THE ASSAS POST ISSUE 44 31.10.2011 A STUDENT NEWSPAPER FOR ENGLISH

THE ASSAS POST ISSUE 44 31.10.2011 A STUDENT NEWSPAPER FOR ENGLISH TRAINING UNIVERSITE PANTHEON ASSAS PARIS II

Crisis – what crisis?

THE ASSAS POST ISSUE 75 12.03.2013 A STUDENT NEWSPAPER FOR ENGLISH TRAINING UNIVERSITE PANTHEON ASSAS PARIS II

St. Patrick’s Day U.S. Budget Cuts ‘Batman’ brings in suspect to police

Statute Law

Vocabulary

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Forbes rankings: 210 new billionaires in the world – Mexican Carlos Slim to be the richest man in the world, Bill Gates still at No. 2.

World

Crisis – what crisis?

Many of the world’s largest economies may be weathering the

toughest recessionary storms in living memory, but for those at the top there has rarely been an easier time to join the billionaires’ club.

A record 1,426 billionaires, spread around the globe, were propelled into the premier league of extreme wealth in the last 12 months according to the latest count

from Forbes, as rising stock prices helped bring 210 new members into the exclusive 10-figure club.

This super-rich set together sit on wealth estimated at $5.4tn (£3.6tn) – equal to more than a third of the annual output of the US, the world’s largest economy. Last year the billionaires’ club held a combined wealth of $4.6tn.

The Forbes rankings published Monday showed

Mexican telecom mogul Carlos Slim at the top of the billionaire tree for the fourth year in a row. His estimated $73 billion fortune, up from $69 billion a year ago, edged out Microsoft founder Bill Gates, once again No. 2 on the list with a $67 billion fortune.

But Gates’ friend Warren Buffett fell out of the top three for the first time since 2000, as Amancio Ortega of Spanish

to weather:to endure

to lock in:to fix a particular situation

crippling:severe; damaging

to leapfrog:to jump over; to surpass

to swallow up:to take someone or something in so that it is destroyed or no longer independent

to tumble:to fall by a lot

to cater to:work for; supplying what is desired or needed

to stash:to store in a secret place for future use

a flat wage:a salary that does not go up

to squeeze out returns:to gain profit by a narrow margin

young turks:any person who advocates change and reform as opposed to stagnation

to shun:to avoid deliberately

to scrape on to:to barely succeed to enter

the brink:the edge; the danger of

iron-clad pre-nuptial agreements:unbreakable contracts made before marriage protecting the property of the parties in case of divorce

Issue 75 12.03.2013 The Assas Post1

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The Assas Post 12.03.2013 Issue 752

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2013/mar/04/forbes-rich-list-more-billionaires The Guardian, 4 March 2013http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2287886/Forbes-rich-list-2013-New-wave-female-billionaires-join-worlds-exclusive Daily Mail Reporter, 4 March 2013http://q13fox.com/2013/03/04/forbes-rankings-210-new-billionaires-in-world-bill-gates-still-at-no-2/#axzz2MebXU1Rz Q13 Fox, 5 March 2013http://www.forbes.com/sites/luisakroll/2013/03/04/inside-the-2013-billionaires-list-facts-and-figures/ Forbes, 3 March 2013http://www.wikihow.com/Be-a-Billionaire

retailer Zara took the bronze. The success of the company behind Zara, the world’s biggest rag trade operation, saw the retired Spanish entrepreneur Amancio Ortega – who still owns 60% of the business – climb into third place in the rankings. Despite Spain being locked in one of Europe’s most crippling recessions, with 55% youth unemployment, Ortega was estimated to have seen the biggest rise in wealth of any billionaire, adding $19.5bn to his pot.

As a result, Ortega has leapfrogged Warren Buffett, the investment tycoon known as the Sage of Omaha, who last month swallowed up

the Heinz food empire for $28bn. Buffett’s wealth is put at $55.5bn. It is the first time in 13 years that he has not featured in Forbes’ top three. Don’t worry about Buffett, though, his fortune posted the second biggest increase on the list, rising $9.5 billion to $53.5 billion.

