Sujet du Bac Anglais, monde contemporain 2022 · Métropole

Sujet 1 – Relation au monde

Partie 1 (16 points)

Prenez connaissance du dossier proposé, composé des documents A, B et C non hiérarchisés, et traitez en anglais le sujet suivant (500 mots environ):

Taking into account their specificities, explain what the documents say about the influence of Ireland worldwide. Pay particular attention to the Irish diaspora and recent migration movements, the evolution of Ireland's image, and the political strategies to reinforce Ireland's position on the international stage.

Document A

Ireland is finally recognising the potential of its diaspora

Ireland is a small country with a huge diaspora. It is estimated that more than 70 million people across the globe claim some degree of Irish ancestry or affiliation. This diaspora is a unique reservoir of goodwill, support and “soft power” for Ireland. No other western European country can draw on such an extraordinary resource. […]

As acting taoiseach 1 Enda Kenny said in a foreword to the first comprehensive statement of official policy on the diaspora, Global Irish: Ireland's Diaspora Policy, published just over a year ago, the history of the global Irish is integral to the story of the Irish nation:

“The voice of this small nation is hugely amplified by the many millions around the globe who are Irish by birth or by descent or by affiliation. Our diaspora are an important part of our story as a nation. They are part of who we are as a people, what we have done and where we have gone in this world.”

We have […] the first Minister for the Diaspora Jimmy Deenihan, and diaspora engagement is a core element of Irish foreign policy. The significance of the huge exodus of Irish people for at least four centuries is now finally recognised by an Irish State which, since its foundation in 1922, saw emigration as an embarrassment and affront to Irish self-government. […]

So what does the diaspora mean to modern Ireland today? Personal contact between emigrants and family and friends in Ireland is of course the most tangible connection between Ireland and its emigrants. In one respect, the consciousness of a diaspora is found in the many relationships that now cross oceans and national borders. For the “lost generation” 2 who have left since 2008, keeping in touch with home is a vital activity while living abroad. Family members may not describe their loved ones as being part of the global Irish, as they hope this exile will only be a temporary expedient.

This wave of emigration will affect the development of Irish society for decades to come.

The Irish Times, April 12th, 2016

1 Prime Minister

2 people affected by the financial crisis

Document B

Ireland has become an “unlikely diplomatic superpower,” says The Economist

In its latest issue, The Economist, a London-based newspaper, discusses how Ireland has emerged as an “unlikely diplomatic superpower” in global politics, despite suffering one of the worst economic crashes in the state's history barely a decade ago.

Ireland's growing status on the world stage was recently re-affirmed by Paschal Donohoe, the country's finance minister, becoming president of the Eurogroup, an influential group of Eurozone finance ministers. The trend is there for everyone to see.

Last month, for instance, Ireland won a seat on the United Nations Security Council, beating off the likes of Canada, while Philip Lane, the former head of Ireland's Central Bank, is now the brains behind the European Central Bank in spite of Ireland's ignominious recession in 2008.

Irish Commissioner Philip Hogan is the European Union Commissioner for Trade, while Irish politicians very much shaped the EU's response to Brexit through their concerns over the border in Northern Ireland.

Politicians and diplomats from Ireland have taken a multi-faceted approach to international diplomacy that has ensured that Ireland is viewed favorably in virtually every corner of the globe. […]

Ireland won its seat on the UN Security Council with a different approach altogether, including handing out free tickets to Riverdance 1 and U2 2. In essence, Ireland played on its stereotypes and its world renowned musical quality to triumph over Canada, who could only offer Celine Dion in return.

Ireland has always played on its stereotypes to improve diplomatic relations with foreign countries, that is no secret. But the St. Patrick's Day niceties aren't just limited to America. In reality, Irish ministers jet off around the globe, improving relations with far-flung places like South Korea as they go.

Ireland's financial performance over the past decade has endeared it 3 to the richest countries in Europe, while its background of a poverty-stricken vessel of the British Empire has endeared it with the poorer countries in southern Europe.

