The Powers of the Core Executive

The Powers of the Core Executive My chosen question shall see me discuss how the reform of the British State affected the power of the core executive. I shall be focusing on key themes such as looking into the concept of the core executive and how its seen to have traditionally operated, including the Westminster model. I shall discuss debates into the relationships and powers within the core executive, focusing directly on Thatcher v Blair. I will go onto discussing the reforms within the British State, explaining what they are and how they operate, and how they affect the core executive. I shall look at the different perspectives of the contemporary core executive by looking into the hollowed out and differentiated policy systems. Lastly I shall look at contingency core executive model before concluding. ******Concept of the core executive and traditional perspectives of its operation ie Westminster model†¦.. What is the core executive? The core executive is at the very centre of British government. It covers the very complex web of institutions, networks and practices surrounding the Prime Minister, cabinet, cabinet minister as well as committees and the less formalised groups. Smith.J.M (1999). It focuses on roles not just structures; also it has to be ready to react at all times as certain incidents such as the London riots would have caused a reaction within the core executive. This is known as fire-fighting, managing a crisis suddenly sometimes a matter of life and death. POLITICS AND GOVERNENCE pg 96. The treasury is always within the core executive, as every time it agrees to commit resources to a specific area its denying its resources elsewhere. Therefore the treasury maintains a structure of balance within the core executive. POLITICS AND GOVERNENCE IN UK PG 116. Westminster Model is seen to be an organising material, one which is built on the assumption that there is parliamentary sovereignty. It is argued that the Westminster Model was failing due to the reform of the government and as a member of the European Union. Smith.J.M (1999). It is a dominant figure over the central government, with its governing party mainly in the House of Commons. The main characteristics of the Westminster model apart from parliamentary sovereignty are that the cabinet ministers have collective responsibility, party discipline maintained and voters are offered a choice between parties, GOVERNENCE PG 48. ******Debate over relationships and power in core executive- cabinet v PM v Presidential style government, maybe utilising Thatcher and Blair example†¦.. There is an on-going debate over relationships and powers within the core executive. Along with this are the different styles of government which every leader adopts to their own personal style. The main figure head is the Prime Minister, in which all policies have to be passed and accepted before they take their place within society. The Prime Minister also represents the country during international debates and relations. The Cabinet is another prominent figure within the core executive it tends to consist of around 20-23 ministers, each is appointed by the Prime Minister themselves. The Cabinet helps with government business such as public expenditure and constitutional issues. The Cabinet is strongly supported by the Civil Service. McEwan.N (2004). The Prime Minister V Cabinet debate has gone on for many years and shall continue to be seen as a battle between two important figure bodies. Relating strongly to the circumstances and the resources that are available at the time, may determine who may take the leading role. Prime Ministers are dependent on the support of the cabinet and without the appropriate team work wouldnt be a successful unit. Blair V Margaret Thatcher. Its believed that the resignation of Margaret Thatcher was forced upon her as she failed to recognise her dependency on colleagues within the core executive. This was due to her ignoring pleas and views from colleagues during a recession and unpopularity in the polls. During 1980 and 1990 Thatcher was seen to be a strong figure but this started to deteriorate rapidly causing more