Despite this slip, the rankings at the very top echelons of the billionaires’ club remained remarkably static, dominated by wise heads that have weathered many recessions in the past. Of Forbes’ top 10, eight are aged 70 or older.

There were 60 people who made the 2012 billionaires’ list who fell out of the club

this year, not counting those who died or split their fortunes with family members. Notable dropouts included Mark Pincus, CEO of online gaming firm Zynga (ZNGA), whose stock plunged 75% during 2012, and former Chesapeake Energy (CHK, Fortune 500) CEO Aubrey McClendon.

The biggest loss of wealth of any American billionaire was the Facebook (FB) founder Mark Zuckerberg, as his net worth tumbled $4.2 billion to $13.3 billion, taking him down 31 spots on the list to 66th.

But for the most part there were more winners than losers on the list. Altogether the 1,426 billionaires on the list had a combined net worth

of $5.4 trillion, up from $4.6 trillion. Most of that gain was due to the larger membership. The average net worth of each billionaire was $3.8 billion, up only $100 million from a year ago.

Despite turbulent times for many of the largest economies in the world, 210 new billionaires were minted in the last 12 months – three times the number of individuals who fell off the list. This concentration of wealth took place despite a strengthening in the dollar against many major currencies.

Once again the U.S. leads the list with 442 billionaires, according to Forbes, followed by 386 in Asia-Pacific, with

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366 in Europe, 129 elsewhere in the Americas and 103 in the Middle East and Africa.

Credit Suisse, a Swiss bank that specialises in catering to super-rich clients, estimated last autumn that the world’s richest 1% – that is, those with wealth of $710,000 and greater – control 46% of global assets. In its annual Global Wealth report, the bank estimated that the number of individuals with fortunes in excess of $50m around the world had reached 84,500. “Notwithstanding the credit crisis and the more recent setbacks, the past decade has been especially conducive to the establishment of large fortunes,” Credit Suisse concludes.

The tax campaigner James Henry, a former economist with the global consultancy firm McKinsey, has estimated that between $21tn and $32tn of the world’s wealth had been stashed, tax-free, in offshore investments – with about half of this sum controlled by the

world’s richest 91,000 people. “Almost all of it has managed to avoid all income and estate taxes, either by the countries where it has been invested and or where it comes from,” his study found.

Trade union leaders, economists and anti-poverty campaigners said the swelling fortunes of the fast-expanding billionaire set signalled that levels of wealth inequality were fast approaching crisis levels.

The Trades Union Congress (TUC) general secretary, Frances O’Grady, said: “These latest findings from Forbes make for very disturbing reading. Trickle-down economists may love having a growing super-elite, but seem to forget the fact that rising pay inequality was a major cause of the financial crash.

“Faced with flat wages, many people borrowed to maintain their living standards whilst the very wealthy put their cash into ever more risky investments to squeeze

out returns. Unless wealth is spread more broadly, we will be unable to build a sustainable recovery, as consumer spending will continue to flat-line.”

Other senior figures to raise concerns over spiralling inequality include Angel Gurría, OECD secretary general, who said “widening disparities weaken the structures that hold our society together”, while Christine Lagarde, head of the International Monetary Fund, recently warned business leaders in Davos that “the economics profession and the policy community have downplayed inequality for too long.”

Among the young turks to join the billionaires club in recent years are the Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, 28, and his former collaborators Eduardo Saverin, 30, and Dustin Moskovitz, 28. Despite a fortune estimated at $3.8bn, Moskovitz is said to bike to work, shun business class

flights and, according to Forbes, “pitches his own tent at [Nevada desert counter-culture festival] Burning Man”. The Twitter co-founder and punk music fan Jack Dorsey also scrapes on to the list, with a fortune put at $1.1bn.

