UCL Government & Politics Society

UCL Government & Politics Society updated their website address.

Greetings from the UCL Government and Politics Society!

We are excited to inform you that there are still vacant positions in the 2021/2022 Government and Politics Society Committee. Available positions are:

- Welfare Officer
- Social Media Secretary
- Volunteering Secretary
- Name of the society

You can see role descriptions and nominate yourself via this link: https://linktr.ee/uclgovpolsoc

The next Union election will be held in March, for the 2022-23 academic year, therefore this might be your last chance to join our committee.

You need to have a membership at least 28 days prior to your nomination. However, you can request exceptions to the 28-day rule by emailing directly to [email protected].
Here's how:
Send an email to [email protected] with the following details:

- Name of the society
- The position you are running for
- Why you would like to run

The request will be passed on to the Activities Officer who will review it and inform you of your next steps. Please remember, you must purchase a membership before requesting an exemption to the rule.

Government and Politics soc needs you!

The society is currently without a president/treasurer for 2021/22 - please DM if you are interested in a committee position! This is an excellent opportunity; open to anyone who loves politics and wants to be involved in a society - whether you are starting at UCL this September or in your final year! Pls feel free to message if you have any questions, thanks!

Hi all, reminder that nominations are now open for committee positions 2021/2022!! https://studentsunionucl.org/node/135418/election

Login options | Students' Union UCL We can all make a change. Together, we’re a union that can work to make things better, on campus and beyond. UCL is yours, so it should be what you want it to be. We’re led by students. That means you’re in charge.

Reminder that our partner, The Youth Vote UK, is hosting their first FREE question time event tomorrow evening! The panel will include speakers representing Labour, the Greens, Lib Dems, Conservatives as well individuals with a journalistic/academic background. The event will be followed by a Q&A, giving you the opportunity to get involved, we look forward to seeing you there!

Link to free event booking - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-youth-vote-uk-question-time-event-tickets-145841374477?aff=ebdssbonlinesearch

The speakers:

David Runciman: Professor of Politics at the University of Cambridge, Author ‘The Politics of Good Intentions’ and podcast Host of ‘Talking Politics’.
• Calvin Robinson: Senior Fellow at Policy Exchange with a journalistic backround with Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph and the Guardian.
• Zarah Sultana: Labour MP for Coventry South, Sultana openly platforms issues of inequality, social justice and the climate emergency.
• Munira Wilson: MP for Twickenham and Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Health, Wellbeing and Social Care.
• Andrew Bowie: Scottish Conservative Party Politician and MP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine.
• Jamie Greene: MSP for the West Scotland region, member of the Scottish Conservative Party and Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills.
• Ross Greer: Publicly outspoken Green Party Politician and youngest ever MSP elected at the 2016 election.

The Youth Vote UK - Question Time Event The Youth Vote UK is hosting its inaugural Question Time event on Thursday 8th April 2021 at 6pm! Join us and have your voice heard.

Don’t forget! Today’s the day to join us for a relaxed social!

After a difficult two terms online, we all need a moment to de-stress.

Join 93% Club (UCL + KCL) and Government and Politics Society for a social to relax, play games, and get to know new people.

Our social will also provide students with an opportunity to receive tips on renting and meet potential flatmates because we know how stressful this process can be - even without the pandemic.

Fill in the form in the event description if you’d like to be matched with potential flatmates based on common priorities and interests!

For our last news post of this academic year, we have written a summary of our event on Russian Politics (24/03/2021).

Putin's 2020 Constitutional Amendments: What Will They Mean for Russia?

Our event featured three panellists – Dr Tim Spence, Dr Gulnaz Sharafutdinova, and Dr Ben Noble - who each provided insight into the Russian Constitutional Amendments in novel ways.

First, Dr Tim began by summarising the most salient changes of the amendment. The three main areas of interest include the proposed changes to Russian power structures, the reform of provisions in the social sector, and the strengthening of conservative and national values.

Dr Gulnaz then proceeded to outline the broader social context in which the constitutional amendment took place. She stressed the role of social identity theory, in which she identified the attachment to a collective victimhood as the driving force in building Russian cultural identity. The resulting pride and patriotism subsequently enabled President Putin to introduce the Constitutional reforms.

