The government doesn't seem to have the capacity to deal with conflicts between herders and farmers in the middle belt, it is unable to resolve the conflicts in the south and the south south, and the Boko Haram insurgency itself continues. And one of the results of that terrorism, is starvation facing hundreds of thousands of Nigerians. How can a government increase its capacity to deal with the issues facing it?
More than 120,000 people, most of them children, are at risk of starving to death next year in areas of Nigeria affected by the Boko Haram insurgency, the United Nations is warning.
Intense fighting in parts of Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon has left more than 2 million people displaced, farmers unable to harvest their crops and aid groups unable to reach isolated communities…
Maiduguri is among the best served places in a region the size of Belgium. Much of the area is still insecure because of the war with Boko Haram, and countless thousands have not made it to population centres where some degree of care is available…
Boko Haram, a jihadi group, has lost ground in the past year but its insurgency has left large areas of farmland inaccessible and many roads unnavigable by aid convoys. The situation has been compounded by a lack of international support: UN funding for the Nigerian crisis is 61% or $297m short of its target…
Kashim Shettima, the governor of Borno, the Nigerian state that has borne the brunt of the insurgency, said the farming that usually sustains locals had collapsed. “Most of our communities have not been able to till their soils for the past four years,” Shettima told the Guardian. “It’s just unimaginable; 80% of the people [in Borno] were denied access to their farms by Boko Haram.”…
Officials and aid workers warn that if the situation continues it could foment extremism in the area and migration flows farther afield. “A hungry young man is easily susceptible to the manias of religious demagogues like [Boko Haram founder] Mohammed Yusuf and [leader of the insurgents] Abubakar Shekau,” said Shettima…
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A recently leaked memo… has highlighted cabinet divisions over Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union, while suggesting that the government may need six additional months to settle on a plan and to recruit tens of thousands of extra civil servants.
The document identified tensions between enthusiasts for British withdrawal… and those fighting to preserve closer economic ties to the bloc…
[T]he more cautious types want to preserve Britain’s access to the European market by maintaining membership in the customs union or the single market, or perhaps some combination of the two…
What’s the difference between the customs union and the single market?
Both the customs union and the single market eliminate tariffs between member states. The customs union sets tariffs with non-European nations, so members share a common trade policy with the rest of the world. The single market removes non-tariff trade barriers, too, for instance by maintaining common product standards…
Is the European customs union a more practical and reachable goal?
It might be. Not all members belong to the European Union… Britain would be able to trade freely in goods within the union… But Britain would have to comply with some European Union regulations.
So what does the British government say about Brexit plans?
As little as possible… it refuses to give a running commentary, saying that would weaken its negotiating position. But British officials had not prepared for Brexit before the referendum and are having to examine its impact on every sector of the economy — a huge exercise. In doing so, they appear to be uncovering more questions than answers…
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A bill giving the UK intelligence agencies and police the most sweeping surveillance powers in the western world has passed into law with barely a whimper…
The Investigatory Powers Act, passed on Thursday, legalises a whole range of tools for snooping and hacking by the security services unmatched by any other country in western Europe or even the US…
US whistleblower Edward Snowden tweeted: “The UK has just legalised the most extreme surveillance in the history of western democracy. It goes further than many autocracies.”…
One of the negative aspects of the legislation is that it fails to provide adequate protection for journalists’ sources, which could discourage whistleblowing…
It [the law] legalises hacking by the security agencies into computers and mobile phones and allows them access to masses of stored personal data, even if the person under scrutiny is not suspected of any wrongdoing…
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Nobody gets many views of the political culture of Russia. For the most part, we hypothesize based on behavior we observe. The Levada Center has earned a reputation as a fairly accurate and honestly run polling operation. Here's the latest.
Sixty percent of Russians believe that Internet censorship — in particular, the banning of certain websites and material — is necessary, according to a new poll.
Just 25 percent opposed the idea…
The poll was conducted by the Levada Center, an independent polling firm, which asked Russians questions about trust in media and censorship between Oct. 21 to 24. On the subject of political censorship, 32 percent of Russians said that denying access to certain websites would infringe upon the rights and freedoms of activists, while 44 percent said it did not and 24 percent could not answer.
