The Evolution of the British Welfare State Essay

The Evolution of the British Welfare State - Essay Example It is often said that the Great Statesman, who rescued a warn-torn Britain in the First World War, Winston Churchill lay the very foundations of the British welfare state. Even as back as 1909 he had laid the groundwork for his "radical reforms," for the labor workforce aimed at making working conditions pleasant and to improve labor relations with the employer.The modern-day health insurance system is indeed a brainchild of Churchill and in 1946 despite his conservative roots he still gave support for Clement Atlee's introduction of near-full socialism in Britain.The emerging labor party, in particular, took it upon itself towards a commitment to reform and social justice, which was later dubbed rhetorically as the British brand of socialism. And thus began a period collective welfare which sought to rid the society of the "scramble for private gain" which tainted the society's ideals and conscience in the name of "Capitalism".According to contemporaries like George Bernard Shaw who called this an "installment of Socialism" rather than a revolution.Britain has had much to learn from its contemporaries in this regard. Whereas the Soviet Union seemed a complete package of central planning a concept new to the West, the British Government took this influence to enlarge its role in the Economic sector.This was the inception of a "Welfare state" which began in the mid-thirties as the Government became active in its industrial ventures.The saving of the national economy was a cause shared by all the affectees of the war.The traditional 19th-century liberalism was in shambles now and the concept self-interest being a social good was rejected as plain selfish and Unjust. One of the key leaders of this movement Prime Minister Attlee once remarked that the capitalism and self-interest was "a pathetic faith resting on no foundation of experience." The new Britain as envisaged by its labourite perceivers would be a promised land where past mistakes would never be repeated and the government would take responsibility for its people. The Beveridge Report was prepared by a government-appointed commission during World War II under William Beveridge, a former economist, and bureaucrat.The aim of this report was to slay the "five giants" of Want, Disease, Ignorance, Squalor, and Idleness.The report generated worldwide controversy particularly in the Soviet and German circles, as Britain braced its role as a welfare state.The Beveridge report played a pivotal role in the setting up of free medical care(the modern day NHS), promoted the idea of pensions and welfare education and housing and unemployment benefits

Predator - Prey Relationships :: Predators Animal Kingdom Biology Essays

Predator - Prey Relationships The relationship between predators and their prey is an intricate and complicated relationship; covering a great area of scientific knowledge. This paper will examine the different relationships between predator and prey; focusing on the symbiotic relations between organisms, the wide range of defense mechanisms that are utilized by various examples of prey, and the influence between predators and prey concerning evolution and population structure. Symbiosis is the interaction between organisms forming a long term relationship with each other. Many organisms become dependent on others and they need one another or one needs the other to survive. Symbiotic interactions include forms of parasitism, mutualism, and commensalism. The first topic of discussion in symbiosis is parasitism. Parasitism is when the relationship between two animal populations becomes intimate and the individuals of one population use the other population as a source of food and can be located in or on the host animal or animal of the other population(Boughey 1973). No known organism escapes being a victim of parasitism(Brum 1989). Parasitism is similar to preditation in the sense that the parasite derives nourishment from the host on which it feeds and the predator derives nourishment from the prey on which it feeds(Nitecki 1983). Parasitism is different from most normal predator prey situations because many different parasites can feed off of just one host but very few predators can feed on the same prey(1973). In parasite-host relationships most commonly the parasite is smaller than the host. This would explain why many parasites can feed off of one single host. Another difference in parasite-host relationships is that normally the parasite or group of parasites do not kill the host from feeding, whereas a predator will kill it’ s prey(1983). Efficient parasites will not kill their host at least until their own life cycle has been completed(1973). The ideal situation for a parasite is one in which the host animal can live for a long enough time for the parasite to reproduce several times(Arms 1987). Parasites fall under two different categories according to where on the host they live. Endoparasites are usually the smaller parasites and tend to live inside of the host(1973). These internal parasites have certain physiological and anatomical adaptations to make their life easier(1987). An example of this is the roundworm, which has protective coating around it’s body to ensure that it will not be digested. Many internal parasites must have more than one host in order to carry out reproduction(1989). A parasite may lay eggs inside the host it is living in, and the eggs are excreted with the host’s feces.

