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The Queen is Dead: What is the Future of the British Monarchy and Commonwealth? By Sizhe (Jeff) Li Sep. 24, 2022 Queen Elizabeth II, England's longest-serving monarch, died peacefully at Balmoral Castle, Scotland, on September 8th. Since 1952, the Queen has presided over 15 Commonwealth realms and 14 additional overseas territories during her 70-year reign.1 The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 54 previously British-controlled countries that serve as a diplomatic and economic forum.2 After a majestic state funeral attended by more than 100 world leaders, the Queen was brought to her final resting place at Westminster Alley on Monday—the same building in which she had taken the Queen’s Coronation Oath nearly seventy years earlier. The Queen’s funeral was broadcasted on television, and hundreds of thousands waited in a mile-long line to view the Queen's coffin.3 As a constitutional monarch, the Queen has only ceremonial power. She has been portrayed as a lovable character who served as the glue binding English communities together. She invited 15 British prime ministers during her reign, the first being Winston Churchill and the last being Liz Truss, whom she met two days before her death. The Queen has always kept her opinions private and remained neutral on domestic politics.4 The world mourns Her Majesty's death. Her son, now King Charles III, said his mother's death was a "moment of great sadness" for him and his family, and her loss would be "deeply felt" around the world.5 “The Queen is dead. Long live the King”: What will happen next? At the same time, politicians and influencers are discussing the impact of Her Majesty's death on the relationship between English communities. In recent years, the United Kingdom has lacked stability. Scottish independence, Brexit, and the future of Northern Ireland have polarized the country,6 while Boris Johnson's so-called party-gate controversy during the Covid-19 lockdowns damaged faith in the country’s authorities and tarnished reputation abroad.7 The United Kingdom has changed dramatically in the last century. The once-empire is now the Commonwealth of Nations. Since the cold war, it has gone through social and economic transformations and is now one of the most multicultural countries in the world.8 In 2020, the UK had 6.2 million dual citizens and 9.5 million British citizens born abroad.9 Although the rise of India and China has further impacted the fall of the UK’s hard power, its soft power through diplomacy has remained, ranking second only to the United States in 2022.10 Even before the Queen's passing, the role of the British monarchy and its relationship to British identity has come under suspicion. Barbados removed Queen Elizabeth as head of state in November 2021, and the country became a parliamentary republic. 11 Jamaica released statements earlier this year with similar intents and originally planned to part ways with the Queen in 2025.12 The concepts of the Commonwealth and the Head of State are separate; for example, when Barbados became a republic, it remained in the Commonwealth. While Barbados was the most recent country to achieve independence and replace the Queen with a president, it was not the first. In the past 50 years, four other countries have gained independence: Mauritius was the previous country to take the same step in 1992, followed by Dominica which did the same in 1978, Trinidad and Tobago in 1976, and Guyana in 1970. The question now is will King Charles continue the Queen’s legacy as a symbolic monarch, or will more nations remove him as the Head of State or leave the Commonwealth. There haven't been any controversial changes to the Commonwealth in recent years, and King Charles III was already chosen to be made the Commonwealth's head in 2018.13 There have been precedents of nations leaving the Commonwealth, including Ireland, Afghanistan, and the Gambia, with the latter two later rejoining.14 Since the Commonwealth is viewed as a loose voluntary diplomacy association, little is expected to change. In Australia, people voted against removing the Queen in a referendum in 1999, but by a narrow margin (55% supported the Queen). Their current Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, previously stated that another referendum on the issue would be held, but he appears to have reversed his statements following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Albanese said, “We should be proud of the fact that we share this continent with the oldest continuous culture on earth, at least 65,000 years. That should be something that needs to be fixed before other matters are debated." He also stated that the current priority is to pay tribute to the Queen rather than to remove the monarchy as Head of State.15 At the moment, neither Canada nor New Zealand has announced plans to remove the monarchy and become republics. The death of the Queen hasn’t caused any substantial changes in the English monarchy. There has, however, been a minor increase in the popularity of the Monarchy following her death. A recent YouGov poll shows 68% of British citizens have a positive opinion of the monarchy, a rise from 59% on March 30, 2022. Statistics show that in the UK, since 2012 the support for maintaining a monarchy is steadily declining, particularly among the younger generations. From 2020 onwards, just 35% of people aged 18 to 24 say Britain should retain a monarchy, compared to 69% of those 18 to 24 who supported the monarchy in 2015. Currently, 86% of Britons aged 65 and over support the monarchy.17 At this time, predicting the English monarchy's long-term future is difficult. Following this period of mourning, world leaders will hold more in-depth discussions about the monarchy's future in English-speaking communities. Public opinion in the UK and around the world will become more vivid, as people recover from the loss of the modern world's longest-serving monarchy. Sources: Schoolshistory.org.uk, ucf.edu, NYT, BBC, Reuter, FP, ndla.no, Brandfinance, Essence, commonwealthofnations.org, DW