More broadly, Russians seem to be generally skeptical about the Internet, Levada found, with 51 percent believing the Internet could not replace newspapers, radio and television…
In total, 35 percent of Russians thought the media was deceiving them frequently, while 49 percent said they felt that way only rarely…
[I]n countries such as Russia, where most mainstream news networks are strongly aligned with the government, opposition groups have been able to organize and spread criticism of the government through online media.
In April, Konstantin Malofeev, a wealthy businessman with links to the Kremlin who runs the pro-censorship lobbying group Safe Internet League, traveled to China to meet with the architects of that country's notorious “great firewall.” And this week the country moved to block the professional networking site LinkedIn as it did not house data about its Russian users within the country…
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You already know about by-elections (don't you?). And you know the political parties in the UK. Or do you? Guess the parties for the 10 candidates for the by-election in the Sleaford and North Hykeham constituency (in Lincolnshire on England's east coast).
Surprisingly, at least to those of us in the USA, the current and previous Conservative governments have had troubles with the House of Lords. Aren't the old aristocrats supposed to be conservative? It turns out that some Tories were so upset that they proposed limiting the power of the Lords.
The government has decided against a new law to curb the powers of the House of Lords to block legislation.
Former House of Lords leader Lord Strathclyde came up with a proposal to remove peers' veto over laws - called statutory instruments - after a series of government defeats last year.
The government said it now had "no plans" for legislation on the issue.
But it warned peers it could reconsider unless they showed "discipline and self regulation"…
Some Lords in session
In a statement to peers, Baroness Evans, the leader of the House of Lords, said the will of elected MPs should prevail where there was a clash between the House of Commons and the House of Lords over a statutory instrument…
Unlike with regular legislation, there is not currently a mechanism to assert the Commons' primacy on statutory instruments, so the government relies on the "discipline and self regulation that this House imposes on itself", she said.
"Should that break down we would have to reflect on this decision."…
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Tuesday was Election Day in Beijing, with thousands of seats for party-run local congresses up for grabs. Outside community centers and police stations, officials urged people to “treasure democratic rights” and “cast your sacred and solemn ballot.”
Election posters in Beijing
But before the elections, there were no debates, town hall-style forums, social media wars or other hallmarks of participatory democracy.
Instead, the government responded with bluster and bullying, detaining activists and confiscating campaign materials. President Xi Jinping, who has vigorously blocked threats to the Communist Party’s dominance since coming to power in 2012, has taken a harsh stance against advocates for democracy and has sought to limit Western influences.
For the small but spirited band of activists who had been working for years to shake the status quo, the election results were disheartening, to say the least…
Despite the Communist Party’s monopoly on power in China and its strenuous efforts to limit dissent, the government has permitted elections at the local level for decades, eager to show to the world that China, too, has democracy.
Every five years, the government encourages citizens over the age of 18 without a criminal record — about 900 million people this year — to choose representatives for local People’s Congresses…
But the elections are democratic in name only. The party picks its preferred candidates and leaves no room for an upset. Even after a candidate is elected, his or her powers are severely restricted… The Legislature is widely considered to be a rubber stamp of Mr. Xi and the Communist Party…
The elections this year are the first of their kind under Mr. Xi, whose tenure has been marked by tighter control of civil society and a harsh treatment of dissidents. Over the past several weeks, the authorities have carried out a far-reaching campaign to rein in unsanctioned candidates across the country…
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The Comparative Government and Politics Review Checklist.
Two pages summarizing the course requirements to help you review and study for the final and for the big exam in May. . It contains a description of comparative methods, a list of commonly used theories, a list of vital concepts, thumbnail descriptions of the AP6, and
a description of the AP exam format. $2.00. Order HERE.
In the 20th century, communists, socialists, and other leftists used the term "comrade" as a non-sexist term that implied equality. Chinese President Xi wants to reclaim it, but it may be too late.
To the 90 million or so members of China’s Communist Party, President Xi Jinping has a message: Don’t call me president. Don’t call me party secretary.
Call me “comrade.”
The directive urging party members to eschew titles and honorifics in favor of the revolutionary throwback was issued after a meeting last month of the Communist Party’s Central Committee.
The latest order, however, may cause some confusion.
Under Mao Zedong, even well into the 1980s, “tongzhi” — 同志 or “comrade” — was the nearly universal form of address. Over the years, however, as China has modernized and Mao suits have given way to Western-style suits and ties, the term “comrade” has not only become outdated, it has acquired an entirely new connotation.
