The British Prime Minister Now Has Presidential Powers

Thâ€Å"The British Prime Minister now has Presidential Powers† Discuss the Validity of this Statement It would be correct to say that over the years the British Prime Minister has become more of a Presidential figure in Parliament. Recent prime ministers that have been referred to as presidential include Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair and Harold Wilson. Prime Ministers are supposed to be ‘First Among Equals’ (Primus Inter Pares), however recent Prime Ministerial actions have got people questioning whether or not the Prime Minister has more power and is becoming a Presidential figure.The idea that the prime minister is now more presidential is drawn from the knowledge of the United States president and how the British Prime Minister compares to him. Firstly, the media turns the Prime Minister into a political celebrity. The actions the Prime Minister takes inside parliament and also much of the PM’s personal life is publicised in newspapers and television. T he Prime minister is the spokesperson for the government. Although their access to the media can be used for personal benefit, the media has been more critical of politicians in recent years.There is evidence of this as the BBC made allegations that the Iraq dossier was ‘sexed up’ during Tony Blair’s time as Prime Minister (class notes). The U. S President tends to have media coverage also. The wider use of special advisors increases how presidential the Prime Minister appears. The ‘Spatial leadership’ that the Prime Minister now adopts also gives us this impression. Prime Ministers now distance themselves from parties and government and develop their own ideologies. Examples of this include Blairism and Thatcherism (class notes).In times of distress in the country the people often turn to the Prime Minister in search of a solution. They PM tends to reach out to the people in times of crisis, for example, David Cameron returned home from his holiday early last year to address the issue of the London Riots (class notes). The power of the PM has increased in recent years as the prime minister has now increased control over Cabinet Office, which has turned it into a small scale Prime Minister’s department. The Prime Minister has the capability to dominate his cabinet. This makes him more like a president asCollective Responsibility is an effective way of ‘gagging’ his ministers. All ministers are expected to support publicly all decisions made in cabinet, or else resign. For example, in 2010 David Cameron was discussing with cabinet about building a Millennium Dome. Before a decision was made, he went outside and told the awaiting media that a dome was being built. Therefore the Prime Minister made the decision alone and cabinet couldn’t disagree (class notes). Another example of this is that Gordon Brown announced his decision to give independence to the Bank of England.Blair and Brown took this decisio n alone and Mo Mowlam, one of the most popular ministers in Blair’s cabinet stated, â€Å"I read about the bank of England decision in the newspapers† (Politics Review). This clearly shows that the Prime Minister can dominate his cabinet and make decisions despite him being â€Å"Primus Inter Pares† (first among equals). As the years go on, Prime Ministers are also having shorter and less frequent cabinet meetings and are holding more bilateral meetings. The amount of cabinet meetings has declined from 100 a year to approximately 40.Under Margret Thatcher’s parliament, her Cabinet was used less than previous Prime Ministers and annual meetings took place about 35 times. Under Blair, meetings rarely lasted an hour. This is evidence of the Prime Minister becoming more presidential and tackling decisions alone rather than with Cabinet. Thatcher and Blair also tended to have more committees and sub-committees. Blair’s ‘Sofa government’, Th atcher’s ‘Wise men’ and Wilsons ‘Kitchen Cabinet’ are all operating through bi-lateral meetings between the Prime Minister and advisors, so policy was ratified before it reached cabinet.These are all examples of Prime Ministers taking matters into their own hands and becoming more dominant and presidential. The dominance of the Prime Minister over Parliament is also shown in the ways that he/she chairs important cabinet committees and sets the cabinet agenda. Setting the cabinet agenda allows the Prime Minister to leave anything that may be difficult to come to an agreement on in Cabinet, to the end so that there will eventually be no time to cover it and the Prime Minister has to come to a decision on his/her own. Margaret Thatcher was said to have done this quite frequently.This shows that the Prime Minister can therefore decide on important affairs without having to consult cabinet. Tony Blair was noted to have used cabinet Committees a lot. The P rime Minister is also considered presidential because of what is seen as a growing ‘West Wing’ in Downing Street. This is due to the increase in Political Advisors in the PM’s office. The advisors help the Prime Minister make decisions even though they are unelected themselves. This means that they effectively influence his decisions and help him bypass cabinet, for example Blair gave his advisors power of Civil Servants.On the other hand, the Prime Minister can give considerable control to his cabinet members, which isn’t evident in American politics. For example, during Blair’s reign as PM, the Labour party was said to have a ‘Duel Monarchy’ due to how much power was given to Gordon Brown. Other ministers can constrain the Prime Ministers power and effect his decisions, which doesn’t happen with the U. S president. The Prime Ministers personality is an issue in how much power they have over Cabinet. They have powers over office but some may be more proficient than others in the exercise of those powers.Some Prime Ministers have been good in government management and other haven’t. Some adopted an autorical approach and some others focus on policy reflections. The amount of authority a PM had depends on how assertive a personality he/sh has. For example, John Major was often ridiculed for his inability to make decisions and was seen as a pushover (class notes). The PM’s popularity with the public also dictates how much power they have. At the moment, David Cameron is restricted from acting presidentially as a result of the constraints of a coalition government.The coalition government may weaken the powers of Cameron as many compromises need to be made to keep the government stable. For example, Cameron had agreed to a referendum on the electoral system. He had agreed to introduce fixed term elections. Liberal democrats hold key cabinet positions. Unlike the president, the PM may face resista nce in cabinet as particular cabinet members may not go along with a particular proposal. For example, Thatcher’s parliament lost a bill as the majority of cabinet voted against it.The PM cannot completely ignore his cabinet. Unlike the U. S. A, the cabinet is Britain is elected. The cabinet can overthrow the Prime Minister is he is disliked. This cannot happen in U. S government. In conclusion, the Prime Minister, in many ways over the years has increased his/her power to such an extent as to appear presidential. However, there are many constraints on PM power to conflict with this view. Whether or not the Prime Minister remains in high powers depends on power, personality and circumstance.

