Welsh Assembly - Children smacking ban

Children should feel safe and secure just like any other adults do. They should not be chastised or smacked in any way because physically hurting a child is considered to be wrong. A mother from a guardian article stated " I was smacked as a child and I can still remember it."( guardian.co.uk), this might affect the child even when he grows up. These are the reasons for introducing the smacking ban on 19th October 2011.

The EU and the New Government

   Photo from itaseinaudi.it

In 1957, the European Union or the EU was formed by 6 countries which are West Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Italy. Later on, Britain, Denmark and the Republic of Ireland joined the Union in 1973. Today, there are 27 members in the EU.

Here are some advantages and disadvantages of being a member of the EU:

        Advantages

v  Being a member of the EU gives migrant workers the right to work in any one of the EU countries without the need of a work permit and they also have the right to live there. A Migrant worker should know that he/she will have to pay taxes (ec.europa.eu).

v  Being a member of the EU improves the standards, laws and environment of a country. In general, the EU country will show a major change especially in the undeveloped places of the country (kypros.org).

v  As Oakland J, 2006 stated, members of the EU united their currency to euro.

v  According to unitetheunion.org, the EU offers its nation the freedom of speech, security and fairness.

       Disadvantages

v  Many skilled workers may choose to travel from East to West to countries who offer superior settlement and higher wages which would lead to the decline of the country's economy.

v  Independence was lost in many areas.

v  The EU's plan is to step away from agricultural protection and head towards competitiveness and growth (RACL, 2009).

economicshelp.org

A New Government

A new government has been formed since the general election on 6^th May. The Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats replaced the Labour Party. David Cameron is the new prime minister and also the leader of the Conservative Party. The Conservatives went for a free market and lower taxes while the Labours preferred social and economic parity. The Conservatives got the most votes and seats in the general election which is almost all the seats of the other parties combined together, this is usually called hung parliament. The number of seats a party has can be equal or similar to the national vote, that’s why the Leb Dems got a few votes The Conservatives and the Leb Dems declared that they would form a coalition. Britain has 650 districts and each district has one member in parliament, the members are mostly Conservatives or Labours. The electoral system is said to be unjust by the Leb Dems and many British people, the Leb Dems wanted a change in the system before entering the coalition and the Conservatives have agreed.

Education Systems In The UK And Bahrain

Education Systems In The UK And Bahrain

Photo from Photo from dailymail.co.uk

Photo from education.gov.bh

Education in Bahrain generally consists of formal education, non-formal education, private education and special education.

There are 2 types of education; Basic Education and Secondary Education. Basic Education begins from Grade 1-9; it mainly starts from the age of 6 and ends at the age of 14. Secondary Education is Grade 10, 11 and 12, students start Grade 10 at the age of 14 but it usually depends at what age does the student completes his/her Basic Education.

"Education in Bahrain is compulsory" according to education.gov.bh. Students in Bahrain either go to public schools or to private schools. Public schools offer free education for Bahraini and non-Bahraini students and there are public schools for boys only and a separated one for girls only. Private schools do not separate boys from girls but there are a few who do. Education for both private and public schools are similar but the only difference is that subjects in public schools are taught by Arabic and the private schools are taught by English.  (education.gov.bh/)

Similar to the education in Bahrain, the UK also has primary and secondary education. Schools in England, Scotland and Wales are funded through a Local Education Authority.

Children in England and Wales begin their education at the age of 5. However, children in Northern Ireland begin at the age of 4. Students in the UK often graduate from high school at 16 but the UK government says that they will increase it to the age of 18 so that students will have the choice to stay more in high school or advance to a college or university. (educationuk.org)

There are three main categories of school and they are Community, Foundation and Voluntary. These schools are funded by the LEAs and the government plays a huge part in all these schools, they either decide the arrangement of pupils or employ staff. (schoolswork.co.uk 2007)

To conclude, students who have studied in the UK have a higher education than the ones who studied in Bahrain. Education in Bahrain is not very strong and so the UK students are better and more qualified in their studies. Even though schools in Bahrain teach good English, it cannot be compared to the schools of the UK.

People who live in the UK

People who live in the UK

Photo by: electionprediction.org

The United Kingdom also known as Great Britain mainly consists of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. England and Wales were united in the 16th century while Ireland was divided and only Northern Island became part of the UK.

In 2009, The United Kingdom stated that there are approximately 61.8 million people living in the UK and the average age was 40 years.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Governmentcitizensandrights/LivingintheUK/DG_10012519

Addressing all the people in the UK as "English" is completely wrong. The term "English" is only addressed to the people of England while as "Scots" is addressed to the people of Scotland, "Irish" is addressed to the people of Northern Ireland and "Welsh" to the people of Wales. Addressing a Scottish or an Irish person as English might get him offended.

Even though the people of England are all known as "English", their customs, accents and characteristics differ from different regions. The Cornish distinct themselves culturally from the English society. The Northern English consider themselves better than the Southern English and vice versa. Aside from their differences, the English have a lot in common and activities that unite them like sports, politics, cultural activities etc...

Welsh people can be clearly differentiated from the English, even though many Welsh people have a mixed English-Welsh ancestry. They have their own language known as the "Welsh language" and it is spoken by almost 19% of the population. Fighting against the political power in London, the Welsh still feel that they are struggling for their identity.

However, the Scots unite to defend their national identity and they are clearly aware of their customs which are shown in their cultural festivals, educational systems etc… The government in Edinburgh focuses on the Scottish identity too. Unfortunately, the Scots are separated not only by language but also by religions, prejudices and regionalisms.

Similar to Scotland, the British government is opposed by the Irish. There are some who are still faithful and consider themselves as British which makes loyal to Britain, they are the Protestant Unionists. On the other hand there are Catholic Nationalists who believe that they are Irish and would like to be part of the Republic of Ireland.

Setting aside all their differences, they are known as the people of the United Kingdom and that’s what unites them. "Blood alone does not define national identity and that modern Britain was shaped by a rich mix of all different ethnic and religious origins" (Prime Minister Tony Blair 2000).

Oakland, J, 2006, British Civilization