Whatever happened to the British Empire?
I really like this BBC iWonder interactive graphic with videos, podcasts, images and text about the rise and fall of the British Empire. The analysis of the Suez Crisis is particularly good, and a...
Every Student Succeeds replaces No Child Left Behind in a bipartisan success story
For a Republican President nominally opposed to "Big Government", George W. Bush managed to radically increase the reach of the Federal Government in a number of areas, including his No Child Left...
US gerrymandering and representation - in the hands of the Supreme Court
An important but little-reported case is being deliberated by the US Supreme Court at the moment. Back in 1964, the Supreme Court ruled in the Reynolds v Sims case that the principle of "one person...
The rise of far-right parties in Europe
Many in France breathed a sigh of relief yesterday as the results of the second round of voting in France's regional elections were announced. The French National Front, led by Marine le Pen, had...
A Day in the Life of the Prime Minister
Ever fancied yourself having the top job? Ever wondered what it would be like to be Prime Minister? Well wonder no more! In the run up to the election The Sun followed David Cameron around for the...
Calling all Political Pundits
Opinion polling is a difficult art to master as the UK proved in the run up to the 2015 General Election, however with that in mind it would be excellent fun to predict how the US Presidential Race...
Should Jeremy Corbyn leave 'Stop the War'
The pressure on Jeremy Corbyn to resign his members of the Stop the War coalition shows what happens when pressure groups and political parties collide.
What is anarchism?
The Hip Hughes History Youtube channel is full of lively explanations of key political topics. For students of the A2 Ideologies option, his "What is an Anarchist?" video is really helpful and snappy:
Top ten most powerful political speeches
Here is a super selection of some of the best political speeches ever given, handily collated by Top Yaps, with some unexpected surprises in there. The excerpts range from Socrates, to Oliver...
Prime Minister's Quotes - an end-of-term lesson activity
This short and simple lesson activity requires students to work in pairs or small groups to work out which Prime Minister is responsible for each statement - a great way of deepening knowledge and...
David Cameron's EU negotiation talks in Poland
As mentioned in a previous blog post today, David Cameron's place at PMQs this week was taken by George Osborne, because Mr Cameron is in Poland conducting talks with the Polish Prime...
The UK's response to Donald Trump and the role of social media
Earlier this week, US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump called for a ban on all Muslims entering the US following a shooting in San Bernadino, California, that has been described as a terrorist...
Fun lesson starter - A Jeremy Corbyn Quiz
Go on, it's nearly Christmas! I'm sure that you've seen our Christmas quiz but if you wanted another 5 minute fun quiz to engage with your students then why not try our new Jeremy Corbyn game. It...
Is Prime Minister's Questions a good way to scrutinise the executive?
PMQs is often criticised as being merely a "theatrical" performance that merely shows off oratory and wisecracking skills, rather than the effective source of scrutiny of the executive that it is...
Party Factions - the rise of Momentum
Reports out today suggest that the Labour Party Faction known as Momentum is attempting to tone down its association with far-left organisations by restricting the power of non-Labour Party members...
Obama's Oval Office Address
For only the third time in his tenure as President of the USA, Barack Obama delivered a prime-time speech directly from the Oval Office, the ultimate symbol of executive power in the US. You can...
A look back at David Cameron's 10 years of leadership
David Cameron has been leader of the Conservative Party for ten years. I actually spoke to him the night before he launched his leadership campaign when he was giving a school lecture, and there...
The history of secret ballots for voting
In the UK, and in many other countries, we take it as given that when we turn up to vote we are able to do so in private, using private polling booths and then posting our marked ballot paper into...
The Washington Post's Fact Checker - juicy untruths from US Politics
I always try to check out the Washington Post's Fact Checker at the end of each month - the November issue is full of claims by 2016 Presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. You can...
Syrian refugees in the US - federalism and states' rights
Over 20% of US states have said that they will no longer welcome refugees from Syria following the attacks in Paris. Individual states are allowed to determine their own policy under the concept of...