The Tottenham 2011 Riots

On the 13th of December 2013 (Friday 13th) Amadi and I had the pleasure of presenting on a topic that we both wanted to gain a deeper understanding on, the issues surrounding the Tottenham riots of 2011. We set out to present the causes and effects of the riots.

The Tottenham Riots 2011 from Norbert D. Mapunde

                          A HISTORY OF THE SOMALI COMMUNITY IN THE UK



How many people speak this language in the world today ?

An estimated 7.8million speak Somali in Somalia itself with a further 12.65million speaking the language globally. It originates from the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic family.

What is the history behind its arrival in the UK ?

• The first Somali immigrants to speak their language in the UK were seamen and merchants who settled in port cities like Cardiff, Liverpool and London.
• The Royal Navy during the Second World War brought more Somali men who stayed on in search of work.
•  As a result of the Somali Civil War a large number of women and children and a few men fled Somalia to seek asylum in the UK.

Where are the main areas in the UK where this language is spoken ?

As work dried up on the merchant navy yards and ships, many of the migrants looked to industrial cities like Birmingham, Manchester and Sheffield where demand for industrial workers was high. As a result small Somali communities began to form and grew to notable modern day communities.

What is the history of this language in the UK ?

Owing to the rapid increase in migration the language has spread from Somalia to Ethopia, Yemen, Kenya, Djibouti and even further to the Middle East, North America and Europe. Many Somali speaking natives who had fled to the above countries owing to the civil war were to eventually find their way to the UK as asylum seekers. Although it should be noted that earlier settlers had already integrated into local communities and established their own communities with places of worship and some had gone further as setting up their own businesses.

When was it first spoken ?

The language was first spoken in the UK in the 19th.

Who by ?

Somali seamen and merchants.

Additional Information.
Somalia is well noted for its beautiful women and how they uphold their cultural values wherever they are in the world

                                                                                                                                                                               



Other notable Somali ambassadors include Mo Farah - international track and field athlete,  K'naan - poet, rapper and singer, Rageh Omaar - British journalist and writer and Hussain Bisad - tallest man in the world.

Somali Language greetings:Teach me Somali

Trip to the Welsh Assembly

Date: 6th November

Time: 2:15pm

Venue: The Senedd

Plenary meetings take place  in the Siambr every Tuesday and Wednesday. We had an opportunity to witness a plenary meeting with Edwina Hart (Minister for Business, Enterprise, Technology and Science). Various questions were put towards her regarding issues in the community. Of particular interest was the discussion on finance and capital for Welsh small businesses, which the honourable minister assured will be available in the coming year. Other issues discussed related to the bus service and the cost of running it.

The Senedd is the National Assembly building,here issues relating to Wales are debated. The Presiding Officer is Rosemary Butler AM, her role is to chair meetings in the National Assembly. The Senedd was built at a cost of £69.6million to build and is part of the National Assembly estate in Cardiff Bay.


References:

Assembly of Wales (2013) Plenary Meetings. Available at: http://http://www.assemblywales.org/bus-home/bus-chamber.htm/bus-home/bus-chamber.htm. (Accessed at: 7 November 2013)

History and Law-Making Powers of the Welsh Assembly

Referendums leading to the formation of the National Assembly

In the referendum of 1979 the people of Wales refused the proposal to establish a Welsh Assembly by a majority of 4:1. However in 1997 the referendum was successful although the result was very close with only 6712 turning out to vote insuring a victory of 50.3%. The Government of Wales Act 1998 was passed by the then Labour Government. It insured the creation of the National Assembly for Wales and transferred power that had been held by the Secretary of State for Wales to the newly formed Assembly.

Powers of the National Assembly

As a result of the Government of Wales Act 2006, the National Assembly for Wales could now make laws (Assembly Measures). At this point Wales had its own government but decisions on policy were still being debated in Parliament in London at Westminster.

20 Developed Areas

The Welsh Assembly Members saw it fit that Welsh people should be given more powers to determine their own day-to-day affairs. On the 9th February 2010, Assembly Members voted in favour of a referendum that would give them more legislative powers in the following 20 areas:

      Welsh language

      Culture

      Town and County Planning

      Education and Training

      Tourism

      Social Welfare

      Economic Development

      Water and Flood Defence

      Food

      Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry and Rural Development

      Health and Health Services

      National Assembly of Wales

      Housing

      Sport and Recreation

      Public Administration

      Environment

      Local Government

      Highways and Transport

      Ancient Monuments and Historic Buildings

      Fire and Rescue Services and Promotion of Fire Safety

However it should be noted that the UK government retains control of certain public services and areas of legislation, mainly areas pertaining to national security for example the police service and the army. In addition social services, foreign policy, home affairs, broadcasting, economic policy, employment legislation and levying of taxes remain non-devolved.

Extended Legislative Powers

In 2011 the welsh assembly sought to gain direct law making powers without always having to consult Parliament in Westminster on all issues in the 20 areas listed above. The following question was asked – ‘Do you want the Assembly now to be able to make laws on all matters in the 20 subject areas it has powers for?’ The result reflected the growing desire the Welsh people had to govern and decide on matters that affected them; 63.49% voted 'yes', and 36.51% voted 'no'.

Welsh devolution referendum, 2011
Question: Do you want the Assembly now to be able to make laws on all matters in the 20 subject areas it has powers for? Election results Yes or no Votes Percentage  Yes 517,132 63.49%  No 297,380 36.51% Valid votes 814,512 99.86% Invalid or blank votes 1,116 0.14% Total votes 815,628 100.00% Voter turnout 35.63% Electorate 2,289,044

Welsh Assembly Building

The National Assembly building commonly referred to as the Senedd is where the debating chamber for the National Assembly is held. The building was built at a cost of £69.6million. A class tour of the Senedd scheduled in the coming weeks will cover this topic in more detail.