Human rights legislation Essay

UK Citizens now have certain basic human rights which government and public authorities are legally obliged to respect. These became law as part of the Human Rights Act 1998. This Act 1998 gives legal effect in the UK to 16 of the fundamental rights and freedoms contained in the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). These rights not only affect matters of life and death like freedom from torture and killing but also affect your rights in everyday life: what you can say and do, your beliefs, your right to a fair trial and many other similar basic entitlements. The rights are not absolute – governments have the power to limit or control them in times of severe need or emergency. There are also responsibilities to respect the rights of others – and not exercise yours in a way which is likely to stop them from being able to exercise theirs. (Human Rights Act, 1998)The evidence from the Estia seminar, suggests that some of the human rights legislation has not yet had m uch effect on the lives of people with a learning disability, especially in those whose learning disability is more severe (Annette, 2004). This reflection will focus on the issues surrounding personal relationships, three articles of The Human Rights Act (1998) relate to this: Article 3 – no one shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; Article 8 – Everyone has the right to respect for his private and family life, his home and his correspondence; and Article 12 – Men and women of marriageable age have the right to marry and to found a family, according to the national laws governing the exercise of this right. (Human Rights Act, 1998)FeelingsAll human beings are sexual beings, sexuality is not an optional extra, and everyone has sexual needs, feelings and desires. People are entitled to express their sexuality in different ways, showing respect for self and others. People with a learning disability should be supported to make informed choices and be allowed the opportunities to exercise their rights and responsibilities in regards to sexual health and personal relationships, which are an integral part of their lives. It is clear through the rest of this reflection that these basic human rights are not being met, therefore it is hoped that the failure to provide opportunities for people with a learning disability will be the subject of legal challenge under the Human Rights Act. Government policy demands that services work towards inclusion for people with a learning disability, meaning that they should have positive, reciprocal  relationships, be part of the community and enjoy ordinary life. I also believe that enabling people with a learning disability to enjoy a full range of relationships is one of the keys to empowerment. I understand the need to protect people who may be vulnerable, but I think there is a fine line between protection an d avoidance, and at the moment the majority of staff are avoiding the issues surrounding sexualty. EvaluationIt is still relatively unusual for people to accept that people with a learning disability have ordinary sexual feelings and desires, let alone should be allowed to act on them. They are seldom given encouragement, opportunity or the necessary privacy to develop intimate sexual relationships. (Annette, 2004)When discussing issues such as parenting, sex, and also homosexuality, all of which may be regarded as positive, emphasis is often placed on possible negative implications. For example, in relation to parenting, despite evidence that people with a learning disability can develop parenting skills, and many have been excellent parents, it is frequently seen as something that should be avoided, and if pregnancy does occur, it is likely to result in the child being removed. (Paul, 2007) Likewise, in relation to homosexuality, these relationships are even less well tolerated and are generally perceived not only as ‘inappropriate’ behaviour, but also often as ‘abusive’ sexual behaviour and as challenging behaviour (Annette, 2004). The focus also seems to be on concern about vulnerability of men with a learning disability engaging in same sex relationships to such things of abuse and HIV (Paul, 2007). In British society today, homosexual relationships are widely accepted, but this open-mindness has yet to be extended to people with a learning disability. Section 13 of the Criminal Law regulates homosexual acts between me, not women, in Scotland. Under the provision of Section 13, homosexual acts are legal if: the parties consent, the parties are over 18 and the act does not take place in a public place. Also, in residential care, women’s sexuality sometimes appears to be a matter of simply recognising menstruation, which is monitored and counted, (invading the privacy of the women), preventing pregnancy by putting women on the contraceptive pill. In such circumstances, it is hard to see that the  human rights of these women, to private lives, to marry and to found familes are being respected. A study carried out by the Judith Trust studied 11 women who lived in a longstay hospital and followed them through the ‘community care’ act, however only 3 made it to independent community. Out of these 3, one of the ladies did have an ongoing sexual relationship with her boyfriend, yet she was not invited to her case conference determining her future and included discussions about her relationship. She was lucky that as decision was made on pragmatic grounds that she should be enabled to continue to see and relate to her boyfriend. This is a unique case, intimate relationships are rarely part of a decision to move someone to another residence or of decisions about how they are best be cared for, whereas for most of us such intimate and family relationships are key to these decisions. (Annette, 2004) Ungendered life is very atypical, living with people of the opposite sex who are neither family, friends or lovers is a very unusual arrangement. People with a learning disability have the same rights in law as anyone else to marry or live together providing the person is over 16years and has a general understanding of what it means to get married, he or she has the legal capacity to consent to marriage. No one else’s consent is ever required. The district registrar can refuse to authorise a marriage taking place if he or she believes one of the parties does not have a mental capacity to consent, but the level of learning disability has to very high before the District Registrar will do so. AnalysisLearning about sexuality is a life long and often haphazard process, learning from parents, school, television and magazines, most of which are inaccessible to people who have a learning disability. It is often the case that people with a learning disability only get a very negative form of sex education, for example ‘Don’t do that, it’s not nice’, and ‘Stop touching yourself down there, that’s bad’. (Making Choices, Keeping Safe, 2004) Not giving them any positive format or sensible sex education does not mean that they won’t pick up enticing ideas, but they need more sex education than most young people in order to protect them from people who might exploit them. Ignorance is definitely not bliss, not knowing how to behave or the  consequence of sexual activity, not knowing the difference between public and private behaviour, or teaching them that it is ok to say ‘no’, leaves people with a learning disability very vulnerable to getting into trouble, to abuse or exploitation. Proper sex education is therefore a particular important factor in not only helping them to have appropriate relationships but in helping them to protect themselves from abuse. Consent is crucial in deciding whether a particular sexual relationship or act is abusive. There are some individuals with a learning disability who would not be considered as being able to give consent and lack capacity. The Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 is now the most significant piece of legislation in the protection of vulnerable adults. It is concerned with adults who are defined as being incapable of acting, making decisions, communicating decisions, understanding decisions, by reason of mental disorder or physical illness’ (Adults with Incapacity Act, 2000). In considering consent, Kennedy and Niederbuhl (2001) asked 305 American psychologists about the most important issues to assess when considering consent to a sexual relationship. They came up with three main issues: 1. basic sexual knowledge, 2. knowledge of the consequences of sexual behaviour and 3. abilities in self-protection. (Gates, 2007) These 3 issues could be used as a guide as to develop inf ormation around and also to guide those involved in decisions around consent. ConclusionAll people with a learning disability have the right to enjoy a full range of relationships and to choose to express their sexuality at a variety of levels. They also have the right to be protected from any situation where they are vulnerable to exploitation and at risk of physical, sexual or emotional abuse. However, The sexuality of people with a learning disability raises questions and sometimes dilemmas, on the one hand we wish to secure freedom and choice for them; but at the same time we have a duty to protect them from exploitation or abuse. However, the principle of ‘normalisation’ emphasises the intergration of people with learning disabilities in society. This increases their presence in the community, which in turn gives them the chance to exercise their right to make choices regarding their sexuality. (Savarimuthio & Bunnel, 2003) I therefore think  that information is key to what is required for anyone to participate meaningfully as an adult in any intimate role. However, most carers would rather ignore the issue of sexuality until such a time as a problem arose. Therefore staff need to better informed and training given to the service providers. Action Plan All people with a learning disability should be given appropriate information in the most accessible format related to the understanding of the individual. It should be available in a range of formats including written material, audio, pictures, and symbols etc. References Annette, L. 2004. Human Rights and the failure of policy to deliver: Women with learning disabilities and mental health needs. Tizard Learning disability ReviewGates, B. (ed) 2007. Learning Disabilities Toward Inclusion. (5th Ed) Elseevier, Edinburgh. Human Rights Act 1998 (Retrieved 25th November 2007) http://www.england-legislation.hmso.gov.uk/acts/acts1998/ukpga_19980042_en_1#pb1-l1g1Making choices, keeping safe. 2004Paul, W. 2007. ‘I count myself as normal, well, not normal, but normal enough’. Men with a learning disability tell their stories about Sexualty and Sexual Identity. Tizard Learning Disabilty ReviewSavarimuthio, D,. & Bunnell, T. (2003). Sexuality and Learning Disabilities. Nursing Standard. 17, 39, 33-35.

