British Culture - User contributions [en]

Anti-Social Behaviour Order

2011-10-04T23:44:54Z

TINA:

'''Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBO)''' were introduced during the [[Tony Blair|Blair]] administration as part of the 1998 Crime and Disorder Act. They are directed at people over the age of ten who have acted "in a manner that caused or was likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to one or more persons not of the same household as himself" (Crime and Disorder Act). It is also intended to deter the offender and protect other people from further anti-social acts (cf. Macdonald 184). This broad definition opens the ASBO up to be applied to various sorts of misconduct. It is also noteworthy that soemthing needs only to be "likely" to cause harrassment etc. in order to cause an ASBO.

While the first issue of an ASBO does not create a criminal record (Kirk 259), the breach of one is a criminal offence and can be punished with a prison sentence of up to five years (cf. Macdonald 184).

The need for the establishment of the ASBO rose from the impression that "criminal trial is not the answer to a large number of society’s concerns about unlawful and quasi-unlawful behaviour" (Kirk 261). It was meant as a more direct means against perpetrators who often caused problems in a certain neighbourhood (cf. Macdonald 185), with a punishment that was to prevent them from keeping up their disruptive behaviour.

The ASBO has become so widely implemented, and for such rather petty offenses such as spitting or hanging around in public, that is has become "more of a ‘badge of honour’ than a punishment" (Kirk 259) for some adolescents.

== Sources ==
[http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/37/section/1 1998 Crime and Disorder Act] (accessed 18 May 2011)

Kirk, David. "Order, Order!" ''The Journal of Criminal Law'' (2008) 72: 259–261.

Macdonald, Stuart. "A Suicidal Woman, Roaming Pigs and a Noisy Trampolinist: Refining the ASBO’s Definition of Anti-Social Behaviour." ''The Modern Law Review'' 69 (2), 2006: 183-213.

CCTV

2011-10-04T21:18:00Z

TINA:

'''CCTV''' (Closed-Circuit Television) is a means of surveillance by video camera. In Britain, CCTV cameras are installed in public places to reduce crime and make the identification and persecution of offenders easier.

Redeployable CCTV cameras were first implemented in the 1950s and 60s. During the 1980s, stationary cameras became more widespread and widely accepted, with TV shows such as Crimewatch UK promoting them. In 1998, under PM [[Tony Blair]], the Home Office Crime Reduction Programme was implemented with a budget of £170 million to spend on new CCTV projects (Gill/Spriggs 1). In the period before this, roughly from 1949-1998, spending on CCTV had been £40 million.

==== Problems and Paradoxes of CCTV====

The presence of cameras does not always make people feel safer: People aware of CCTV cameras actually worry more about becoming a crime victim than those unaware of the cameras (cf. ''ibid''. x). Despite a decline in crime rates since the 1990s, fear of crime has risen and some even argue that the cameras generate a feeling of ever-present danger. Instances where increased feelings of safety were reported were found to be "statistically insignificant" (''ibid''. viii).

"Spatial displacement of crime", i.e. avoidance of cameras, was documented to happen as well (''ibid''. vii), making unsurveilled areas more attractive to potential criminals.

Indeed, a 2005 Home Office Study found that CCTV had "no overall effect on crime" (''ibid''. 44). Yet, in 2009, PM Gordon Brown claimed that CCTV reduced fear of crimes and the number of [[Anti-Social Behaviour Order|ASBOs]].

While British Information Commissioner Richard Thomas in 2006 uttered fears of "sleepwalking into a surveillance society" (qtd. in Malanowski 12) with law-abiding citizens becoming potential delinquents under CCTV, the cameras are often credited with identifying and tracking down criminals, as in the 1993 killing of James Bulger or the 2005 London bus bombings.

== Further Reading ==
[http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.102.7998&rep=rep1&type=pdf Home Office Research Study 292]

== Sources ==
Gill, Martin and Angela Spriggs. "Assessing the Impact of CCTV." ''Home Office Research Study 292'', 2005.

Malanowski, Jamie. "Big Bother: How a Million Surveillance Cameras in London are Proving George Orwell Wrong." ''Washington Monthly''. November/December 2009.