Comrade kite
Among gay men in China, “tongzhi” is most often used as a term of affection and solidarity and a catchall label for sexual minorities…
For some younger Chinese, however, the word “comrade” offered a source of comfort for those who felt too ashamed to use the term “tongxinglian,” or homosexual, Mr. Fan said.
“But now, people have really gotten used to it,” he said. “Even the ticket-takers on the bus… don’t say ‘comrade’ anymore because they know what it means among young people.”
Now, Chinese typically refer to one another as “mister,” “miss” or “madame.” Strangers often address one another as “young miss,” “beautiful woman,” “handsome man” or “master.”
Within the party, only top leaders are typically referred to as “comrade.” At the lower levels, “comrade” has been replaced by a… proliferation of designations like “deputy secretary,” “boss,” “C.E.O.,” “grandfather” and “brother.” …
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During the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution in the 1960s, every bit of pop culture and high culture was tasked with promoting Mao and Communism. Traditional Chinese opera tales were mangled to teach lessons of Mao's Little Red Book. Is President Xi taking political culture down a similar road?
These are triumphant times for the Communist Party. President Xi Jinping, the general secretary, governs with seemingly unobstructed authority. The balance of power in Asia and the Pacific appears to be shifting in China’s favor. Extreme poverty, especially in rural areas, is nearing eradication.
And yet the Communist government seems intensely vulnerable at times as it confronts a slowing economy and a society in the throes of staggering change. In a country still working to find its place in the world, the party whips up nationalism as an elixir…
It has been 80 years, we are told again and again, since the end of the Long March, the 6,000-mile retreat of Communist forces that established Mao’s pre-eminence and gave the party its soul. More than 80,000 people died in the march, which began in 1934, but the bravery of the soldiers inspired generations of Chinese people to rally behind the party and its leader.
On television, Long March soap operas, documentaries and variety shows abound. Tour agencies offer packages retracing the soldiers’ routes. Students put on virtual reality goggles to relive famous battles. Joggers use a Long March-themed fitness app to measure their steps against the Red Army’s…
President Xi has been making the case for a “new long march,” using the anniversary to rally the public and warn against creeping complacency, especially among the young. “A nation that forgets its origins will find itself in a blind alley,” he said in a speech late last month.
On the whole, the spirit of the propaganda campaign is unambiguous: Chinese citizens should seek to emulate the ideals of self-sacrifice and perseverance that the soldiers of the Long March embodied. Above all, the messaging makes clear, people should show unwavering loyalty to the Communist Party.
The Long March allowed the Red Army to escape defeat at the hands of the Kuomintang forces of Chiang Kai-shek in southern China. The Communists regrouped in the north before going on to victory in the civil war in 1949…
Long March diva
“The Long March” opera, in development for four years, is a highlight of the government’s unfolding spectacle, featuring a cast of nearly 200 and a cymbal-heavy score that blends Chinese folk songs with Italian-style arias. It is one of the grandest political operas to debut in Beijing since the Cultural Revolution, when Mao and his wife, Jiang Qing, made works celebrating the Communist Party a mandatory part of the repertoire at Chinese concert halls…
Near the end of the opera, as Red Army soldiers confront the scourges of disease and starvation, eating tree bark to survive, a young soldier named Ping Yazi is poisoned by wild vegetables. He becomes lost in a swamp, firing a shot into the air to warn away his fellow troops.
“I’m not afraid of death,” he sings, sinking underground. “I’m just reluctant to leave the Red Army.”
Soon after, red lights illuminate the theater, revolutionary flags fill the stage, and a song-and-dance routine breaks out. “Long live the Red Army!” the soldiers sing. “Long live the Long March!”…
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Just what Nigeria needs: another dimension to internal conflict.
The Shia-Sunni conflict within Islam exists throughout the Muslim world. (This is a hint that you should get a basic understanding of Islam to understand at least Nigeria, Iran, and China.) I guess those of us outside of Nigeria have ignored the conflict there.
A number of Nigerian Shia Muslims on a religious procession have been shot during clashes with police in the northern city of Kano, reports say…
The group behind the procession, the Iran-backed Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), has a history of tension with the security forces…
The IMN is Nigeria's biggest Shia organisation and has its headquarters in Zaria.
It has been outlawed in Kaduna state for carrying out unlawful processions.