A new wave of female billionaires also joined the world’s most exclusive club as 34 more women were added to Forbes’ rich list. The newest crop of wealthy women to join the ranks of billionaire women this year included fashion designer Tory Burch and self-made billionaire Judy Faulkner who founded the fastest-growing health record software.

Although a number of the women- like Burch and Faulkner- made their fortunes in their own right, the highest-ranked women all inherited the bundles from their relatives; from Christy and Alice Walton of the family who owns megastore Wal-mart to Susanne Klatten whose father brought car giant BMW back

World

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Exercise Multiple-choice

1. The richest person in the world today is:a. Bill Gates.b. Will.I.Am.c. Carlos Slim.d. Elizabeth of Windsor.

2. The amount of new billionaires entering the 10-figure club this year is:a. 347.b. 1426.c. 16.d. 210.

3. The world’s largest economy is:a. Europe.b. the USA.c. Brazil.d. China.

4. What does the word “Mogul” mean?a. an emperor.b. a tycoon.c. a chairman.d. a high-ranking politician.

5. Which of the following suggestions to get rich is not proposed in the article?a. Take an online class about finance.b. Marry someone wealthy.c. Create your own business.d. Make a savings and five-year plan.

6. The woman billionaire who inherited from her dying husband was:a. Lilianne Bettencourt.b. Margarita Louis-Dreyfus.c. Tory Burch.d. Elaine Wynn.

7. Who said “the economics profession and the policy community have downplayed inequality for too long”?a. Frances O’Grady, TUC union secretary general.b. Angel Gurria, OECD secretary general.c. James Henry, former consultant from the McKinsey firm.d. Christine Lagarde, President of the IMF.

8. The biggest loss of wealth in the US was experienced by:a. Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s CEO.b. Marc Pincus, Zynga’s CEO.c. Amancio Ortega, Zara’s chairman.d. Warren Buffet, the US tycoon.

from the brink of bankruptcy many years ago.

Others came into their fortunes acrimoniously through divorce; that is the case for Elaine Wynn, the woman who married and divorced casino magnate Steve Wynn twice, and remains on the board of directors of Wynn Resorts.

Another newcomer to the list is Margarita Louis-Dreyfus as she took over her husband’s position as chairman of his commodities after he died in 2009 of leukemia. She is now valued at $6 billion and was ranked number 198 on the list.

Although women were well represented among newcomers to the Forbes list, they still only account for 138 of the world’s billionaires, albeit up from 104 last year.

The 90-year-old French cosmetics heiress Liliane Bettencourt is the only one to make it into the top ten, as she comes in ninth place with $30billion to her family’s name from their work with L’Oreal. Her L’Oréal empire is best

known for its “because I’m worth it” television advertising slogan.

For those of us who have not yet managed the climb to dizzying fortunes, advice on how to become a billionaire can be found on wikihow, an internet site. Pearls of financial wisdom include taking a class on finance online, starting savings and making five-year plans. For those who do not have the courage to do it alone, another solution is also proposed - marrying well. As some of the billionaire women can attest, leveraging good looks and charm into a financially advantageous marriage may well be a last resort to entry into the billionaires club – but watch out for those iron-clad pre-nuptial agreements!

Please go online for more exercises.

intermediate

Vocabulary

on the wane:becoming weaker or less extensivedreary:depressingly dull or repetitive – in this situation lacking lightto take to the streets:to demonstrate in the streetsfar-flung:distant or remoteto waive:to defer the application of a rule or lawa cabbage:a type of vegetable with thick green, white or purple leaves, which form an edible headto kidnap:to take and hold someone captive, often for money

to ingrain:to firmly fix or establish something which is then difficult to changea pagan:a non-Christian, or polytheistubiquitous:appearing, found everywhereto run:to flow, as in waterroots:originsto line:to stand along the streetan expat:a short form of expatriate, a person who lives outside of their native countryto showcase:to display or highlight


Although Saint Patrick’s Day is officially only an Irish public holiday,

it is the most international of national days, widely celebrated by the Irish Diaspora, estimated at 80 million people, in places as far-flung as Great Britain, Canada, the United States, Argentina, Australia, Singapore, Japan and Russia.

