Extending the franchise to 16 and 17 year olds would deepen and strengthen British democracy

Reducing the age of enfranchisement from 18 to 16 would not just ensure that young people’s views were listened to, it would also take advantage of the growing political awareness of this age group, as evidenced by the Scottish Independence referendum campaign, evidence from overseas, and some research from the UK, according to Vittorio Trevitt

The emergence of a genuine system of multiparty politics in the United Kingdom is a positive development for British democracy

In 1955 more than 90% of voters opted to back either Labour or the Conservatives. In 2015, this figure could drop to its lowest ever, even lower than 2010 when only 65% backed the established parties. Many factors lie behind this trend, but it represents a positive development, argues Vittorio Trevitt

The UK would reap the benefits if it were to adopt the Swiss model of direct democracy

Switzerland has long had a model of direct democracy which has allowed citizens direct influence over Government legislation, should the requisite threshold be passed on a public petition. Vittorio Trevitt argues that their system has much to commend it, and that Westminster politicians ought to seriously consider adopting it in the UK

Compulsory voting is controversial, but would represent a move towards genuine democratic empowerment

Britain has been blighted by steadily declining turnout over a number of election cycles, with a competitive 2010 election being unusual in seeing turnout actually increase. Vittorio Trevitt argues that compulsory voting would increase engagement and actually empower voters, with criticisms of the notion generally missing the mark

A written British constitution would do much to enhance Britain’s democracy and the wellbeing of its citizens

Britain famously has no written constitution, opting instead to govern itself with reference to a set of conventions, laws, and traditions without formal codification. Vittorio Trevitt argues that this system has past its sell-by date, and should be replaced by a written constitution

There is a strong case for the introduction of an elected tier ofEnglish regional government

Should there be an English Parliament? Or should the English regions – closer in size to the other constituent parts of the United Kingdom – instead enjoy self-government over elements of government economic and social policy? Vittorio Trevitt argues that such a development would be good for democracy and good for England

ctrl alt delete - Memory And Experience in The Design Process

‘ctrl alt delete’ addresses the design process and presents a new approach to qualitative research methodologies which incorporates memory. It suggests a shutting down of computer systems ‘not responding’ during the design process and a movement towards human interaction, connection and empathy. It aims to enable designers to become more personally and emotionally informed in subjects out of their personal experience. Through research and experiment the benefits of utilising memory in qualitative research methodologies such as questionnaires, interviews and focus groups are evident. Subsequently I have created a model for the design process which specifically aims to connect the designer and participant through memory and experience, uniting the designer's creative ability with the participant's passion for the subject. The model is applied to an 11 step iterative process and tested using four separate design briefs. The first brief is used to test the validity of the model, each step being completed and carefully considered over a period of two months. Three live briefs are then used to test the model under more realistic time frames (1-3 weeks). Alterations are made to the model accommodating each separate brief showing its flexibility and ability to be implemented in the professional design industry

Exploring action learning for academic development in research intensive settings

The potential of action learning (AL) for academic development has not received a lot of attention. Building from two case studies in which AL has been used in different ways in research-intensive universities in Australia and the UK, we suggest that the approach may be of benefit to developers in the changing landscape in which they are expected to function. The opportunities for and challenges of leadership for AL in educational development, particularly involving non-academic staff, are also briefly explored. We argue that AL offers a way to engage academic and related staff groups that fits with their institutional culture and is therefore likely to lead to the kind of continual professional learning (CPL) and positive change that will be both valued and valuable in academia. Furthermore, we believe that AL might offer productive ways forward for the further evolution of academic development work, especially, perhaps, in research-intensive settings

Chemically activated reactions on the C7H5 energy surface: Propargyl + diacetylene, i-C5H3 + acetylene, and n-C5H3 + acetylene

This study uses computational chemistry and statistical reaction rate theory to investigate the chemically activated reaction of diacetylene (butadiyne, C4H2) with the propargyl radical (C •H2CCH) and the reaction of acetylene (C 2H2) with the i-C5H3 (CH 2CCCC•H) and n-C5H3 (CHCC •HCCH) radicals. A detailed G3SX-level C7H 5 energy surface demonstrates that the C3H3 + C4H2 and C5H3 + C2H 2 addition reactions proceed with moderate barriers, on the order of 10 to 15 kcal mol-1, and form activated open-chain C 7H5 species that can isomerize to the fulvenallenyl radical with the highest barrier still significantly below the entrance channel energy. Higher-energy pathways are available leading to other C 7H5 isomers and to a number of C7H4 species + H. Rate constants in the large multiple-well (15) multiple-channel (30) chemically activated system are obtained from a stochastic solution of the one-dimensional master equation, with RRKM theory for microcanonical rate constants. The dominant products of the C4H2 + C 3H3 reaction at combustion-relevant temperatures and pressures are i-C5H3 + C2H2 and CH2CCHCCCCH + H, along with several quenched C7H 5 intermediate species below 1500 K. The major products in the n-C5H3 + C2H2 reaction are i-C 5H3 + C2H2 and a number of C 7H4 species + H, with C7H5 radical stabilization at lower temperatures. The i-C5H3 + C 2H2 reaction predominantly leads to C7H 4 + H and to stabilized C7H5 products. The title reactions may play an important role in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) formation in combustion systems. The C7H5 potential energy surface developed here also provides insight into several other important reacting gas-phase systems relevant to combustion and astrochemistry, including C2H + the C3H4 isomers propyne and allene, benzyne + CH, benzene + C(3P), and C7H5 radical decomposition, for which some preliminary analysis is presented. © 2011 the Owner Societies

Realising pedagogical potencial of the bologna process third cycle

The European Higher Education Area (EHEA) has been achieved, at least in structure, remapping Higher Education as we know it. This scenario offers a new framework in which the role of universities can be rethought, independently of the field of the new degrees and post grade studies. More specifically, the roles of teachers and students need to be reconsidered. Achieving an enhanced doctoral experience for the next generation of PhD students represents a measurable practical outcome of the Bologna Process. This doctoral case study is contextualised within the issues of internationalisation, standards and standardization of degree credit ratings, collaboration and competition, and language and writing.Peer Reviewe