How does the media shape our perception of crime and the criminal Research Paper

How does the media shape our perception of crime and the criminal justice system - Research Paper Example The media have a role in informing and even educating the public about such themes, but it must always be remembered that this is not the only, and often not the primary, function of mass media. Media exist in a business world where they must generate revenue, and they are driven by market forces as much as ethics and attention to veracity and an accurate representation of reality. Against this background it is important to ask the question whether, and in what way the mass media change people’s perception of crime and whether this increases their own fear of crime occurring in their own personal sphere. A number of empirical studies, mostly based in the United States of America, have tried to pin down exactly what the effects of media are on people’s perceptions of crime and the criminal justice system. ... al news does have an effect on people, but that â€Å"when the news is closer to the everyday lives of the viewers, it will have more input to their fears,† (Chiricos, Padgett and Gertz: 2000, p. 779) The frequency of viewing local news was found to be significant for viewers’ fear of crime and the authors note that a preoccupation with violent crime in local news is doubly harmful for residents in high crime areas because it resonates with them much more than with residents in affluent and low crime areas, who see it as something distant which does not affect them. Another large study looked at differences in the way that local news media, and especially local television, depict urban and suburban crime, in a sample of 7,667 local news stories drawn from the whole of the United States. (Yanich: 2004, p. 541) This study is important because it provides statistical evidence of the proportion of news broadcasting time devoted to crime (around 28%), which makes it the pred ominant or second-most frequent story in all of the newscasts. When the crime reporting was analysed further, it transpired that court stories were prominent, 35-38% which is explained by the relative ease of obtaining information in the local area, the cost-saving ability to use material from previous reporting of the actual crime, and, significantly, â€Å"court stories offer court news as miniseries – the media trial – in which the media co-opt the criminal justice system as a source of high drama and entertainment. (Yanich: 2004, p. 544) Yanich also observed a phenomenon which he describes as â€Å"crime creep† whereby crimes occurring in suburban areas are more often reported than crimes occurring in urban areas, using a motif of advancing waves of crime spreading out from the core city to the

Ford Galaxy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Ford Galaxy - Essay Example Ford Galaxy is a seven-seater luxury large Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV) developed jointly by Ford and Volkswagen and was first introduced in 1995. During the Frankfurt Motor Show held last September 2005, the latest Ford Galaxy model was unveiled. It will be available in the market in the middle of 2006. In the Motor Industry Facts 2006 published by SMMT (Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders Ltd.), total car registration in UK reached 2.4 million as of 2005. In table 1 below, Lower Medium segment remains to be the most dominant car type in the industry owning 31.2% of the market. Ford Focus, Vauxhall Astra, and Renault Megane are among the products included in this category. However, total car registration was down by 5% compared to 2004. Major factors attributed to such decline were lower consumer spending, increasing interest rates, and intense competition in the industry. Very evident in the last three years in the industry was the shift of consumer preferences in terms of car type. Share of Superminis like Corsa, Fiesta, and 206 went down by 3.9% while its alternative Lower Medium increased market share by 2.8%. Furthermore, SUVs or Dual Purpose 4x4s and MPVs increased share in the industry New car registrations can be classified as non-private (fleet and business) and private. An estimated of about 44.1% of total car registrations were categorised as private vehicles. ... In terms of non-private, 49% were contributed by business segment and the remaining 7.3% for fleet. Table 1 MPV's or minivans are slowly gaining popularity in the industry resulting to a 3-year compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.6% against total industry CAGR of -1.6%. However, total MPV declined by 8% which is somewhat similar to the situation of the total car industry. MPVs are also known as people carrier, multi-utility vehicle, or to some extent as minivan. A typical MPV can seat 7 people or more, relatively higher than normal sedans, and can be characterised as a family car. It is further segmented in three major categories - mini-MPV (e.g. Hyundai Matrix), compact MPV (e.g. Vauxhall Zafira), and large MPV (e.g. Ford Galaxy) depending on its body size and seating capacity. Market Needs In the survey involving 3,000 new car buyers conducted by Vauxhall Motors last 2003, reliability turned out to be the most important consideration affecting car purchase. Price which was the primary consideration in year 2002 fell to 4th position. Comfort, fuel economy, price, exterior size and space in vehicle are other leading considerations influencing car purchase in UK. Market Forecast Car registration forecast in 2006 is still negatively skewed according to SMMT. Expected new car registrations will be around 2.375 million or -2.7% compared to actual car registration in 2005. Weak economic forecast which is directly related to weakening consumer spending is considered as one of the significant deterrents in 2006. Conversely, diesel demand is predicted to increase in the coming years. Competition General target buyers for MPV are young families with children age 6 to 11 years old who want better fuel economic savings. The growing fierce