So what’s it all about? Let’s take a look back in time.

Since around the 9th or 10th century, people in Ireland have been observing the Roman Catholic feast day of St. Patrick on March 17th.

A cultural and religious holiday which commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day falls during the

Christian season of Lent, when Irish families would traditionally attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. Lenten prohibitions against the consumption of meat were waived and people would dance, drink and feast – on the traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage.

Born in Roman Britain in

the 5th century, kidnapped by Irish raiders and taken to Ireland as a slave, Saint Patrick later escaped to Britain and became a priest. Returning to Ireland, he spent thirty years bringing Christianity to the Irish. Following his death, (believed to have been on March 17th, 461) the mythology surrounding his life became

With winter on the wane, and spring fast approaching, dreary grey will soon be replaced by explosions of green in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. On the 17th of March, Irish people all over the world will take to the streets dressed in green to celebrate the Saint’s religious feast day and the anniversary of his death in the fifth century.

United Kingdom

St. Patrick’s Day

intermediate


Exercise multiple-choice

United Kingdom

ingrained in the Irish culture. The most well known legend is that he explained the Holy Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) to the pagan Irish, using the three leaves of the native Irish clover, the shamrock. The wearing of shamrocks has since become a ubiquitous feature of the day.

St. Patrick’s Day became an official feast day from the early 17th century on and has since evolved into a secular celebration of Irish culture in general, becoming an official public holiday in 1903.

In 2010, the Sydney Opera house was lit up in green to mark the Irish holiday and every year the Chicago River runs green on the day. However, St. Patrick’s association with green is only a few centuries old. For over 1,000 years St. Patrick’s hue was blue and considered symbolic of Ireland. It was only when political factions started adopting the colour green in the 17th century that it became synonymous with St. Patrick’s Day. Today green ribbons and shamrocks are traditionally worn on the day.

The most well-known tradition is the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade. Interestingly, the first one took place not in Ireland but in the United States. On March 17th, 1762, Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through New York City. The parade helped the soldiers reconnect with their Irish roots, as well as with fellow

Irishmen serving in the English army.

Over the next 35 years, Irish patriotism among American immigrants flourished with different groups holding annual parades. In 1848, the official New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade was formed. Every year, over 150,000 participants parade in a procession which takes over five hours and is watched by nearly 3 million people lining the 2.4km procession.

Annual St. Patrick’s Day parades became a show of strength for the growing numbers of Irish Americans and soon other major cities formed their own parades.

Here in Paris, celebrations are on a smaller scale with Irish expats simply congregating in Irish pubs to drink Guinness and revel in green.

However, in Ireland, up until the 1970s, drinking was not part of the celebrations, with Irish laws mandating that pubs be closed on March 17th. Beginning in 1995, however, the Irish government began a national campaign to use interest in St. Patrick’s Day to drive tourism and showcase Ireland and Irish culture to the rest of the world. Today, approximately 1 million people annually take part in Ireland’s St. Patrick’s Festival in Dublin, a multi-day celebration featuring parades, concerts, outdoor theatre productions and fireworks shows.

1. Because Irish laws mandated that pubs be closed on March 17th, drinking was not part of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations:a. until the 1990s.b. until the 1960s.c. until the 1970s.

2. The official New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade was created:a. in 1948.b. in 1848.c. in 1762.

3. Saint Patrick supposedly explained the Holy Trinity to the pagans using:a. the wild iris.b. the clover.c. the daffodil.

