Storms batter parts of Britain

Passengers are being airlifted from a ferry in the Irish sea as high winds batter much of the UK, with forecasters warning of blizzards to come. A 45-year-old lorry driver died on the M6 near Tebay, Cumbria, as his lorry overturned in gusts of up to 70mph. The Port of Dover in Kent has reopened after gusts of up to 60mph forced it to close, causing widespread disruption.

In Wales some homes are without power and the Forth Road Bridge, west of Edinburgh, has reopened after a crash. However, it remains closed to high-sided vehicles, caravans and motorcycles after a lorry earlier overturned in high winds. In the Irish Sea, six people have been airlifted off a ferry which is listing to 60 degrees amid fierce storms. Still on board are 17 crew members who are attempting to restart the ship's engines, a spokesman for Lancashire Ambulance Service said.

The River Dance, a roll-on-roll-off ferry, ran into trouble eight miles west of Fleetwood. Sea King helicopters are taking those on board to Blackpool Airport. About 1,000 homes were without power in Gwynedd and two schools, John Beddoes High in Presteigne and Whitton Primary schools in Powys, closed because of a power failure.

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This Article is about the awful storms that have hit Great Britain Today . This story is also interesting because of how in depth the knowledge is about the storm. News in Great Britain is for the most part all reported like local news

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History of the U.K.'s Political Parties

Prior to the mid-19th century politics in the United Kingdom were dominated by the Whigs and the Tories. These were not political parties in the modern sense but somewhat loose alliances of interests and individuals. The Whigs were associated with the newly emerging moneyed industrial classes, and the Tories were associated with the landed gentry, the Church of England and the Church of Scotland.

By the mid 19th century the Tories had evolved into the Conservative Party, and the Whigs had evolved into the Liberal Party.

These two parties dominated the political scene until the 1920s, when the Liberal Party declined in popularity and suffered a long stream of resignations. It was replaced as the main left-wing party by the newly emerging Labour Party, who represented an alliance between the trades unions and various socialist societies.

Since then the Conservative and Labour Parties have dominated British politics, and have alternated in government ever since. The UK is nearly but not quite a two-party system however. The Liberals merged with the Social Democrats because they had very similar views and became the Liberal Democrats which are now a sizeable third party whose electoral results have improved in recent years.

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This article provides a brief history on the origin of the U.K.'s political party system.

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Lords issue landmark abuse ruling

Victims of sexual abuse may be able to sue their attackers after many years, following a ruling by the Law Lords. They ruled a convicted rapist who later won £7m on the National Lottery could be sued by his victim - even though her claim was outside a six-year deadline.
Iorworth Hoare, 53, was jailed for life in May 1989 for the attempted rape of the 59-year-old woman, Mrs A, in Leeds.

The Lords backed four more appeals; it is thought their decision could allow a number of other cases to be brought. A fair trial can be possible long after the event and sometimes the law has no choice.

Baroness Hale Until now sexual abuse victims have been prevented from bringing a claim more than six years after an attack or, in child abuse cases, more than six years after the victim reaches 18.

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This story is interesting because it shows some flexibility in the British systems. It is also interesting that the Inmates are allowed to play the lottery and that the case can be brought back up.

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Growing pangs of Britain's spy agencies

The annual Intelligence and Security Committee report provides one of the few glimpses into the normally secret world of Britain's intelligence agencies. The insights it provides are a mix of the serious, the strange and the more mundane.
Britain's intelligence and security services have been growing fast since 9/11 but that process has not always been straightforward. According to the report, the growth has created concerns "that aspects of key intelligence and security work are suffering as a consequence of the focus on counter-terrorism priorities" and the committee calls for possible separate, additional funding to maintain capabilities in other areas.
MI5 has expanded fast, particularly into the regions. New offices were opened in the South East and Wales in 2006/7 - and by 2008, regional stations will house three times the number of staff originally planned, the report reveals.

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This article is just a little peak inside a vast wonder of the worlds. Britain is massively expanding their security systems and are working more tightly with the United States . Want to see what the US has been up to that you probably dont know about Click Here. Notice there are no citations on that article.