resignations under her such as John Major. THE CORE EXEC IN BRITAIN PG 102. Tony Blair did follow some traits left behind by Margaret Thatcher, but he also introduced significant changes to the way in which the government was run. Blair and Thatcher between them are the two longest serving prime ministers in the last hundred years. Thatcher when in government instituted reforms within British government, as well as opening up economic and global competition. BRITISH POLITICS PG 302. *****Reforms in the British state, what are they? What has been their effect? How have they affected the core executive There have been many reforms within the British state over the years, with each prime minister bringing in reforms that they believe are needed at that time. Margaret Thatcher had big involvement in the reform of the central government when she was in power. Thatcher wanted to reduce the size of the state by reducing the amount of civil servants. This was mainly due to privatisation; thatcher believed that by reforming the central government it would become more efficient and better value for money. CORE EXEC PG 200. With many new reforms being introduced this brings implications to the core executive such as resources and relationships, and how they are utilised. Thatcher wanted to increase the power of authority and was committed to ensure that the reforms she brought in wouldnt be easy to reverse. CORE EXEC PG 212. Tony Blair was known to be trying to adjust the way in which the core executive was set up, after Margaret Thatcher. With the British state being a parliamentary one the core executive works within a parliamentary framework. The core executive has lost power, due to the reform and the movement of powers within the core executive. It is believed by Rhodes that the differentiated polity has had a great impact on the core executive making it more about co-ordination rather than direction of power. PAGE242. A key issue that comes out of this is that the ministers within the core executive can identify what needs to be done to improve British society, but its whether they have the approp riate resources to do so. *****Different perspectives of the contemporary core executive ie Rhodes hollowed out model and differentiated polity and Richards and Smiths dependency/resource exchange and contingency core executive model†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ There are different perspectives of the contemporary core executive; I am focusing on Rhodess hollowed out and differentiated polity models. Rhodess Differentiated Polity model is one of the most complex attempts at providing a contemporary organising perspective on the British system of government. There are many key strands to the differentiated polity including policy networks, power dependence, governance, intergovernmental relations and a hollowed out state. GOV AND P.P IN UK PG 20. The hollowing out of the state is the most important aspect of the differentiated polity model. The hollowing out of the state summarises many changes which have taken place in the British government. GOV AND P.P IN UK PG 26. Rhodes 1997 states that central government authority has been reduced and dispersed:- Upwards to the supranational level. Outwards through privatisation and market testing. (Core executive.) Downwards, through the creation of quangos and agencies. British government is seen to be hollowed out from the top as a result of our membership with the European Union. A few factors that are seen to be responsible for hollowing out are globalisation, Europeanization, internationalism and privatisation. Privatisation can benefit the government such as it helps raise a lot of money, which can be then spent on public expenditure. It also encourages private investments as well as reducing power of trade unions. Globalisation and its causes are hard to identify and it has many levels. Consequently its brought down to economic, social, political and scientific developments in which people associate globalisation. GOV PUB POL UK PG 126, Prime Ministers and Cabinet officials believe that globalisation has changed politics and made it problematic. ******Conclusion†¦..