4. The symbolic colour of Ireland and St. Patrick for over 1,000 years was the colour:a. blue.b. green.c. orange.

5. St. Patrick’s Day became an official public holiday:a. in 461.b. in 1848.c. in 1903.

6. Saint Patrick was born in:a. England.b. Roman Britain.c. Ireland.

7. The Irish Diaspora is estimated to be about:a. 80 million people.b. 82 million people.c. 72 million people.

8. During Lent, Irish families would eat the traditional meal of: a. haggis and scones.b. fish and chips.c. Irish bacon and cabbage.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Patrick%27s_Day

easy

Vocabulary


U.S.

On March 1st, many programs from the U.S. Federal budget began to be cut. This is called sequestration. These reductions are the result of a stalemate between President Obama and the Congressional Republicans. The Republicans think that the federal government is spending too much money. They blame Obama for trying to raise taxes to pay for all the programs. The following is a made-up conversation between two Republican Congressmen. They talk about the reasons

for the sequestration and the impact on the Americans.

This is a fictitious conversation created by Agorassas for education purposes.

U.S. Budget Cuts

C1: Republican Congressman 1C2: Republican Congressman 2

C1: The March 1st deadline has passed and Mr. Obama did not agree to our spending cuts. Don’t you think this is dangerous for our country?

C2: To tell you the truth, I think there’s a great risk because more than $500 billion will be cut from the Defense Department and that means that our security may be in danger. But it’s Obama’s fault because we told him in 2011 that we needed to reduce spending. Do you remember?

C1: Of course. At that time, we agreed to increase the debt-ceiling to pay the federal government’s obligations to

its bondholders. But we told the Obama administration that in exchange he had to cut spending.

C2: He never wants to make any cuts! Government spending is out of control. We can’t continue to spend taxpayers’ money this way. We even created a committee to decide the best way to reduce spending, but Obama refused to see our point of view.

C1: I just don’t know what will happen next. And Americans will think that neither party has made a serious effort to negotiate and stop the sequestration.

C2: But as part of the system of checks and balances, our party must be sure the

Obama administration doesn’t make all the decisions. We, the Republicans, control the House of Representatives and we must take the responsibility to be careful how we spend the money of the American people!

C1: But nobody knows how these cuts will affect the economy. Don’t forget our economy has not completely recuperated from the crisis. We also have to consider how people will react when they have to wait longer at the airport because there will be fewer air traffic controllers.

C2: Well too bad! People should understand that nothing is for free. Don’t you know the expression “There’s no free lunch”?

a cut:a reductiona stalemate:a contest, dispute, competition, etc., in which neither side can gain an advantage or win to spend:to use money to pay for somethingto blame:to say or think that a person or thing is responsible for something bad that has happened to raise:to increase the amount or level of something a deadline:a date or time when something must be finished: the last day, hour, or minute that something will be accepted a bondholder:the owner of a government bond or obligationa taxpayer:a person who pays taxesneither:not one or the other of two people or thingsan air traffic controller:a person whose job is to give instructions to airplane pilots by radio

sequestration:a term used to describe the automatic cuts in the federal budget because of annual budget deficits which are too bigdebt-ceiling:the maximum amount of debt a country can have; debt limitchecks and balances:a system in which the different parts of a government have powers that affect and control the other parts so that no part can become too powerful Defense Department:equivalent to the Ministry of Defense and includes all military forces needed to stop war and protect America’s security. The headquarters are at the Pentagon near Washington, DCCongressional Republicans:members of Congress (either from the House of Representatives or from the Senate) who belong to the Republican party. They currently have a majority in the House of Representatives

American Law a

easy


Exercises

U.S.

1. President Obama wants to cut spending after March 1st.

True False

2. The second Congressman thinks American security may be at risk after the budget cuts.

True False

3. The Obama administration didn’t want to pay the bondholders.

True False

4. The Congressmen think the federal government spends too much money.

True False

5. The air traffic controllers will be late to work.

True False

6. Find examples of negative affirmative sentences in the text...........................................................................