Our final speaker, Dr Ben, focused on the implementation of the constitutional changes. He demonstrated how the constitutional amendments allow President Putin to tighten his grip on power whilst simultaneously weakening the State Duma despite operating under the narrative of strengthening the latter. With the vague position of the constitutional amendment on the quasi-governmental institutions, such as the State Council, Dr Ben suggested that President Putin ultimately retains flexibility over his options for maintaining political control in Russia.

In case you missed the event, we will soon be posting a recording of it on Facebook!

A reminder that our partner, The Youth Vote UK, are actively seeking UCL campus ambassadors, this is a great opportunity to network and gain some experience alongside your studies! The team is ever expanding with lots of new faces along with lots of new opportunities popping up all the time, including several different working groups to choose from, for example the policy and news analysis team and the events team amongst others. Drop us a message for more information/to be put in direct contact with a senior member of the Youth Vote team!

https://www.theyouthvoteuk.com

Home | The Youth Vote UK At The Youth Vote UK, we are driven by one common purpose: to help engage as many young people in the political process as possible. The first step in political engagement is using your right to vote - one slip of paper has the power to decide elections, and change legislatures.

Don’t forget, our event is this Wednesday!

We will be discussing the implications of the 2020 Constitutional Amendments and critically inquire if these political reforms form part of a larger trend in Russia’s authoritarian re-structuring.

Every week we highlight political events in the news.

If you’d like to know more about Russian politics, join our event on Wednesday 24.

This week’s topic: The Biden-Putin confrontation

Following the poisoning of jailed critic Alexei Navalny, the United States has expanded its sanctions on Russia to include export restrictions on software and technology.

In an American Intelligence report, President Joe Biden also alleged that Putin authorised an interference campaign in November's US Presidential Election in favour of former President, Donald Trump.

More recently, in a Wednesday interview with ABC News, Biden agreed with the statement that compared Russian President Vladimir Putin to a “killer”.

Putin responded saying “it takes one to know one” and Russia has since recalled its Washington ambassador for talks to prevent the "irreversible deterioration" of relations with the US.

Russo-American relations will likely experience further tension under the Biden administration.

For a more detailed report, see:
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2021/03/17/us-expands-russia-sanctions-over-navalny-poisoning-a73275

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-56430049

Every week we bring your attention to news you might have missed.

This week’s topic: Biden’s Covid Relief Bill.

A Covid-19 relief and economic stimulus package worth $1.9 trillion has been passed by the US Senate.

This comes following the Democratic Party’s electoral campaign, which promised economic revival in combating the coronavirus.

The bill is an anti-poverty programme providing economic assistance to low-income citizens.

Primarily, it consists of:
- The extension of employment benefits
- Support for vaccine distribution and testing
- $1,4000 stimulus checks to low-income households
- Financial aid for local governments as well as schools

The bill is now awaiting final approval from the House.

For a more detailed report, see:
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/03/11/politics/biden-sign-covid-bill/index.html

Every week we aim to bring your attention to news you may have missed.

This week’s topic: The ICC investigation.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has launched an investigation into alleged war crimes committed on Palestinian territory from 2014 onwards.

This investigation will include the 2014 Gaza war, potentially placing hundreds of Israelis – including soldiers and senior political figures – at risk of prosecution.

The inquiry has long been resisted by the Israeli government but after years of deliberation, the investigation was announced by the chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda.

The inquiry will address “crimes within the jurisdiction of the court that are alleged to have been committed, by both Israelis and Palestinians.”

The ICC is an intergovernmental organisation located in The Hague, Netherlands. It is the first and only permanent international court with jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for the international crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression.

More about ICC:

https://www.icc-cpi.int/about

More about the investigation:

https://www.axios.com/international-criminal-court-war-crimes-israel-21b3fe19-5fd5-4652-a3ae-c1eebac15545.html

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/north-africa-west-asia/will-landmark-ruling-international-criminal-court-finally-get-justice-palestinians/

Every week we hope to bring you snippets of news you might have missed.

This week’s topic: The Philippines’ Nurse Exchange.

In exchange for Covid-19 vaccines, the Philippines has recently offered to send nurses abroad to the UK and Germany.

Currently, the German government has vaccinated a total of 23 million citizens while the vaccination programme in the Philippines is yet to start.

