be discussed at the annual party conference.Members could no longer bring up issues during the conference. Instead, members could make an application to the forum for a debate on a particular topic although the ultimate decision would be made by the forum. Although members were still free to convey their views at the annual conference. The Conservatives adopted a similar system to the Labour Party. The Conservative Party also underwent structural changes after the 1997 election. In a bid to make the party more democratic, William Hague introduced ‘the Fresh Future’. This included the creation of two new bodies, the ‘National Conservative Convention’ and the ‘Conservative Policy Forum’ (although these act as advisory bodies only, the final decision rests with the leader). In conclusion, the Labour Party certainly makes policy in a less democratic way. From an open conference where members could freely bring up topics for debate to a forum where only a select few have the ultimate decision in deciding party policies. This reform has decreased the number of members who can participate in making policies and reduced the range of views that the policies represent. Although the Conservative Party has made an attempt to make its policy making more democratic by introducing the ‘Fresh Future’ and the new Conservative Policy Forum, the leader still holds the ultimate decision when deciding on policy and although it increases the number of people who can attempt to advise the leader although the leader still has ultimate power when making decisions so it means nothing. It is therefore concluded that party policy is not now made in a more democratic manner.

Hamlet Scene 1 Act 1 Essay

Thomas Kyd is the author of the 16th Century play A Spanish Tragedy which was highly influential and introduced a new variant of tragedy that includes a ghost and a mad hero. Many subsequent works followed that developed Kyd’s original idea into the sub-genre known as revenge tragedy. A piece of literature that falls under this genre is Shakespeare’s Hamlet and in order to meet the specification to become an effective tragedy it is heavily based upon Aristotle’s criteria used to measure tragedies and Ancient works of literature such as Virgil’s Aenied. In Hamlet dialogue accomplishes a variety of things. It develops relationships but most importantly displays the hostility of the characters towards the â€Å"strange† and â€Å"gross† ghost. Shakespeare uses dialogue to describe the setting including the â€Å"cold† weather and the time so that a contemporary audience in an Elizabethan theatre would be able to imagine the scene. The description is able to evoke a mood and create and sinister atmosphere. The language used in Hamlet is dramatically intense and unfamiliar due to the use of heavily-charged words such as â€Å"harbingers† which are uncommon in both contemporary and modern vocabularies. The diction and syntax of these words are not problematic during a performance of Hamlet but can cause difficulties when studying the written script. Therefore they are used as a reflection of the inner turmoil of the characters within the play. Dialogue also contributes to the themes of the play, especially the tragic factors. The edginess of the opening dialogue immediately alarms the audience by foreboding horror therefore establishing an effective tragedy. Act I scene i is set at midnight when â€Å"’tis now struck twelve†, the traditional time for sightings of the supernatural. It is perceived that midnight has associations with chaos, death, mystery and the underworld. This increases the tragic intensity of the play by foreboding the death and chaos that is to follow as well as it evokes fear both in the characters and in the audience. The weather in act I scene i plays a major role as the â€Å"bitter cold† of winter creates an uncomfortable atmosphere and exaggerates the unnerving setting as it is both dark and freezing. The word bitter has various associations with grief and pain. This forces the audience to sympathise and pity the characters due to Shakespeare’s use of violent imagery. Winter is used to symbolise both death and loss of hope and is therefore a reflection upon the plot of the play. Throughout the scene the ghost does not engage in any conversation but instead â€Å"stalks† across the stage ignoring the other characters who demand it to â€Å"speak, speak! I charge thee speak! † Despite all best efforts made by Horatio the ghost seems unable to communicate. This adds to the sense of terror as the ghost doesn’t act human and pays no attention to any human interaction. The ghost’s presence enforces a sombre atmosphere, allowing the seriousness of the play to develop. In the 1964 Russian film versioni of Hamlet, the ghost conjures both fear of the ghost and pity towards the other characters in the audience as the ghost is dressed in a full armour suit, has shadows concealing its face and identity which is disturbing to see and the scene is directed so that the ghost appears much larger than the other characters. The intensity of the scene is exaggerated by the dramatic music used to influence the atmosphere and the large and threatening appearance of castle in the background. Similarly the Westminster School productionii of Hamlet presents the ghost as being twice the size of other characters with its face glowing an unnatural green colour. The ghost was uplifted by the other characters who echoed the ghost’s booming words. Fear is created due to the ghost’s supernatural and eerie appearance and pity is created as the other character’s acted possessed by the ghost which will ultimately add to the catharsis at the end of the play. The ghost is also thought to be ambiguous when it is firstly described as â€Å"majestical† by Marcellus and then later the ghost is thought to be â€Å"like a guilty thing†. This leaves the audience confused about the ghosts intentions as it appears ambivalent throughout this scene. Shakespeare helps develop the tragedy by creating a political background to the play. Throughout Hamlet there is a fear that Prince Fortinbras of Norway will invade Denmark which inevitably causes a tense and foreboding atmosphere. The political unrest is increased as Denmark is presented as a troubled kingdom through use of Horatio’s understanding that the ghost’s appearance â€Å"bodes some strange eruption to [the] state. † Horatio establishes a link between the ghost and the â€Å"sheeted dead† that â€Å"did squeak and gibber in the Roman streets† referring to the downfall of Julius Caesar who was killed by those he trusted similar to King Hamlet who was killed by his brother. This suggests that the ghost is an â€Å"omen† foretelling the ominous fall of Denmark which is one of the main elements of tragedy. This fulfils Aristotle’s criteria of the play revolving around an issue of great magnitude. Horatio exclaims that the sight of the ghost â€Å"harrows [him] with fear and wonder† which expresses the horror of what he has witnessed. In the Elizabethan era the word â€Å"harrow† referred to the sharp teeth of agricultural tools that would rip into the earth. Shakespeare uses this word to visualize how the ghost lacerates or distresses the feelings of those witnessing his appearance. Marcellus questions whether he should â€Å"strike [the ghost] with [his] partisan† illustrating the premonitions of the ghost as being evil. Shakespeare uses violent imagery to convey a sense of terror in order to establish the opening scene of Hamlet as a tragedy. Francisco admits to being â€Å"sick at heart† which emphasizes the mood of the play and suggests the impact the ghost has had upon the characters. The characters describe the ghost as a â€Å"thing† and refer to the â€Å"illusion† in the singular neuter pronoun, â€Å"it†, which is dehumanising and objectifying. This provides the ghost with a sense of mystery, but more importantly it reinforces the differences between the earthly matters and the supernatural element of the play. Shakespeare uses the main characters name as the title of the play to focus the audience’s attention on the tragic hero. This is similar to Homer’s Odyssey and Virgil’s Aenied both of which are ancient epic poems feature aspects of tragedy such as death, tragic flaws and the supernatural divinities. Both poems are named after the hero therefore this intertextual reference places gravitas upon Hamlet i Directed by Grigori Kozintsev ii Directed by Chris Barton. BIBLIOGRAPHY PRIMARY SOURCES Shakespeare, William, Hamlet, Pearson Education Limited, Harlow, 2008 SECONDARY SOURCES Hamlet, directed by Grigori Kozintsev, 1964 Hamlet, directed by Chris Barton, 2009 Kyd, Thomas, A Spanish Tragedy, Revels Student Editions, Manchester University Press, 1996.