Meaning of Life and Literary Metaphorical Descriptions Essay Example for Free

Meaning of Life and Literary Metaphorical Descriptions Essay Stuck and chained without any tendency of where your life is headed, requires necessary effort to go through. This is the situation for the main character in Wiliam Lychacks short story, Stolpestad. Without any whereabouts of his life directions, Stolpestad come across his own life through unpleasant confrontations of his own identity loss. â€Å"This is your life, Stolpestad† Stolpestad finds that his life gone tedious, waiting towards the end of each shift, lying and giving an excuse to postpone his arrival back home to his wife and his children. Driving through the city, Stolpestad yearns after his life in the town as child. â€Å"You idle slow and lawful past the house as if to glimpse someone or something – yourself as a boy, perhaps. † Though Stolpestad is aware of the requisite in his absence back home, he decides to go to a bar. At the bar he is telling stories, spreading laughter, about his earlier predicament with shooting the suffering dog. Stolpestad seems full of confidence re-telling the story, but in the certain situation he was nervous and sensitive: â€Å"with this hope that she’s already dead- that shrill of insects in the heat and grass as you nudge her again. You push until she comes to life, her eye opening slow and black to you – you with this hope that the boy will be running any moment to you now, hollering for you to stop. † He wish the dog to already be dead, or that the boy will come hollering him to stop. This nervousness of his comes truly to life when the boy and his father are confronting him, and the surrounding noices frightens him: â€Å"It’s only a door opening – but look how jumpy you are†. Stolpestad finds this confrontation to be a very uncomfortable situations, and feel that it is a repeating element in his life, which is depicted in this paragraph: â€Å"the deja vu of a pickup truck in the driveway as you pull around the house, as if you’ve seen or imagined or been through all of this be- fore, or will be through it all again, over and over†. We can interpret this, from the fact that Stolpestad keeps running into these unpleasant situations. Putting down a suffering dog turns into an unintentional disservice to the dying dog, the boy and his father and himself. The unsuccessful execution and the survival of the suffering dog, Goliath, can be seen as a metaphor for Stolpestads life. The life of the dog Goliath and Stolpestads life are heading in the same direction, Goliaths suffering is a reflection of the suffering in Stolpestads own life. Gully is gravely injured and it is just a matter of time until its’ life will peg out, but even after what was supposed to be an easy put down, the dog remains alive. Stolpestad is neither injured or near death. Stolpestad is caught between the choices whether he shall pursue his meaning of life or leave this world behind. He is stuck as a spectator of his own life, as the dying dog Goliath is a spectator of its’ own death. The injury of the dog can also be interpreted as a simile for the environment and the town Stolpestad lives in. The Christian narrative of â€Å"David and Goliath† deals for Goliaths sake with the themes negativity and failure. The nickname â€Å"Gully† is a synonym for a sewer. That means, that the dogs name in both significances refers to something including degradation and poor environs. Goliath lies on all the trash on the families within the families’ premises and symbolizes the poor social environment that the family hails from. The family is tamped by this inadequacy in the society, which the dog and its name symbolize. The sentence: â€Å"The old tires, empty bottles, paint cans, rusty car axle, refrigerator door† exemplifies what poor environment the family is a part of. The environment of the father may also explain the cause of his ironical compliments of Stolpestads house: â€Å"He lets out a long sigh and says it’s a fine place you seem to have here†. Still this higher league of society does not fit Stolpestad, and it does not seem like he has been in this contrast to the lower league of society his whole life, which also may cause the sympathy he has for the boy. The boy can be interpreted as an illusion of Stolpestad as a child. In the early beginning of the short story, Stolpestad is driving around soulless, looking for something – possibly himself as a child, and after the meeting with the boy, he quickly conceives comprehension of his life situation. This may be caused of Stolpestads own youth, that may have been difficult, but he still may miss: â€Å"Back to all the turns you were born, your whole life spent along the same sad streets† The kind of narrator being used in the story is a â€Å"second person narrator† who writes to a certain â€Å"you†. Our â€Å"you†, who our narrator directs itself to is the main character of the story, Stolpestad. Though it is Stolpestad the narrator direct itself to, the reader feels like being spoken to, when this narrative perspective is being used: †Was toward the end of your shift†. This way a text involves and affects its reader in a whole other level. It is hard to judge whether the narrator is an actual figure or totally absent throughout the story. The narrator does not specifically appear throughout the story, but certain things point to the narrators’ appearance: †away we go†. Still it is doubtful and unknown, who the narrator may be, as the short story does not give an unequivocal explanation of who the narrator might be. The language is both embossed of slang and then the more literary metaphorical descriptions. This shows, how the narrator has authority of changing the style when it fits him. Therefore it is a mixture of the lower style and a formal literary style. Stolpestad is living a life that just passes by, without him taking any action, and therefore he feels like his whole life just consists of continuous repetitions. He is living in the same surroundings as he did in his youth and during his childhood so therefore his external rams haven’t changed, though he has become older. Therefore everything feels recognizable and boring for him. With the description from a second person narrator, who sees Stolpestad from an external perspective, we can connect this to the interpretation of him as a passive individual. He is not even in possession of the authority to tell his own story, but is having it told by another narrator interfering and judging him negatively. Here as well he stands without influence, but may passively let the narrator relate his story, while he himself will have to be a spectator to his own life. So do not just let life pass you by.