7. Find examples of negative interrogative sentences...........................................................................

8. Which sentence is grammatically correct?a) The Obama administration hasn’t agreed to no spending cuts.b) They don’t have no more time to negotiate.c) They are neither Democrat or Republican.d) They didn’t negotiate very well.

9. Match pictures A to D with a word in the American Law box:Picture A............................................................Picture B...........................................................Picture C...........................................................Picture D...........................................................

b

c

d

Grammar Using negatives

To make a sentence negative, there are different words to use. The word ‘not’ is used most often and can be contracted with the auxiliary verb (do not -> don’t, is not ->isn’t, etc.). Other negatives include, ‘no’, ‘nowhere’, ‘nothing’, etc.

E.g. No one came to the conversation class. There is nothing to eat in the refrigerator.

Only one negative word can be used in a sentence.

E.g. They haven’t got any money. They have no money.

At a glance

1. The identity of the man dressed as Batman is known.

True False

2. The Bradford Batman had a foreign accent.

True False

3. The Bradford Batman was observed on CCTV footage.

True False

4. MP George Galloway has owned up to being the Bradford Batman.

True False

5. Another word for ‘muscly’ is: skinny.

True False

6. Another word for ‘vanish’ is: disappear.

True False

7. Another word for ‘charge’ is: accuse.

True False 8. Another word for ‘aid’ is: help.

True False


‘Batman’ brings in suspect to

Bradford police

If Bane or the Joker were planning on moving their criminal empires from

Gotham City to Bradford, they might just think again after seeing the CCTV images from West Yorkshire police: it was a scene that could have come straight from a comic book or a Hollywood film. A man dressed as the caped crusader Batman handed over a wanted man at a Bradford police station before disappearing into the night.

Police said the costumed crime-fighter marched the 27-year-old man into Trafalgar House Police Station, in the early hours of February 25th and handed over the suspected criminal, before disappearing into the night. The man was charged with handling stolen goods and fraud offences. Police said: “The person who brought the man in was dressed in a full Batman outfit. His identity remains unknown.” Despite speculation on social media that the arrested man could know the mysterious crime-fighter, West Yorkshire Police said: “We do not know the identity of the man dressed as Batman and do not know if he is friends with the man who was handed in.”

United Kingdom

Exercise True or false


March 4th 2013: BBC Newshttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-21654930March 4th 2013: The Guardianhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/mar/04/batman-delivers-suspect-bradford-policeMarch 4th 2013: The Telegraph

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/9908681/Bradford-Batman-unmasks-himself-as-fancy-dress-wearing-football-fan-who-drove-friend-to-police-station.htmlMarch 4th 2013: Evening Standardhttp://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/bradford-batman-superhero-hands-wanted-man-over-to-police-8519462.html

At a glance

Vocabulary


Local accent Police said that the suspect will appear before Bradford magistrates. A fancy dress store owner believes she sold the costume to the masked man. Kathryn Sutcliffe, of Kirkgate Market’s The Joke

Shop, said she sold a Batman outfit to a man in his 20s a couple of days before the incident. She said: “Usually they want the Dark Knight costume but he wanted this one. He wanted the one with the muscly chest as well. It’s like the one Del Boy wears in Only Fools and Horses.” Mrs Sutcliffe said the man had a local accent and was tall with curly black hair. She may be one of the few people who knows the Bradford Batman’s name, as he paid with a credit card and she has the receipt,

but she said she would keep his identity a secret.

The neighbourhood police team for the Buttershaw area of Bradford wrote about the incident on its Facebook page. The streets of the city were ablaze with speculation about

who the Bradford Batman was and whether he would come forward again to aid the forces of law and order.

The mystery has fuelled speculation on Twitter as to the identity of Bradford’s super hero. Local politicians leapt on the bandwagon, with MP George Galloway taking to Twitter to “deny rumours” that he was the masked avenger: “ Contrary to rumours sweeping Gotham, I am not the Bradford Batman, however, I take my hat off to him and wish him luck in the future.”