CCTV

2011-10-04T21:12:01Z

TINA:

'''CCTV''' (Closed-Circuit Television) is a means of surveillance by video camera. In Britain, CCTV cameras are installed in public places to reduce crime and make the identification and persecution of offenders easier.

Redeployable CCTV cameras were first implemented in the 1950s and 60s. During the 1980s, stationary cameras became more widespread and widely accepted, with TV shows such as Crimewatch UK promoting them. In 1998, under PM [[Tony Blair]], the Home Office Crime Reduction Programme was implemented with a budget of £170 million to spend on new CCTV projects (Gill/Spriggs 1). In the period before this, roughly from 1949-1998, spending on CCTV had been £40 million.

==== Problems and Paradoxes of CCTV====

The presence of cameras does not always make people feel safer: People aware of CCTV cameras actually worry more about becoming a crime victim than those unaware of the cameras (cf. ''ibid''. x). Despite a decline in crime rates since the 1990s, fear of crime has risen and some even argue that the cameras generate a feeling of ever-present danger. Instances where increased feelings of safety were reported were found to be "statistically insignificant" (''ibid''. viii).

"Spatial displacement of crime", i.e. avoidance of cameras, was documented to happen as well (''ibid''. vii), making unsurveilled areas more attractive to potential criminals.

Indeed, a 2005 Home Office Study found that CCTV had "no overall effect on crime" (''ibid''. 44). Yet, in 2009, PM Gordon Brown claimed that CCTV reduced fear of crimes and the number of [[Anti-Social Behaviour Order|ASBOs]].

While British Information Commissioner Richard Thomas in 2006 uttered fears of "sleepwalking into a surveillance society" (qtd. in Malanowski 12) with law-abiding citizens becoming potential delinquents under CCTV, the cameras are often credited with identifying and tracking down criminals, as in the 1993 killing of James Bulger or the 2005 London bus bombings.

== Further Reading ==
[http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.102.7998&rep=rep1&type=pdf Home Office Research Study 292]

== Sources ==
Gill, Martin and Angela Spriggs. "Assessing the Impact of CCTV." ''Home Office Research Study 292'', 2005.
Malanowski, Jamie. "Big Bother: How a Million Surveillance Cameras in London are Proving George Orwell Wrong." ''Washington Monthly''. November/December 2009.

CCTV

2011-10-04T20:45:32Z

TINA:

'''CCTV''' (Closed-Circuit Television) is a means of surveillance by video camera. In Britain, CCTV cameras are installed in public places to reduce crime and make the identification and persecution of offenders easier.

Redeployable CCTV cameras were first implemented in the 1950s and 60s. During the 1980s, stationary cameras became more widespread and widely accepted, with TV shows such as Crimewatch UK promoting them. In 1998, under PM [[Tony Blair]], the Home Office Crime Reduction Programme was implemented with a budget of £170 million to spend on new CCTV projects (Gill/Spriggs 1). In the period before this, roughly from 1949-1998, spending on CCTV had been £40 million.

==== Problems and Paradoxes of CCTV====

The presence of cameras does not always make people feel safer: People aware of CCTV cameras actually worry more about becoming a crime victim than those unaware of the cameras (cf. ''ibid''. x). Despite a decline in crime rates since the 1990s, fear of crime has risen and some even argue that the cameras generate a feeling of ever-present danger. Instances where increased feelings of safety were reported were found to be "statistically insignificant" (''ibid''. viii).

"Spatial displacement of crime", i.e. avoidance of cameras, was documented to happen as well (''ibid''. vii), making unsurveilled areas more attractive to potential criminals.

Indeed, a 2005 Home Office Study found that CCTV had "no overall effect on crime" (''ibid''. 44). Yet, in 2009, PM Gordon Brown claimed that CCTV reduced fear of crimes and the number of [[Anti-Social Behaviour Order|ASBOs]].

== Further Reading ==
[http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.102.7998&rep=rep1&type=pdf Home Office Research Study 292]

== Sources ==
Gill, Martin and Angela Spriggs. "Assessing the Impact of CCTV." ''Home Office Research Study 292'', 2005.

