To what extent do political parties promote democracy free essay sample

Political parties have many functions, one of which is to uphold the principles of a democratic political system. A democratic political system is one which involves various features, such as a peaceful transition of power from one government to another, free and fair regular elections, people having open access to independent information, government accountability to the people and representative institutions and that the government operates in the broad interests of the people. Democracy can take a number of forms, the main two being representative and direct democracy. In the UK a representative democracy is in place. Arguably, the mere existence of political parties enhances democracy as they allow the public to decide who should be in charge of their country, however at times, the promotion of democracy by political parties could be questioned for example party corruption and undemocratic actions for example the unfair use of hereditary peers to pass a Bill. We will write a custom essay sample on To what extent do political parties promote democracy? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The most important way that political parties enhance democracy is through representation. The idea of a representative democracy is that the elected representatives express the will of the people and sections of society. Political parties claim to have a representative function, however parties have their origins in the representation of social classes. In contemporary politics this is a weaker party because all of the main parties argue that they represent the national interest, and not just the interests of specific classes or groups. Therefore it is essential that they seek to ensure that all groups in society have their interests and demands at the very least, considered by the government. The use of referendums also increases public participation and enhances the idea of democracy. Public participation is a key element of democracy therefore an increase in the use of referendums will result in a higher level of democracy. A referendum is an occasion when citizens (either all of them or only those in a certain region) are asked to determine a question of public importance. In the UK, a referendum result is not binding on Parliament because Parliament remains sovereign. However it is virtually unthinkable that the UK Parliament would defy the expressed result of a referendum. It is Parliament and government that determine whether a referendum is to be held and what the question may be. Although the public cannot directly influence the government through a referendum, their opinions on the matter proposed will have a significant effect on the final decision made, which gives the public a higher sense of authority. There was a 1998 vote to approve of an elected London mayor, which was necessary as it was going to change the governance of the capital city, so the consent of Londoners was vital. It also implied some increase in taxation, again making consent essential. Referendums increase the publics influence in the political sphere, therefore by using them, political parties are promoting democracy. However referendums are rarely held, and politicians/political parties as a whole usually make important decisions, and don’t often require the assistance of the public. Many issues that could be used in a referendum are argued to be ‘too complex’ for the majority of the people to understand, let alone make a judgement on. For example issues arising from proposed European Union treaties may well be too complex for popular consideration. Many would argue that such matters should be left to our elected representatives under the guidance of experts rather than to the general public, and the influence of the media. Also, politicians may go against the wishes of the people, for example with the bedroom tax. There was a great deal of controversy associated with it, however the government still pursued it. If a referendum had been held, the opinions of the public on the matter may have been expressed, however one wasn’t held therefore this political action could be deemed as being undemocratic. The fact that, in the United Kingdom, we have multiple political parties, with a variety of view points and policies, is exemplary of the fact that political parties enhance democracy. The existence of various political parties gives the public voting options, and provides them with a choice of who governs their country, which is arguably a democratic approach, and encourages public participation. The idea that the public are not only voting for the party and its leaders, but also its policies show that they have an influence in how the country is run. For example the Conservative party (under David Cameron) believes in traditional institutions and values, protecting the rights and interests of property owners, and support the idea that the wealthy do have a responsibility to improve the conditions of the disadvantaged. However modern Labour (under Ed Miliband), emphasises that education is the main driver of social justice and social mobility, agrees that there should generally greater stress on environmental protection, and the party now favors more active state intervention to promote economic growth. The differing ideas of these two large parties, show that the public are given a variety of options on each different potential governing body, which gives them adequate knowledge to make a decision on who to vote for. The existence of multiple political parties enhances democracy as it increases public participation and influence. In conclusion, although there are a variety of political parties, both major and minor, existing in the United Kingdom, which arguably enhances democracy, they are all moving closer to the center, and becoming very similar in the modern day, which reduces the idea that political parties enhances democracy. For example the Conservative party and the Labour party currently agree on matters that in the past, they didn’t. For example on the matter of education, Cameron abandoned the traditional support for selective secondary education (grammar schools) and instead supported Labour’s policies to create a wide range of different types of secondary schools and colleges. The increasing similarities between political parties reduces the concept of public participation, therefore is reducing the enhancement of democracy. Referendums are an excellent way of reducing the barrier between the public and the government, and increasing the publics influence on government decisions and policy making. And although they are becoming increasingly used, they are not frequently held therefore this would further support the idea that political parties do not enhance democracy.

