http://www.insiderspolitics.com Politics from the inside Thu, 22 Jul 2010 04:56:34 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en South African politics have changed tremendously over the last few decades.  Apartheid began in South Africa in 1948 but that collapsed in 1994.  Apartheid (which is an Afrikaans word meaning separateness) basically meant that blacks and colored faced severe racial discrimination as well as total segregation by law.  This was ... http://www.insiderspolitics.com/south-african-politics-today/ Many people have a hard time figuring out the make-up of European politics.  So here are some basics to get you started:  The executive body of the European Union (EU) (known as the European Commission) comprises 27 commissioners and is located in Brussels.  Its tasks include:  legislation proposal; ensuring treaty ... http://www.insiderspolitics.com/understanding-european-politics/ Following the resulting Hung Parliament from Great Britain’s recent election, members of the Liberal Democrat Party are attempting to find ways to preserve their voice in Parliament.  The concern among those in the Party is that by joining with the Conservative Party, they will lose their voice “at a national ... http://www.insiderspolitics.com/what-are-the-british-lib-dems-to-do/ The British are notorious for their unruly behavior at football matches.  So much so, that it has now gotten to the point where the government minister for crime prevention, James Brokenshire has “begged England fans to behave well during the forthcoming World Cup.” Apparently, Minister Brokenshire has gone a step ... http://www.insiderspolitics.com/great-britain-the-world-cup-and-crime-prevention-minister/ The Supreme Court is the highest court that America has in its federal court system.  Below them are courts of appeal and below this are district courts. Individual court systems of each state also exist, and are separate from the federal court system, but they aren’t entirely divorced from the system ... http://www.insiderspolitics.com/the-judicial-branch-of-the-american-government/ Since it seems like the British people simply couldn’t make up their collective minds, the aftermath of the UK’s recent election results has the country n a bit of a mess.  What happened with the national elections was that no single party won a clear overall majority.  This means that ... http://www.insiderspolitics.com/the-uk-is-sort-of-stuck-now/ As everyone knows, the first president of the United States of America was George Washington.  On April 30, 1789, George Washington took his official oath of office while standing on a balcony of Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York. He wrote to James Madison, understanding how important his swearing ... http://www.insiderspolitics.com/history-about-george-washington/ Most of us know that the President of the United States has a cabinet, but exactly who is in this cabinet? And what do these people do? The United States Cabinet is comprised of the most senior appointed officers of the executive branch of the federal government. Each ... http://www.insiderspolitics.com/how-the-united-states-cabinet-works/ Even if you are the kind of person who sees yourself as totally apolitical, on some level, you are involved in politics, whether you like it or not.  Of course, we’re talking here of politics with a small p.  That can cover anything from where you buy your fruit to ... http://www.insiderspolitics.com/politics-are-you-a-small-or-big-p/ If you took a poll of voting Americans, most would probably say that they actually voted for the President.  What they don't realize is that they actually voted for electors - individuals who vote for the electoral college.  They didn't actually vote directly for the President. How does this process work? ... http://www.insiderspolitics.com/what-are-electoral-votes/