This week Kenneth Starr said that if Donald Trump lied to the American People over the Russia Investigation it could be grounds for impeachment.
Monthly Archives: January 2018
What is meant by Original Intent?
Original Intent is a judicial approach in which justices or judges attempt to understand a constitutional provision by considering what it was meant to mean at the time it was originally drafted. This is also called ‘intentionalism’ or ‘originalism’.
What is the Nuclear Option?
In a post last week the issue of the filibuster and cloture motion was considered:
US Government in Focus – What is a Filibuster and a Cloture Motion?
Within this article, it was noted that the cloture motion was the only way to stop a filibuster. However, there is another way. It is so drastic that it is nicknamed the ‘Nuclear Option’. However, given the Federal Shutdown that has engulfed the US Government in the last few days, it has been muted by some, including President Trump:
What were the Law Lords?
Until 2009 the highest court in the United Kingdom was the Appellate Committee of the House of Lords. This made the House of Lords the highest judicial body in the United Kingdom.
What is a Filibuster and a Cloture Motion?
One of the more complex mechanisms of the US Senate is the ‘Cloture Motion’. It is linked to the filibuster and is an important part of how the Senate works.
Will the GOP and Democrats be able to avoid a Federal Shutdown?
If the US Congress fails to pass a bill which funds the Federal Government, it results in a Federal Shutdown. During a shutdown all government services that are not deemed to be essential are closed. This can mean that hundreds of thousands of Federal bureaucrats are sent home, without pay. They will not be allowed to work until a new funding agreement has been reached.
What was Clause IV and what did New Labour do to it?
In May 1994 the leader of the Labour Party, John Smith, died suddenly. He had only been Party Leader since July 1992 and his death came as a major shock to the whole nation.

Labour Leader Jim Smith died in May 1994.
In the Leadership Election that followed, Tony Blair became Party Leader, with 57% of the overall vote. This was a defining moment in the history of the Labour Party. Alongside Gordon Brown (later Chancellor of the Exchequer), Peter Mandelson (later a Cabinet Member) and Alistair Campbell (later Communications Director) the ‘New Labour’ movement began to take shape.

Tony Blair and Gordon Brown launched New Labour.