Republican government in US Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Republican government in US - Essay Example The paper demonstrates one of the significant elements of the constitution that represent the republican principle of limited government. It is where the constitution grants power to citizens, office holders and government institutions and limit all of them the exercise of power. McPherson explains that under the constitution, the sovereignty is normally divided among the state government, national government and the people, which prevent power concentration which endangers citizen’s liberty. Additionally, having endured more that two centuries, the constitution also has an element of four innovations in terms of practice and theory of the republican government. To start with the American constitution was written, and the innovation employed to create the state constitutions as well as the confederation articles. According to Curtsi, the written constitutions were significant from a vague body of law, British model and precedent, in which some were written or not. The constitu tion is also superior and separate to the government that they sought to restrain. Citizens look up to the parliament to protect their liberties from abuse of power by the state and other powerful individuals. Some of the three institutions in the new government that embodies the farmer’s commitment to the principle of representation are the house of representative, the presidency, and the senate. However, the system of representation that the framers of the constitution established the house of representative was republicanism... the sovereignty is normally divided among the state government, national government and the people, which prevent power concentration which endangers citizen’s liberty (452). Additionally, having endured more that two centuries, the constitution also has an element of four innovations in terms of practice and theory of the republican government. To start with the American constitution was written, and the innovation employed to create the state constitutions as well as the confederation articles. According to Curtsi, the written constitutions were significant from a vague body of law, British model and precedent, in which some were written or not (44-67). The constitution is also superior and separate to the government that they sought to restrain. Citizens look up to the parliament to protect their liberties from abuse of power by the state and other powerful individuals. Article V of the constitution divides the amendment power between the state governments and the national, as well as the conventions of popular citizens, where the popular conventions have been employed once since the law was amended. Some of the three institutions in the new government that embodies the farmer’s commitment to the principle of representation are the house of representative, the presidency, and the senate. However, the system of representation that the framers of the constitution established the house of representative was republicanism. Section 4, Article 4, of the constitution states that, every state in the union is guaranteed a republican form of government, but nothing has been said to add any clarification or specificity. The three institutions that embody the framers commitment were represented through direct population. This is because, on the matter of representative’s

What Is A Pressure Group?

What Is A Pressure Group? Pressure groups are known to be small and extremely diverse formed on the basis of interest and activities, their functions give them a high public profile where minds are influenced and driven to make change. A Pressure group is an organisation which seeks to influence the details of a comparatively small range of public policies and which is not a function of a recognised political party (Baggott, 1995: p.2). An aim of pressure groups is to generate support which can influence political agendas; this can directly persuade the government to think about taking action. In this essay I will concentrate upon exploring on various issues on pressure groups, discussing the relationship between the groups, their use of the media and their status as insiders and outsiders in the political process. Pressure groups have two main types of groups the insiders and outsiders, which each promote a common cause with a different relationship with the media and political party making one as an unheard voice in the public sphere. To the public Pressure groups is another form where the public can engage in politics, participating directly in the political process. I will also intricate in this essay the growths of pressure groups due to their use of the media and their political engagement. The size of a group is a basic indicator of how much public support they get especially those that posses open membership, they mobilise through demonstrations, protest involving some non members through organised events. The different types of well known pressure groups that I will include are Greenpeace, Child Poverty Action Group , Police Federation and Friends of the earth. These are high profile groups that bring about transformation to society focusing on the ability to gain access to media coverage for a high public profile. The political process can also benefit from this as they ensure that the media will concentrate on issues that will benefit them the most. Exerting influence on gove rnment and the policy making process