Ghana is a mixed but capitalist oriented economy” critically examine this statement Essay

There is not one single definition for a mixed economy, but the definitions always involve a degree of private economic freedom mixed with a degree of government regulation of markets. A mixed economy is an economic system in which both the private enterprise and a degree of state monopoly (usually in public services, defence, infrastructure, and basic industries) coexist. Investopedia defines a mixed economy as an economic system that features characteristics of both capitalism and socialism. A mixed economic system allows a level of private economic freedom in the use of capital, but also allows for governments to interfere in economic activities in order to achieve social aims. This type of economic system is less efficient than capitalism, but more efficient than socialism. All modern economies are mixed where the means of production are shared between the private and public sectors. A mixed economy is also called a dual economy. Most modern economies feature a synthesis of two o r more economic systems. The public sector works alongside the private sector, but may compete for the same limited resources. Mixed economic systems do not block the private sector from profit-seeking, but do monitor profit levels and may nationalize companies that are deemed to go against the public good. Mixed economic systems are not laissez-faire systems: the government is involved in planning the use of resources and can exert control over businesses in the private sector. Governments may seek to redistribute wealth by taxing the private sector, and using funds from taxes to promote social objectives. Capitalism allows prices to be set by supply and demand forces and socialism fixes prices through central planning. Capitalism is a socio-economic system that allows private owners to profit from the goods and services they provide. Investopedia defines capitalism as an economic system based on the private ownership of capital and production inputs, and on the production of goods and services for profit. The production of goods and services is based on supply and demand in the general market (market economy), rather than through central planning (planned economy). Capitalism is generally characterized by competition between producers. Other facets, such as the participation of govern ment in production and regulation, vary  across models of capitalism. One of the cornerstones of this system is the right of the individual to choose what to produce, how to produce it, and what price to sell it for. It is popular in  nations that value the freedom of the individual over the stability of the society. Most modern nations use some form of capitalism, such as state, corporate, or social market. Capitalism is also called the free market system. Capitalism requires unregulated supply and demand and little or no government interference in matters of trade. Each individual is free to produce what he or she wants and to sell it at whatever price the market will support. These decisions are typically made by the laws of supply and demand: if there is no demand for a particular product, the producer won’t be able to make a profit, but if the demand is high, he Capitalism is often closely associated with economic growth, as production and price are determined by the market rather than by governments. Private property rights provide individuals with the freedom to produce goods and services they can sell in the market. In the 1990s, the government continued to play a decisive role in the direction and pace of economic development in Ghana. Under the Economic Recovery Program initiated in 1983, the government tried to shift the burden of economic growth from government to the private sector through a dual strategy of cutting government spending and promoting private production. In particular, the government tried to boost export production through currency devaluations, tax incentives, and government-funded development projects. At the same time, budget deficits were almost entirely wiped out. Currently, Ghana is a mixed economy but depends mostly on the private sectors. The production of goods and services in Ghana is based on supply and demand in the general market (market economy), rather than through central planning (planned economy). With Ghana’s economic system, trade, industry and the means of production are controlled by private owners with the goal of making profits in a market economy. It can therefore be concluded that Ghana is a mixed but capitalist economy.