Italian Neorealism

In the period between 1943 and 1950 Italian cinema was dominated by Neorealism which became the most significant film style of post-war Europe. Formation began back in 1936 when propagandists opened modern Cincitta studios and the film school name ‘Centro Sperimentaledi Cinematografia’. Along with the opening of schools such as this was a movement that placed a group of cinematographers under full-year contracts, among them was Carlo Montuori who used his classic techniques in creating ‘Bicycle Thieves’ (1948) one of the most well known films produced during the Neo-Realism movement. Perhaps also one of the most influential directors was Roberto Rossellini who directed Rome Open City at the end of WWII. Many directors and influential films such as this began to change and shape the way Italian films were made and what their relation to society was like. The neorealist style was developed by a circle of film critics that revolved around the magazine Cinema, despite a severe lack of funds and equipment the Neorealist film makers sought to reveal truth of the everyday life. Filming outdoors in natural light and starring nonprofessional actors, it was a return to the Lumiere ethic of framed reality. NeoRealism became a style of film which was characterised by stories that were set amongst the poor and working class people. Realism would always be emphasized, and performances were mostly constructed from scenes of ordinary people performing fairly uninteresting and everyday tasks, completely derived of the self-consciousness that a trained actor would usually produce. The films would generally feature children as the major role but they were usually more observational rather than engaging. The film makers were heavily influenced by French poetic realism which was a stylised and studio bound movement that recreated the realism of society. Elements of neorealism can be found in the films of Alessandro Blasetti and the documentary-style films of Francesco De Robertis whose films Toni (Renoir in 1935) and 1860 (Blasetti in 1934) were two of the most significant precursors of the neorealism movement. There are a few aspects that make Italian Neorealist films unique; they would use nonprofessional actors for there raw awkwardness and everyday habits, capturing the reality of their poverty and desperation. The film makers would shoot scenes on location and mostly in poor neighborhoods or the countryside, with the plot surrounding life among the impoverished and lower class. The films theme mostly handled the difficulty of the economy and struggling moral conditions of post-WWII Italy while reflecting the changes in the Italian persona and the conditions of everyday life. What has become one of the best known Neorealist films is Roberto Rossellini's Rome Open City (1945), the film includes many of the characteristics of NeoRealism. The film contains a strong resistance towards conventional principles therefore showing an anti-establishment and revolutionary attitude. Just weeks after the German withdrawal Rossellini shot Rome Open City, this shocked and excited the film world because the film entails of the film was not expected. They had an extemporaneous, documentary quality enhanced in the early era by the materials from which they were made–war-time film stock, cobbled-together equipment, non-professional actors, and location shooting. Open City is a good example of this early period in neorealism. Rossellini helped Italian neorealism to develop as a particular form of cinematic expression during the period when Italy was ruled by authoritarians. Rossellini would rewrite the scripts according to the (nonprofessional) actors feelings and history. The regional accent of the area, dialect and costumes were shown in the film how they were in real life. Truffaut (one of the major figures of The French New Wave film movement) wrote in his 1963 essay titled Roberto Rossellini Prefers Real Life, that Rossellini's influence in France particularly among the directors who would become part of the nouvelle vague (new wave movement) was so substantial that he was in every sense â€Å"the father of the French New Wave†. The opinion that Rosselini’s work had become the introduction to a new style of film was enforced by many of the up and coming directors of the time and his work is still appreciated in the modern film world. When the economy began to improve and the rate of unemployment decreased people found Neorealism discouraging and began to favor light hearted American films which involved positive outcomes and happier endings than what the Italian people had come to know, with this change in favor came the end of the NeoRealism Era. Nevertheless Italian NeoRealism was essential to Italy’s film industry at the time the war ended and while Europe was recovering from the war. Its impact on modern film has been monumental, not only in Italian film but also on French New Wave cinema, and ultimately on films all over the world.