is the ultimate aim of pressure groups (Lowe and Goyder, 1983, p79). In Paul Smith a study of pressure group behaviour. This quote again highlights the aim of pressure groups as they want their marginalised voices to be heard by the people that can have an immediate influence on policy making process. Body Pressure groups represent, influence and build upon their public; they have to demonstrate further political support to gain their position. It can be achieved through parliamentary lobbying; this is when groups are in frequent contact with the House of Commons or House of Lords. There are various reasons why groups lobby parliament, Rush (1990) explain three possible reasons one of which is outside organisations fail to perceive parliaments place in the policy- making process, believing it to have more influence over policy than is actually the case. The second is parliament is used when pressure elsewhere has failed and therefore is the last resort for those unable to influence ministers and senior civil servants. The third is that parliament does have an impact on policy. Groups deliberately choose a strategy which involves parliamentary lobbying because they correctly believe that this will bring benefits in terms of policy (Baggott, 1995: p. 135). There is evidence to support al l three reasons as groups believe that parliament is all powerful, and that by simply lobbying MPs they will secure their objectives. Public opinion is essential and important in policy decisions, concerns by the public is easily expressed through pressure groups. an example Shelter and the child poverty action group in the 1960s reflected a wider public concern about the failure of the welfare state to provide for the poor (Baggott, 1995: p. 168). This example Represent both citizens interest and political views. Grant (1989) identifies the two types of groups, the Insider and Outsider group. Insiders are seen as legit as they are recognised by the government and consulted on a regular basis an example is Police Federation, however outsiders are not as recognisable as Insiders due to their relationship status with the government. Grant states the 3 categories of outsider groups one of which is the potential insider group; this is achieved by a strategy acceptable in the eyes of the government another is outsiders are less knowledgeable than an insider lastly an outsider group can refuse to reform to an insider because of the fundamental nature of their aims. The implication of Grants distinction is that insider status is linked to effectiveness. The assumption appears to be that most groups will seek insider status (Baggott, 1995). However Clements and Wright view of this is different in a study where they found that although group could seek insider status it is not always effective. Local g overnments went from outsiders to insiders in the New Blair government but insider status does not guarantee success in achieving desired policy goals, as the local Government Association found (Clements and Wright, The British Political Process: An Introduction, (2000) pp.138). It is possible for an outsider to play an important role of public policy by mobilising public sentiment, an example shown by the anti-poll tax federation. There are different methods used to achieve an objective, Insider groups use the influence in Westminster and Whitehall. Insiders are more likely to be consulted by the government than an outsider group, their communication strategy is lobbying. Lobbying is the direct communication between a pressure group and government, bringing their cause and ideas to the attention of parliament, targeting key groups; they employ parliamentary officers and do not need special campaigns to influence the government however. The Implication is that insider groups will spend relatively less time on other strategies such as parliamentary lobbying which will be pursued to a greater extent by outsider groups (Baggott, 1995: P.136) Lobbyist argues that they improve the efficiency of the policy making process by explaining the tight timetable of legisl ation to clients and the need to apply pressure at the right place (Baggott, 1995: P.137). While outsider groups are more likely to depend on the media and its public to spread their message as well as to raise funds. It is important to state the combination of both insider and outsider model as an insider group can part take in both but with great limitations. Environmental pressure groups, they employ strategies in order to get the attention of the media. Growing concerns about the environment led to the recognition and growth of environmental pressure groups such as Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace. Greenpeace an environmental pressure group embodies both insider and outsider strategies promoting a non violent action as well as gaining a high level of government and public support. Greenpeace well known for initiating a campaign backed by governments and the public after the British government approved a proposal by shell UK for deep sea disposal of 463 ft of Brent spar oil storage in the north Atlantic (Parliamentary Affairs, 51 (3): 397). However Greenpeace credibility was damaged by the apparent lack of scientific evidence supporting its position in the Brent Spar oil rig incident in 1995 (Clements and Wright, The British Political Process: An Introduction, (2000) pp.138). In terms of the media, Greenpeace has successfully used the media to mobilise their public