A man dressed as the caped crusader Batman handed over a wanted man at a Bradford police station

‘Promptly vanished’ Police officers said: “Last week we had a very strange occurrence at the police station when a male wanted for an offence in our area was ‘escorted’ into our helpdesk at Trafalgar House by Batman”. Batman came into the helpdesk, stated to the staff ‘I’ve caught this one for you’ and then promptly vanished into the night to fight crime in Bradford. The officers added: “This post is meant as a bit of light-hearted news.”

Identity revealedIn the end, the crime-fighter broke cover to explain how he ended up marching into the police station in the early hours of the morning and handing police the man wanted. Stan Worby, 39, revealed that he was the Dark Knight. Worby, a Chinese takeaway driver, said he drove his old friend Danny Frayne, 27, into the long arms of the law after returning from Bradford City’s Capital One Cup game against Swansea at Wembley stadium, which he had attended in fancy dress.

to think again: to consider something a second time if you are wrongCCTV: closed-circuit televisiona cape: a sleeveless garment fastened around the neck and falling loosely from the shouldersto hand over/in: to help or assist in bringing someone to the policeto march: to walk in a deliberate mannerto charge: to accuse a person of a faulthandle stolen goods: a statutory offence which takes place after a theft of goodsfancy dress: a costume characteristic of a particular period, place or historical/fictitious charactermuscly: having a lot of muscleablaze with: excited or very angryto aid: to give assistance tobandwagon: a party, cause or movement that by mass appeal attracts many followersto take one’s hat off to: means you admire and respect someone for something they have donean offence: a violation or breach of lawto vanish: to disappear from sightlight-hearted: carefree and cheerful


United Kingdom

any level

CA

SE S

TUD

YThe term legislation is used collectively to describe the laws passed by Parliament or other people authorised to do so by Parliament. In England, Parliament is formed by the collective body of the House of Commons, the House of Lords and the Queen. All three parts of this body must usually agree before a law can come into force. Laws passed by Parliament are called statutes. We also refer to these as Acts of Parliament or primary legislation.

PRIMARY LEGISLATIONActs of Parliament constitute the highest form of law in England. All other sources are either secondary to or are made valid by Acts of Parliament. Judges must apply an Act of Parliament if it is passed and differs from a law based on judges’ decisions. Passing an Act of Parliament involves a long and complex process. When the Government has adopted a proposal for new legislation, a consultation period usually follows. When this is the case, a discussion document, called either a Green Paper or a White Paper is issued. A Green Paper announces provisional proposals for discussion. A White Paper is issued when the government has a clear idea on the law it wishes to set in place. A bill is then made where a proposal must be translated into draft legislation. There are different types of bills that exist: Public Bills, Private Member’s Bills and Private Bills. A bill must pass through various stages in order to become an Act of Parliament:

- First Reading: The title of the bill is read by the Clerk of

the House.

- Second Reading: The bill is printed so that it can be debated and voted on. This constitutes the main debate.

- Committee Stage: The bill again comes before the whole House of Commons after being amended in a Committee.

- Third Reading: A general debate on the bill takes place in its final, amended form.

When the bill proceeds to the other House (for example, the House of Lords or the House of Commons), this process is repeated. Once it has successfully passed through both houses, the bill proceeds to Royal Assent, which is a purely formal stage. Upon the receipt of Royal Assent, the bill becomes an Act of Parliament.

