What's the point of Party Conferences?
It's been said that party conferences are either intended to make politicians look and sound like "normal people" (for once) or that they just a bit pointless. Whilst the nature of conferences has...
Will David Cameron contest the 2020 General Election?
During the run-up to the 2015 General Election, David Cameron assured both friends and foes alike that he would not seek a third term of office. This blog post contests that the context in which...
US Supreme Court Cases to Watch
As the website 'The Hill', has written the US Supreme Court returns today to continue its business after the summer break. Whilst the court is still to finalise its docket, political pundits are...
E-Voting: Does Democracy Need Technology?
Is it time for electronic voting here in the UK? Is a manual system of polling stations and ballot boxes inconsistent with a society that has now fully embraced digital technology? Would you be...
Limitations to Super Political Action Committees
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has bowed out of the 2016 Republican Presidential race after just a 10 week campaign. Whilst the field is crowded, it seems that those candidates who have wealthy...
US Politics Update: John Boehner Resigns as Speaker
US House Speaker, John Boehner has announced he will resign as Speaker and from Congress altogether.
Behind the Scenes with Jeremy Corbyn
A fascinating six-minute behind-the-scenes take on the labour leadership campaign of Jeremy Corbyn here - as recorded by the BBC Newsnight team. It certainly picks up on the unbridled enthusiasm of...
War is Boring - a photojournalist's view on Northern Iraq
I love this collection of photos and blogs from photojournalist Matt Cetti Roberts based in Iraqi-Kurdistan in his War is Boring project.
Mullah Mansour accepted as new Taliban leader
As news of actions by groups such as IS and Boko Haram dominate international headlines, it can be easy to overlook the fact that the Taliban, the Afghan fundamentalist political movement, is still...
Lesson idea - UK Cabinet Compare and Contrast
Building knowledge of key political figures in the UK is an important part of the learning process for Year 12 students.
Ashcroft and Cameron - settling scores?
Much of the nation was glued to social media yesterday after revelations about David Cameron's high japes at university hit the headlines following discussion of Lord Ashcroft's...
Judicial review - a tale of two bridges
Getting a card game and a controversial Thomas Heatherwick design into one politics lesson isn't something that happens everyday! However, in this blog, they are brought together as a result of the...
Are You New to Teaching Politics?
Join us on October 7th in London for our brand-new course for new and inexperienced Politics which will give new politics teachers the confidence they need to successfully deliver A-level Politics.
Freedom of Speech - Necessary or a Menace?
Jonathan Dimbleby is delivering a lecture in Turin tomorrow about the freedom of speech, and has published a thoughtful synopsis of that speech in today's Guardian. Freedom of speech refers to the...
Rockin and a Rollin, Splishing and a Splashing, Over the Horizon, What can it be?
Every American childs favourite 70's cartoon! It must be Schoolhouse Rock! There is perhaps no better or more annoying way to learn the basics of US Politics, than watching Schoolhouse Rock with...
Rising power of China
This interactive graphic from the BBC is, I think, one of the most useful graphics I have seen in terms of mapping the huge rise in Chinese living standards, and acting as a springboard into...
The new political participants who don't understand debate
Is increasing political participation beneficial for democracy if the new participants don't accept anyone's right to disagree with them?
Rise of the SNP: the inside story
In this five minute video news report, Channel 4 looks at the rise of the Scottish National Party. In less than a decade the SNP has become the dominant political force in Scotland; despite losing...
Corbyn's Economics
It looks like we might see something of a sea change in the economic debate in the Commons and beyond as the new Labour leadership brings a different perspective on economic policy.In this useful...
Topical Politics Quiz - 'Stay A Head'!
Here's an interactive Powerpoint quiz on current news events in UK and US politics (from the week beginning 14 September 2015) to test whether your students have been actively following the news! ...