Understanding the Ebola virus

Understanding the Ebola virus We have this belief that everything around us is not so dangerous. That animals the most dangerous part of them is the fact that they can bite you. There are strains and viruses that can kill you and not really realize it. Ebola is a deadly virus found in animals and passed on to humans. We can easily contract this virus from an animal without realizing it. It is not as contagious as most people may think but is very infectious. The common cold or measles are more likely to be contracted than the Ebola virus. As of 2014 we have had one of the largest outbreaks so far in recorded history. Research says that the virus mainly came from the handling of monkeys or chimpanzees. The Ebola virus was originally locates in Africa. In the United States there were only 4 cases found and 1 death reported. Liberia has the most recorded death rate @ 4,809. Sierra Leone has had the most recorded outbreak in history with numbers as high as 14,124 on record. Some say that the US government had something to do with the outbreak. Nothing is concrete as of yet. We are easily exposed to the virus because we deal with animals all the time. It can be transmitted from animal to human through bodily fluids and or blood secretion. Because so many animals are coming from other countries we cannot determine what animal may or may not be carrying the virus. There is another agency that is invoved as well as the CDC. They are called the WHO (The World Health Organization).ÂÂ   If Ebola is detected in a person the CDC will be contacted immediately. They may ask if you have traveled out of the country in the last 3 months and have been in contact with any animals. Personal information also may be asked as far as your sex life in the last three months. Ebola can be transmitted through sexual intercourse if you have the virus. You may not know if you have the virus because the symptoms are more like flu symptoms. It may take anywhere from 8-10 days after exposure for anything to appear. In some cases it has been detected as early as 2 days. The virus may last as long as twenty one days. Some symptoms may appear as simple as a headache, muscle pain, vomiting and even being tired. These symptoms may be mistaken for malaria. Ebola can be diagnosed with a simple blood test. The blood test will detect low platelets, elevated liver enzymes, and low and high white blood cell count if there is any detection of the Ebola virus. If there is any detection, a person would undergo isolation. This is where a person would be in a room that can be monitored closely until the virus is controlled. It is said for all workers to wear gowns, eye wear, mask, and all PPE available to you to reduce risk of exposure. The recovery time is at seven to fourteen days after exposure. The timeline for the a person who is not going to recover would be between six and sixteen days. There will be no signs of a person getting any better. The symptoms will get worse. There is no known cure or vaccination for the Ebola virus. If treated the virus may be controlled with medication to maintain blood pressure. A person may be given extra oxygen or iv fluids to keep you hydrated. There were two American missionaries that became infected and were given an experimental drug called ZMapp which seems to have worked. It has been said that chlorine, disinfectant, soap, and even detergents may kill the virus. As of today the virus is not known to be airborne. It can only be transmitted through direct fluids. There are many more experimental drugs but are very costly to bring forth. There are four strains of the Ebola virus that can be transmitted into humans. The best way for you not to get the virus is not to travel in any of the areas where the virus is located. References Lightsey, Ross F. Fighting Ebola: an interagency collaboration paradigm. Joint Force Quarterly, Apr. 2016, p. 62+. Academic OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=AONEsw=wu=lirn92264v=2.1id=GALE%7CA456758336it=rasid=282ffbb92ee8f927f987f7995b4aea43. Accessed 28 Mar. 2017. Lightsey, Ross F. Fighting Ebola: an interagency collaboration paradigm. Joint Force Quarterly, Apr. 2016, p. 62+. Academic OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=AONEsw=wu=lirn92264v=2.1id=GALE%7CA456758336it=rasid=282ffbb92ee8f927f987f7995b4aea43. Accessed 28 Mar. 2017. Lightsey, Ross F. Fighting Ebola: an interagency collaboration paradigm. Joint Force Quarterly, Apr. 2016, p. 62+. Academic OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=AONEsw=wu=lirn92264v=2.1id=GALE%7CA456758336it=rasid=282ffbb92ee8f927f987f7995b4aea43. Accessed 28 Mar. 2017. Bray M. Diagnosis and treatment of Ebola and Marburg hemorrhagic fever. http://www.uptodate.com/home. Acces