Free Essays on Government Censorship

Government Censorship Thesis: Government Censorship would damage the atmosphere of the freedom to express ideas on the Internet; therefore, government should not encourage censorship. Introduction I. In the Internet community, there is a large volume of technical terms. For this reason, it is first necessary to examine the terminology specific to Internet. 1.The internet is a world wide computer network. 1.Electronic mail (email), which is one component of the Internet, approximates person to person letters, memoranda, notes and even phone calls. 2.Another term that is often used is electronic news (enews/Usenet), enews is a broadcast, free to the Internet medium. 3.The term FTP is also frequently used. File transfer protocol (FTP) started as an Internet archival and retrieval medium, somewhat analogous to traditional libraries. 4.The world-wide web (WWW), which is another component of the Net, can be used to "publish" material that would traditionally appear in journals, magazines, posters, books, television and even on film. 2.It is also essential to give a brief history on the internet. 3.The U.S. government is now trying to pass bills to prevent misuse of the Net. II. In order to understand the need for the ever-growing body of legislation, it is important to explore the controversy, and the current problems involved with the Net as it exists must be introduced. 1.The problem that concerns most people is offensive materials such as pornography. 2.Another crucial internet crime is the stealing of credit card numbers. III. One reaction to this inapplicability has been the "Censor the Net" approach (the censorship bill), we are now to compare its advantages and disadvantages. 1.First, the meaning of "Censoring the Net" must be explained. 2.However, many experts have pointed out that government censorship is not possible. 1.First, it is not fair to exclude the freedom and damage the atmosphere of... Free Essays on Government Censorship Free Essays on Government Censorship Government Censorship Thesis: Government Censorship would damage the atmosphere of the freedom to express ideas on the Internet; therefore, government should not encourage censorship. Introduction I. In the Internet community, there is a large volume of technical terms. For this reason, it is first necessary to examine the terminology specific to Internet. 1.The internet is a world wide computer network. 1.Electronic mail (email), which is one component of the Internet, approximates person to person letters, memoranda, notes and even phone calls. 2.Another term that is often used is electronic news (enews/Usenet), enews is a broadcast, free to the Internet medium. 3.The term FTP is also frequently used. File transfer protocol (FTP) started as an Internet archival and retrieval medium, somewhat analogous to traditional libraries. 4.The world-wide web (WWW), which is another component of the Net, can be used to "publish" material that would traditionally appear in journals, magazines, posters, books, television and even on film. 2.It is also essential to give a brief history on the internet. 3.The U.S. government is now trying to pass bills to prevent misuse of the Net. II. In order to understand the need for the ever-growing body of legislation, it is important to explore the controversy, and the current problems involved with the Net as it exists must be introduced. 1.The problem that concerns most people is offensive materials such as pornography. 2.Another crucial internet crime is the stealing of credit card numbers. III. One reaction to this inapplicability has been the "Censor the Net" approach (the censorship bill), we are now to compare its advantages and disadvantages. 1.First, the meaning of "Censoring the Net" must be explained. 2.However, many experts have pointed out that government censorship is not possible. 1.First, it is not fair to exclude the freedom and damage the atmosphere of...

