History and politics

I have always been interested in history. Especially world war 2 and the cold war. I have since become interested in the roman republic and empire especially the life of Cicero (106 BC to 43 BC). This love of history led to me becoming interested in politics and social science especially globalization.

My studies so far have shown me that history and politics go hand in hand, For example. The British industrial revolution (first half of the 19th century).  Industrialised the British empire making it easier to produce goods also making it easier and faster to trade. Although Britain Industrialised this changed a lot of people’s life’s  

I am going to do a series of posts looking at various historical events. As I do this I will both be educating myself in history and politics and hopefully showing that history and politics go hand in hand.

Joe wastell

History of the EU.

In my first post, I am going to create a time line of the forming of the European union. 

1945 - End of World War II

4 April 1949 - The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is created as a mutual defence pact. So, if one of the countries in NATO is attacked the other NATO countries will come to its defence.

1951- The treaty of Paris was signed by Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. To create The European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in the hope to unify Weston Europe after World War II

1961 to 1963-  In 1961 Britain Denmark and Ireland apply to join the EEC. In 1963 French President Charles de Gaulle vetoes British membership.

1973- Britain successfully join the European Community

1987- The Single European Act enters into force. The aim to create a European Union comes closer in to bean.

4 April 1949 - The USA, Canada, Britain, France, Iceland, Italy, Norway and Portugal. signed The Washington Treaty making it easier to trade between America and Europe.

1993- The Treaty on European Union comes into effect. Now it’s easier for European citizens to live and work in any other European Union country.

2002- National currencies replaced by euro notes and coins, the UK opts out.

June 2016- The UK votes to leave the European Union

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Election results

So, it has been an interesting night. Instead of getting a majority the tory party lost 12 seats, leaving then with 316 seats. labour party gained 29 seats, leaving them with 261 seats. Although the number of seats needed to win is 326. So, we have a hung parliament, this means the conservative party well need to form a coalition (a partnership) with one of the other party’s probably the DUP (Democratic Unionist Party) that have 10 seats. That will give the conservative party up to 326 seats. That means the conservative party will only just win.

(UK results)  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2017/results

(Rochester and Strood results)  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14000898

(Chatham & Aylesford results)  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14000626

(Gillingham & Rainham results) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14000711

Kelly Tolhurst Conservative Party candidate for Rochester and Strood in Medway kent

Thank you Kelly Tolhurst for your reply.  

Kelly Tolhurst Conservative Party candidate for Rochester and Strood.

This is Kelly Tolhurst s email:

Dear Mr Watsell,

Thank you for contacting me about my views on the care that disabled people receive in our society, I’m very pleased that you have set up the Disability Medway Facebook page and think it’s a highly worthwhile cause.
Firstly, I am fully committed to disabled people receiving the same rights to participate in society and think that it is crucial that we strive for fairness. I agree it is essential to ensure that disabled people get the support they need so that they can live full and independent lives. That is why the Government is supporting people with physical, mental or cognitive conditions to live independently.
Secondly, spending on the main disability benefits will be higher in every year to 2020 than it was in 2010 and the Government is committed to ensuring that all disabled people have the opportunities and support they need to get and keep a job. The Disability Confident Campaign is key to support employers in working with the Government to halve the disability employment gap. Indeed, many disabled people can work, want to work, and need our support to get into work and this is highlighted by how the number of disabled people working has increased by more than half a million in the past three years. This is a great achievement and I’m immensely proud to have been part of this.
Thirdly, I am very pleased with what the Conservative party has managed to achieve in recent years for children with disabilities. I welcome the plans to introduce a system that will ensure every child is funded fairly and according to their specific needs, delivering the pledge to build a country where success is based on merit, not privilege. This will help to turn Britain into a country where success is defined by work and talent, not birth or circumstance.
The system for identifying and meeting the needs of all children with Special Education Needs (SEN) and disabilities is designed to deliver the right support for all children, so that they can achieve their potential and their education puts them in good stead for fulfilling adult lives. You may be aware that the Department for Education has consulted on proposals for a fairer national funding formula that will ensure high needs funding is allocated based on children's needs and the schools they attend.
The proposed formula ensures no local authority will receive less high needs funding than they do now, and that the local authorities that are currently less well funded receive an uplift of at least 3 per cent in each of the next two years. Rochester and Strood uses the local funding formula to estimate the number of children with special education needs a school is likely to have are allocated up to £6,000 per pupil per year. I am very encouraged that the Department for Education provided an additional £92.5 million of high needs funding to local authorities for the 2016-2017 year, and I welcome that a further £130 million will be provided for 2017-2018.
Finally, I do think that the Conservative Party offers the fairest approach to people with disabilities and are the most determined in helping them achieve the goals they wish to pursue. Should I be re-elected on 8th June I will continue to fight for disabled people and would welcome your views on how Rochester and Strood can improve its disability services.
Yours sincerely,
Kelly
Kelly Tolhurst

half way through

We are half way through this election now and nothing has really been said about disability.  So, what I would like to do is to find out the views of our local candidates by asking these three questions put together by Disability Rights UK.  See links below.

1 Are you committed to the rights of disabled people to participate fully in society?

2. Will you change the way the benefits system works for disabled people?

3. Are you committed to a health and social care system that enables disabled
people to lead full independent lives?

I am sending these questions to each of the candidates running in Medway constituencies.  I will report their replies below.

https://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/news/2017/may/three-questions-ask-your-parliamentary-candidates.

Brexit is not the only issue

On 19 April 2017 a snap election was called, to be held on 8th June 2017.
it is important to remember in this election, that Brexit is not the only issue.  In my opinion the Conservatives are going to try and sweep all the other issues under the rug, such as, cutting mental health care so people will have to travel far away to get care and cutting PIP and care allowances for people who need it the most, just to name a couple.    I think we have got to remember, that for the last 5 years this country has been in a state of austerity that has hurt the poor and the vulnerable the most.    

What do you think

Britains descent in to madness.

It seems the Brexit campaign was won by an ad that looked like the beginning of dad’s army and quotes from films. After the Brexit vote I think, me, and many other people who voted remain went through the 5 stages of

grief.  Like many others, I went to bed on the 22nd thinking I will wake up to remain victory, but instead woke up to a leave victory. I woke up in not believing the vote, what turned in to anger at the outcome. Then I finally accepted that, we will come out (eventually).

After the Brexit vote David Camron (the one who got us in to this mess) decided to resign, rather than seeing it through. That trigged a Tory leadership elec

tion, where Theresa May (former home Secretary) won. She subsequently appointed Boris Jonson and Andrea Leadsom, both her leadership rivals.

Boris Jonson, she appointed to foreign Secretary and Andrea Leadsom to Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Theresa May told her other leadership rival Michael Gove. (former Secretary of State for Education) and George Osborne (former Chancellor of the Exchequer) to go and sit on the naughty step, on the back benches. 

While the Tory leadership election was going on. some labour party rebels decided to try and oust, there democratically elected leader Jeremy Corbyn, who inspired thousands of new people to become members of the labour party to vote for him. These labour rebels, triggered a coup against Jeremy Corbyn. Then when the result didn’t go there way, the Labour rebels triggered a leadership election. between Jeremy Corbyn and Owen smith.  On 24 September 2016 at the labour party Conference, Jeremy Corbyn won by 313,209 votes to Owen Smiths 193,229 votes. Jeremy Corbyn also inspired more people to register as members and vote for him