Its followers have been involved in a series of clashes with the security forces and attacks by Sunni militants…
Meanwhile, last year's Shia procession from Kano to Zaria saw more than 20 people killed in an attack by a suicide bomber from the Boko Haram Sunni Islamist militant group…
The IMN is backed by Shia-dominated Iran and its members often go there to study.
Sunni jihadist group Boko Haram condemns Shias as heretics who should be killed…
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Three years ago, organized vigilantes made headlines in Mexico as they tried to compensate for the inability of the state to protect citizens from violent criminals.
The state still seems to have inadequate power to deal with violent crime. Vigilantes are once again in the news. The report doesn't suggest organized efforts, but "lone wolf" actors.
So, is the capacity of the state inadequate? Is the criminal justice system bogged down? Are the police and the army involved? Are there other countries with problems like this? Are there other countries with vigilantes? How does this affect political legitimacy?
It was still dark when four men boarded the packed commuter bus heading for Mexico City and ordered the passengers to hand over their valuables.
They gathered up mobile phones and wallets, but as they prepared to leave near the town of Toluca, one passenger stood up, drew a pistol and shot the four assailants, killing their leader instantly.
The three injured robbers stumbled off the bus, but the gunman followed them out and shot them dead at the roadside. Then he returned to the bus, handed back the passengers’ belongings and disappeared into the darkness…
[M]any Mexicans – fed up with crime, corruption and impunity – took to social media to praise the unidentified killer. None of the bus passengers have offered information to police, saying it was too dark to see him clearly.
The case is just the latest of a spate of vigilante killings in Mexico…
Gema Santamaría, a sociologist at the Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico, said… “Public approval of the justiciero has to do with the deep discontent over how the justice system and security services work in Mexico,”…
“People have less patience and expect less from the government,” said Gerardo Priego Tapía, a former politician now directing an anti-kidnap group in Tabasco state. “This is prompting people to defend themselves and fight back.”
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The Comparative Government and Politics Review Checklist.
Two pages summarizing the course requirements to help you review and study for the final and for the big exam in May. . It contains a description of comparative methods, a list of commonly used theories, a list of vital concepts, thumbnail descriptions of the AP6, and
a description of the AP exam format. $2.00. Order HERE.
The Communist Party of China explains why the election of delegates to the NPC is important. Does this list of powers and "tasks" match what your textbook says about the NPC.
The Organization Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee has highlighted the significance of the election of delegates to the Party's 19th National Congress…
The department said that the 19th CPC National Congress will not only take stock of work done in the five years leading up to the meeting, but also set a future direction for the Party and the state, as well as elect new central leadership.
Electing capable delegates to the 19th CPC National Congress is crucial to a successful national congress, as the political integrity, capability and the overall mix of delegates have direct bearing on the quality of consultation and decision making, it added.
During the congress, delegates will hear and examine reports from the CPC Central Committee and the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), express the voices of Party members and the general public, discuss and decide on major issues of the Party, as well as elect a new central committee of the CPC and a new CCDI.
Election of delegates to the 19th CPC National Congress is an important approach and format for Party members to execute democratic rights and participate in intra-Party political life, in line with the principle of democratic centralism, according to the department…
All candidates will be subject to anti-graft screening to prevent any questionable candidate being nominated, it added.
The quota of delegates from the front line of workers, farmers and professionals will be increased; and model workers, farmers and professionals will be recommended for election, according to the department.
Also, the election will feature a strong emphasis on discipline and rules, and a zero-tolerance attitude will be adopted against breaches of disciplines and rules…
Moreover, intra-Party democracy must be carried forward with all grassroot Party organizations and members mobilized to recommend and nominate candidates…
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Would you classify this as a soft power extension of Chinese sovereignty? Or is it a coercive use of power? How are these acts related to Xi's extensions of power and control within China?
When President Xi Jinping of China meets foreign leaders, he tends to recite talking points in a dutiful monotone, diplomats say. But when challenges to China’s sovereignty come up — like protests in Hong Kong — he roars to life.
“He read flatly from the script,” one Western official said of such a meeting. “But when it got to China’s core interests, these disputes, he put down his notes and spoke passionately.”