Four key Elements Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Four key Elements - Essay Example The economic costs of the disaster was estimated to be more than $ 150 million since the disaster impacted in more than 90,000 square miles destroying property in Mississippi and Louisiana (Schneider, 2011). The key four elements of disaster response showed incapacity in addressing fire outbreaks, engaged in haphazard evacuation and inappropriate assembly points of the victims. The state and federal agencies lacked coordination and proper communication systems of identifying hazards and coordinating the response and recovery efforts after the disaster (Cooper & Block, 2007). Resources from state and federal agencies The state and federal agencies were not adequately prepared for the disaster since the collapse of man-made levees led to destruction of more than 90 percent of utility infrastructure and lethal pollution. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) lacked adequate emergency response mechanism and proper chains of command. FEMA experienced multiple challenges including deployment of personnel, deployment of command system, poor communication and coordination of search and rescue efforts (Levitt & Whitaker, 2009). FEMA did not establish a joint field office and failed in assisting in the deployment of medical assistance teams. Both New Orleans office of Emergence Preparedness and Louisiana Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (LOSHEP) lacked enough personnel and experience in disaster management (Cooper & Block, 2007). New Orleans Police department was trapped in water thus making it difficult to provide communication and warning signs to the citizens. Existing laws also limited the Department of Defense authority is responding. The Departent of of Health and Human services (HHS) was slow in the response and coordination of public health services following the disaster. The department lacked enough personnel in the treatment of ill citizens, assuring citizens of the safety of food and environment (Levitt & Whitaker, 2009). First responders Most of the first responders were local citizens who just watched the disaster from rooftops and trees. The first responders failed to communicate or switch off the electricity. There was a breakdown in communication systems due to damage of the cell phone towers and radio antennas. The available police officers had to communicate on two radio channels thus delaying the issue of critical information (Levitt & Whitaker, 2009). Secondary emergency services Most of the secondary emergency services entailed National Guard troops and other secondary emergency response units such as NGOs like Red Cross contributed in the clean up and relocation of the victims (Schneider, 2011). The NGOs were instrumental in offering food reliefs, medication and shelter to the evacuated victims. Humanitarian organizations also provided blood donations, counseling services and logistical supplies. Private sector resources The private sector resources responded adequately to Hurricane Katrina. The private sector resources were utilized in all operations including evacuation, search and rescue, temporary shelters and medical response (Schneider, 2011). Private fire-fighting companies and security companies helped in evacuation, rescue and search missions. In addition, pharmaceutical companies assisted in providing cheap medicines (Levitt & Whitaker, 2009). Alternative actions that may result in positive outcomes In the future, the state and federal agencies must

Organizational Environments and Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Organizational Environments and Culture - Essay Example As the paper outlines the headquarters of the Upstate New York Synod is in Syracuse, New York and the national headquarters of the ELCA is in Chicago, ILL. Mr. Gail has been in the organization for 17 years and has had his reverend position for 8 years. The structured interview provided several benefits in the course of the interview. This type of interview ensured efficient conducting of the interview because the questions available in the questionnaire provided a guide to how the interview questions were to be answered. This implied that in the report the questions asked and answered during the interview prevented deviation from the main topic of the interview. The benefit was having specific questions answered that were centered on the topic at hand. This study highlights that the reverend manages all the operations of this complex organization. His primary management task is the management of communication between the volunteers who are involved with implementing diverse set of programs. The tasks on a daily basis involve managing calendars, email, and public relations notices. These details are generated by the management of a collaborative process used in program development, and the mentoring of student leaders. On top of this, Mr. Gail’s position requires 50% of the financial resources necessary to run the organization, which involves management of annual and special campaigns, fundraising events including the management of a database for development efforts.