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Five jailed for £53m cash robbery

Five men found guilty of being involved in the £53m raid on the Securitas depot in Kent have been given minimum jail terms of between 10 and 15 years.

During the raid in Tonbridge in 2006, depot manager Colin Dixon and his family were kidnapped at gunpoint by men posing as police officers.

Since the raid police have recovered £21m of the stolen cash but the remaining £32m is still missing.

The five were convicted on kidnap, robbery and firearms charges.

Those ordered to serve a minimum of 15 years were: Stuart Royle, 49, of Allen Street, Maidstone, Kent; Lea Rusha, 35, of Lambersart Close, Southborough, Kent; Jetmir Bucpapa, 26, of Hadlow Road, Tonbridge; and garage owner Roger Coutts, 30, of The Green, Welling, south-east London.

All four were given indeterminate sentences.

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Does this mean that Great Britain is going to have to increase their internal security even more in order to protect their citizens?

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The British Invasion

In a brief change, the weekly trivia question will now be posted at random during the week. The question will be about any aspect of British history or culture. Our first question will be posted one day this week between now and Thursday at 11:59, so just continue to check out our blog. You can gve us your answers by Friday at the beginning of class. Don't share your answers!! If you do, you'll be disquaified from the competition. The person who answers the most questions correctly by the end of the semester will be awarded a $25 gift card to the place of your choice.Thanks Gene and Ben

Gordon Brown: 'I'm no ditherer'

Gordon Brown has rejected the charge that he dithered over the Peter Hain resignation and other issues and said that it was only the Conservatives who were accusing him of dithering.

He said: "I think the decisions that I've made, the big changes that I've made since I came in, show a level of resolution about the changes we've got to make for Britain as a whole."

Earlier in January, Mr. Brown refused to be drawn on whether he was enjoying the job, but on the Politics Show he told Jon Sopel that being Prime Minister was the best job in the world.

"There's a great deal of satisfaction," he said, "in trying to help people in different ways and not just on the economy as I used to do, but on a whole range of other areas.

"So I would say that I've been fortunate enough to be given the chance to do what I think is the best job in the world."

Click here for the full article and interview.

In respose to Hain's resignation due to financial fraud, PM Brown is now having to defend his reputation against the media's accusations of conspiracy.

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Blair in first official portrait

The oil painting by artist Jonathan Yeo shows the former prime minister wearing a commemorative poppy, to represent his leadership role during the Iraq war.
Yeo said Mr Blair, 54, "came bouncing in" for sittings and described his subject as having "Tigger-like energy".

Mr Blair, who refused previous official portrait requests, agreed to the painting before leaving office. It will be displayed at London's Lincoln's Inn.
Of all the things that people remember him for, the war in Iraq is going to be one of the main things that people discuss
Artist Jonathan Yeo

Yeo, son of the Conservative MP and former minister Timothy Yeo, said the poppy featured in the painting was symbolic, but was not meant to be judgemental.Of all the things that people remember him for, the war in Iraq is going to be one of the main things that people discuss," he said.

"I was thinking that I had to find some kind of representation of that, but that it shouldn't be trite or too judgemental. "It was November and of course when he came in he was wearing a poppy. I thought that was perfect."

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This story is signifigant because Tony Blair was the Prime Minister of the UK during a lively time in British history . He is most notable for his use backing of President Bush in The Iraq War . Him and Bush were very close on international affairs.

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The mystery of flight BA038

Why did a modern airliner, with an experienced crew on board, suddenly lose power in the seconds before landing? It is a question that many in the aviation industry simply can't stop asking.

The mystery of flight BA038 intrigues them in so many ways. The Air Accident Investigation Branch is admired around the world as the gold standard in crash investigation. Its experts are either experienced pilots or engineers.

Their task: to produce a highly detailed report of the crash that explains, rather than blames.
Pulling together information from a variety of sources, including the AAIB's initial reports, it's possible to describe the last minute of the flight. BA038 had been descending gradually into Heathrow, the autopilot and the automatic throttle system controlling the aircraft.

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This story is signifigant because is shows how serious the British take there national security , maybe even more then us in the United States. This story is yet to be solved and when it is more news will be added

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