For anyone puzzling over why China reacted so swiftly and severely to block two pro-independence politicians from taking their seats in Hong Kong’s legislature, Mr. Xi’s expansive idea of sovereignty is a good place to start…
Yau Wai-china
The politicians, Sixtus Leung and Yau Wai-ching, were elected to the Hong Kong Legislative Council in September on a pro-independence platform. In taking their oaths last month, they substituted a word for China that is widely seen as derogatory, and Ms. Yau added a common obscenity…
A punitive response was in character for Mr. Xi, who has waged a blistering campaign against corruption that has jailed thousands of officials…
[U]nder the agreement that returned Hong Kong to China from Britain in 1997, Beijing agreed to allow Hong Kong to maintain its separate system for 50 years.
Beijing has long treated Hong Kong as a worrisome bridgehead that allows politically toxic ideas, books and people to seep into the adjoining mainland. But until Mr. Xi took office, China’s leaders were less inclined to intervene in the city…
That reticence has evaporated over the last two years…
[D]efenders of China’s position said its leaders would not back down as they have done before.
“Some people have said the People’s Congress should exercise self-restraint, that we shouldn’t use powers to their utmost,” Li Fei, a deputy secretary general of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, told reporters on Monday. “We say that the powers must be used.”
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It's a tricky issue that's been debated in the USA since before Marbury v Madison: how to balance the independence of judges and the will of the people.
Before 1803, there were those who argued that only Congress (like the British Parliament) could decide what was and was not constitutional. In many states today, judges are elected or voted on after appointment. And the issue of Supreme Court judges was a major topic in the USA's presidential race.
Now the issue has come up in the UK. Watch for the resolution.
Judges could be "subject to some kind of democratic control" following the High Court's decision to give Parliament a vote on triggering Brexit, a UKIP leadership contender has said.
Suzanne Evans
Suzanne Evans told the BBC that the panel that gave the ruling was "committed to staying in" the EU.
But she added it was important to maintain "judicial independence".
The government says the ruling will not slow down Brexit and Labour says it will not vote to delay proceedings…
Ms Evans said: "I think there's a debate to be had about whether or not judges are subject to some kind of democratic control."
She did not want to undermine "their judicial independence", but added: "I suppose that in this case, we have had a situation where we have judges committed to stay in the European Union...
"I'm questioning the legitimacy of this particular case. We know that the legal profession threw a collective hissy fit when we voted to leave."…
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The Russian president… has a day job that entails keeping together a massive, multiethnic country whose 140 million people, 25 years into Russia’s post-Soviet existence, still struggle to find a common message to rally around.
And because there is no serious political opposition… it falls to the Russian leader to address the problem himself.
Putin has tried mixing and matching shards of Russia’s fragmented history to create a version his countrymen can embrace… He has tried to come up with a “national idea” for them no less than three times: after toying with “competitiveness” and “saving people,” earlier this year he told a meeting of regional business leaders that he had settled on “patriotism.” He has publicly asked legislators to define the “Russian nation” by law, although there confusion about what that means.
Then there was Friday’s national holiday, the first day of the three-day weekend in November that used to be reserved in Russia for celebrations of the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution. In 2005, the Kremlin replaced that with National Unity Day, a commemoration of an early 17th-century military victory credited with ending the strife-torn years called the Time of Troubles. It was a way to let Russian people keep their long weekend without the annual reminder that a rabble of commoners can overthrow an autocrat.
More recently, Unity Day has evolved into an effort to contain and co-opt nationalist sentiment among ethnic Russians, and head off the chance that any of the country’s 190 or so ethnic minorities will spring the kind of separatist ambitions that led to more than a decade of bloodshed in Chechnya…
More worrisome discord on Unity Day was found closer to home, in a southeastern Moscow neighborhood where hundreds of ultranationalists chanted “Glory to the White Race.” One slogan made an allusion to sending Putin to a prison colony in the Far East…
In the dying days of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev tried to consolidate the country with his idea of socialism “with a human face.” Boris Yeltsin made anti-Communism his rallying cry until the Communists were gone…
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The Comparative Government and Politics Review Checklist.
Two pages summarizing the course requirements to help you review and study for the final and for the big exam in May. . It contains a description of comparative methods, a list of commonly used theories, a list of vital concepts, thumbnail descriptions of the AP6, and
a description of the AP exam format. $2.00. Order HERE.
This BBC article includes a 2-minute video that's worth looking at. It's worth examining at the very least to ask ourselves, "What are we seeing that is unexpected?" More videos of "The Johnsons" are available on YouTube.