Hardware Replacement Project Essay Example for Free

Hardware Replacement Project Essay Assignment: 1 Hardware Replacement Project: Hardware Replacement Project: Your Name Instructors Name Date Assignment: 2 The IT- department in implementing a new CRM solution to its corporate offices. The hardware currently in use is out of date and will not support the CRM application. The hardware must replace prior to deployment. How do the five major variables of project management-scope, time, cost, quality, and risk – relate to this scenario? Scope: Defines what work is or is not included in a project. For example, the scope of a Project for a new order processing system might include new modules for inputting orders And transmitting them to production and accounting but not any changes to related accounts Receivable, manufacturing, distribution, or inventory control systems. Project management Defines all the work required to complete a project successfully, and should ensure that the Scopes of a project not expand beyond what was originally intended. Time: Time is the amount of time required to complete the project. Project management Typically establishes the amount of time required to complete major components of a Project. Each of these components is further broken down into activities and tasks. Project Management tries to determine the time required to complete each task and establish a Schedule for completing the work. Cost: Is based on the time to complete a project multiplied by the daily cost of human Resources required completing the project. Information systems project costs also include The cost of hardware, software, and work space. Project management develops a budget for The project and monitors ongoing project expenses. Risk: Refers to potential problems that would threaten the success of a project. These Potential problems might prevent a project from achieving its objectives by increasing time And cost, lowering the quality of project outputs, or preventing the project from being Completed altogether. We discuss the most important risk factors for information systems Projects later in this section. Assignment: 3 What consideration must be applied when selecting projects that deliver the best business value? A project is a planned series of related activities for achieving a specific business objective. Information systems projects include the development of new information systems, Enhancing existing systems, or projects for replacing or upgrading the firm’s information Technology (IT) infrastructure. Project management refers to the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to achieve specific targets within specified budget and time constraints. Project management activities include planning the work, assessing risk, estimating resources required to Accomplish the work, organizing the work, acquiring human and material resources, assigning Tasks, directing activities, controlling project execution, reporting progress, and analyzing the Results. As in other areas of business, project management for information systems must deal With five major variables: scope, time, cost, quality, and risk. What factors that influence project risk? Results of not meeting or achieving the goal the company needs. Some systems development projects are more likely to run into problems or to suffer delays Because they carry a much higher level of risk than others. The level of project risk is Influenced by project size, project structure, and the level of technical expertise of the Information systems staff and project team. The larger the project—as indicated by the What strategies would you recommend for minimizing the projects risks? In a parallel strategy, both the old system and its potential replacement are run Together for a time until everyone is assured that the new one functions correctly. The old System remains available as a backup in case of problems. And the direct cutover strategy Replaces the old system entirely with the new system on an appointed day, carrying the Risk that there is no system to fall back on if problems arise. Minimizing the projects risks would be difficult for me I would really have to hire someone that would be more of a High Tech IT- to be sure that all the risks that may come with adding new software systems would be easy to manage for a lower tech that may be in house of the company, in my opinion when you change the entire systems to be updated there has to be a happy medium. In order to keep all systems functioning the way they need to. Data for any company is very important in keeping it safe from and harm during the new change processing as well. The strategies I would consider would be to make sure that every data within the company had a storage space to keep it in to avoid the risks of losing it, I would also make sure that we would start with a small portion of the updating to make sure that this new operating system would work for the company as well. There are many OS available to bigger company’s and provide very good updates for the company’s new systems that can and do run excellent without having a lot of risk or problems, but it was tested before actually putting in to action and use. This gave the company a better view and was able to train the employees that were going to need to know, fix, and keep the main performance and upkeep of them. Any organization can add a new OS’s, but the key is learning to the best of your ability to make sure that it will keep the company functioning to its best and completing the goals and requirements it needs to keep them in business as well. Also if you keep your organization with the right level of systems updating then you can be sure that you don’t need to hire a High tech IT service to have the up keep kept up and you are more likely to be able to train your existing IT, this will also save costs because you will not need to constantly call the high tech when you encounter a small problem. Keeping the operating system to the level of the project and the risk would most likely be less than having a system that would be overboard to what each company needs.

Biological Warfare: Testing and Researching Toxins Essay -- Biological

Biological Warfare: Testing and Researching Toxins Biological Warfare is the use and employment of biological agents to harm or kill humans, animals, or plant life. Bio warfare can cause a significant amount of casualties with less preparation and work then other types of attacks. The weapons are relatively cheap and, unlike explosive attacks, biological attacks can be used to kill a select group. This meaning a biological agent can be created that would, for example only target animals or only target humans. There are various agents used in biological warfare. The U.S. Military defines these agents as "those biological pathogens and toxins that are intended for use during military operations to cause death and disease among personnel, animals, or plants, or to deteriorate material" [1]. Examples of such agents would be bacteria, viruses, rickettsia, and toxins which are derived from biological organisms. Each have great potential to harm mass amounts of people, animals, or plants depending on the target. The United States government has vowed to never use biological warfare agents and does not test for offensive purposes. This meaning that all testing goes towards developing immunizations, detection methods for detecting an attack, decontamination, rapid diagnostic tests and treatments. However, other countries have not taken the same action and many still test agents for their use in biological warfare. History of Biological Warfare Biological warfare is not a new technology. Infect the use of biological warfare goes back as far as the 1300's when swarms of rats and fleas were set loose to attack Tatar soldiers in the Black Sea port in Kaffa, currently known as Feodossia, Ukraine. The vermin carried disease wh... ...k it is really a huge threat that some toxin will fall into the hands of some evil person. The goods of testing far out way the negatives thus the U.S. should continue testing because ignorance is not bliss. Bibliography 1.Mauroni, Al. "Chemical and Biological Warfare". Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO Inc, 2003 2.Microbiology 101 Internet Text, 2000; http://www.slic2.wsu.edu:82/hurlbert/micro101/pages/GMBW 3.Mycoherbicide.net; http://mycoherbicide.net/HEALTH/Toxicity/toxicity.htm 4.McGovern, Thomas and Christopher, George; Biological Warfare and it's Cutaneous Manifestations; http://www.telemedicine.org/biowar/biologic.htm 5.Federation of Medical Scientists; Biological Weapons; http://www.fas.org/nuke/intro/bw/index.html 6.USAMRIIDS Medical Management of Bio Casualties handbook; http://www.usamriid.army.mil/education/bluebook/Mmbch4Adobepdfver4-02.pdf

