Facts and Figures
UK
- 1 65% voted in 2010 in General election
- 46% of people voted for Russell Brown
- Glenda Jackson – 42 more votes than competitors
- David Mundell won constituency with 38% of votes
- Recent laws – Universal credits/ replace various benefits with one single payment / bedroom tax
- Recent Debates/ Prime Minister Question Time = Fracking/ Syria/Universal Credits
- Famous Faces – Michael Gove – Education Minister. Maria Miller – former Minister of Culture – resigned due to expenses
- Insider – British Medical Association – Outsider – Fathers4Justice
- Proportional Representation is fairer than FPTP. As in PR the number of seats won is in proportion to the number of votes.
- Labour won 29% of votes and got over 200 seats, but Lib Dems won 23% of votes but only got 57 seats.
- Alan Sugar – business expert in house of lords. Sebastian Coe – Sports expert – helped with Olympic bid
- Lord Hanningfield – House of Lords expenses – clocking in – over £300 a day
- Private Members bill – Any MP can introduce a bill e..g currently being debated is return to capital punishment for some crimes
- Select Committees – MPs and Lords are members e.g. MP might join environment committee if a new runway was being built in their area, to serve constituents.
- UK reserved powers – currency/ benefits/ war/immigration
- 60% of people reoffend in 2 years
- Cannabis – Grade B drug
- Sheriff – Max with solemn procedure is unlimited fine and 5 years prison
- District court – Max ( summary only) 60 days prison and £1000 fine
- 50% of crime committed under alcohol influence
- Most prisoners in Scotland come from the most deprived areas in Scotland
- Most sectarian crime ( over religion) takes place in Glasgow. Football – Rangers (Protestant) versus Celtic ( Catholic)
- London riots – Type of crime – damage to property/ opportunist/ poverty/young people committing crime/ impact on communities e.g. loss of business and homes
- MP expenses scandal – recent Culture Minister Maria Miller – Fraud / Greed
- Over £25,000 for prison for a year
- Murder – SECC security guard
- Peak age for male crime is 19-20 ( Most males drink driving(
- Minimum price act – 50p per unit. Bottle of wine £4.69
- Are alcohol laws successful – Focus on problems with minimum price / should be higher age limit for buying / current youth drinking problems
- Only 10% of London rioters were female
- Traffic offences – speeding/mobile/drunk/no insurance/ no seatbelt/no licence
- Successful traffic laws J drop in deaths due to speeding/no seatbelt L Tighter laws needed for young people e.g Young Men – curfews/ limits for passengers
America
- 81% of 113th congress are white
- 80% of 113th congress are male
- 8% of 113th congress are black but make up 12% of population
- 50% of blacks are middle class
- 74% of whites are middle class
- Highland park is 95% black
- Hispanics are group with least health care
- TANF – payments only 5 years
- Fannie May collapse in housing sparked world wide recession
- American brands and AMericainsation of culture e.g. Google/ Microsfot/GAP/ Subway
- Type of Govt in USA – Democracy - Federal democracy ( whole country) State ( individual) e.g. state decide on death penalty – texas / age of consent. A president – commander in chief / represents USA abroad. ( Separation of powers split – Judicial branch- supreme court / Legislative branch (Congress) / Executive- President and White house)
- Recent laws – sanctions on russia for Ukraine/ Obamacare
- Interest group -National Rifle Association