education quality :: essays research papers

Why focus on quality? Although some of the international treaties, by specifying the need to provide education on human rights, reproductive health, sports and gender awareness, touched on educational quality,2 they were generally silent about how well education systems could and should be expected to perform in meeting these objectives. This remained true as recently as 2000, when the United Nations Millennium Declaration’s commitment to achieve UPE by 2015 was directly and simply set out without explicit reference to quality (see Box 1.1). Thus, in placing the emphasis upon assuring access for all, these instruments mainly focused on the quantitative aspects of education policy. It seems highly likely, however, that the achievement of universal participation in education will be fundamentally dependent upon the quality of education available. For example, how well pupils are taught and how much they learn, can have a crucial impact on how long they stay in school and how regularly they attend. Furthermore, whether parents send their children to school at all is likely to depend on judgements they make about the quality of teaching and learning provided – upon whether attending school is worth the time and cost for their children and for themselves. The instrumental roles of schooling – helping individuals achieve their own economic and social and cultural objectives and helping society to be better protected, better served by its leaders and more equitable in important ways – will be strengthened if education is of higher quality.3 Schooling helps children develop creatively and emotionally and acquire the skills, knowledge, values and attitudes necessary for responsible, active and productive citizenship. How well education achieves these outcomes

Views of Slavery and Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreaus Work

Views of Slavery and Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau's Works Two men, similar in their transcendentalist beliefs and yet so different in their methods of expressing their beliefs on handling the issues of society, were major voices in the anti-slavery movement. While their focuses are more on the subjects of morality and individual choice, they still reflect on how slavery should be addressed by the American people, American referring to the free whites who actually make the decisions. Ralph Waldo Emerson is highly regarded for his views on Transcendentalism during what some of deemed the â€Å"American Renaissance.† Emerson establishes his place in history by expressing his liberal agenda through his beliefs that truth is based on intuition and law should be based on individual reflection. He believes that the only way one could truly learn about life is by ignoring knowledge from outside sources and relying on one’s internal voice; he incorporates this belief into the convincing rhetoric of â€Å"Last of the Anti-Slavery L ectures.† While Emerson asserts his views on self reliance, he is really trying to sway the views of his audience. This makes us ask the question: Is he really right, or is he only convincing us that he is right? Henry David Thoreau, however, serves as both a complement and a foil for Emerson; while he also expresses his transcendental beliefs, he converges on a split between these beliefs and reason. He articulates his ideas in â€Å"Slavery in Massachusetts,† a piece that illustrates how Thoreau separates himself from his own state because of his â€Å"contempt for her courts† (1991). While some would argue that Thoreau is somewhat of a better writer than Emerson, it cannot be denied that one cannot reach... ...ety. He strengthens his views with his inclusion of images of nature and his comparative analysis of the beauty of nature with the good of society. Both men support transcendental views that complement each other’s beliefs. While their paths to the solution differ, the resolution that slavery is an unscrupulous product of an immoral society unites their views. Works Cited Cadava, Eduardo. Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism 98 (2001): 38-54. Emerson, Ralph Waldo. "Last of the Anti-Slavery Lectures." Ed. Baym, Nina. The Norton Anthology American Literature 6th ed., Vol A. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2003. 1207-1216 Eulau, Heinz. Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism 21 (1989): 329-332. Hyman, Stanley Edgar. Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism 7 (1984): 384-388. Thoreau, Henry David. â€Å"Slavery in Massachusetts.† Baym 1982-1992.

