The Birmingham Brief - intelligent thought on policy issues.
- Description
- On 1 October 2012 Georgia, a small post-Soviet state on the Black Sea coast with a population of 4.6 million people, conducted its 8th Parliamentary elections since 1990. The pre-election campaign was closely watched by the West and the number of international observers monitoring the elections was allegedly the country's largest-ever.
- Date:
- Tuesday 4th December 2012
- Categories:
- Social Sciences
- Description
- In his speech to the Labour party conference this week, Ed Miliband invoked the spirit of the former Conservative leader, Benjamin Disraeli, when he set out his vision for Britain to be 'one nation: a country where prosperity is shared'. So where are the 'one-nation Tories' and where do Conservatives more generally stand on this issue?
- Date:
- Friday 5th October 2012
- Categories:
- Social Sciences
- Description
- Michael Gove's recent statement on the status of GCSEs and the introduction of a new qualification – the English Baccalaureate Certificate (EBC) – have been greeted as another momentous change, but what do the reforms really mean and who is likely to win (and lose) as a result?
- Date:
- Friday 28th September 2012
- Categories:
- Corporate Services, Social Sciences
- Description
- 2011 was a truly historical turning point – it was a year which fundamentally changed the European Union's (EU) previous assumption about the Middle East and North African (MENA) region – that the fall of Arab autocrats was not imminent and that the dictators of the region would remain the partners to cooperate with in the near future. The Arab Spring events in Tunisia, Egypt, and beyond since December 2010 have successfully challenged the institutional order. Egypt is now embarking on a long and uncertain journey towards a more democratic future. But questions remain regarding the role of the EU towards nascent democracies.
- Date:
- Friday 23rd March 2012
- Categories:
- Social Sciences