DELEGATED LEGISLATIONPassing another Act is the only way to change an Act of Parliament, even if passing legislation by Parliament can be a democratic but time-consuming procedure. This is an unsuitable process for large and complex legislative schemes which need to be updated and expanded to remain up-to-date with the needs of society. One way around this problem comes in the form of bylaws, also known as delegated legislation.The Criminal Justice Act is a legislative scheme which aims to provide broad protection for citizens. Delegated legislation, which is much more flexible than parliamentary law-making, allows the law to be developed and changed as needed, in accordance with specified provisions.Delegated legislation can be made by four different bodies that have obtained the

Statute Law

11 Issue 75 12.03.2013 The Assas Post

Case Study

By Jean-Eric BranaaMaître de Conférences (Université Paris 2-Assas)

any level Case Study

particular right to do so:1. Under the Emergency Powers Act 1920, the Queen and the Privy Council are authorized to make Orders in Council. 2. Ministers and government departments are authorized to make statutory instruments for areas under their responsibility.3. Local authorities can make bylaws for their own area. 4. Bylaws can be passed by public corporations relating to matters within their jurisdiction. There are some great advantages to this delegated form of legislation, such as making it possible to create a detailed law which parliament has no time to deal with or to offer a quick answer or solution to a problem where local knowledge is necessary. This said, delegated legislation also has considerable disadvantages. Since law is being made by people who are not answerable to the electorate in the same way

that MPs are, some consider it to be undemocratic.

EUROPEAN UNION LAWIn 1972, the UK entered the European Community when it signed the European Communities Act in Brussels. This meant that European law was incorporated into UK law. Since they form the basis of the European Union, treaties represent the primary source of European law. Three main documents are to be considered on this subject: The Treaty of Rome 1957, the Single European Act 1986, and the Treaty on European Union 1992.Secondary sources (laws made under the terms of the treaties, especially the Treaty of Rome) include: Regulations, Directives and Decisions of the Court of Justice. When a conflict between a regulation and an existing national law occurs, regulations prevail. They are binding and applicable to all member states, meaning

that they do not have to be implemented by any national legislation. Directives are requirements that member states change in their national laws in accordance with the directive within a stated period of time. Under the European Communities Act 1972, directives can be implemented either by statute or by delegated legislation in the UK. Whether they concern member states or individuals, Decisions of the Court of Justice are binding on the parties to whom they are addressed.

STATUTORY INTERPRETATIONDifferences of opinion often arise when discussing the meaning or application of legislation. This is the case when we consider the role of judges in statutory interpretation. The Interpretation Act 1978 was created in order to help guide judges, though difficulties still arise for judges when it

comes to interpreting words or phrases in a statute, as well as when legislation does not give an appropriate definition but guidelines are provided to judges in the form of rules.

The Literal RuleThe Literal Rule states that words should be applied by judges on the basis of their “ordinary, plain and natural meaning”.

The Golden RuleThe Golden Rule concerns suggestions made by judges when they depart from the original meaning of a word.

The Mischief RuleThe Mischief Rule first settled Heydon’s case in 1584. This rule is only used if the Literal or Golden rules fail and allow judges to consider what the defect (or mischief) in the common law was and what remedy parliament has provided for the defect in legislation.


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YOUR WEEKINCOMMENTS


Elsa Ailleurs

There should be a Men’s Day if we want

real equality.

It is going to be tight. I think it will depend on Ronaldo’s form.

Well, in the end it was pretty tight! Ronaldo clinched Real’s second goal! Did Real really de-serve to win though?

Bastien Desjardins

Agorassas

For all you football fans out there, who do you think will win in today’s Champions League match between Manchester United and Real Madrid?

Happy International Women’s Day 2013!!!!

Has anyone heard about the sad news of Christina Edkins, 16, who was stabbed on the bus to school yesterday in Birmingham?

It should be every day instead of one. Particularly because women and men are equals. We have to show each other respect every

single day

I think every day except today is men’s day!

I haven’t heard about it but it’s really sad!

Florence CampoBlythe Milbury-Steen

Coura Amar

It was so tight! I think the red card changed everything so it is difficult to say if Real deserved it. It could have been a great game, but with the red card it was just a good one.

Bastien Desjardins

Documents

THE ASSAS POST ISSUE 44 31.10.2011 A STUDENT NEWSPAPER FOR ENGLISH