News, geo.tv, The Guardian for CE Biden Signs Bills to Address Climate Change, Healthcare, Gun Violence, and Economic Competitiveness By Aharon Shelef Congress passed and President Biden signed several bills this summer which have long been a priority for the president. The highest profile bill in this group is the Inflation Reduction Act, an over $700 billion package designed to tackle climate change, reduce the deficit, and lower healthcare and prescription drug costs. The flurry of legislation also included a bill to reduce gun violence, a bill to enhance domestic semiconductor manufacturing and scientific research, and a bill to provide care for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits. Democrats’ biggest achievement, the Inflation Reduction Act, passed the Senate on August 8 with all Democrats, as well as Vice President Kamala Harris, voting in favor and all Republicans voting against. The bill was passed with 51 votes instead of the usual 60 required by using reconciliation, a process that allows budget-only bills to avoid filibusters and pass with a simple majority. In addition to $300 billion to reduce the national deficit, the Inflation Reduction Act includes $369 billion to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote environmental justice through clean energy, the largest investment in climate action in American history. Despite the name of the new law, experts from the Congressional Budget Office, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and Moody’s Analytics have concluded that the Inflation Reduction Act will do little to reduce overall inflation, though it will keep healthcare costs from rising by extending last year’s Affordable Care Act subsidies and will lower prescription drug costs for Medicare patients by allowing Medicare to negotiate some drug prices. Democrats’ original version of the bill would have reduced prescription drug prices for public and private health insurance recipients, as well as capped the cost of insulin at $35, but the Senate parliamentarian rejected those provisions for failing to comply with the reconciliation rules. The bill is paid for by increasing taxes on corporations, allowing Medicare to negotiate some drug prices, and strengthening the enforcement of tax collection. The Inflation Reduction Act is the product of over a year of negotiations with Senator Joe Manchin, who blocked the bill’s predecessor, the much larger Build Back Better Act, last year. The Build Back Better Act included a slew of new federal programs for Medicare, education, child care, Medicaid expansion, immigration, elder care, housing, paid leave, and tax credits, while repealing many of the tax cuts passed under former President Trump in 2017. However, the Senate parliamentarian, Democratic Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin, and united Republican opposition removed most of these from the bill. In June, Congress also passed the first gun safety law in decades. While those on the left decried it as too modest and those on the right feared it went too far, the bipartisan compromise attracted 65 votes in the Senate, enough to break a filibuster. The bill encourages the implementation of “red-flag laws” (laws that allow law enforcement to take away guns from people deemed a threat), increases background checks on gun purchases for people under the age of 21, closes the so-called “boyfriend loophole” (which allowed unmarried partners with histories of domestic violence to purchase firearms within five years of the violence), and provides funds for school security and mental health programs. In the aftermath of the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, the Senate faced immense pressure to act on gun violence, leading Democrats, led by Senator Chris Murphy, and Republicans, led by Senator John Cornyn, to put together a deal, which President Biden signed on June 25. After many long negotiations, on July 27, the Senate passed a slimmed-down version of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s long-sought bill to increase American economic competitiveness with China. Not long before its passage, talks between the House and Senate, as well as between Democrats and Republicans, were breaking down, in part due to Republicans' staunch opposition to the Inflation Reduction Act. In response, Schumer decided to drop most of the bill’s contents to allow the $52 billion for semiconductor manufacturing and the $280 billion in research and development funds to pass the Senate with 64 votes. President Biden also signed the PACT Act, which is especially personal for him. The legislation provides aid to veterans exposed to toxic burn pits. President Biden is passionate about this legislation in part because Beau Biden, the president’s first son, died from brain cancer that may have been caused by exposure to toxic burn pits while on active duty. Republicans held up the bill passage for a long time, partly in protest of the Inflation Reduction Act, but the bill eventually passed 86-11 and became law on August 10. Sources: Politico, The New York Times, CNN, NPR, Forbes |
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Jackson Mississippi Water Crisis By Claire Bunders In late August, a water crisis sparked in the city of Jackson, Mississippi. The root of the problem started with infrastructure failure in the area. More recently, a flood of the Pearl River in Jackson damaged the local water treatment centers, O.B. Curtis Water Plant and J.H. Fewell Water Treatment Plant. Since these centers were down, the water pressure was reduced, resulting in low quality water. The water has been reported to look brown and dirty, and to include traces of lead and E. coli bacteria. To gain more context, PBS conducted an interview with a Jackson State University student, Mikeyla Anderson. Anderson stated, “When I first turned my shower on, it turned brown. I kind of got a little bit scared, and I wanted to go home. We have to do extra steps and take extra precautions into brushing our teeth. And that’s an everyday life thing.” Jackson is home to around 