Great Political Speeches
There are some classic political speeches that good students should be aware of. As a starting point, this website (aptly named British Political Speech!) collates speeches from UK political...
How useful are e-petitions?
The link below takes you to a radio clip on the changes and history of the e-petitions in the UK.The use of e-petitions is a fascinating aspect of a modern democracy as, in principle, it would...
Global Politics - Why Saudi Arabia Matters
Saudi Arabia plays a pivotal role in international political and economic affairs in the Middle East and beyond. This short 60 second video from the BBC is a useful summary of the reasons why Saudi...
Why the General Election in Turkey is important
Here's one of those fantastic little video clips from the BBC (worth every penny of the licence fee!) that explains the reason why the outcome of the General Election in Turkey is important. Of...
Topical News Quiz – take the lollipop challenge!
Here’s a quick topical news quiz challenge on various stories from the world of Government and Politics over the last week. It comes in the format of an onscreen quiz called the ‘Lollipop...
Hail to the Chief - President Romney
Imagine the scene, its Tuesday 12th February 2013, all of Congress is assembled to hear the State of the Union, there is a buzz of excitement rippling through those assembled. The Sergeant at Arms...
Trudeau or Bieber? Battle of the Justins
Here’s a nice (and short!) video clip comparing the recently elected Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau with that other famous Canadian Justin (as in Bieber).
European integration
There are some great ready-made resources out there for teachers and students tackling the EU options for Gov and Pol A-level. I really like this starter quiz from One Europe as a great way in to...
The impact of Joe Biden's decision not to run for President
Yesterday Joe Biden (currently Vice President to Obama) categorically ruled himself out of the Democrat White House race for the 2016 election. Still, he took the opportunity at his announcement at...
English-only votes...a move to a federalist Britain?
Debate was certainly heated in the Commons today, as the debate focused on "English votes for English laws" - or to put it differently, answering the West Lothian question (you can find a 60 second...
Jeremy Corbyn and the party whip
Given that during his time as a backbencher Mr Corbyn was a well-known rebel, often defying the party whip, how will use the party whip now that he is leader?
Analysing the importance of the Chinese State Visit
Looking closely at the ins and outs of this week's Chinese State Visit to the UK is a great way of bringing much of the politics syllabus to life. A great place to start is this BBC News analysis -...
Britain and the EU - some data
There are some great infographics and charts around at the moment looking at data on the UK-EU relationship.
Opposition Day - Tax Credits Debate
There are 20 Opposition Days in each Parliamentary Session; these days provide opposition parties with the opportunity to set the agenda for debates on a given day. Today is the 7th Opposition Day...
The Canadian General Election
I always think it's interesting to look at election results in other countries that operate the "Westminster System". The results out today from the 2015 Canadian General Election certainly provide...
The 8th Amendment and the death penalty - back on the radar
Back in June, Stephen Breyer, a liberally-minded US Supreme Court justice said that tather than “try[ing] to patch up the death penalty’s legal wounds one at a time”, what is needed is a “full...
Hillary Clinton's Campaign Horse Race
This graphic from the Economist is an entertaining look at how Hillary's fortunes in the current campaign compare with her 2007 campaign - the Economist assures us that the graphic will be updated...
Grab your diaries! Here is the debate schedule!
There are arguably important dates in everyone's life (birthdays, anniversaries, exams..) but all those pale into insignficance next to the list of dates within this blog! Yes, that is right folks,...
Britain and the EU - the campaigns begin
As the party conference season draws to a close, one theme that has emerged from all of them is party views and lines on the EU in-out referendum. This blog post draws together some useful...
From Burma to Myanmar
For students taking either the Global or Ideologies options at A2, taking a closer look at the country now known as Myanmar is a great way of applying theory to a country in transition.