CCTV

2011-10-04T20:44:59Z

TINA:

'''CCTV''' (Closed-Circuit Television) is a means of surveillance by video camera. In Britain, CCTV cameras are installed in public places to reduce crime and make the identification and persecution of offenders easier.

Redeployable CCTV cameras were first implemented in the 1950s and 60s. During the 1980s, stationary camera surveillance became more widespread and widely accepted, with TV shows such as Crimewatch UK promoting it. In 1998, under PM [[Tony Blair]], the Home Office Crime Reduction Programme was implemented with a budget of £170 million to spend on new CCTV projects (Gill/Spriggs 1). In the period before this, roughly from 1949-1998, spending on CCTV had been £40 million.

==== Problems and Paradoxes of CCTV====

The presence of cameras does not always make people feel safer: People aware of CCTV cameras actually worry more about becoming a crime victim than those unaware of the cameras (cf. ''ibid''. x). Despite a decline in crime rates since the 1990s, fear of crime has risen and some even argue that the cameras generate a feeling of ever-present danger. Instances where increased feelings of safety were reported were found to be "statistically insignificant" (''ibid''. viii).

"Spatial displacement of crime", i.e. avoidance of cameras, was documented to happen as well (''ibid''. vii), making unsurveilled areas more attractive to potential criminals.

Indeed, a 2005 Home Office Study found that CCTV had "no overall effect on crime" (''ibid''. 44). Yet, in 2009, PM Gordon Brown claimed that CCTV reduced fear of crimes and the number of [[Anti-Social Behaviour Order|ASBOs]].

== Further Reading ==
[http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.102.7998&rep=rep1&type=pdf Home Office Research Study 292]

== Sources ==
Gill, Martin and Angela Spriggs. "Assessing the Impact of CCTV." ''Home Office Research Study 292'', 2005.

CCTV

2011-10-04T20:42:02Z

TINA:

'''CCTV''' (Closed-Circuit Television) is a means of surveillance by video camera. In Britain, CCTV cameras are installed in public places to reduce crime and make the identification and persecution of offenders easier.

Redeployable CCTV cameras were first implemented in the 1950s and 60s. During the 1980s, camera surveillance became more widespread and widely accepted, with TV shows such as Crimewatch UK promoting it. In 1998, under PM [[Tony Blair]], the Home Office Crime Reduction Programme was implemented with a budget of £170 million to spend on new CCTV projects (Gill/Spriggs 1). In the period before this, roughly from 1949-1998, spending on CCTV had been £40 million.

==== Problems and Paradoxes of CCTV====

The presence of cameras does not always make people feel safer: People aware of CCTV cameras actually worry more about becoming a crime victim than those unaware of the cameras (cf. ''ibid''. x). Despite a decline in crime rates since the 1990s, fear of crime has risen and some even argue that the cameras generate a feeling of ever-present danger. Instances where increased feelings of safety were reported were found to be "statistically insignificant" (''ibid''. viii).

"Spatial displacement of crime", i.e. avoidance of cameras, was documented to happen as well (''ibid''. vii), making unsurveilled areas more attractive to potential criminals.

Indeed, a 2005 Home Office Study found that CCTV had "no overall effect on crime" (''ibid''. 44). Yet, in 2009, PM Gordon Brown claimed that CCTV reduced fear of crimes and the number of [[Anti-Social Behaviour Order|ASBOs]].

== Further Reading ==
[http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.102.7998&rep=rep1&type=pdf Home Office Research Study 292]

== Sources ==
Gill, Martin and Angela Spriggs. "Assessing the Impact of CCTV." ''Home Office Research Study 292'', 2005.

CCTV

2011-09-28T15:55:11Z

TINA: /* CCTV */

'''CCTV''' (Closed-Circuit Television) is a means of surveillance by video camera. In Britain, CCTV cameras are installed in public places with the aim to prevent crime or make the identification and persecution of offenders easier.
The use of CCTV started in the 1960s, but was limited to temporarily installed cameras then. By the late 1990s, under PM [[Tony Blair]], spending on CCTV had largely increased, and stationary cameras been installed.