Analysis of Kate Chopin and Her Works

Write a critical analysis of any aspect of â€Å"The Story of an Hour† which you found of interest and significance. Kate Chopin's ‘The Story of an Hour' is a short yet complex piece describing the feelings of Mrs Mallard. This story is overflowing with symbolism and imagery. The most prominent theme here is the longing for freedom. Chopin focuses on unfolding the emotional state of Mrs Mallard which can be separated into three stages: quickly moving to grief, through a sense of newfound freedom, and finally into the despair of the loss of that freedom. A critical analysis of â€Å"The Story of an Hour†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Kate Chopin's â€Å"The Story Of An Hour†, in my opinion, is a good piece of literature. It is well written, clearly written, entertaining, and it brings a bit of a challenge to the reader. Starting with the title, Chopin described part of the setting. We already know that everything that happens during this little drama, happens within an hour. This title brought curiosity upon me because I did not realize that many things that could affect one's life could take place in an hour. For example, the recent tragedy in America, within one hour much had happened in the borders of the United States and Chopin's choice of title brought that to my attention, within an hour much could happen that could completely change someone's life. The way the story is written is very straightforward. The author tells you exactly what is happening but still leaves enough room for your imagination to fill in the blanks. For example, when Chopin describes Louise's room with â€Å"the open window, a comfortable, roomy armchair† (page 378), and then goes on to describe what Louise sees outside, she tells us that our protagonist isn't living a bad life monetarily. Louise has a nice comfortable chair in her bedroom where she has a nice view of a square with trees and people. The way Chopin describes the weather follows the same suit. â€Å"There were patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds†Ã‚ ¦in the west facing her window† (page 378). The author tells you what to imagine but there is still room for you to add, for example, the sun shining through the clouds and warmly hitting her face, among other things. Analysis of Kate Chopin And Her Works â€Å"Free! Body and soul free! † Those are the great words written by the great American author, Kate Chopin in â€Å"The Story Of An Hour† in 1894. Her real life stories were her biggest influences in her literature and her unique themes. Perhaps one of her most famous works was her first novel, The Awakening. Some of her other works include â€Å"The Storm,† â€Å"Lilacs,† Madame Celestine's Divorce,† and â€Å"Desiree's Baby. What is Chopin's writing style? What traits are recognizable in all of her stories including the ones mentioned above? More importantly, was feminism a valuable subject in her themes and her life or was she just a normal woman who believed in equality? The answers to these and more questions lie ahead so just sit ba ck and enjoy the ride. To understand Kate Chopin's writing style, you must first understand her life. She was born Katherine O'Flaherty in 1850 to an Irish and French family In St. Louis, Missouri. Her grandmother and great-grandmother lived with them and were great influences in her life and later in her writing. Chopin learned French and female endurance from living in a house full of women. Her great-grandmother also told her stories about her own grandmother, who ran a ferry service and was very promiscuous. She told her stories about women who were daring and women that didn't marry. When she married Oscar Chopin at the age of twenty, the two took a three-month-long honeymoon in Europe where she began writing a journal. They lived together in a small town in Louisiana, which included a community of a lot of different races. She liked to observe different people that lived around her and this soon became one of the main details in her stories. When her husband died, she took over their plantations and ran their store, a bold step for a woman of her time to take (Howard). All of these events in her life can be found in some way or another through her literature, mostly in that of her novel, The Awakening. The Awakening's main character is Edna Pontillier, a woman aware of her sexual cravings and open about them as well. Many see Chopin's novel as â€Å"an explanation of the solitary soul, still enchanted by the primal, charged, and intimate encounter of naked sensation with the astonishing world† (Domestic Goddesses). Although I have never read The Awakening, I'm sure that this theory is true. Chopin believed that it was natural for a respectable woman to have sexual feelings. Her themes generally consisted of love, passion, marriage, independence, freedom, and restraint, all of which are present in The Awakening. Her theme of women winning their self, as a whole is understood when Edna says â€Å"I would give the unessential; I would give my money, I would give my life for my children; but I wouldn't give myself. † The Awakening is