The Birmingham Brief archive Contensis: http://www.contentmanagement.co.uk http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/thebirminghambrief/index.aspx?SyndicationType=2 2013-05-26T05:09:08Z Deborah Walker

Information on The Conservative Party, Europe and a Referendum

2013-05-16T11:34:00Z 2013-05-16T11:07:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/thebirminghambrief/items/16-05-13The-Conservative-Party,-Europe-and-a-Referendum.aspx William Fallows

For many years now, opposition to Berlusconi's government in Italy has focused on the man himself, as a symbol of the rotten heart of Italy: the court cases, his alleged links with the mafia, ad personam legislation, sex scandals, conflicts of interest, and the slide into superficial TV culture promoted by Berlusconi's three TV stations.

2011-11-17T15:40:00Z 2011-11-22T18:17:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/thebirminghambrief/items/17nov-berlusconi.aspx Claire Hawkins

Lobbying is once again a dirty word. The case of Liam Fox and Adam Werritty has led to bigger questions being asked about the accountability and transparency of British public life, more so than at any time since the expenses scandal of 2009. Yet lobbying is an inevitable, longstanding and relatively harmless part of politics. Notwithstanding the drama of defence policy and Cabinet resignations, its significance can also be grossly exaggerated.

2011-10-21T00:00:00Z 2011-10-27T09:37:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/thebirminghambrief/items/21oct-lobbying.aspx Ben Hill

The current financial crisis started in the Autumn of 2008, and is only the last one of the many that have followed the banking deregulation of the mid-1980s. It has been a rolling financial crisis moving from economy to economy. Governments and bank regulators have tried to understand the role of financial markets in this process and are trying to improve financial stability.

2011-10-06T00:00:00Z 2011-10-17T14:34:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/thebirminghambrief/items/6oct-banking-regulation.aspx Claire Hawkins

On Sunday 25 September 2011 King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, during his annual speech to the Shura council, surprised his male audiences and delighted Saudi women activists who have been pushing for a greater public role in the affairs of their own country. He announced that after consultation with his religious advisers he had decided to grant Saudi women the right to vote and run for office in the next municipal elections.

2011-09-29T00:00:00Z 2011-10-07T10:37:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/thebirminghambrief/items/29sept-saudi-women-vote.aspx Claire Hawkins

Western leaders have breathed sighs of relief and contentment at the unexpectedly swift breakthrough of rebel forces in Western Libya, which was a prelude to their march into Tripoli. At long last, the NATO-backed Libyan National Transitional Council has found a way of breaking Gaddafi's stranglehold. Yet, achieving military victory is relatively easy when compared to building peace after decades of authoritarian rule.

2011-08-26T00:00:00Z 2011-10-07T11:10:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/thebirminghambrief/items/26aug-after-gadaffi.aspx Claire Hawkins

On the 26 June 2011, after 16 years in hiding, one of the most notorious alleged war criminals from the former Yugoslavia was captured in Serbia. He has been sent to the Netherlands to face charges (first issued in 1996) of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), an international tribunal set up by the UN Security Council in 1993.

2011-06-16T16:44:00Z 2011-06-16T16:30:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/thebirminghambrief/items/16jun-criminal-justice.aspx Kylie Morris

The Defence Secretary, Dr Liam Fox, has recently announced the approval of the Initial Gate Business Case for the replacement for the Vanguard Class nuclear submarines. The contracts for this phase are likely to be in the region of £3bn. However, the Defence Secretary admitted that the total cost was likely to reach £25bn by the time the boats are built. Given that the initial estimates prepared in 2006 were in the region of £15–20bn, the sceptics around Whitehall, who are well used to Ministry of Defense (MoD) 'guesstimations', anticipate the final bill being closer to £38bn.

2011-06-07T16:48:00Z 2011-12-20T14:46:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/thebirminghambrief/items/07JunTridentNews.aspx William Fallows

As America's favourite cartoon character, Homer Simpson, recognised when he visited London in 2003, there is a shared family tree between the UK, the United States and Canada. Centuries of history along with geography and a common language have created an interaction between the three nations that stretches beyond mere symbolism.

2011-05-26T00:00:00Z 2011-06-02T11:14:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/thebirminghambrief/items/26may-uk-america-canada.aspx William Fallows

1848 witnessed the 'Spring of the peoples' with almost all of Europe contending with revolutionary movements. Are we set to see 2011 remembered as the 'Spring of the Arab peoples'? After Tunisia's 'Jasmine Revolution', Egypt is on course to achieve radical regime change.

2011-02-17T00:00:00Z 2011-07-01T16:51:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/thebirminghambrief/items/17feb-arabic-protests.aspx William Fallows

Tunisia is well known for its dream-like Mediterranean beaches, but it has never hit the British headlines for its vibrant political activity – since independence in 1956, it has been traditionally easy to anticipate election results, as the country has only had two presidents in 54 years. That was until an unemployed grocer, Mohamed Bouazizi, immolated himself in the small town of Sidi-Bouzid on 17 December.

2011-01-20T16:57:00Z 2011-07-01T16:53:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/thebirminghambrief/items/20jan-Tunisia-revolution.aspx William Fallows

That might seem a strange statement, given the biggest Republican gains in the House of Representatives since 1948 and some high-profile victories in the Senate as well as state Governor's campaigns. It certainly doesn't fit with the repetitive theme of 'stunning defeat' (CNN) and 'dismal night' (BBC) for President Obama. But walk a bit further beyond the 65-seat swing to the GOP (the 'Grand Old Party'), giving them a majority of 51 in the lower house of the Congress.

2010-11-04T00:00:00Z 2011-06-02T11:35:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/thebirminghambrief/items/USmidterms.aspx William Fallows

The 'big society' assumes that government alone cannot solve complex social problems. Instead, by expanding the opportunities for civic participation, it is hoped that an active citizenry will play a greater role in tackling problems that affect communities. The package of policies is predicated on the notion that there has been a decline in civic participation and that this can be attributed to the dependency culture encouraged by 'big government'.

2010-06-22T00:00:00Z 2011-07-01T17:00:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/thebirminghambrief/items/civicsocietydecline.aspx William Fallows

In the speech of thanks at his Parliamentary election early this morning, Conservative leader David Cameron asserted, "It is clear that this Labour Government no longer has a mandate to govern." Maybe so: but it is not clear who does have that mandate.

2010-05-07T00:00:00Z 2011-06-02T13:15:00Z http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/thebirminghambrief/items/mandatetogovern.aspx