Suchergebnisse

A curious duel will be played out in Australia on September 14, when the federal elections take place. The country's two main parties - Labor, incumbent, and the Liberals - will both address the electorate while led by a particularly unpopular figurehead. Labor is betting on Julia Gillard, Prime Minister since June 2010, when she deposed her predecessor and party comrade Kevin Rudd. Her political camp has never forgiven her for this maneuver, deemed disloyal. As a result, polls unanimously show that Labor supporters would have preferred their colors to be defended by Mr. Rudd in September. The picture on the other side of the house is similar: Tony Abbott, the brutal and populist leader of the Liberal Party, is less 'popular' than former chief Malcolm Turnbull. He is nonetheless the favorite and is expected to succeed Ms. Gillard as the head of government. What is certain is that both of Australia's two great political groupings could have played a better hand. Adapted from the source document.

In the early twentieth century, the Labour party celebrated the voluntary service & commitment of the generation of pioneers responsible for creating the party. However it was also engaged in a transition from being a pressure group with regional strengths to a mature political party making a serious bid to be the party of government & establish itself as a national force. Party organization was seen as key to this development, & the figure of the professional party agent or "organizer" emerged as someone whose services could help to achieve this & bring efficient management to the business of running constituency parties & achieving electoral success. This article examines the role of the Labour organizer & the ways in which it was being defined & promoted in the early twentieth century. It also addresses the issues which were raised by this development, highlighting the ways in which this growing professionalization of party work was reconciled with a continuing commitment to ideals of voluntarism & the cultivation of an active party membership. Adapted from the source document.

Compares political attitudes of Conservative and Labor party members in Great Britain, 1990-94. Summary in English p. 1032.

Since the election in 1997 of the Labour Party under Prime Minister Tony Blair, the reforms introduced in the UK constitute a fundamental rupture in the constitutional history of the country. New territorial government institutions have been created in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, London, & other English regions. The first part of the article explains the reasons for such an asymmetric devolution of powers. The powers, composition, & functions of the bodies whose powers have been devolved are outlined, & actual & potential difficulties that need to be resolved in order to lessen the shortcomings of the devolution are examined. 5 Tables. E. Sanchez

Have the large political & social institutions that have defined the labor movement over the past 120 years served as channels of expression, as means of representation, or as mechanisms constituting the working class? During an era when it appears ever more difficult to square the circle between the needs & aspirations of labor parties' traditional clients, on the one hand, & the orientations & governing choices of those parties, on the other, it seems particularly relevant to reflect on this issue. This analysis focuses on the development of the workers' parties formed in the last quarter of the 19th century -- ie, on historical social democracy -- in light of contemporary theoretical debates. Adapted from the source document.

The campaign leading up to the August 21st legislative elections in Australia was described as both one of the most boring in the country's history... and one of the most extraordinary. These contradictory opinions clearly reflected the confusion seizing Australian voters at the ballot, resulting in an even more confusing outcome. No party achieved an absolute majority -- something unheard of at the federal level since 1940. The country was plunged into uncertainty for two long weeks until Julia Gillard, who was handling day-to-day business, was finally confirmed as prime minister. But first she had to deal with various low blows & controversies within the Labor Party around such sensitive issues as immigration & taxation. One thing is sure: Julia Gillard, whose majority hinges on the support of three independent members of parliament, will have to show a level of skill & nerve worthy of a tightrope walker. Adapted from the source document.

Throughout the 1920s, constant reference was made at Conservative Party Conferences to their own Party's neglect of the need for expert political education. Taken as a whole -- with the creation of Ruskin College in 1899, the work of the Plebs League, the National Council of Labour Colleges & the Workers' Educational Association -, the Left's pedagogic activities were thought to have made a major contribution to the forward march of Labour. In order to rectify the imbalance, the Conservatives embarked on a series of initiatives, which were designed to foster an alternative political culture & intellectual counter-weight to the Left. This article will explore the Conservative cultural counter-critique, which was to involve adult political education in various forms, & focus on the pedagogic engagement & methods of Ashridge College. Adapted from the source document.

Australia's Labor Party won the recent legislative elections of November 24, 2007, after more than 11 years of conservative rule, & their leader Kevin Rudd succeeded John Howard as Prime Minister. This victory is something of a paradox. Certainly, broken promises & participation in the invasion of Iraq weighed heavily on the electorate's verdict, but the current economic situation inspired no particular anxiety. Essentially, John Howard, faced with a strong opponent, had simply been in power too long & was a victim of his own arrogance. In addition, Kevin Rudd led a very cautious campaign, always careful not to frighten voters away with radical positions. Add to that his economic & moral conservatism, & it seems that the new government is merely rediscovering the center ground rather than steering left. Adapted from the source document.

The Netherlands have had a difficult couple of years. Just a year ago, this small country of barely 17 million people that long viewed itself as a model, presented the Image of a divided kingdom, torn between left- and right-leaning populism, while the traditional political forces, the pillars of what was long a consensual system, became doubt-ridden and unable to articulate a coherent position towards Europe, limes have changed, however and the Liberal party's Mark Rutte, re-appointed prime minister in autumn 2012 as head of a coalition with the (social democrat) Labor party, presented an austerity plan designed to revitalize the country's optimism and strengths. By reconciling left and right around a shared goal - economic recovery - he is in the process of rebuilding the consensus that once underpinned the country's success. Adapted from the source document.

UK action with respect to the Constitutional Treaty is instructive & paradoxical. Regarding the former, the way in which its preferences were formulated challenge the contentions of liberal intergovernmentalism, the main theoretical approach in the field. With respect to the latter, New Labour adopted a positive & constructive approach that distinguished its conduct from that of previous governments, but its failure to engage domestic public opinion undermined its achievement of a 'British Constitution' and, though saved from holding the referendum that it had promised, the government succeeded only in alienating its European partners abroad & allowing Europsceptics to win the debate by default at home. Adapted from the source document.