CCTV

2011-09-28T15:54:54Z

TINA: /* CCTV */

== CCTV ==

'''CCTV''' (Closed-Circuit Television) is a means of surveillance by video camera. In Britain, CCTV cameras are installed in public places with the aim to prevent crime or make the identification and persecution of offenders easier.
The use of CCTV started in the 1960s, but was limited to temporarily installed cameras then. By the late 1990s, under PM [[Tony Blair]], spending on CCTV had largely increased, and stationary cameras been installed.

CCTV

2011-09-28T15:54:25Z

TINA: Created page with ' == CCTV == '''CCTV''' (Closed-Circuit Television) is a means of surveillance by video camera. In Britain, CCTV cameras are installed in public places with the aim to prevent cr…'

== CCTV ==

'''CCTV''' (Closed-Circuit Television) is a means of surveillance by video camera. In Britain, CCTV cameras are installed in public places with the aim to prevent crime or make the identification and persecution of offenders easier.
The use of CCTV started in the 1960s, but was limited to temporarily installed cameras then. By the late 1990s, under PM Tony Blair, spending on CCTV had largely increased, and stationary cameras been installed.

Margaret Thatcher

2011-09-28T14:57:09Z

TINA:

Margaret Hilda Thatcher (maiden name: Roberts), Baroness Thatcher, was born on 13 October, 1925 in Grantham (Lincolnshire) as the daughter of a grocery retailer. She was the first female Prime Minister ever to serve Britain and she won three successive elections for the Conservatives. She was in office from 1979 until 1990. Thatcher holds a degree in chemistry and law. Thatcher has two children and was married to Dennis Thatcher († 2003).

Margaret Thatcher started her political career in Dartford (Kent) and fought the constituency for the Conservatives in 1950 which she failed to win in the general election. Under Harold Macmillan Thatcher became MP for Finchley in 1959. During her time as MP, Thatcher took up a few government posts, such as Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance. In 1975, Thatcher challenged [[Edward Heath]] for the party leadership and wins on the second ballot. After the general election in 1979, Thatcher would be PM until 1991.

The term ‘Thatcherism’ refers to Margaret Thatcher’s time as PM and combines her policies and public appearance as one single form of conducting politics. The following points will illustrate the policies that together make up what is called ‘Thatcherism’.

In 1979, Britain was in difficult socio-economic circumstances because of a declining economy, high inflation, and union strikes. This culminated in the so-called ‘winter of discontent’, which paved the way for Thatcher’s election campaign strategy with which she won the election. Thatcher was determined to stop Britain from its supposed economic and social ‘decline’.
During her time, Thatcher was criticised for being neo-liberal, as she successfully reduced the power and influence of labour unions. She thought that labour unions were the source of economic downturn in Britain as they prevented companies or industries from innovating their businesses. Therefore, Thatcher introduced some measures that were intended to make it harder for unions to call out a strike, such as a majority strike system or illegalise go on sympathy strikes. Thatcher also reduced the amount of subsidies paid to businesses as this would mean a distortion of economic developments. In this regard, the former British Keynesian approach to economics was criticised under Thatcher as being too socialist, so that a change in economic policies brought about the closure of many factories. These measures of the ‘supply-side economics’ was mixed with the theory by Milton Friedman which broadly supported an economic approach based on companies rather than on society as a whole, which is also frequently referred to as ‘laissez-faire economics’. This also included less state regulation together with fewer social labour rights for workers. Thatcher also reduced the welfare system in order to encourage people to take on work. Additionally, one of the main economic aims of her time in office was to keep inflation as low as possible, in which she eventually did not succeed. She wished to transform Britain into an enterprise-culture with more privatisation (e.g. British Rail), and tax reduction for the middle class. Thatcher famously claimed that ‘there was no such thing as society’ which meant that her approach was almost totally focused on the individual rather than society.

On the contrary, Thatcher took advantage of the wider society when it came to foreign policy. Thatcher was at the height of her career during the [[Falklands War]], when she promoted a strong and liberal Britain on the international stage. The war was a means of showing how strong Britain still could be with much focus on British grandeur, which from her point of view had to be restored. To Thatcher, Britain was an exceptional country whose civilisation progress had to be re-strengthened through the reversal of Britain’s decline. This notion was also conveyed in her time in office when it came to foreign policy. Thatcher’s form of foreign policy was classified as ‘handbag diplomacy’, and during European negotiations she often refused to cooperate but stressed the fact that British interests were paramount. Her form of diplomacy isolated Britain on the European stage and introduced a stronger form of ‘British Euroscepticism’. Rather than turning to Europe, Thatcher used to stress the importance of the ‘special relationship’ with the United States of America, whose former president Ronald Reagan was a close ally and a personal friend of hers.