Homeland Security Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Homeland Security - Research Paper Example The author has rightly presented that in America, homeland security has always been a matter of concern long before the September 11 attacks. When George Bush became the president of America in January 2001, terrorism was not a matter of priority in his administrative agenda. His administration was busy coping with many other problems like scarcity of staff in programs of foreign translation, poor and inefficient information systems and cultural differences between various agencies resulting in disruption of sharing of information. In 2011, the FBI requested the government to increase funding for counterterrorism programs in the coming Budget session. This proposal was rejected by the Attorney General just one day before the September 11 attack. The events of September 11 compelled the president to give more focus on terrorism with special priority to â€Å"biological weapons of mass destruction†. The Bush administration went on to establish the department of homeland security within the â€Å"White House Congress†. The department of homeland security was created with many new authorities to prepare the country against any future terrorist attacks. The focus was also on rapid response and recovery to terrorism. The Bush administration developed many new strategies and manuals on guidance for homeland security with extra focus on bioterrorism. The department of homeland security embodies multiple government departments and effectively manages its challenges. National Cybersecurity Initiative One of the most important concerns for the Bush administration was the nationwide cyber security. Cyber networks became a primary area of attack for the terrorists which resulted in unlawful access to the secret information and strategies of the Federal agencies. Electronic system of storing information had become the major support for securing a wide variety of strategy information regarding security and economy in both public and private sectors. Such systems were a primary target for terrorists and attacks on such system had become widespread. The Bush administration suspected that many such attackers were working in coordination with the â€Å"foreign military organisations or the foreign intelligent services.† Thus, among the many new enemies of America after the September 11 attack, the foreign intelligence bureaus attacking the electronic system became new and dangerous kind of adversaries. Cyber security became a crucial matter for the department of homeland security. Bush administration established the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative (CNCI) in January 2008 to strategically focus on protecting the country from all kinds of threats to the cyberworld. The main function of CNCI is to anticipate future technological threats on electronic systems. The CNCI then instructs the Federal government to â€Å"integrate many of its technical and organisational capabilities to better address sophisticated threats and vul nerabilities†

Making the Decision Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Making the Decision - Research Paper Example Therefore, this approach can be leveraged to enhance the managerial staff. In most organizations, the managers make difficult decisions regarding the finance department. Therefore, the analytical approach is quite efficient in solving the financial predicaments. Research asserts that managers who employ the analytical technique always arrive at the best alternatives and solutions (Nowduri, 2010). Research asserts that team projects are common in the contemporary business world. There are several decision-making strategies that can be employed in team-decision making. Team leaders should ensure maximum participation during the decision-making procedure. Voting can also be employed especially when there are several conflicting opinions amongst the members of the team. Furthermore, the team leader can also use other anonymous contributions in order to ensure that the decisions made are from experts. The leader of the team can also establish group priorities, which help the team in selecting the best options from various alternatives. These decision-making strategies are quite useful in the decision-making procedure (Lunenburg, 2010). Geogr, E. (2012). Managing communities and managing knowledge: Strategic decision making and store network investment within retail multinationals. Journal of Economic Geography, 12(2), 539-565. doi:10.1093/jeg/lbr038 Lunenburg, F. C. (2010). Group decision making: The potential for groupthink. International Journal of Management, Business, and Administration, 13(1), 1-5. Retrieved from http://www.nationalforum.com/Electronic%20Journal%20Volumes/Lunenburg,%20Fred%20C.%20Group%20Decision%20Making%20IJMBA%20V13%20N1%202010.pdf Nowduri, S. (2010). Management information systems and business decision making: Review, analysis, and recommendations. Journal of Management and Marketing Research. Retrieved