Moral matters Essay

PRAYER is the center for Jesus. Religion has two aspects: On the one hand it maintains certain standards of conduct, on the other it affirms certain beliefs about the ultimate nature of the universe. It is prayer which connects the two. Without it the one of these would be ethics, and the other would be theology. Prayer makes them elements in religion. In prayer the individual brings together God, life’s ideal values, and himself. It is evident from the gospels that Jesus believed in prayer, told men to pray, and prayed himself. Mark narrates how early in the morning before others are about he withdraws to the desert to pray (Mark 1:35). Late in the evening after teaching the multitudes all day he goes into a mountain to pray (Mark 6:46). The hours before the arrest are spent in prayer. Luke is particularly interested in the prayers of Jesus, and adds to Mark’s account various other references. At the time of the baptism, when the heavens opened and he saw the vision, he was praying (Mark 14:32). When the multitudes crowded upon him after the healing of the leper, â€Å"he withdrew into the deserts and prayed (Luke 3:21). † Before choosing the Twelve, and before he asked the disciples what they thought of himself, he was in prayer (Luke 5:16). The Transfiguration occurred when he was at prayer (Luke 6:12, 9:18). The request of the disciples, â€Å"Lord, teach us to pray,† was made at the close of one of his periods of prayer (Luke 9:28). Some of these may be editorial additions in order to provide settings for sayings or incidents where the actual occasion had been forgotten, but there can be no doubt that they represent an authentic record of the practice of Jesus. One notices immediately several facts about these acts of prayer. In the first place, a considerable number of them occur at times of decision and crisis. Important junctures and turning points in Jesus’ career were approached after long periods of silent meditation and prayer. In the second place, one notes that prayer was for Jesus a refreshing and invigorating experience. From the turmoil, confusion, and fatigue of dealing with the multitudes he sought refuge in withdrawals for quiet prayer. His words to his disciples show what these retreats meant to himself. â€Å"Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place and rest awhile,† he said when they returned telling of their strenuous campaign through the cities and villages of Galilee (Guignebert 67). Such experiences of rest, reflection, and prayer Jesus himself had found necessary in order to carry on the spiritually and emotionally exhausting undertaking in which he was engaged. Such a practice of prayer throws valuable light on Jesus’ own religion. In spite of his clarity of mind and intuitive understanding of religious and moral matters, in spite too of his independence and the authority with which he taught, it is evident that Jesus had no sense of religious self-sufficiency and personal adequacy. His intuitive moral judgments and his consciousness of authority to proclaim God’s will were rather the results of these hours in which he sought to ascertain the purposes of God and to be led by him. If one should ask what Jesus taught about prayer, it must be answered that he gave very little definite teaching. There were certain things he said about it, but he gave no set rules or systematic directions for prayer. To him it was an intensely personal thing, and never to be reduced to form or ritual. Professor Bundy, speaking of Jesus’ retreats for the purpose of prayer, remarks that there was no regularity about these retreats. â€Å"They were in no sense a part of a prayer system. For Jesus prayer was not a traditional religious exercise to be engaged in and observed at certain set hours, but the spontaneous impromptu practice of an intense personal piety. † Indeed one learns more about prayer as Jesus practiced it from his own prayers recorded in the gospels than from any instructions he gave about praying. By putting together precept and practice one can learn something of his conception of prayer and the objects for which he thought men should pray (Taylor 145-50). First and foremost should be placed the fact that Jesus repeatedly and in the strongest possible language urged his hearers to pray. â€Å"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, who, if his son ask for a loaf, will he give him a stone; or if he ask for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? † (Matt. 7: 11) On other occasions he was even more emphatic. â€Å"If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed,† he said in extreme illustration, â€Å"ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. † By such words he tried to impress upon his hearers that God gives heed to prayer. For he knew that the reason men do not pray is that they do not believe that anything will be accomplished by it. God does hear and answer the prayer of faith. To Jesus prayer was not a process of autosuggestion or a devotional ritual with subjective values, but an actual source of power for accomplishment (Pannenberg 267)

Founding of the National Bank essays

Founding of the National Bank essays Alexander Hamilton formally served as military aide to Washington during the Revolution. Washington later appointed Hamilton as his secretary of treasury. Congress called on Hamilton to prepare a report on the nations finances. Hamilton had many enemies, but he was a great thinker. He believed that a strong government was essential to the country. He based his belief on that from Great Britain, whose success came from its system of public finance and its supremacy in commerce and manufacturing. He had two goals to achieve. First, he wanted to use federal power to encourage manufacturing and commerce. This he believed would make the United States economically strong and be independent from Europe. Second, he wanted to link the interests of the wealthy with those of the new government. Hamilton goals could not be achieved until the federal government solved its financial problems of revenue and credit. He believed without revenue it could not be effective and without credit the merchants had no faith on any of the other nations to pay back these debts. They would lack the ability to borrow. This posed a problem so Hamilton proposed that all $52 million of the federal debt be paid in full (or funded). He also wanted the federal government to assume the responsibility for the remaining $25 million that the individual states owed. He felt like putting these two policies into effect would make the government stronger and boost its power by increasing its need for revenue and making the wealthy depend on the national government instead of the states. Hamilton also proposed a series of excise taxes. There was a 25 percent levy on whiskey, to aide in government expenses. Congress finally agreed to Hamilton's proposals, but only if there could be a permanent seat of government located in the south. Jefferson and Madison who were from Virginia wanted it to be located on the Potomac River between Virginia an ...