Constitutional reform has gone too far, or not far enough

Constitutional reform is a process whereby the fundamental nature of the system government (as well as the relationships between governing institutions) is changed, or where change is proposed. In the case of the UK this may also involve the process of codification. Such reforms have arguably been frequently present over recent years, with the introduction of numerous constitutional reforms since 1997-the Golden Date, some might argue. The UK currently has a Two-and-a-Half Party System, with the Liberal Democrats being the half. As such, there are of course many competing points of view, some of which differentiating due to a party’s position on the political spectrum. This essay will identify and explain the differences in opinion concerning whether or not constitutional reform has gone far enough. The Conservative party, made up of many traditionalists of Great Britain, very much believe that constitutional reform has gone too far. They believe that numerous sudden changes have occurred since 1997 under Labour, but there has not been a pause. Britain therefore needs to stop and see if the system is working, before any further/additional-and perhaps unnecessary-changes are made. One of several major constitutional reforms that the Conservative party are opposed to/believes that it is a step too far, is having a codified (written) constitution. This codified constitution would to some extent limit government power, which the Conservatives are very much against; preferring strong government. The party also believe that an uncodified constitution allows it to evolve gradually and naturally over time, ensuring that it suits that particular time period. For example, if the constitution would have been codified one hundred years ago, then the women of today would not be able to vote. The Conservatives therefore argue that the constitution should remain uncodified as many aspects would soon be outdated. The Conservatives also believe that the constitution should only change when there is an obvious problem; and where a clear solution that will improve things exists. The Conservatives also believe that devolution (a process of constitutional reform, whereby power, but not legal sovereignty, is distributed to national or regional institutions) was a step too far, but have reluctantly accepted it. However, they did warn that devolution-especially at the speed that it has occurred at in recent years-may lead to the eventual break up of Great Britain. This is a possible reason for Prime Minister, David Cameron, attempting to dictate the referendum concerning Scottish Independence. The formation of the Scottish Parliament-a result of devolution-has limited the power of the British government over subjects such as education and health in devolved areas. Moreover, although the Conservatives have reluctantly ‘accepted’ devolution, they have given a definite no to Scottish Independence, much to the annoyance of Alex Salmon. The Conservative party, the traditionalists of Great Britain are very much against ‘reform for reforms sake. ’ They were therefore rather reluctant to reform the House of Lords. However, as they are currently in a coalition with the Liberal Democrats, who wish to dramatically reform the House of Lords, they had to come up with a compromise. This compromise came in the form of proposing for 80% of the members to be elected, with the remaining 20% being appointed by Appointment Committees. The Conservatives have argued against a fully elected House of Lords because they believe that it is sensible to have experts present in the legislative process. Although such constitutional reform has been proposed, the Conservatives would much rather have not reformed the Lords at all, keeping true to traditional views, which have aided Britain so well in the past. On the other hand, the Conservatives have agreed to reduce the number of MPs in the House of Commons from 650 to 600. As a result, there will be less representation of the people and also less scrutiny; which is the main negative repercussion. Less scrutiny could allow an ajar backdoor for further corruption and manipulation in politics to be present. This particular constitutional reform is one of the few that the Conservatives believe has not gone too far, insisting that it has the potential to aid Great Britain. A further constitutional reform that links to the previous point is the attempt at making boundary sizes more equal. This is to be done in order to achieve political equality, for votes. A prime example of this is the Isle of Wight which has one representative for the entire area. With the implementation of equal boundary sizes, there will be several representatives for the area, which would go some way to ensuring that votes are equal. Nevertheless, this particular constitutional reform is favourable to the Conservatives, as the Isle of Wight is a predominantly Conservative area. The Liberal Democrats, made up of many eager reformists, strongly believe that constitutional reform has not gone far enough. With this view in mind, they wish to reform many aspects of Britain, in the hope of promoting democracy. The Liberal Democrats also believe that prior reforms have laid some of the basic foundations for democracy to be developed, such as the proposed reforms to the House of Lords, but believe they should continue. One of several constitutional reforms that the Liberal Democrats believe have not gone far enough is the constitution remaining uncodified. The Liberal Democrats favour a codified (written) constitution as it outlines the rights of the people, and in a sense, limits government power. A codified constitution could also allow human rights to become entrenched (the device which protects a constitution from short-term amendment). As human rights and liberties are at the heart of many Liberal Democrats, it is obvious why they wish to have a codified constitution, and are not at all content with the current uncodified constitution. This may be because the government has found ways to go around issues in the past, due to the uncodified constitution