The country currently awaits its first supply of vaccines from China whilst it continues to battle the second highest rate of infection in Southeast Asia. Second to Indonesia, the Philippines suffers from more than 570,000 cases of infection.

In light of the dire need for Covid-19 vaccines, the Duterte government has agreed to relax the 5000-cap on medical professionals working abroad.

Filipino domestic reactions have been divided. Some nurses have welcomed the idea of working abroad for better wages. Others, including the Filipino Nurses United, have criticised the government for treating nurses as ‘commodities’.

The British government has shown no intention of accepting the proposal. The German government has yet to respond.

Click on the link below for a more detailed report:

https://www.google.com.hk/amp/s/qz.com/1976211/the-philippines-is-offering-to-trade-nurses-for-covid-19-vaccines/amp/

As we’re sure you’ve already heard, the nominations for the Leadership Race 2021-22 are now open!

To apply, fill out the candidacy form on https://studentsunionucl.org/election/leadership-race-spring-2021

The available positions are:

✅President

✅Vice President

✅Treasurer

✅Social Media Secretary

✅Welfare Officer

✅Events Secretary

⚠️ You must be a member of our society to nominate yourself and/or vote in the election ⚠️

This week’s post will provide a brief insight into our event on Friday in case you missed it.

Fake news: Has it gone too far?

First, our three panelists - Dave Lee, Julie Norman, and Andrew Wilson - gave their definitions of fake news. In doing so they highlighted a key subset of misinformation known as disinformation: the intent to deliberately spread false information.

A recent example of disinformation can be observed in the US Presidential Election, in which fake news was purposefully circulated in attempt to alter the outcome. This “news” usually consisted of half truths that were then exaggerated and manipulated.

Tying into the phenomenon of divided media, our panelists then discussed how online networks were used to fuel the Capitol riots. Particularly interesting to note was the way in which disinformation succeeded in convincing rioters of the legitimacy of their actions.

The speakers similarly emphasised the delicate relationship between fake news and the spread of conspiracies including QAnon and the Deep State.

Fake news, however, is not set to end with the new Biden administration as it has now turned into a global phenomenon.

Our speakers concluded that the media will inevitably exacerbate the creation of fake news because doing so has become profitable. More concerning, however, is that politicians are happy to weaponise fake news to their advantage.

If you’d like to be part of discussions such as the one above, keep an eye out for our next event!

*OPPORTUNITY ALERT*

Point of Information (U.S.) are looking for Republican writers!

They are originally a U.K site focusing on U.K politics, however, they have recently opened up the U.S sister site.

They have three teams of writers, Republican, Democrat and Foreign Perspective, who partake in writing political opinion pieces.

Their goal is to provide articles with a well-rounded set of opinions on each topic.

If interested, please email [email protected]

www.pointofinformation.us

Point Of Information : Latest Breaking News USA Point Of Information : Latest Breaking News USA

Head over to this link to get your membership:

https://studentsunionucl.org/clubs-societies/government-and-politics-society?sku=CSC-MEMBERSHIP-2021-NID-135418-REMOTE&fbclid=IwAR0uvLvRdaSYoHPs4o6a_adczMsIq2HMUjB8dZzEAz1t7G_jhEa4MLNswxo

Our weekly series hopes to provide you with snippets of news you may have missed.

This week’s topic: the Myanmar protests against the coup

In 2015, the world watched Burma run its first openly contested election. A year later, Nobel Prize-winner, Aung San Suu Kyi, democratically ascended to power.

However, on February 1 2021, Burma’s transition to democracy was once again jeopardised by a coup d’etat following the general election, which Suu Kyi won by a landslide.

On February 6, thousands took to the streets of Yan Gon to protest the latest undemocratic developments in Burma.

The military authorities responded by a nationwide internet shutdown to prevent citizens from organising any further protests.

For a more detailed report on the latest protest in Burma, see the Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/feb/06/myanmar-military-shuts-down-internet-as-thousands-protest-against-coup

Every week we hope to bring you snippets of news you may have missed.

This week’s topic: The Arab Spring

2021 marks the 10th anniversary of the Arab Spring. However, there are no celebrations and even less media coverage of it.

