|
Electoral campaign communications |
|
The basic element of representative parliamentary democracies is free competitive elections which allow citizens to decide who governs them. Indeed, elections can be seen as the only regular opportunity for people to approve or disapprove, to “reward” or “punish” politicians and political parties for their actions. Elections are the “judgment day” where politicians and parties become accountable to voters who are going to express their political preference by electing their representatives. Political parties consist of human beings (politicians) who are very ambitious to retain power when their party is the ruling one, or to obtain power when in opposition. In order to achieve that aim they need to win support of the majority of the electorate which in turn would be transformed into votes in favour of themselves and consequently their political party. In other words they need to manipulate public opinion in a such a way as to create a positive climate, or rather an acceptance by the public of their manifesto, policies, and political messages. |
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Critical evaluation of Post-Marxist accounts of ideology |
|
London, February 2004 Introduction It has been established, and it is widely accepted, that Marx’s own theory of ideology is conducive to a certain type of reductionism, particularly if one takes into account Marx’s classic thesis in his – jointly written with F. Engels – The German Ideology: that the dominant ideology of any given society is the ideology of the dominant class [Mouzelis, 1990, 1-6]. ‘Reductionism’ is in fact any explanatory scheme in sociology and political science that ‘reduces’ every social cause to economics and class. |
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Prepare for demographic change, says Employment Committee |
|
Measures to prepare for demographic change should include cutbacks in early retirement, pension bonuses for parents, a guaranteed right to infertility treatment, easier adoption procedures for abused children, and sanctions against employers of clandestine immigrants, says an own-initiative report on the demographic future of Europe, approved by the Employment Committee on 23 January. The EU’s average birth-rate of 1.5 is “abnormally low”, says the report, drafted by Franηoise Castex (PES, FR). It stresses that although “maternity choices are very private decisions of women and men which must be respected”, birth-rate curves can be positively influenced by “a material and psychological environment favourable to families and children”. The committee recommends inter alia that Member States provide tax breaks for company crθches and take measures against employers who directly or indirectly discriminate female workers who wish to have children. |
|
Read more...
|
|
|
