Elections

Parliament can run for a maximum of 6 years, once these 6 years are up the current parliament is dissolved by the Queen before an election. It can be dissolved at any time if the government no longer has the majority. Also an election can be triggered if the government loses a vote of confidence in the Commons.

The Queen is the head of the State. The Coalition government passed a law fixing the date of elections to be held every 6 years, the next one occurring on the 7th of May 2015. Up until the law was passed it was the Prime Minister's decision to fix the date of elections. It has been tradition to hold them on a Thursday since 1935.

In order to vote you must register and therefore be put on the electoral register in your constituency. You are not automatically put on the register even though you may already pay council tax.

Those who can't vote are:

• Lords
• Under 18s
• Members of the European Union
• Any Citizen from any country apart from Ireland and the Commonwealth countries.
• Prisoners

Whoever gains a majority in the constituency is elected and this means that national voting percentages are not reflected in the amount of seats. This means the election comes down to marginals because most voters in safe seats are wasted.

Each candidate must put down a deposit of £500 which is returned if they get at least 5% of the votes cast.

Spoilt ballots are disqualified and there will be a recount if the votes are very close.

The Growth of Political Parties

19th Century

During the 19th Century 'rotten boroughs' saw a change in population and demographics. It was the time of the rise of the industrial north. For example, Manchester and Liverpool became factory or mill orientated which caused these two places to be at the heart of the Industrial Revolution. There was no representation (MP) at all. The Reform Act 1832 was brought into action in hope that it would shift representation towards the towns and the north. The reason for this Act was to prevent the misrepresentation of voters occurring. Issues of unfair treatment were therefore dealt politically with no need or violence.

The creation of the Reform Act meant that the repeal of the Corn Laws was passed which meant the end of the Tory Vs Whig system and so the Liberals and the Conservative Party were created. Sir Robert Peel's Conservative Party Vs Gladstone's Liberals.

Towards the end of the 19th Century, came about Electoral reform which meant competition for the Urban Working Class vote. There was also a steady increase of the Franchise Acts such as Education, Housing and Health. The Working Class were no longer satisfied by merely getting by, they wished to earn more money to invest into their future. This consequently saw the growth of the Middle Class.

World War One

Post war introduced Socialism and the rise of the Labour Party in the 1920s. However, there was also a resurgence of Conservative Politics in the depression years.

The Second World War

1945 was the year of the first 'proper' Labour government with a secure majority, this meant that there was also many social democratic reforms. For example, the NHS, Keynesian Economics, Trade Union rights etc. Also after the war Britain began to regain their original resources which caused the dismantling of the British Empire which gave India its Independence.

Despite Churchill being pronounced a War hero having won Britain another war, the public turned against him and so a new prime minister was announced. This was to be Attlee who belonged to the Labour Party. The 'Beveridge Report' which was created by William Beveridge, was introduced by Attlee and provided Britain with a social welfare system. This set the foundations for the welfare system which we still use today.

The 'Beveridge Report' was very popular amongst the public due to claims that the report will act as a national insurance, 'protecting you from cradle to grave'.

Keynes introduced the idea of the government managing the economy aiming for full employment. This was called 'Managed Capitalism'.

The 1970's

The 1970s was a disaster for Labour during the 'Winter of Discontent'. This was a period of time where everyone was demanding to be paid more money and regularly went on strikes. The Trade Unions were gaining too much power which needed to be cut back urgently. With the Conservatives back in power with Margaret Thatcher she was determined to pull Britain out of its current depression.

The 1980-1990s saw the rise of Thatcher she put a stop to the Trade Unions which were still growing in power. She knew that she had to go for the biggest Trade Union to kind of 'show them who's boss'. The biggest Trade Union was in fact the mining Trade Union. After she conquered the Trade Unions she sold off all national attributes in order to gain complete privatisation. This encouraged vast consumption in Britain and so the depression was a thing of the past.

However, the rise of Thatcher did cause a very polarised clash between the left and the right. The right wing were living by the theory: the 'best will achieve' but the left wing viewed this as unfair. Labour challenges nuclear and nationalisation.

Major and Tory Sleaze

Major's cabinet were 'torn apart' by various tabloids by printing conclusive evidence of bribery, prostitutes and irresponsible behaviour from Tory Cabinet members. This was a 'boom' time for tabloids due to the public interest to have an insight into politics. Jonathon Aitken head of the Military finances was reported for taking bribes by the Guardian. However, Aitken denied the claims, using the line 'Sword of Truth'. He was jailed for not only for taking bribes, but for lying on Oath.

Weber and Bureaucracy

• Marx ( class ideology, economics)- no absolute right/ wrong ideology
• Nietzsche (morality, culture)
• Weber ( power, legitimacy, domination)
• Freud (sexuality, irrationality, sub-conscious)

After there was no revolution and there was also the fail of the Paris Commune which saw the rise of Germany and social democracy, imperialism and militarism dominated in various countries.

Bismarck formed many of the German speaking nations into one state in the 19th century by imposing new laws. The 'built from above approach' introduced bureaucracy which consequently created a middle class.

Weber like Marx, is a kantian- humans can not know the objects in themselves, no absolute reality; we only have a mental picture- the ideal types of social organisation ( socialism, nationalism and liberalism etc).