10 years ago, the Tunisian street vendor, Mohamed Bouazizi, set himself on fire in protest of the corrupted government. This marked the starting point of the Arab Spring whose aim was to democratise and liberate Arab countries from autocratic rule. However, this has not been the case:

After the NATO military intervention, Libya has turned into a state of anarchy in the last 10 years. Meanwhile, the civil wars in Syria and Yemen have resulted in political turmoil and refugee crises. This instability has also given rise to extremist groups, which further destabilise the whole region.

If you are interested in finding out more, the articles listed below can help you better understand the impact of the Arab Spring and how it has reshaped politics and economy in Middle East.

For more statistical data:

https://www.cfr.org/article/arab-spring-ten-years-whats-legacy-uprisings?utm_source=fb&utm_medium=social_owned&fbclid=IwAR3aZh1MHPXiQMHCBFMPUlYQQUfjjXCqnr4bx17uVZvFUgTombD5fbqDIZY

For detailed commentary and analysis of the Arab Spring:

https://www.chathamhouse.org/2019/11/five-lessons-new-arab-uprisings

https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/middle-east/2020-12-08/arab-uprisings-never-ended

As part of a new series, we’re hoping to bring you weekly snippets of news you may have missed!

This week’s topic: The Kyrgyz protest against Chinese investment

Since the introduction of the Belt and Road initiative (BRI) in 2013, Chinese investments in the five countries of Central Asia, namely Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, have stretched across the realms of energy supply, infrastructure and trade. Domestic fear of China’s usage of debt-trap diplomacy has started to surface, especially when the debt to China accounts for up to 42.3% of the Kyrgyz GDP (CFR, 2017).

Sensitive cross-broader issues such as the treatment of Muslim minorities in China’s Xinjiang also further complicates the problem. The protest in At-Bashi in Kyrgyzstan against a Chinese logistic centre in February 2020 is one of the many examples of anti-Chinese sentiment, which resulted in public demonstrations.

For a detailed report of Chinese involvement in the region, see TRT Research Centre’s report:https://researchcentre.trtworld.com/images/files/discussion_papers/Rise-Anti-ChineseV2.pdf

For details of the protest in Kyrgyzstan, see Radio Free Europe: https://www.rferl.org/a/30439686.html

The new Government and Politics blog and academic review is now live! Managed by our amazing new editor, Zoe West-Taylor, the blog will feature opinion articles and reviews on all topics.

Email your submissions to [email protected]!

You can now get your membership for the Gov and Pol Soc - the best part? It's free!
Link: https://studentsunionucl.org/clubs-societies/government-and-politics-society?sku=CSC-MEMBERSHIP-2021-NID-135418-REMOTE

*UPDATED SCHEDULE AND LINKS BELOW*

Schedule:
17:15-18:00 General livestream for all societies via Student Union link
18:00-18:30 Q&A with Gov&Pol Society via Zoom
18:30-19:00 Gov&Pol Society Quiz via Zoom

Links:
Drop in Zoom link: https://ucl.zoom.us/j/97086304233
Student Union link: https://fb.me/e/GJP8lEdl

We will be attending!

Live Broadcast Link: https://fb.me/e/GJP8lEdl

Keep an eye on the Student Union website for more information!

Follow our newly created Instagram and Linkedin pages:

Instagram:
https://instagram.com/ucl.gov_and_pol_soc?igshid=137osevavyc0u

Linkedin:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/ucl-government-and-politics-society

UCL Government and Politics Society | LinkedIn UCL Government and Politics Society | 6 followers on LinkedIn. Non-aligned platform for political discourse. Educational purposes only. | Our aim is to provide an all-encompassing, non-partisan, and non-aligned platform for political discourse. We are open to different ideologies and always maintain...

Want to get involved? There's still more opportunities to come! 👀

One of our many ideas for this society involves a brand new political blog to which all students can contribute - this could be anything from news and opinion articles to academic writing and research reviews. We expect our blog to be up and running in the new year so stay tuned!

We are very happy to be welcoming to our committee two new members: our first year representative, Siyuan, and our postgraduate representative, Lincoln! If you are a first year undergraduate or postgraduate student, feel free to direct any ideas or concerns you have towards them, they'll be happy to help :)

Hello again everyone👋 we've got good news! Despite the slight delay, we've finally been successful in affiliating this new society! 🥳🎉This means that we can finally start working on delivering exciting content to you and bringing our ideas for (online) events to life. Keep your eyes open for our upcoming announcements!