Freaks and Geeks Paragraph

Lights, Camera, Music, Action A filmmaker needs to work extremely hard to create a piece with a strong story line, characterization, twists and a stupendous ending. How are these elements portrayed? Through the elements of media of course. In the pilot episode of â€Å"Freaks and Geeks,† it is undeniable that the use of lighting, music and camera manipulation are utilized to create pathos between the characters and the audience. Music evidently plays a grand part of setting the tone and emotion in a scene whether it is to heighten suspense, set a romantic mood or pick up the pace for an action scene.Prior to the ambush of the school bully Alan in the episode of â€Å"Freaks and Geeks,† the music slowed into a dramatic melody with heroic lyrics and an altogether â€Å"we are going into battle,† feel. This use of music is highly effective in relaying the sense of finality to the viewers, the geeks are finally going to stand up to the bully. It gives everything a ba ttle-ready atmosphere which is perfect for the before-the-fight mood.Furthermore, the use of different camera angles and distances plays a large part in creating sympathy or empathy between the viewer and character as seen when Sam struggles to ask his crush, Cindy out for the Homecoming Dance. The close-up on his face is used to allow viewers to clearly see the hesitancy in his gaze, the nervous way he bites his lip and the internal struggle to find courage and pursue his dream. Without being able to truly see his emotions, viewers would likely be less empathetic towards his cause and not root for him as strongly had the camera been so far as to not being able to see his face.Lastly, another important aspect of media elements that was used frequently throughout the episode is lighting. During the scene where Lindsay’s in Nick’s garage, the lights are dim and soft and the romantic, deep atmosphere is created. It was during this scene where Nick tells Lindsay about his dreams and his passion for drumming, the lighting creates a sense of endearment from the viewers because the lighting, plus the music, plus the camera shots all combine together to create this peaceful, cute moment that makes the viewers really want something romantic to happen.Therefore, lighting, music and camera manipulation are all used extensively throughout the episode to heighten emotion and create pathos between the characters and the viewers. Works Cited Paul Feig, S. W. (Writer), & Jake Kasdan, I. R. (Director). (1999). Pilot [Television series episode]. In Judd Apatow(Producer), Freaks and Geeks. California, USA: National Broadcasting Company.

