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.
The Lucky Left - why America grows faster with Democrat presidents
This superb Economist videographic explores an interesting piece of political economy - the fact that the US economy has experienced higher rates of economic growth under Democrat presidents. So,...
Half-term movies
Students (or indeed teachers!) may not want to do much written work or paperwork over the upcoming half-term break. As an alternative to traditional "work", here is my top 30 list of political...
Select Committee chair elections - suddenly interesting!
I don't think I can ever remember reading a prominent journalistic piece about upcoming elections to the roles of Select Committee chairs. But there is an excellent analysis this week by Mark...
Prime Minister's Questions - political theatre or effective scrutiny?
Jeremy Corbyn's fresh, less confrontational approach to PMQs has, in my mind, done something to move the session back in the direction of effective scrutiny rather than further down the line of...
Politics topical quiz - Eliminator style!
Here's this week's topical Politics news quiz in the format of our ever-popular resource called 'The Eliminator'.There are 6 questions based upon Politics news stories from this week for you to...
McCarthy out, Boehner in?
Last night Kevin McCarthy, the current House Majority Leader, and favourite to be the next Speaker, dropped out of the race. His campaign had experience a number of gaffes including the suggestion...
How much does your MP cost?
If you happen to live in Kettering, then you should be pleased to know that your MP, Philip Hollobone, only claimed £4852 in expenses last year, compared with the highest claiming MP, £264 778 by...