support, maintaining a positive image through the media. An aim of Greenpeace is to gain the support of the media; it will always centre any campaign strategy. They provide a spokesperson to provide information and views on particular issues. Newspapers View: Daily Mirror declared that the policy change was a victory for Greenpeace and that it was an example of peoples power. The political significance of the Greenpeace campaign and of shells actions is universally recognised as a defining period or benchmark in the relationship between business, the government, the public and the environment (Parliamentary Affairs, 51 (3): 397).The internet plays a huge role in Greenpeace becoming a campaigning tool, where one can communicate campaign developments in the quickest and most effective way e.g. Social Networking Sites, Blogs and so on. Another Outside pressure group that also uses the internet as a form of communication is Friends of the Earth, having th eir own website which serves as an information centre; this allows supporters to communicate with a single click of a button leading to the website. The media plays a huge role in day to day society somewhat acting as a pressure group in its own right protecting and advancing its own interest, taking up issues defined as legitimate by those in power. The media first and foremost plays an important role in politics; actively pressure groups can use the media to gain publicity. A recent survey of over a hundred various groups found that four out of five were in contact with the media at least once a day and that 13 per cent of those surveyed perceived media campaigning to be their most important source of influence (Baggott, 1992 pp. 18-22). Thus contacts with the media are important for a large proportion of pressure groups, who use the media in a number of different ways (Politics, 1999: pp.23). The use of the medias visibility of a pressure group is to create this public Profile that the public would recognise. Outsiders especially need the awareness and visibility as some are not considered legitimate by the government, its imp ortance is to raise issues to the public via the media; this is done by the two most important methods, the press Newspapers and broadcast Radio/Television ensuring issues are communicated accurately and clearly to sustain a growing mass interest. Constant coverage is vital as it keeps a buzz on the group reassuring members its activeness within the group as well as its growth. An example of this is Friends of the Earth an outsider group that showed through a survey that 24 per cent of members joined after seeing a media campaign. Survey seen in (Grant, 1995, p.86 taking from Politics (1999) p. 23). According to Baggott, at least four out of five groups are in contact with the media to raise and build public support. Most pressure groups appreciate the role of the media in their centre. Child poverty action group a pressure group that aims to raise awareness of causes and to bring about positive policy changes for families and children in poverty, they use the media to help promote and develop policies. Using a term called reactive coverage which uses the media to put across its viewpoint and influence. The child poverty action group used media coverage to demonstrate that an issue was of public concern and therefore reinforce a case being made civil servants (Field, 1977, pp53- 4). Environment pressure groups i.e. Greenpeace and Friends of the earth well known pressure groups backed by the public has used the media to help change the climate of public opinion having an immediate influence. The growing use of the public relations and the media specialist by pressure groups reflects the influence which they believe the mass media have over public opinion and policy decisions (Baggott, 1995: pp. 184). TV is the most popular source of news to pressure groups as well as newspaper being its main source. Pressure groups operating at a national level regard television as the most important source. Other strategies that both insider and outsider pressure groups have used are posters or press advertisement in order to get their message across to its public. As Outsiders, Friends of the earth have organised stunts which have attracted a great deal of media attention, leading to their coverage because they were dramatic. Outsiders need to be visual in other to get their me ssage across unlike insiders; a recent example would be the student fees protest which got a lot of attention not only because of the drastic change but because of the stunts that were pulled by protesters in order to influence the policy change. Using photographic imagery and television news would attract a large number of Media, also embodying an outsider strategy Greenpeace uses television news and newspaper visuals employing their own cameraman and photographer which is a main strategy of an outsider group. Friends of the Earth approach to the media is different as they produce well researched and reliable reports, operating by establishing firm contacts, especially journalist through individual campaigners. As an Outsider group they have a good reputation on doing a lot of research and having answers before campaigns. The growth of pressure groups is due to the changes in the social structure of Britain, particularly the fragmentation of British society resulting from the breakdown of previously rigid class divisions (Moran 1985). An explanation is more people who are affected by issues are more