LOLITA in Conversation with Other Sources.create a well-developed Research Paper

LOLITA in Conversation with Other Sources.create a well-developed argument that challenges our assumptions and deepens our under - Research Paper Example At one point in life Humbert suffers a mental breakdown and upon recovery he moves to a town where he where he get married to Charlotte haze, Dolores’ mother. This is in order to remain close to Dolores or Lolita who is a madly in love or obsessed with. According to Lee and Lee (76), the novel is acclaimed to be an erotic novel that can be interpreted to be a representation of the author’s native country social and political problems. The novel is rich source of various themes that can be explored to create an argument. For the purposes of this paper, the theme or aspect that comes out to the reader of this book is pedophilia, hebephilia or ephebophilia. This can be explained by conflicting thoughts that go through a readers mind when he learns the point of Humber’s attraction and sexual desires. It raises questions of the legality of his actions, and the moral or ethical considerations partaken by the author in writing this novel. Hebephilia is a term used to re fer to sexual preference for individuals with a particular physical appearance of either sex with a strong relevance to the age of that individual ((Nobokov 188). Humbert’s behavior can be considered to be a manifestation of chronophilic preferences which boarders on pedohilia , hebephilia and ephebophelia. All of these classifications concern definition of sexual preferences with people who are below the legal age limit allowed for consensual sex and intimacy. This novel was based on events were happening in the United States (US) during the early 1950s to the late 1950s, and it requires that one look into laws of that period. This is required to understand the protagonist’s thoughts and motivators of his actions. It will be useful in understanding why Humbert did not seem consider the repercussions of his actions towards a minor. It would be important to understand at this juncture, that this period in American history was characterized by the climax of the Civil Rig hts Movement. Thus, it would be appropriate to conclude that individual rights especially those of women, girls and children were not strongly advocated for or protected. This perspective can be used to explain Humbert’s disregard of the fact that he was defiling a minor. The novel illustrates that he was aware of the evil nature of his intentions when he drugs Dolores/Lolita with sleeping pills in order to unknowingly defile when she was asleep. This does not change the fact that he accepted her sexual advances when she initiated sex for the first time. According to the Sexual Violent Predator Act (SVPA) classifications, Humbert fits perfectly into the classification of a pedophile. He exhibits a mental anomaly that predisposes him to having volitional and emotional capacities to commit sexual offences to both adults and minors. In today’s world, people of Humbert’s predisposition are placed on global watch lists of sexual predators in order to increase society ’s protection from such individuals. If an individual qualifies for one of the SVPA conditions and classifications, the law requires that they be committed to civil mental institutions where they receive specialized psychiatric evaluation and treatment for as long as it takes to cure them or reform their behavior. This predisposition was not regarded as mental condition during Humbert’s time, and it is characterized by some states in the US

3rd Party Logistics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

3rd Party Logistics - Essay Example Customer Adapter: they deal with small clients by offering all logistics functions to their clients at their request and help to improve those services without introducing new services (Dimitris, 2012). 3PL integrate with customers to provide one or more logistic related functions such as warehousing, transportation, packaging, distribution, etc. 4PL firms use the services of 3PL to offer complete supply chain solutions to other firms basing its performance on technologies, accumulation of resources and managerial capacity (Coyle et al., 2012). While 3PL targets particular functions, 4PL is involved in managing the entire logistics process. Different firms arrive at a decision on whether to hire or not to hire the services of 3PL in a variety of ways. Such decisions emanate from the corporate level, divisional level or local level. Firms learn about the services of 3PL in various ways including the â€Å"sales calls by representatives of the contract logistics firms and discussions with other logistics professionals† (Dapiran et al., 1996, p.39). Different stakeholders should discuss and come to an agreement on whether to use 3PL. If there is a mutual agreement to hire 3PL, the firm should assess various 3Pl firms in order to determine the most successful firm (Coyle et al., 2012). At this point, the organization should consider their personal knowledge of the contractor, coverage, references, prior experience, competence, expertise in project management and implementation of new system. The firm may issue a request for quotation (RFQ) in order to obtain feedback from the interested bidders upon which they can base their decision by selecting prequalified contractor. The firm receives a proposal from 3PL vendors and makes a review to match the requirements and criteria (Autry et al., 2013). The 3PL presents their company and discusses solutions and benefits. Then the firm will

Distance Measurements and Scientific Notation Essay

Distance Measurements and Scientific Notation - Essay Example Help students grasp our place in the enormous universe by reviewing your school’s â€Å"galactic address†Ã¢â‚¬â€beginning with its street address and ending with its place in the universe. Review the units of measurement that are used to represent distances in each part of the galactic address. Give students examples for each step, or have them use reference materials to provide their own examples. Help them appreciate unfamiliar units of measurement, such as light-years and astronomical units. By thinking about their location on a small scale first and then moving out to a much larger scale, students begin to learn a sense of how distance is measured at each scale. This understanding will motivate them to learn through the lesson further. 1. Tell students that one means of putting these unimaginable sizes and distances into perspective is to compare them to smaller scales that are easier to understand. In this activity, students will convert and sizes in space to smal ler units. Distribute the Class Activity Sheet: Understanding Sizes and Distances in the Universe. Instruct students to work in pairs to answer the questions. Solution: Three pieces of information are needed in order to determine this scale distance to the moon: the diameter of the quarter, Earth’s diameter, and the actual distance from Earth to the moon. Measuring the quarter reveals that it has a diameter of 1 inch. Earth’s diameter is about 8,000 miles. The actual distance from Earth to the moon is an average of 240,000 miles, although this distance can vary with the moon’s orbit around Earth.