The Assembly of Wales has been instrumental in implementing various Acts and Measures throughout Wales since its formation and acquiring increased power. These include:

• Local Government Bylaws (Wales) Act 2012 

• National Assembly for Wales (Official Language) Act 2012 - facilitating the use of two languages in the National Assembly - English and Welsh, and they should both be considered equal.

• Food Hygiene Rating (Wales) Act 2013

• Human Transplantation (Wales) Act 2013 - the Act assumes that people resident in Wales for more than 12 months want to donate their organs, therefore the the Act permits an opt-out system for organ donation.

• Food Hygiene Rating (Wales) Act 2013.

REFERENCES:

• Assembly of Wales (2013) Assembly Acts. Available at: http://http://assemblywales.org/bus-home/bus-legislation/assembly_acts.htm#assembly-committees/bus-home/bus-legislation/assembly_acts.htm#assembly-committees. (Accessed: 30 October 2013)

• BBC (2007) The National Assembly for Wales. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/culture/sites/aboutwales/pages/national_http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/culture/sites/aboutwales/pages/national_assembly.shtml. (Accessed: 29 October 2013)

• Wikipedia (2013) List of Acts and Measures of the National Assembly for Wales. Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Acts_and_Measures_of_http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Acts_and_Measures_of_the_National_Assembly_for_Walesthe_National_Assembly_for_Wales

BLOG TASK 3

Outline the difference between parliament and government

• Parliament represents the people.

• Government runs the country and is also elected by the people.

The UK Parliament consists of the House of Lords (Upper Chamber) and the House of Commons (Lower House). There are 650 MPs in the House of Commons each elected in their constituency. They consider and propose new laws, and can analyse government policies by asking ministers questions about current issues either in the Commons Chamber or in Committees. Furthermore there are 763 Peers in the House of Lords mostly appointed to be there by the political parties they support although the way peerages are awarded has adopted new changes in recent years.

The government is formed from a select group of frontbench MPs in the Commons. The party with the overall majority in the House of Commons will go on to form the next government, usually 326 MPs or more. If an overall majority is not attained then a coalition government is formed by joining two parties in order to achieve an overall majority. The head of the elected party will usually choose frontbenchers, which will comprise the cabinet.. However it should be noted that members of the House of Lords do not comprise the government. Therefore the government or cabinet is a sub-group of all the MPs in the House of Commons and they are accountable to parliament.

BLOG TASK 2

Compare and contrast the education system in your home county to that in the UK

When Zimbabwe attained its independence in 1980 education in the government-run schools was made free for all. The Ministry of Education Sport and Culture is responsible for maintaining and operating the government schools and in the United Kingdom The Department of Education plays a similar role.

Primary Education
In the UK primary education begins in the school year the child turns 5 and is compulsory for all children aged between 5 and 7. In Zimbabwe Grade 1 begins when the child turns 6. In rural areas pupils are taught in either Shona or Ndebele until Grade 3 when English is adopted. Whereas in urban areas English is the language medium from the very beginning.

Secondary Education
Although Zimbabwe had acquired its independence from Britain it maintained the Cambridge 2-tier model which is still in use in the UK till today. Under this model secondary education involves the first four years of high school and a pass in at least 5 subjects to obtain O-Levels. A further 2 years are required to attain A-Level qualifications.

Higher Education
Higher education in both Zimbabwe and the UK is set to international standards. In both countries it is characterised by three year degree programs depending on the chosen course and its structure. In addition universities also offer postgraduate study including master's and doctorate research degrees. It maybe noted that in Zimbabwe the Ministry of Education endevours to provide practical skills training programs and vocational training centres to those unable to gain entry into university. There are 7 universities in Zimbabwe, the oldest of these being the University of Zimbabwe founded in 1952.

English, Welsh and European Union students have access to state funds in the form of tuition fees and are also awarded a living allowance based on their circumstances.Under a similar setup the Ministry of Education offers the Students Grant and Loan Scheme which offers students financial support in terms of tuition fees and living expenses.



References

(2012) 'Diamond sales to fund student grants', University World News, (Issue 00292), [online]. Available at: http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20120113202931320/ (Accessed: 15 October 2013)

Shizha, E. and Kariwo, T.K. (2011) Education and Development in Zimbabwe: A Social, Political and Economic Analysis. The Netherlands: Sense Publishers.

Chikuhwa, J.W. (2008) Zimbabwe: Beyond A School Certificate. Bloomington, Indiana: Author House.

Machin, S. and Vignoles, A. (2005) What's the Good of Education ?: The Economics of Education in the UK. United Kingdom: Princeton University Press.

This weeks task focuses on the United Kingdom and its composition. The United Kingdom is made up of four countries: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. It should be noted that Great Britain is often used to refer to the United Kingdom interchangeably with London as the capital city.

England

The name England is derived from the name Englaland,which means 'land of the angels'. The Union flag or otherwise referred to as the Union Jack is the official flag of the United Kingdom. Its origin dates back to 1606 when the flag of England (a red cross on white background commonly known as the St George's Cross) was joined with the flag of Scotland (St Andrew's Cross) to form the Union flag above. England prides itself on being a popular tourist destination, with various attractions across the country. This video places particular attention on London as an iconic tourist destination: London England.