willing to join protest. Another factor is the impact of a more highly educated population which is a feature of post affluent societies. It is argued that a more articulate and highly educated public is more likely to indulge in group politics, and again there is much evidence to suggest that this is the case (Parkin, 1968; Parry et al, 1992). In todays society the public is more active than passive wanting to get involved in political activity. Public becoming more concerned with issues will make the government consider policy change. There are also signs that people are increasingly willing to undertake collective action in such circumstances, although this still remains a less popular option than other forms of participation, such as signing petitions and contacting MPs on an individual basis (Baggott, 1995: p. 172). An advantage of an Insider Group is that they are too powerful and are in connection with those in power as well as media connections, having the opportunity to influence and shape policies formulated by the government. However Outsiders are a disadvantage to that. Outsiders use inappropriate tactics at times and their connection with power is not as great as that of Insiders. However due to the freedom of information it gives them an opportunity to campaign in a more effective manner, as well as Internet being an effective campaigning tool. Conclusion To conclude, I will draw out my conclusions regarding pressure groups, this essay explores on the theories on pressure groups and their role in democracy and society. Also stated is how pressure groups use the media as a communication strategy to influence. I distinguished the difference between the two pressure groups outsiders and insiders, they both share the ability to reform policies and both have clear strategies. An important factor in the concept of this essay is the relationship between the groups and the government which determines the groups legitimacy and success. The growth of pressure groups being increased by the media and its coverage has led to the importance of media in an Insider group but significantly more important in an outsider. Outsider groups also have an advantage of using the public in demonstrations creating more awareness regarding issues and policy process. Group membership has grown due to people concerned with quality of life an example of a pressure group, Greenpeace, which highlights the environment and portrays it as something that would affect us if we do not take action. In contrast some groups have declined in membership as changes occur in the social structure. Participation is however still on the rise, e.g. Student Fees Protest. It has been proven that Pressure groups Like Greenpeace has been successful in the decision making process. The Brent Spar episode is an example in relation to Greenpeace. Groups are now more aware that they need to establish a good relationship with parliament and the media, as well as parliamentary lobbying and public campaigning when necessary. There has been an increase in lobbying especially among the insider groups who wish to influence political influence. Most inside groups have passive members as they are recognised in parliament and work with the government. It is in the interests of good government to work with pressure groups rather against them (Baggott, 1995: pp. 230). Groups can c ontribute to efficiency their knowledge and information can help government to develop a more effective policy.

Bankim Chandra Chatterjee :: essays research papers

Bankim Chandra Chatterjee was one of the great novelists of nineteenth century Bengal. He was a literary pioneer and nationalist who had an exceptional ability to communicate with and arouse the masses. Bankim Chandra was born on 26th June 1838 in the village of Kathalpara, near Naihati, District 24 Parganas, West Bengal. He belonged to a distinguished family. Bankim was the yongest of three sons of Jadabchandra Chatterjee and Durgadebi. His father was a Deputy Collector. Even as a child Bankim showed great courage and virtuosity and never had any fear of the 'gora sahebs'- (the British). He was always brilliant in his studies and started writing poetry at a young age. Bankim studied law from the Presidency College in Calcutta and was one of the first two graduates of the Calcutta University in 1858. He was immediately appointed- Deputy Magistrate by the British colonial government - a job he grudgingly held for three decades. However, Bankim continued his literary pursuits. He chose fiction as his theme and the first novel by him to appear in print was Rajmohan's Wife. It was written in English. His first Bengali novel was Durgeshnandini, and was published in 1865. The next novel Kapalkundala(1866) is one of the best romances written by Chatterjee. However Bankim Chandra wanted to stimulate the intellect of the Bengali speaking people through his works and bringing about a cultural revival. With this end in view he brought out and edited the monthly Bangadarshan in 1872. Bamkim was also a nationalist to the core. His goal was the revival of national pride in protest against British rule. In 1882, Anandamath was published. Anandamath became his most famous as well as his most political novel and a source of inspiration for the patriots fighting for the freedom of our country from the British rule. The chant of "Vande Mataram", was coined in this novel and it soon became a patriotic hymn that arou sed the entire nation to fight for their freedom.