Weber analysed social action into 4 fundamental types:

1. Instrumental- rational action ( social status and security factors)
2. Value- rational action
3. Affectual- emotional affirmation/disaffirmation (orientation)
4. Traditional ( rational inheritance- anticipating orientation)

Domination is authority and legitimacy according to Weber. He also analysed what he believed to be the different types of authority:

1. Traditional eg families, ceremonies, titles etc.
2. Charismatic
3. Legal rational ( bureaucratic)

Weber on Bureaucracy

Weber used bureaucracy as a way of referring to the way in which a government rule. He believed that a bureaucracy was the most efficient way of achieving 'the rule of law'. This law is rational and therefore demands respect. Consequently, there should be no resistance to authority and followers should remain loyal to their leaders.

The Prussian government was the key institution of the German Empire.

He believed the ideal type of bureaucracy was to consist of a hierarchical division of labour and also be patrimonial in allowing the buying and selling of property.

Bureaucratisation created inevitable capitalism which meant it was a more efficient method, a more bureaucratic way to develop modern civilisation.

Politics

National Politics

Journalists are named the '4th Estate' in National Politics, this is their constitutional position. ''Must not only be done but must be seen to be done.'' Therefore, it is a journalist's job to hunt around and check that politicians are doing their job properly. Journalists also have the legal right to report if a politician is not doing his job due to Privilege.

John Wilkes is a hero for all journalists since his paper 'The North Briton' attacked the current MP of the time,Lord Brute and king George III. They wanted to put him in prison due to this and him also commiting contempt of Parliament. He was exiled a number of times and even spent some time in prison because of his protest for the right of free speech.

It is because of Wilkes that Journalists are now able to report about what happens in parliament on the constitutional basis of free speech. This is called Qualified Privilege. However, you must avoid the Sub Judice rule which is contempt. Although you're allowed to report what you want you cannot say anything which is defamatory and therefore puts you at the risk of being sued for libel. Also note that you're not allowed to mention the Royal family too.

In America USA officials are not allowed to sue for libel at all. On TV and radio you must have a balance of arguments ( Broadcasting Act section 6/ Representation of the people Act) in newspapers you are allowed to be one sided as you're not watching or listening to something and arguably isn't as influential.

Voting in the Commons is formally called a 'Division' the parties try to control the way in which MPs vote through 'whipping' unless there's a free vote on matters of conscience. Whipping is when people terrorise others into voting for them. The 'whips' are usually MPs themselves.

House of Lords

Years ago people weren't elected into the House of Lords, you were born into parliament, when you die your son or daughter takes your place. This is no longer the case as in 1999 being able to inherit this status was stopped and 'peers' became people of a professional job such as surgeons and bishops etc.

Members of the House of Lords don't represent constituencies and are also not paid a salary but can claim expenses.

All new laws have to be approved by both houses except when it comes to tax- raising measures which are for MPs alone to decide. Members of the House of Lords also are not allowed to vote on changes to taxation or finance, they never have the final word.

The Hansard is the official report of the proceedings of Parliament which is published daily.

Analysing the Neil Warner Case

 The CCRC rejected the case of Neil Warner to not take his case to the Court of Appeal. The CCRC pass a conviction if there is a real possibility that the conviction will be overturned. There must also be new evidence that was not mentioned before at the previous trial or appeal. Therefore, they believed that Warner's case didn't match with this criteria.

For example,a series of fingerprints belonging to Warner were found at the point of entry on the dining room window at the Pool's house, on the dining room door and on the kitchen draining board above the draw where the knife was taken to murder the Pools.

The footprint which was found on the chair in the dining room also matched the footprint of Warner.

Warner claimed in his statement that first of all he did not enter the house but then he changed his statement and admitted that he had actually entered the house with the intention to steal after he noticed that the front door was open. He claims that he did not go upstairs and only remained in the house for 5 mins until he noticed someone approaching the house. This statement turns out to be another lie, since fibres of the blue pullover which a witness had described seeing Warner wearing, shows contact with items which belong upstairs in the Pool's house.

However, no blood was found in Warner's caravan when it was searched later by Police, there was no blood in the pipes or anywhere which would have indicated that Warner has washed the blood away. A checkered shirt belonging to Mr Pool was discovered at Warner's caravan. Warner's caravan mate, Mr Knox, states that he returned to the caravan at 2:45am despite Warner claiming he returned home at 1am, wearing the checkered shirt, and Warner's jeans that he wore on the night in question were on the washing line. Therefore indicating they had been washed.

Warner claims that he left his pullover at the scene because he used it to wipe his fingerprints off the window frame and then left the jumper behind. He doesn't however, give a reason as to why he took the checkered shirt, he just states that the shirt was in the dining room and didn't have to go upstairs to retrieve it. I can't help but be sceptical about this, I don't see why the shirt would be in the dining room and why Warner would be so worried about wiping his fingerprints off the window frame but then leave his easily identifiable jumper behind, with his hairs on.

To conclude I believe that Warner has lied a number of times and therefore his account of what happened isn't reliable. Although he attempted to mention other witnesses such a Miss Lawson, a taxi driver, who claimed to take a man with blood on him home on the 21^st of July. However, the murder was carried out on the 22^nd of July therefore proving this evidence to not help his case. There is clear evidence that Warner went upstairs and that he was in the house longer than he has stated. Taking all this into consideration, I believe the CCRC were right to deny his appeal.