AIDS Descrimnation is Bad essays

AIDS Descrimnation is Bad essays Discrimination is a concern for people worldwide because they have had personal experience throughout their daily routines. When it comes to people with aids, many people around the world have thought about the subject many times, and have developed their state of mind towards them. Also, people have learned to live with while others ignore the problem. One problem that may not concern many is discrimination to people with aids in school. The question here is; does aids influence schools to admit pupils? Does aid influence in teachers grading methods? A survey done by Mauricio Murguia to six college students gave us a quite description of how more or less people think and feel about students with aids: Miriam Maciel from El Paso Community College answered, I dont think it is right for people to judge people with deceases because what happens to one, may happen to another. I act normal when I am aware that a person that surround me has aids and I also treat that person equally. Another three students from UTEP answered the same. Rafael Brunet a student from Kettering University in Michigan answered that he does everything in his power to avoid people with aids and that he feels uncomfortable around these people and mostly if they are homosexuals. Luis Davalos from the TEC De Monterrey in Mexico answered that he hates people with aids because the have the decease because of irresponsibility. Also Luis Davalos told us that he couldnt see a homosexual because he is filled with anger. It is hard to make others think a way in which we think is correct and this is because we all have different points of view. I myself had an experience, which I think I will never forget. I was dating a girl about 15 months ago, and it was a normal relationship but after some time of seeing this girl I started to point out certain changes in her behavior. I thought it was because of me or because she was not happy with ...

Why kids should not be on the internet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Why kids should not be on the internet - Essay Example The success remains in how cleverly we utilize them for the wellbeing of the people. Internet is just like an ocean of knowledge for all the people. But the problem is that this ocean consists of good and evils. Only the matured persons will be able to select and segregate good things from internet whereas immature people always fell in to this ocean as victims of the bad things. â€Å"Internet can provide contents like sexual acts or conduct, lewd exhibitions of genitals, the seven "dirty" FCC words, revealing attire, the use or sale of weapons, game sites designed for teens or older, legal or illegal drugs, legal or illegal gambling, alcohol consumption, explicit violence against people or animals including hate crimes, tobacco use etc to the kids which are harmful in their development as a socially accepted personality and hence the internet usages should be restricted to them. This paper analyses the negative impacts of internet on kids. Internet consists of sex related contents which is harmful to the kids. One of the major reasons for juvenile offenses is the influence of internet upon children. Segregation of good and evils is difficult for kids because of the growth sex hormones at these ages. It is easy for the juveniles to watch movies filled with violence and sexual activities using internet websites like YouTube. Internet is used by kids playing video games and relaxing purposes. It is difficult for them to search for serious things at this age because of the peculiarity of their age. After a busy work outs in the classrooms most of the children uses internet for watching something interesting to them. â€Å"The Internet is an invaluable tool for adolescents who use it to look for answers to personal, sensitive, and embarrassing questions about their bodies, relationships, and health. A study of 778 teens aged 15-18 in the African nation of Ghana shows that two-thirds had gone online, mainly at cafes with I nternet access. All of

Managing High Performance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Managing High Performance - Essay Example It argues against the rigidities of autocracy. This style of management is successful in the sense that it does not demoralize employees and involves them in management, giving them an opportunity to be managers of themselves. Decision making is a crucial action in management and it encompasses influencing the direction that an organization takes in its business pursuits. Decision making processes can either be centralized or decentralized (Rao, 2008). Centralization of decision making leaves a few individuals with the responsibility of making crucial decisions that affect the operations of the firm. Decentralization of decision making process delegates decision making responsibilities to other employees including junior employees. The article Shared or unshared consensus decision in macaques? (Sueur, & Petit, 2008) emphasizes on decentralized decision making. This mode of making decisions is effective in terms of time and cost saving. It minimizes bureaucratic procedures and thus successfully efficient. Management styles can also be presented as formal or informal. The mode of management style adopted under this principle depends on the leadership interests of the firm. Informal management styles fail to accustom to specific procedures of conducting business within and without the firm. The article Cooperative behavior cascades in human social networks (Fowler & Christakis, 2010) promote formal management style. It minimizes employee redundancies and promotes result-oriented management and leadership. Employee inefficiencies and ineffectiveness prior to the operations of the firm are minimized or alleviated altogether. All the three aspects highlighted above in management and decision making processes relate to employee management in different contexts of working environments. The underlying difference is the management and