Mockingjay Book Review Essay

Imagine the cruelest form of a dictatorship you can think of, randomly selecting two young and innocent children per state from their families and friends. This is the corrupt and power-obsessed capitol. The capitol forces 24 children, 2 from each district to get put into an arena where they must violently fight to the death; there are 12 districts. This is called the hunger games, a â€Å"celebration† rather than a punishment to remember the 13th district that attempted to overrule the capitol, therefore, destroyed. The treacherous and notorious hunger games are nationally televised to all the districts as a lesson and are an amazing and honorable task to the people of the capitol. When Katniss Everdeen’s sister is randomly selected, Katniss takes her place in the games and wins. She is then reselected back into the games the next year and forcefully taken against her will in a surprise attack during the games into what is now known as the surviving district 13. In the final book of the trilogy, Mockingjay, starts off where Katniss is then taken into the underground District 13, a secret remaining district which is grouping together as rebels to fight against the capitol. Mockingjay has captured thousands of audiences ranging from kids, teenagers, and adults. Mockingjay has an unexpected turn in fate when most of the trilogies fans expect to finally see Katniss in freedom from the games and to find her romantic life where she can live in happiness and peace. When she becomes the rebel’s leader and emblem in district 13, it’s unexpected when she is soon found to be trapped in the evil and manipulative ways of government type control again. The capitol had used a televised, violent, and an effective show of the hunger games to prove to the world how much power and control they had over everyone else, and to threaten others so that they will not try and regain strength against the capitol again. Now, districts 13’s rebels are trying to overrule the capitol by using the same savage like strategies. They are creating videos of their rebellious actions and uprisings and televising them as well for more supporters. Soon enough, Katniss realizes she has fallen into the manipulation of another group again, and is causing just as much anger, pain. Sacrifice, and war as the capitol themselves were. This book is as popular and similar in fiction, style, and audience as some of the greatest fiction stories in the world such as, â€Å"Harry Potter†, â€Å"The Chronicles of Narnia†, and the â€Å"Twilight† trilogy. They all take place in a separate fantasy world where its evil vs. the good incorporated with the usual romance affairs. The nasty tracker jackers that take over memoires and change them so people forget who they are, the beautiful jabberjays, so entrancing yet evil by projecting the screams of your loved ones being tortured. Katniss as the main character of course is like Harry Potter, or Bella. She is brave, important, bossy, skillful, intelligent, logical, swift, humorous, thoughtful, caring, independent and sympathetic. Her personality traits are amazing as well as her physical, she is enchanting and beautiful. Her looks are mesmerizing when she rides across the arena in her carriage and dress on fire. She is the girl on fire, the fierce and brave girl who started it all by saving her younger sister. The story is dark and twisted, yet mind grabbing, and fascinating. Its gruesome and detailed events are disturbing but so thrilling and adventurous you can’t seem to stop reading this famous and loved trilogy.

Deception in Shakespeare’s MacBeth Essay

‘Your hand, your tongue: look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t.’ (Shakespeare 1.5. 64-66) Throughout Shakespeare’s Macbeth, things are not always as they seem. Deception in this play is always present, especially with the main characters – Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth is the most skilled at persuading others, especially her husband, into believe things that are not true. The above quote, spoken by Lady Macbeth to her husband, shows exactly how manipulative and deceiving she can be. She is telling Macbeth to look and act pure, but to be evil inside. Macbeth, evidently led by his wife, but also by his own ambitions, is likewise guilty of deception. He deceives his best friend Banquo, King Duncan, as well as his public. Lady Macbeth and Macbeth also try to use denial and rationalization to deceive themselves. This self-deception leads to grave circumstances for them both. Macbeth is forced into further and further lies, making life difficult and unbearable. Lady Macbeth is also caught in the depths of deception and eventually kills herself. Therefore, it is obvious that the main characters of Shakespeare’s Macbeth are all negatively affected by the recurring theme of deception. Throughout the play, Lady Macbeth uses her ability to mislead others in many ways. First of all, she decides to use deception to push her husband’s ambition to be king. †¦Hie thee hither, that I may pour my spirits in thine ear, and chastise with the valour of my tongue all that impedes thee from the golden round†¦(1.5.25-28) Lady Macbeth believes