150,000 Americans with an average yearly income of $40,000 to a household. NPR states that one in four people in the city live in poverty, and many struggle to pay for large amounts of water. The flood waters that began this specific catastrophe in the Pearl River had a highest point of 35 feet. The exponential amount of water disturbed the water pressure in the area, causing an increased risk for unsafe water to emerge through underground pipes. Prior to the most recent crisis, other water emergencies have existed in the area. A boil water notice—which asks people to boil water to prevent any harsh exposure to bacteria—was given during the weeks preceding the flood, and lasted for nearly seven weeks before being lifted on September 15. Considering the shortage of water, many situations could negatively impact the community, including too little water to put out potential fires. Additionally, the intake of water from sinks and other household spouts could cause harm to residents by exposure to E. coli and lead. E. coli is a bacteria that is known to be present in the intestinal tract. Symptoms of E. coli infections range from stomach cramps to fevers of 101℉. On the other hand, lead poisoning symptoms are comparable to those of a stomach bug, while also presenting the possibility of memory loss or weakness of the body. There have been reports that the city is seeing abundant underfunding of water systems. According to the mayor of Jackson, estimates of the total amount of money to clear up all water issues are around 2 billion dollars. In 2013, in an attempt to upgrade the water systems, a deal was set with a company called Siemens, in which $90 million were to go to enhanced sewer lines, water treatment plants, and water-sewer billing systems. The deal was not effective because as NPR explains, “In the years following the installation, some residents received exorbitant bills for months of water use at a time, while others weren't billed at all.” Given the situation, Jackson initially wanted to sue Siemens for $450 million, but ended up with only $89.8 million. In other attempts to help funding, Mississippi received $75 million as a result of a bill passed by President Biden. After the money is divided across Mississippi, the city of Jackson will not collect enough money necessary to solve existing issues. SOURCES https://www.npr.org/2022/08/31/1120166328/jackson-mississippi-water-crisis https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-jackson-mississippis-water-crisis-is-a-sign-of-larger-racial-inequities https://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/ecoli-symptoms.html https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/lead/health.html for CE Liz Truss Becomes the New Prime Minister: What Does This Mean for Britain? By Chloe McCulloch On Tuesday, September 6th, Liz Truss officially became prime minister of the United Kingdom. In the wake of Britain's exit from the European Union and the continued war in Ukraine, Truss has been saddled with the problems that Boris Johnson accumulated during his tenure. The fourth conservative Prime Minister in a decade, “party stalwart” Truss is an Oxford graduate with degrees in philosophy, politics, and economics. She worked as foreign secretary in Boris Johnson's Cabinet and has served under three prime ministers. She dodged the coup on Johnson, as she had no real allegiance to either side. Truss, as a conservative, supports low taxes and small government, but due to the crises afflicting the United Kingdom, her slogan of “We Will Deliver” is still being doubted. Immediately as she took over the office, she was confronted by a multitude of issues, such as inflation, labor unrest, and the energy crisis caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This crisis is threatening to push household electricity bills above what many families can pay, leaving Britain's poorest citizens unable to heat their homes in the coming winter and making the cost of living much higher than before. She didn’t map out a plan for this crisis during her campaign and she instead revealed it on the 8th of September, two days after her inauguration. Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, gave his opinion on the matter to NPR regarding the energy crisis. "I've listened to Liz Truss during the Tory leadership [campaign] and I was looking for a plan to help people with their skyrocketing energy bills, with the NHS crisis, and so on, and I heard no plan at all…given people are really worried, given people are losing sleep over their energy bills, businesses aren't investing because of the crisis, I think that's really wrong,” Former Prime Minister Johnson, however, claims he left the government with the “economic strength” to combat this crisis. However, to most, this doesn’t seem to be the case. In fact, the New York Times suggests Truss may have trouble keeping a party together that has already been shaken by Brexit and the “turbulent three-year tenure” of Boris Johnson. The aftershocks of COVID and the economic struggles continue to push the Liberal Labor party closer and closer to the lead as the divided Conservative party is losing popularity. After much anticipation during her campaign, Truss finally announced a plan to, for the time, lift taxes on sources of pollution and greenhouse gasses. This plan will cover the entire United Kingdom, aside from Northern Ireland, which is expected to follow suit with a similar plan. This is one of the most significant government interventions since the global financial crisis in 2008. Truss claims that her plan will cut inflation by 5%. However, many British citizens are still worried about how they'll keep their lights on this winter. As the UK struggles with a new prime minister, a new king, and the problems that have accumulated over the last decade, Truss is under intense scrutiny in the early months of her administration. British citizens are nervously waiting for things to either improve or worsen significantly. Despite the current situation, many are hopeful Truss will stand by them as these changes take effect. |