With the economy in recession, Nigerians are hoping to laugh at least some of their problems away.
A popular television sitcom - The Johnsons - is proving to be just the thing. It stars some of the country's top actors, who are using satire and humour to highlight some of their country's problems and lighten the mood.
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Let's see, recently the core leader of the Communist Party of China asserted its right to control civil society, the Party, and the government. Now the core claims the right to history. What's next? How about the PLA?
THE Chinese Communist Party likes to describe threats to its grip on power in barely comprehensible terms… Now Xi Jinping, China’s president, is waging war against “historical nihilism”, a peril as arcane-sounding as it is, to his mind, grave. As a state news agency recently warned, there is a “seething undercurrent” of it in China. Failure to stamp it out, officials say, could lead to Soviet-style collapse…
In party-speak, historical nihilism means denying the “inevitability” of China’s march towards socialism (the country is currently deemed only to be in the early stages of it). It is a term that came into vogue among party officials after the crushing of the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989. Jiang Zemin, who was then party chief, declared that historical nihilism was one of several ideological vices that had “seriously eroded” the party…
Already in 2013 the party issued secret orders (subsequently leaked) that its members must be on guard against historical nihilism. The following year Mr Xi said an important reason for the Soviet party’s collapse had been historical nihilism, including attacks on Lenin and Stalin. Mr Xi sees Mao’s legacy as being under similar assault…
Mr Xi has justified his vigilance by quoting the words of a Chinese reformist in the 19th century: “To annihilate a country, you must first eradicate its history”. Mr Xi takes that as a warning that rewriting history can cause catastrophe. When it comes to wiping out history, however, the party itself has been trying dangerously hard.
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Amazon's customers gave this book a 5-star rating.
The Comparative Government and Politics Review Checklist.
Two pages summarizing the course requirements to help you review and study for the final and for the big exam in May. . It contains a description of comparative methods, a list of commonly used theories, a list of vital concepts, thumbnail descriptions of the AP6, and
a description of the AP exam format. $2.00. Order HERE.
The British government’s plan for exiting the European Union was thrown into uncertainty on Thursday after the High Court delivered a defeat to Prime Minister Theresa May by ruling that she must seek parliamentary approval before starting the process to leave the bloc…
Mrs. May had insisted that the government could invoke Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, the mechanism for leaving the European Union, without a vote by Parliament. She immediately vowed to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, which is to hear the appeal in December.
Mrs. May’s Conservative Party holds only a slim majority, with 329 seats in the 650-seat Parliament. Although most lawmakers opposed the decision to leave the European Union, it would be politically toxic for them to overturn the referendum outcome…
Mrs. May and the government argued that they could invoke Article 50 without parliamentary approval by using royal prerogative powers that, in modern times, are exercised by the government in the name of the monarch. The powers include international treaty-making.
But the court found that invoking Article 50 would essentially repeal the 1972 [European Communities Act] — and that only Parliament had the power to do so…
Mrs. May and the government argued that they could invoke Article 50 without parliamentary approval by using royal prerogative powers that, in modern times, are exercised by the government in the name of the monarch…
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China’s president, Xi Jinping, got a lift when the Communist Party gave him the title of “core leader” at a party meeting last week. But what does that mean for Mr. Xi and China’s political future?
Is it a big deal for Mr. Xi to be called “core leader”?
President Xi
It is. The title doesn’t come with particular powers, but it gives Mr. Xi special stature and sends an intimidating signal that he should not be crossed…
Mr. Xi had already built up a lot of power since he became the national leader in 2012. But he says he is in the middle of a hard, long-term struggle to transform China’s economy, streamline the military and clean up the Communist Party. Mr. Xi’s new title is meant to reinforce his authority to push through policies in the face of doubts and foot dragging.
The term “core leader” goes back only a few decades, and has been given to four leaders: Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin and now Mr. Xi…
Does this mean that Mr. Xi is as powerful as Mao or Deng?
Not by a long shot. Mr. Xi is a formidable leader, but in a different way from those two men.
Mao and Deng established their tremendous personal authority through decades of revolutionary struggle and war…
But Mr. Xi’s power is less personal than Mao’s or Deng’s. By the time Mr. Xi rose in the party, Chinese politics had become more settled and tied to procedures, and he has been skilled at creating and remaking rules and institutions to magnify his power. He has done that, for example, by creating leading groups under him to make policy, and by giving sharper teeth to the party’s discipline agency…
Why do it now?