Comparing Maturation in Sons and Lovers, Out Of The...

Comparing Maturation in Sons and Lovers by D.H Lawrence, Out Of The Shelter by David Lodge and The Rachel Papers by Martin Amis Each of these three novels Sons and Lovers by D.H Lawrence, Out Of The Shelter by David Lodge and The Rachel Papers by Martin Amis, examine the transition between childhood and adulthood of the three main characters in each of the texts. Each author represents this transition by showing how all the characters deal with significant stages or events in their lives. The problems which they encounter lead to the maturation of each character which finally leads to the process of growing up taking place. Although each book is set in a different era, where social conventions are very different, many of the†¦show more content†¦Miriam, who is Pauls first love, is sweet and gentle and kind and it is for these reasons that Paul is attracted to her at first. Mrs Morel tries to discourage Paul from developing his relationship with Miriam because to her Miriam poses a huge threat to her relationship with Paul.This is apparent when Mrs Morel tells Paul, ... she exults so in taking you from me - shes not like ordinary girls. Clearly Miriam is an ordinary girl and it is in fact Pauls mother and her relationship with him which is not normal. Pauls relationship with Miriam is more mental than physical and it is this that Mrs Morel cannot accept. She cannot come to terms withthe fact that someone else might know, love and be as close to her son as she is. His mother is such a dominant force in his life that eventually he ends his relationship with Miriam. His mothers domination has a suffocating effect on Paul which prevents him from being able to develop both as a person and an artist. This is reflected in the setting of this novel which is a dark and suffocating coal-mining community. We are made aware of this from the very beginning of the book where the opening line reads, THE BOTTOMS succeeded to Hell Row. This means that from the moment the story begins it is clear that the main character, Paul Morel, will face not only the ordinary problems and difficulties which are linked with growing up, but also those associated with living in a repressed and stifling