that, to be successful in his ambitions, Macbeth must rise above his goodness and accept her evil ways. She knows that the process of making her husband believe what she wants may not be easy. Lady Macbeth has to be cunning, and she is up for the challenge. The thought of being in power – the King and Queen of Scotland – drives her and she cannot be stopped. Lady Macbeth often has to reinforce her immoral beliefs to her husband, giving him a boost. Was the hope drunk, wherein you dressed yourself? hath it slept since, and  wakes it now, to look so green and pale at what it did so freely? From this time such I account thy love. Art thou afeard to be the same in thine own act and valour, as thou art desire? Wouldst thous have that which thou esteem’st the ornament of life, and live a coward in thine own esteem, letting ‘I dare not’ wait upon ‘I would,’ Like the poor cat I’the adage?'(1.7.35-42) Lady Macbeth implies that Macbeth is being cowardly by not going after what he wants. She preys upon her husband’s pride to remind him of his ambitions. Once she has schooled her husband in the art of deception, she must help him uphold this image and the lies. This deceit always results in hazardous outcomes. Although Lady Macbeth is the most talented deceiver, Macbeth is also lead into committing his own deceptions. He begins to learn from his wife, and, in turn, proceeds to deceive many others. Deceiving his friends becomes a frequent habit, and Macbeth is forced to continue his lies and stories. Do not muse at me, my most worthy friends; I have a strange  infirmity, which is nothing to those that know me. Come, love  and health to all; then I’ll sit down. – Give me some wine: fill  full: – I drink to the general joy of the whole table, and to our  dear friend Banquo, whom we miss; would he were here. (3.4.84-91) This falsehood is evident, as Macbeth is trying to fool his dinner guests about the reasons for his strange behaviour. Pretending that everything is fine eventually does not work, and as the play continues, so does the deception on many different levels. Deceiving others may seem difficult, but deceiving oneself leads to even bigger problems. Lady Macbeth is so occupied with trying to mislead others,  while rationalizing the deception to herself and her husband, that she does not notice how much the guilt is building. She finally gets so caught up in the deception game, that she cannot take it anymore. Lady Macbeth’s worry that people are no longer falling for their deceptive ways, comes out in one of her mad ramblings in front of the doctor: ‘†¦What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our power to account?'(5.1.35-37). Though she is trying to be bold, saying that she does not care who knows what they have done, the statement proves that she does fear being detected. In the end, Lady Macbeth’s guilt over all of the lies gets the better of her. She goes mad, sleepwalking and rambling about the murders. ‘Wash your hands, put on your night-gown; look not so pale. – I tell you yet again, Banquo’s buried: he cannot come out on’s grave.'(5.1.58-60) The deception that Lady Macbeth once prided herself on, lead to the self-deception, which then lead to her death when she committed suicide. Macbeth is also in over his head, and his mind starts to play tricks on him on more than one occasion: Is this a dagger I see before me, the handle toward my hand? Come let me clutch thee: I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.(2.1.33-36) †¦art thou but a dagger of the mind, a false creation, proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain?(2.1.37-39) Macbeth’s state of mind is not that of a normal man. He is trying so hard to go against his nature, convincing himself that deception is the only way to be King. The deceit does take its toll: ‘O! full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife!'(3.2.36) Macbeth becomes imprisoned by his illusions caused by the build up of denial and self-deception. Banquo’s ghost is an example of these illusions. ‘†¦Take any shape but that [Banquo’s] and my firm nerves shall never tremble: or , be alive again†¦'(3.4.103-104) Macbeth’s inner struggle is coming out and, because his mind is in such a state, he can no longer control his behavior. Like his wife, Macbeth’s own inner deception has made him crazy. Macbeth goes from being a noble warrior with honest ambition, to someone that cannot even control his own thoughts anymore, due  to all of the deception. From the end results of the play, we can clearly see how deception ruins lives. Shakespeare shows the audience that misleading others – and oneself, is not honorable nor the way to get ahead. Lady Macbeth’s ability to seduce her husband into having immoral thoughts, leading to immoral actions to gain power, does not pay off. Macbeth’s learned evilness and deception also affects him negatively, and the quest to be king is tragic. Self-deception is the worst kind of deceit, as we can see that the guilt becomes overwhelming, causing insanity. Evil deception of any kind is clearly harmful and a valid moral lesson can be taken from this play. BIBLIOGRAPHY Shakespeare, William. MACBETH. England: Longman Group UK Limited, 1986.