Officials and the state news media have said China is facing daunting economic challenges and foreign policy tensions, and needs a singularly strong core leader to steer the country through difficult changes. They also say the status is meant to help Mr. Xi’s fight against corruption…
But another reason, unmentioned by the officials, is the coming leadership changes. Mr. Xi is near the end of his first five years in power, and a party congress next year must appoint a new lineup to serve under him in his next five years…
What should we look out for?
First, how will the campaign to acclaim him as core leader play out? How enthusiastically will provincial leaders join the campaign?…
Also, pay attention to who is promoted leading up to the party congress next year. Which officials will be assigned to cities and provinces that give them a good shot at joining the elite Politburo and its Standing Committee?…
Finally, will Mr. Xi’s power provoke opposition in the elite? Some officials and businesspeople complain about Mr. Xi’s hard-line ideology and policies against corruption, which make life harder even for clean officials. But so far, there are no signs of that frustration’s coalescing into high-level opposition…
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The Comparative Government and Politics Review Checklist.
Two pages summarizing the course requirements to help you review and study for the final and for the big exam in May. . It contains a description of comparative methods, a list of commonly used theories, a list of vital concepts, thumbnail descriptions of the AP6, and
a description of the AP exam format. $2.00. Order HERE.
A couple weeks ago, elements of civil society in China got the word about whose lead to follow. Last week, the Communist Party of China was reminded about who was boss. This week, the word went out to the government.
Premier Li Keqiang has called upon the leading Party group of the State Council, China's cabinet, and various departments to keep their thoughts, politics and acts in line with the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core…
Li at cabinet meeting
Li urged various State Council departments to strictly follow the Party's political discipline and regulations, improve supervision, resist corruption and withstand risks, and foster a team of civil servants that have firm beliefs, obey rules and are diligent and honest.
The State Council's leading Party group and various units under the cabinet were also told to become more aware of the need to uphold political integrity, keep in mind the bigger picture, follow the CPC as the core of the Chinese leadership and act consistently with CPC Central Committee policy.
They were also told to voluntarily conform to the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core in thoughts, politics and acts, and more resolutely safeguard the authority of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core," Li said…
Teaching Comparative blog entries are indexed. Use the search box to look for country names or concept labels attached to each entry.
Amazon's customers gave this book a 5-star rating.
The Comparative Government and Politics Review Checklist.
Two pages summarizing the course requirements to help you review and study for the final and for the big exam in May. . It contains a description of comparative methods, a list of commonly used theories, a list of vital concepts, thumbnail descriptions of the AP6, and
a description of the AP exam format. $2.00. Order HERE.
Javier Duarte de Ochoa was, until 12 October, the governor of the Mexican oil-rich state of Veracruz.
He stood down to face corruption charges but a week later he had given the authorities the slip.
Nobody is quite sure where he is…
Javier Duarte became governor of Veracruz in 2010 and was quickly embroiled in corruption allegations.
He is suspected of having siphoned off at least 645 million Mexican pesos ($35m; £29m) of public money that was put into a series of shell companies.
Last week, Mexico's Attorney-General Arely Gomez said an arrest warrant had been issued for Mr Duarte on suspicion of involvement in organised crime and money laundering…
Mr Duarte has denied the allegations made against him…
"The suspicion among the people of Veracruz is that there was a pact between the federal government and Duarte to escape and not face justice," Mr Olvera Rivera says.
He says that people in Veracuz suspect that some of the public money allegedly siphoned off by Mr Duarte was used to finance President Enrique Pena Nieto's presidential campaign.
"All the PRI governors in 2012 transferred huge amounts of money for his presidential campaign, so he owes them a huge favour," he alleges.
Distrust in Mexican politics in Veracruz is strong…
Teaching Comparative blog entries are indexed. Use the search box to look for country names or concept labels attached to each entry.
Amazon's customers gave this book a 5-star rating.
The Comparative Government and Politics Review Checklist.
Two pages summarizing the course requirements to help you review and study for the final and for the big exam in May. . It contains a description of comparative methods, a list of commonly used theories, a list of vital concepts, thumbnail descriptions of the AP6, and
a description of the AP exam format. $2.00. Order HERE.
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