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas Research Paper

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas - Research Paper Example He later proceeded to Yale Law School where he helped establish the Black student Union while at the same time developing a conservative approach to issues. After his legal training, Thomas moved back to the South in 1974 where he worked as the assistant to the Attorney General of Missouri Mr. John Danforth before later on taking up the job of being a lawyer to Monsanto, an agricultural firm. In 1981, he was appointed the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the United States Department of Education majorly due to his past in the civil rights movement and to balance the composition of this important part of the US government. He is now a conservative and controversial judge though initially he had wanted to pursue a religious life having had seminary education stints at the St. John Vianney Minor Seminary and Immaculate Conception Seminary in order to become a catholic priest or cleric. He however left the seminary and decided to fight for civil rights after he overheard a fellow student at the seminary make fun of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jnr. In the year 1982, President Ronald Reagan appointed Thomas as the Chairman of the EEOC, a position in which he held til the year 1990 when President George H.W Bush nominated him to serve as a Judge in the U.S Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. On July 1, 1991, after sixteen months as a judge of appeal, he was nominated to fill the position left vacant by Mr. Marshall who was almost similar with his views on civil rights at the Supreme Court. However, his nomination was opposed by critics who attacked him due to his views that were largely deemed conservative for the highest court of the land while others had the view that he had little experience as a judge of the superior courts. At the confirmation hearings, Thomas decided to remain quiet on a number of issues including rights on abortion and faced a difficult moment explaining himself out about suggestions that he had made unwelc ome sexual comments on a colleague both at the Department of Education and at the EEOC. However, he was confirmed by the United States Senate through a vote of fifty-two votes for him against forty-eight who opposed him. Thomas’s views at the Supreme Court have been the interpretation of the United States constitution from the original meaning by following from a conservative point of view (Totenberg). He has argued that the powers of the federal government must be limited and the states empowered as well as having a strong executive branch within the federal government. Clarence Thomas’s Legal Career and the Supreme Court Thomas was admitted to the Missouri bar on the 13th day of September 1974 from where he practised as an assistant Attorney General of the State of Missouri under Attorney General Danforth whom he had met at the Yale Law School. At the AG’s office, he worked at the criminal appeals section before being assigned duties at the taxation and revenu e division. After the election of Danforth to the United States senate, Thomas joined Monsanto as an attorney before moving to Washington to work with his former colleague Danforth where he worked as a legislative attorney attached to the Senate Commerce Committee. Later on Dansforth played a key role in the confirmation and appointment of Thomas as a judge of the Supreme Court. After a one year stint as Assistant Secretary of Education for the Office for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Education from 1981-1982, he became the Chairman of the United

Why is an understanding of research techniques important Essay

Why is an understanding of research techniques important - Essay Example Essentially, the June 2014 press release meets the requirements posted by CASRO (Council of American Research Organization) in which a study has to have a sponsor so as to support its successful completion. The director of Survey Research at Pew Research Mr. Scott Keeter explains why they chose to sample 10,000 instead of 1, 000 in which the reason is that the research was able to describe the attitudes of people in smaller fragments within the larger public. Another requirement by CASRO met in the July 2014 article by Pew Research is that it provides actual dates of when the survey was conducted are documented and also indicates the actual group that conducted the same, which in this case is the American Trends Panel, an arm created by the Pew Research Center. However, neither the press release nor the article provides the exact wording for the questions as required, hence influencing one of the shot falls on the same. Other information available as presented in the survey finding that a person reading the report would find helpful are data coding for easy interpretation of confusing data and analysis of the same. The survey also provides the data collection methods applied in order for the panelist to obtain the required attitudes of the sampled population as part of studying political polarization. In total the guidelines applied in the press release are five while one is applied in the full survey report. The media coverage of the June 2014 press release partly serves the public interest, but is somehow a political tool that politicians can use to gain popularity and win in elections. The positive trait brought about by this press release is that it helps in promoting ethnic tolerance among ethnic groups as it does not portray any of them in bad light. It also serves as a way of evaluating the stereotypes associated with certain ethnic groups and trying to work against for the good of the American population despite the religious affiliations that each