not distinctly outlining their power, roles and limitations. The Liberal Democrats also believe that a codified constitution could be more democratic, in the sense that popular sovereignty (sovereignty lies with the people, as is the case in America) could be integrated. The Liberal Democrats are also in favour of devolution, which fits in with the idea of federalism (the process by which two or more governments share powers over the same geographic area). During the 1990s and in the run up to the 1997 general election, the Liberal Democrats developed a joint policy with Labour, showing their commitment to devolution. After the invitation onto a cabinet sub-committee, the Liberal Democrat leader and a number of senior figures found itself working with the machinery of government. The policies that they worked on were some of those closest to the hearts of many Liberal Democrats. Although the Liberal Democrats agree with devolution, many would like to take it a step further and go federal. This is why the Liberal Democrats believe that constitutional reform has not gone far enough when it comes to devolution, as a crossover between devolution and federalism is not yet present. Furthermore, the beloved idea of federalism links to both devolution and a codified constitution, which is present in both America and Germany. Nevertheless, the Liberal Democrats disagree with Scottish independence; even though it fits in with the beloved idea of federalism. It therefore seems that the Liberal Democrats are only in favour of constitutional reform that suits them/increases their power and number of seats. The Liberal Democrats believe that constitutional reform has not yet completely reached the House of Lords. The Liberal Democrats are eager for 100% of members of the House of Lords to be elected, similar to a senate present in America and Australia. The members would be elected by proportional representation instead of FPTP, as this has been strongly argued by the Liberal Democrats to be undemocratic. However, due to the coalition, a compromise had to be made which allowed the proposal of a House of Lords with 80% of its members elected to be put forward. This is a clear compromise between the coalition members as the Liberal Democrats are eager to reform many aspects of Britain, including the House of Lords, whereas the Conservatives, the dominant member of the coalition, would prefer not to reform the Lords at all as it has never caused any violent uprisings or revolutions in the past. The Labour party, ‘a party of the working class,’ was the party that first introduced ‘radical’ reforms, stemming from 1997 under Tony Blair. The current Labour party, under Ed Miliband, are reviewing all of their policies and are yet to publish a manifesto. However, the policies that are yet to be published may go back to the roots of Old Labour, have influence from Tony Blair’s Third Way or may set out on a completely different path. The Labour party are said to be somewhere in the middle, agreeing that constitutional reform has gone too far in some aspects, but not far enough in others. For example, when it comes to the constitution, the Labour party are very much in agreement with the Conservatives. This is true in the sense that they also believe that the constitution should be allowed to evolve naturally, instead of being dictated by predecessors. The Labour party also argue that introducing a codified constitution would be very time consuming and very costly. At this point in time, considering that a deficit of over ?1tn exists, introducing a codified constitution would not necessarily be the best thing to spend a large sum of money on. Labour argues that a codified constitution would be fixed/static and could not be easily changed, which would not be ideal in a crisis. The Labour party are in favour of reducing the number of MPs in the House of Commons from 650 to 600, as long as it is done in the old manner, which would be more beneficial to them. However, the party give a firm ‘no’ to equal boundary sizes. This is predominantly because they would lose out significantly, making it very difficult for Labour to form a significant majority. On this particular issue, Labour believes that equalling boundary sizes is a constitutional reform that is just a step too far. As previously stated, this is most likely because they would lose out dramatically. Similar to the Liberal Democrats, the Labour party are strongly in favour of devolution, but are against Scottish Independence. This is because Labour has a strong grasp on Scotland, and if Scotland was to go independent, they would lose many seats. This loss would make it very difficult for Labour to form a majority, meaning that their chances of being elected as the next government would be extremely slim. This would of course be very beneficial to the Conservatives, but would be very damaging to Labour. Hence why Labour believe that Scottish Independence is a step too far. In conclusion, each of the three main parties have different opinions concerning the true extent of constitutional reform: with the Conservatives predominantly believing that it has gone too far, the Liberal Democrats believing that it has not gone far enough and Labour lying somewhere in between. However, under the coalition, the two members have compromised and have strayed slightly from their original views. The Conservatives, for example, have proposed to reform the House of Lords, which is arguably quite ‘untraditional’ of them. The Liberal Democrats have agreed to reduce the number of MPs in the Commons, even though there will be less scrutiny and they will lose out. The numerous differences in opinions and views over constitutional reform has sometimes allowed for some parties to spring up: the bid for Scottish Independence created the Scottish Nationalist Party and issues concerning the EU have created UKIP. It can be strongly argued that constitutional reform has not gone far enough, in the sense of improving democracy, as several aspects of the UK remain undemocratic, such as reducing the number of MPs in the Commons and not completely reforming the House of Lords.