Hello!
My name is Emily, I am 16 and I am currently taking AS Politics.
My exam board is Edexcel and I am in the new specification (guinea pig year whoop).
I thought before I started with an analysis of further reading and other political stuff, I would give you a little introduction to me and why I chose politics as one of my A-levels (I also take English Literature and Music).
Important: I was put-off by politics at the start.
When I started thinking about what I was going to take at college, politics was not an option.
'Nope. That's scary and complicated and it will be really boring.' I used to say to my mum.
In fact, it was only about a week before my enrollment day when I decided to take politics. So, how the hell did that happen?!
The truth is, I do genuinely like politics. I love talking about things that are happening in the news and debating with people who have conflicting opinions with me.
Without me realising, I was beginning to take an interest in big news, most notably:
1. The US election (Trump).
2. The EU referendum.
3. The 2017 UK general election.
By following the news and watching loads of videos during these times, I was starting to broaden my knowledge slightly and develop more political opinions. But I still didn't want to take politics.
My decision was completely spur-of-the-moment, but I don't regret it.
It occurred to me that I was interested in politics but it was just that I didn't know much about it. So I took a chance and leapt down the AS Politics hole.
So... how is it going so far?
I didn't start the course with a lot of political knowledge. Sure, I would keep an eye on the massive headlines but I didn't regularly watch the news and I didn't even really know who any of the people talked about on the news was. This has made things hard.
But, I am getting there. I am constantly pushing myself to keep on top of my work and do extra whenever I can. Politics is hard because I've never done it before, but, it is not scary.
If you are doing AS/A-level Politics, I wish you luck.
If you are unsure on if you want to take it - follow your instinct, even if that means changing your mind right at the last moment.
-Emily
Sunday, 17 December 2017
Political Thinking 8.12.17
Source:
Political Thinking with Nick Robinson: The Peter Tatchell One (8/12/17) - BBC Radio 4
Notes:
DUP Irish Borders. Theresa May flew to Brussels + meeting with President of the European Commission. Better to not let the talks break down - more important to back May. Micheal Gove backing Theresa May (despite the fact that not long ago they were on opposite sides). All that matters is they get a good deal - voters will forget about this and only focus on the fact that Brexit has happened. Labour says they need to stop thinking about what they would do and just pint out what Theresa May is doing wrong - which is why Jeremy Corbyn never talks about the details about Brexit and just generally finger-points. PMQs: Corbyn asking questions that aren't really questions - mini-speeches? - something to put on social media.
Peter Tatchell - inspired by black civil rights movement in America. Realised he was gay when he was 17 - no support when he was younger, could have been jailed. Campaigned in great fear. Been arrested 100-200 times. 3000 direct action protests. Supports LGBT and liberal progressive Muslims. Pubs, cafes and restaurants wouldn't serve gay people. - they went into those places and sat there until they were served (often got arrested and beaten up). Death threats - including people shooting him (police concerns). Left winger - most of his ideas were regarded as extreme in the 70s and 80s but are part of legislation now. Australian - xenophobia and racism. Gay and supporter of LGBT rights. Until 1990 in London, two men could get arrested just for holding hands in public - he protested against this to raise awareness. Thinks some people have lost sight of love - love is his motivation. Nealy 50 years of campaigning. Believe free speech is one of the most important human rights. False, damaging allegations, threats and harassment, threats and violence - abusive free speech when it allowed other people would be too scared to speak out. Where do you draw the line? It is important for transphobic etc people to be able to share their views and it is also important for us to be able to provide counter-arguments and to be able to debate with them. Now: climate change + continue campaigning.
Outcomes:
Revised what happened in Brussels and the DUP Irish Border debate.
A good point arose about Corbyn pointing the finger which I found interesting. Why does he ask those questions that aren't questions? Is it just for social media as mini-speeches? Does this make him less legitimate as he is not offering solutions to the problems but is just pointing them out?
I also found out quite a bit about Peter Tatchell who is a left winger campaigner who has campaigned for LGBT rights, human rights, women's rights etc for over 50 years. This is something I am very interested in about I found it surprising that I'd never actually heard about him before.
Future research:
-----
Political Thinking with Nick Robinson: The Peter Tatchell One (8/12/17) - BBC Radio 4
Notes:
DUP Irish Borders. Theresa May flew to Brussels + meeting with President of the European Commission. Better to not let the talks break down - more important to back May. Micheal Gove backing Theresa May (despite the fact that not long ago they were on opposite sides). All that matters is they get a good deal - voters will forget about this and only focus on the fact that Brexit has happened. Labour says they need to stop thinking about what they would do and just pint out what Theresa May is doing wrong - which is why Jeremy Corbyn never talks about the details about Brexit and just generally finger-points. PMQs: Corbyn asking questions that aren't really questions - mini-speeches? - something to put on social media.
Peter Tatchell - inspired by black civil rights movement in America. Realised he was gay when he was 17 - no support when he was younger, could have been jailed. Campaigned in great fear. Been arrested 100-200 times. 3000 direct action protests. Supports LGBT and liberal progressive Muslims. Pubs, cafes and restaurants wouldn't serve gay people. - they went into those places and sat there until they were served (often got arrested and beaten up). Death threats - including people shooting him (police concerns). Left winger - most of his ideas were regarded as extreme in the 70s and 80s but are part of legislation now. Australian - xenophobia and racism. Gay and supporter of LGBT rights. Until 1990 in London, two men could get arrested just for holding hands in public - he protested against this to raise awareness. Thinks some people have lost sight of love - love is his motivation. Nealy 50 years of campaigning. Believe free speech is one of the most important human rights. False, damaging allegations, threats and harassment, threats and violence - abusive free speech when it allowed other people would be too scared to speak out. Where do you draw the line? It is important for transphobic etc people to be able to share their views and it is also important for us to be able to provide counter-arguments and to be able to debate with them. Now: climate change + continue campaigning.Outcomes:
Revised what happened in Brussels and the DUP Irish Border debate.
A good point arose about Corbyn pointing the finger which I found interesting. Why does he ask those questions that aren't questions? Is it just for social media as mini-speeches? Does this make him less legitimate as he is not offering solutions to the problems but is just pointing them out?
I also found out quite a bit about Peter Tatchell who is a left winger campaigner who has campaigned for LGBT rights, human rights, women's rights etc for over 50 years. This is something I am very interested in about I found it surprising that I'd never actually heard about him before.
Future research:
-----
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