Interspecific and Intraspecific Competition Among Alfalfa in in Shaded Research Paper

Interspecific and Intraspecific Competition Among Alfalfa in in Shaded and Unshaded Pots - Research Paper Example These variations were both put in pots that received the light, and ones which did not. The measure of length and weight of the germinated seeds were then recorded and compared. The outcome concluded that the length in the unshaded pots were much higher than those in the shaded, and the most competition in alfalfa was found in the 50 seed pot. Difference in weights however varied with alternating higher values in both shaded and unshaded experiments across the samples. Further, interactions among species are negative since length were longer in pure samples than in mixed samples. Introduction and Background Interactions among species of organisms within resource limited ecosystems leads to competition for the resources. Every species and individual within a species will seek to utilize the available resources for survival. This defines the concept of competition among organisms in an ecosystem that can be explored from two perspectives, intraspecific competition, and interspecific co mpetition. While intraspecific competition occurs among organisms of the same species, interspecific competition occurs among different species. It does not happen at individual level but organisms of the same species acts as a community to gain an advantage over a competing species. Intraspecific competition may be witnessed over resources such as â€Å"food, water, breeding sites† among others such as light and shade (Toole, 2004, p. 34). One of the important principles in competition is the exclusion principle. This principle, as established by Gauss, defines the basics of survival for the fittest. It provides that when more than one species are competing for limited resources, the species that can utilize the resources most economically will have an advantage over the other species that may end up being extinguished from the ecosystem. This defines a negative competition as it leads to destruction of some ecosystems’ elements in the extinguished species. If the dis advantaged species fails to find an alternative niche for survival then they face the threat of total extinction from the immediate environment. Competition, however, plays a crucial role in determining the size of organisms in an ecosystem among other positive interactions.This leads to a maintained balance of the population sizes of different species of organisms that can be supported by resources in an ecosystem. This is because the feeding rate will highly depend on the availability of resources that translate to the number of organisms that can be sustained by the available resources (Toole, 2004, p. 34). Abiotic factors in an environment also affect chances of growth and development of individual organisms and entire species of organisms in an ecosystem. Shade, for instance, is identified to enhance chances of survival among plants with respect to predators. This is because organisms under shade enjoy a level of freedom from predators as compared to those that grow in well lig ht areas (Kersch and Fonseca, p. 1). Even though shade enhances survival of plants, there has not been an established competition for shade among the organisms (Zobel, et al, p. 1). This paper seeks to investigate interaction between plants under shade and in light. The paper will apply statistical analysis to investigate existence of intraspecific competition and interspecific competition for shade and without shade within and among species. Experimental Designs and Results The project used primary data in which tomatoes, alpha, and rye were planted both separately and in pairs by species. The alpha species was planted with 25 seeds in one pot, 50 seeds in another, 25 seeds of alpha combined with 25 seeds of rye, as well as 25 seeds

Personality Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Personality Development - Essay Example While some psychologists believe that cognition is the only way to explain or predict personality differences within people, others believe that our personalities develop in differing ways. Whichever theorist you side with, however, it remains that cognition does play a part in the development of the personality, how big a part depends on your views. Cognition, being the mental process of knowing, and dealing with such things as awareness, perception, and reasoning, among others, is an important part of who we are and how we develop. Our personalities come from this perception of our world, what we think, what we feel, how we cope; it all stems from our awareness and how we put this awareness to use. Environmental factors, such as where you live, what you eat, the quality of the air that you breathe, etc, and biological factors, such as your genetic makeup and your pre-natal development play a part in how you process your environment and therefore play a part in the makeup of your personality development. If you happen to have been born prematurely, for example, and your parents both carried a lot of recessive genes and they were passed on to you, and you lived in an area of town close to smokestacks or a lot of overhead wires, your development, and that of your personality would differ from someone born at full term, with no genetic problems, living out in the fresh country air. How you are raised and where you are raised, and your genetic blueprint all have a bearing on how you perceive your world, and hence, how your personality has formed. Evolutionary, biological and environmental factors can result in the development of an aggressive personality. In the study of evolutionary psychology, we learn that it is a combination of a lot of