My Top 5 Political Dramas

With a background of working in politics, I always find myself drawn to political dramas – fact and fiction! Even if I find myself needing to distress, I still reach for the nearest political DVD I can find

So which are in my top 5?

The West Wing: Forever a classic, the West Wing played an early role in my interest in politics. The issues, solutions, personalities and morals ring true for political arenas around the world, and I return to favourite episodes of the series for when I need a political pick-me-up. Season Two’s ‘Two Cathedrals’ will forever be my favourite.

Madam Secretary: Starring Tea Leoni, this drama follows Elizabeth McCord's role as Secretary of State. Dealing with a coup in Iran, crises at home and a change in family life, this is one of my absolute favourites. Plus McCord's wardrobe is proper A-game.

Commander in Chief: Cancelled after eighteen episodes, Commander in Chief starred Geena Davis as the first female American President. Fiesty and controversial, Davis played President Mackenzie Allen, and Independent who becomes Commander in Chief following the death of the former President. There was speculation that the series would be made into a movie, but unfortunately this never transpired.

Scandal: Perhaps one of the most addictive dramas on TV, Scandal follows main character Olivia Pope as she fixes Washington’s problems- oh and is in a relationship with the married President of the United States. The sizzling episodes provide an exciting and gripping distraction from everyday!

House of Cards: No list would be complete with House of Cards. House of Cards is the American remake of the classic original British drama. With the amazing Kevin Spacey playing the shady, divisive and downright scary House Majority Whip turned President, this is one gripping series. Season 4 is currently in production.

What are your favourite political dramas? Comment below!

White House Week

This week, President Obama traveled to the National Cybersecurity and Communications IntegrationCenter (NCCIC) in Arlington, VA to review what he'll do next to defend our nation's systems.

So here's a look at the next steps the President is taking to improve our cybersecurity standards:

The President is putting forward a legislative proposal that would enable cybersecurity information sharing in the private sector and between the private sector and government. And the proposal would also safeguard Americans’ personal privacy by requiring private entities to comply with certain privacy restrictions such as removing unnecessary personal information and taking measures to protect any personal information that must be shared in order to qualify for liability protection.

The proposal modernizes law enforcement authorities to combat cyber crime and ensure they have appropriate tools to investigate, disrupt, and prosecute cyber crime.

The Administration has also updated its proposal on security breach reporting, helping business and consumers by simplifying and standardizing the existing patchwork of 46 state laws (plus the District of Columbia and several territories) that contain these requirements into one federal statute, and putting in place a single clear and timely notice requirement to ensure that companies notify their employees and customers about security breaches.

The Department of Energy will provide $25 million in grants over the next five years to support a cybersecurity education consortium consisting of 13 HBCUs and two national labs -- part of the President’s jobs-driven training initiative -- which will help to fill the growing demand for skilled cybersecurity professionals in the U.S. job market.

The President also announced that the White House will hold a summit on cybersecurity and consumer protection at Stanford University, bringing together industry, tech companies, law enforcement, consumer and privacy advocates, law professors who are specialists in this filed, and students, to ensure we develop solutions in a public and transparent way.

For further details on the plans click here. 

And the best video this week? The Big Block of Cheese Day featuring members of the West Wing cast!