The craziness of a US Presidential election
I really like this article from the BBC that identifies a number of the more entertaining / unbelievable / gripping elements of the US Presidential "Race to the White House" - a great lesson...
Could Voter Apathy Make Brexit More Likely?
The pollsters in the UK seem to find it hard to reach apathetic voters. They don't respond so easily to polling firms, and the evidence suggests that many of them are more disposed to vote...
Remember the Ed Stone?
It was for some the defining moment of the 2015 Election when Ed Miliband unveiled the Ed Stone, with the key policy pledges that Labour would introduce in the event of victory. It would have stood...
Have you got what it takes to be an MP?
Get a virtual taste of what it's like to be an MP.
Impact of mass media - are the BBC biased?
I suspect I could spend all day finding different examples of clips or news articles that may illustrate that the BBC are biased. For Government and Politics students, the impact of the mass media...
The American Empire?
Britain, France and many others have overseas territories, crown dependencies, and former dominions, yet it is rarely a term that is associated with the United States, or is it? Surely the USA is...
If Milliband wasn't one, what makes a great leader?
Okay, so it probably hasn't come as much of a surprise to find out that Ed Milliband was not seen by the general public as Prime Minister material. A report published yesterday by the Labour Party...
Trump-Palin 2016?
Former Governor of Alaska and Republican 2008 Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin has endorsed Donald Trump in his bid to become President of the United States. However, before it is dismissed...
UK MPs versus Donald Trump
Yesterday, MPs debated whether to ban Donald Trump from the UK. I really like this "mash up" from the BBC on the debate - it would make a great lesson starter for comparing UK and US politics:
Why the 2015 General Election Opinion Polls were wrong - the report
The findings from the inquiry into the poor predictions by opinion polls for the 2015 General Election have been published today - unrepresentative samples, combined with poor "statistical...
Why were UK election polls so wrong?
Remember the moment? The publication of the exit polls as voting ended in the May 2015 General Election was one of those occasions when millions of people took a sharp intake of breath.
Jeremy Corbyn on the UK's nuclear option
It's not news that the Labour party is well and truly split over the issue of maintaining the UK's nuclear capability by renewing the Trident scheme - but in a rare show of a possible compromise...
Analysis of Obama's final State of the Union address
It's always interesting to analyse the final State of the Union address of a particular President - the final year of an administration is often described as a "lame duck", so what can a President...
Are referendums in Europe becoming problematic?
The Charlemagne column in this week's Economist blames the increasing use of European referendums on "Europe's voters [being] hooked on the cheap rush of direct democracy". Jean-Paul Juncker,...
Here Come the EU Referendum Leaflets
Our posties are going to be kept busy over the coming weeks delivering a bundle of EU Referendum leaflets as it becomes increasingly likely that the UK will go to the polls in Summer 2016 to...
US Political Advert Round Up
With the countdown to Election Day well under way, I have compiled for you the latest adverts for the main candidates in the US Election. I have included Clinton and Sanders for the Democrats, and...
Key Points from the State of the Union
Last week President Barack Obama delivered his final State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress. In case you missed it, the BBC have summed up the five key points to take away from...
Why were the 2015 General Election opinion polls wrong?
It turns out that people who vote Conservative are often reluctant to state publicly that they are Tories - these "Closet Conservatives" then affect the reliability of opinion polls.
Podcast series on democracy
Yet another super series of podcasts from Radio 4 - this time it's Roger Scruton examining what is meant by democracy, and whether democracy actually allows us to have true political freedom. You...
Podcast - who should sit in the House of Lords?
BBC Radio 4's "Point of View" usually provides a great 10 minute blast of a topical and interesting debate. Last week's episode by Tom Shakespeare on how to change who sits in the House of Lords...