Suzanne Franks's blog

 Here are details of the launch of the Orwell Prize which you are all invited to attend at the Frontline CLub.  The event is themed around Burma (and the link is of course Orwell's work Burmese Days written from his experience in the Burmese police) so should be very interesting. It is also well worth visiting the Frontline Club if you have never been there - and this is an opportunity to get in for free because most of their events are rather costly. However do remember to RSVP below if you are interested in attending.

Good news for newspapers - at least if you live and work in Brazil. Remarkable statistics that Brazilian newspapers are defying the trend and showing  a steady rise in sales. President Lula's success with the booming Brazilian economy has put more money in the pockets of ordinary punters who have in turn bought more newspapers. So any Portuguese speaking journalism students out there might think about plying their trade one day in Rio.

Nik Gowing is currently the main presenter of BBC World - seen everyday by millions. Before that he was an experienced foreign reporter for ITN, was bureau chief in Moscow and later diplomatic editor for Channel 4 News. In recent years he has also built up an academic reputation writing about the dilemmas of real time reporting and new technology in the coverage of conflicts.

As I mentioned yesterday, I have now put a reading list on the site for next term's module 'Power without Responsibilty'. Plenty of good ideas for   whiling away those hours on the beach...or wherever else..

I do not want to distract anyone from revision (and in the light of the current  turmoil I am looking forward to interesting answers on the politics paper) but spare a thought for next term.  One of the books I would like you to look at over the summer, if you have not already read it, is George Orwell's '1984'  along with some of his non-fiction essays.  More details to follow.

In addition to all the text books and academic articles, the current crisis means that there is plenty of other material around that can give you a different perspective on all the topics we have covered  See for example the Guardian discussions about reforming the political system. They include electoral systems, parliamentary reform and most of the other areas of the politics paper.

In addition to all the revision classes, we have several guest speakers who are visiting over the next few weeks.

If you have some free moments in between work experience and revision there are several new films on release which are entertaining and also give some useful background to some of the things we have already talked about and which will come up next year. "In the Loop" is a feature film version of the Armando Ianucci series "The Thick of It." (already in the library). This is a hilarious and well judged (if extremely foul mouthed) piece about political spin, based on a scenario similar to the Iraq war and the dodgy dossier. The Alistair Campbell character is truly repulsive.

Anyone who is interested in further debate on constitutional matters might like to go and hear Robert Hazell - head of the Constitution Unit (and featured on the politics reading list.) He is giving the Anthony Sampson lecture at Queen Mary. See below for details and for RSVP.  

As I mentioned I will shortly put some draft essay questions on the module notes  for discussion early next term. It is important to look over some of the main books and articles on the reading lists during the holiday- as well as all the NCTJ revision.

Have a look at this BBC 2  programme, shown last Sunday night, on oratory  Despite Alan Yentob's rather irritating presentation style it is fascinating study of the power of words and the rebirth of rhetoric since Obama.  With the help of Boris Johnson and others it traces the course of oratory from the time of the Greeks and makes some interesting observations about the effect that radio and television had on political speech making.