European Convention on Human Rights

A BBC Film on Human Rights. The key point is that most rights are not absolute, but are qualified. There is a balancing of rights.

Another Bank Holiday

Today is another Bank holiday in England - "Spring Bank Holiday". We've had quite a rash of these in recent weeks - two extending the Easter weekend (22nd &25th April), two the following weekend (Royal Wedding 29th April and Early May Bank Holiday on 2nd April) and today.

Actually there are two types - Bank Holidays and Public Holidays - Bank holidays are covered by statute, and the UK Government's website states "Bank holidays are holidays when banks and many other businesses are closed for the day. Public holidays are holidays which have been observed through custom and practice."

Sadly today is more like a traditional English bank holiday - windy with the threat of rain ! - but sunshine is promised for Thursday! (I exaggerate a little - while rain is forecast for much of central England, it doesn't look too bad for Milton Keynes!)

And that's it for a while - no more until the Summer Bank Holiday on 29th August.

Gil Scott Heron

Gil Scott Heron passed away this week. This video provides his commentary on Ronald Reagan.
Obituaries can be found on the following sites
BBC News
The Nation
San Francisco Chronicle

Who are the paymasters?

There's a line spoken by 'Deep Throat' in "All the President's Men" that has always stayed with me. Asked for advice by Bob Woodward, he advises "Just... follow the money"

As the American political system has become more dependant upon corporate money and "gifts" from some very wealthy individuals, concerns have grown about the expectations of these donors. What do they gain from 'sponsoring' legislators and the parties? Ethics rules have been developed and refined over the years to attempt to curtail certain behaviour. There is now a huge ethics manual for the House of Representatives. It can be accessed here.

The public has a right to know who is making the donations. The Sunlight Foundation's website allows you to see who is donating to whom. Visit the website here.

Learning More...

Want to know about the workings of Parliament? The House of Commons Library publishes research papers and standard notes on the parliamentary website. I have found these to be of a consistently high standard - and a superb tool for research - and just learning more.

You can access the service here.

The Congressional Research Service - which also has high standards of independent research - doesn't publish directly to the public. However OpenCRS republishes many of its papers. OpenCRS can be accessed here.

Whether you are a student (particularly of Law or Politics); or interested citizens - there is much available from these sites. In the UK they are covered by parliamentary copyright - however in the US some companies take CRS reports and resell them (except they never bought them in the first place) to businesses and the public. Don't be cheated out of your cash by these people!