5/2010

The article deals with the notion of the late modernity in the works of A. Giddens. The contribution concentrates upon the three attributes of the conception of the late modernity, namely: the separation of time and space, the disembedding of social systems in the local contexts and the "reflexivity" conceived as the growing impact of the social sciences on the forms and structures of the social life of people in contemporary society. The second part of the article contains the analysis of the existential situation of an individual in the late modernity. The discussion is focused on the problem of risk, "internal referentiality" of social systems and the idea of "deskilling".

Presented in the article proposal of radical democracy can be a rescue in crisis of late modernity. It is based on philosophical conservatism, but use values connected with socialist thought as well. Radical politics refers to creating new institutional form of socio- political life by transforming daily life and personal experience of the human, who is element of global transformations concerning activity and identity of entity.

The contemporary model of the welfare state has emerged as one of the most important political and social concepts in the countries composing the European Union. The solutions adopted by Great Britain are deserving of special attention. The British model of social policy has developed in an evolutionary fashion, and recently-adopted mechanisms were not implemented in a sudden and revolutionary manner, in opposition to other countries on the continent. The history of British social policy legislation reaches back to the twilight of the Middle Ages (such as the obligation to work and aid for the impoverished). In later periods, a range of reforms and important regulations were introduced (detailed in this paper), which served to form the contemporary welfare state model of Great Britain in the second half of the 20th century. This system is founded on significantly different assumptions than those of other Western European nations. The British model has clear historical foundations, and the solutions adopted in the spirit of liberalism possess an evolutionary character unique to the United Kingdom.

Main instruments of creating effigies of subjects participating in National Assembly for Wales election in 2007 were programs made by political parties and independent candidates. In these documents were used different technics of preservation “hard electorate” support and gaining votes of persons who hesitated in their political choices. Welsh Labours confronted enthusiastic vision of its achievements with horrible "Tory past" and depreciated present initiatives of its adversaries. Success of Plaid Cymru was an effect of program’s propositions rationalization by resignation of radical slogans (which were reason of UKIP’s defeat) and putting first social and economic questions. Trish Law campaign was based on general and populist slogans acceptable for every social group, respect for her husband and local patriotism of Blaenau Gwent community. Poor results of Welsh Conservatives were mostly depended of defensive attitude towards Labour propaganda of (right or wrong) “Tory past”. Moreover their program contained no new ideas but only old propositions about public expenses cuts. Welsh Liberal Democrats either used old arguments well-known to voters from past National Assembly elections (2003), local elections (2004) and UK Parliament elections (2005). Both Conservatives and Liberals had to pay a lot for its “laziness” by gaining not much support and staying in opposition for National Assembly next term. Last Assembly election proved possibility of victory only parties (and individual candidates) which could right identify and react for actual needs and expects both “hard electorate” and other voters without precise political preferences.

The subject of research is a phenomenon of Euro-orphanhood which is experienced by children in the situation when their parents go abroad to work. The main aim of the research was getting to know and analyse the problem of the phenomenon of Euro-orphanhood and its consequences visible in the case of lower secondary students. The research was based on the survey. The research was carried out in the John Paul II Lower Secondary School in Korzenna. The research embraced 120 students, male and female. It was carried out in January 2010. The research showed that the reasons for Poles going abroad are different and that the absence of even one parent is not indifferent to a child left in the native country. Euro-orphans are mainly teenagers who need emotional relationship with their parents, the feeling of closeness and safety. The child whose parents go away lacks parental care and he or she feels lonely. Those feelings generate defensive reactions which ruin a child psychically and physically.

Suicides is now becoming the most important problem around the world. The world statistics show that every year, an estimated almost one million people die by committing suicide. This represents one death every 40 seconds. The suicide rates are still increasing all over the world. In this articles, due to wider depiction of the problem, I would like to present trends and the dynamics of suicide in the background of sociological analysis. The basis of this analysis are the statistical data like age, sex, and number of suicides in Poland and in the UK over ten years. First of them is among to the countries with a high suicide rate. The second one has got the lowest suicide rate in Europe. It is worth to considering why so many suicides committed in Poland and how the social conditions conductive to an intensification of this phenomenon.

This study is devoted to what is hunting, the idea of its creation, and what role it played and plays in society, with special emphasis on ethical grounds for the exercise of hunting. Considerations are based on the example of two countries - Great Britain and Poland. The study shows mechanisms for the exercise of hunting and their social repercussions. In conclusion, the author attempts to assess how hunting is an important element of social life in both countries and what is its level of acceptance.