Margaret Thatcher

2011-09-28T14:52:38Z

TINA:

Margaret Hilda Thatcher (maiden name: Roberts), Baroness Thatcher, was born on 13 October, 1925 in Grantham (Lincolnshire) as the daughter of a grocery retailer. She was the first female Prime Minister ever to serve Britain and she won three successive elections for the Conservatives. She was in office from 1979 until 1990. Thatcher holds a degree in chemistry and law. Thatcher has two children and was married to Dennis Thatcher († 2003).

Margaret Thatcher started her political career in Dartford (Kent) and fought the constituency for the Conservatives in 1950 which she failed to win in the general election. Under Harold Macmillan Thatcher became MP for Finchley in 1959. During her time as MP, Thatcher took up a few government posts, such as Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance. In 1975, Thatcher challenged Edward Heath for the party leadership and wins on the second ballot. After the general election in 1979, Thatcher would be PM until 1991.

The term ‘Thatcherism’ refers to Margaret Thatcher’s time as PM and combines her policies and public appearance as one single form of conducting politics. The following points will illustrate the policies that together make up what is called ‘Thatcherism’.

In 1979, Britain was in difficult socio-economic circumstances because of a declining economy, high inflation, and union strikes. This culminated in the so-called ‘winter of discontent’, which paved the way for Thatcher’s election campaign strategy with which she won the election. Thatcher was determined to stop Britain from its supposed economic and social ‘decline’.
During her time, Thatcher was criticised for being neo-liberal, as she successfully reduced the power and influence of labour unions. She thought that labour unions were the source of economic downturn in Britain as they prevented companies or industries from innovating their businesses. Therefore, Thatcher introduced some measures that were intended to make it harder for unions to call out a strike, such as a majority strike system or illegalise go on sympathy strikes. Thatcher also reduced the amount of subsidies paid to businesses as this would mean a distortion of economic developments. In this regard, the former British Keynesian approach to economics was criticised under Thatcher as being too socialist, so that a change in economic policies brought about the closure of many factories. These measures of the ‘supply-side economics’ was mixed with the theory by Milton Friedman which broadly supported an economic approach based on companies rather than on society as a whole, which is also frequently referred to as ‘laissez-faire economics’. This also included less state regulation together with fewer social labour rights for workers. Thatcher also reduced the welfare system in order to encourage people to take on work. Additionally, one of the main economic aims of her time in office was to keep inflation as low as possible, in which she eventually did not succeed. She wished to transform Britain into an enterprise-culture with more privatisation (e.g. British Rail), and tax reduction for the middle class. Thatcher famously claimed that ‘there was no such thing as society’ which meant that her approach was almost totally focused on the individual rather than society.

On the contrary, Thatcher took advantage of the wider society when it came to foreign policy. Thatcher was at the height of her career during the [[Falklands War]], when she promoted a strong and liberal Britain on the international stage. The war was a means of showing how strong Britain still could be with much focus on British grandeur, which from her point of view had to be restored. To Thatcher, Britain was an exceptional country whose civilisation progress had to be re-strengthened through the reversal of Britain’s decline. This notion was also conveyed in her time in office when it came to foreign policy. Thatcher’s form of foreign policy was classified as ‘handbag diplomacy’, and during European negotiations she often refused to cooperate but stressed the fact that British interests were paramount. Her form of diplomacy isolated Britain on the European stage and introduced a stronger form of ‘British Euroscepticism’. Rather than turning to Europe, Thatcher used to stress the importance of the ‘special relationship’ with the United States of America, whose former president Ronald Reagan was a close ally and a personal friend of hers.

Anti-Social Behaviour Order

2011-05-18T16:16:26Z

TINA: Created page with ''''Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBO)''' were introduced during the Blair administration as part of the 1998 Crime and Disorder Act. They are directed at people o…'