Its history of emigration, meanwhile, means that there are prominent Irish communities and political organizations in countries the world over, particularly in America and Britain.

For a small country on the outskirts of Europe, Ireland hasn't done too badly.

Irish Central, July 2020

1 Irish dancing show

2 famous Irish rock band

3 made it dear

Document C

[Irish] Central Statistics Office, August 31st, 2021

Document A

Ireland is finally recognising the potential of its diaspora

Ireland is a small country with a huge diaspora. It is estimated that more than 70 million people across the globe claim some degree of Irish ancestry or affiliation. This diaspora is a unique reservoir of goodwill, support and “soft power” for Ireland. No other western European country can draw on such an extraordinary resource. […]

As acting taoiseach 1 Enda Kenny said in a foreword to the first comprehensive statement of official policy on the diaspora, Global Irish: Ireland's Diaspora Policy, published just over a year ago, the history of the global Irish is integral to the story of the Irish nation:

“The voice of this small nation is hugely amplified by the many millions around the globe who are Irish by birth or by descent or by affiliation. Our diaspora are an important part of our story as a nation. They are part of who we are as a people, what we have done and where we have gone in this world.”

We have […] the first Minister for the Diaspora Jimmy Deenihan, and diaspora engagement is a core element of Irish foreign policy. The significance of the huge exodus of Irish people for at least four centuries is now finally recognised by an Irish State which, since its foundation in 1922, saw emigration as an embarrassment and affront to Irish self-government. […]

So what does the diaspora mean to modern Ireland today? Personal contact between emigrants and family and friends in Ireland is of course the most tangible connection between Ireland and its emigrants. In one respect, the consciousness of a diaspora is found in the many relationships that now cross oceans and national borders. For the “lost generation” 2 who have left since 2008, keeping in touch with home is a vital activity while living abroad. Family members may not describe their loved ones as being part of the global Irish, as they hope this exile will only be a temporary expedient.

This wave of emigration will affect the development of Irish society for decades to come.

The Irish Times, April 12th, 2016

1 Prime Minister

2 people affected by the financial crisis

Document B

Ireland has become an “unlikely diplomatic superpower,” says The Economist

In its latest issue, The Economist, a London-based newspaper, discusses how Ireland has emerged as an “unlikely diplomatic superpower” in global politics, despite suffering one of the worst economic crashes in the state's history barely a decade ago.

Ireland's growing status on the world stage was recently re-affirmed by Paschal Donohoe, the country's finance minister, becoming president of the Eurogroup, an influential group of Eurozone finance ministers. The trend is there for everyone to see.

Last month, for instance, Ireland won a seat on the United Nations Security Council, beating off the likes of Canada, while Philip Lane, the former head of Ireland's Central Bank, is now the brains behind the European Central Bank in spite of Ireland's ignominious recession in 2008.

Irish Commissioner Philip Hogan is the European Union Commissioner for Trade, while Irish politicians very much shaped the EU's response to Brexit through their concerns over the border in Northern Ireland.

Politicians and diplomats from Ireland have taken a multi-faceted approach to international diplomacy that has ensured that Ireland is viewed favorably in virtually every corner of the globe. […]

Ireland won its seat on the UN Security Council with a different approach altogether, including handing out free tickets to Riverdance 1 and U2 2. In essence, Ireland played on its stereotypes and its world renowned musical quality to triumph over Canada, who could only offer Celine Dion in return.

Ireland has always played on its stereotypes to improve diplomatic relations with foreign countries, that is no secret. But the St. Patrick's Day niceties aren't just limited to America. In reality, Irish ministers jet off around the globe, improving relations with far-flung places like South Korea as they go.

Ireland's financial performance over the past decade has endeared it 3 to the richest countries in Europe, while its background of a poverty-stricken vessel of the British Empire has endeared it with the poorer countries in southern Europe.

Its history of emigration, meanwhile, means that there are prominent Irish communities and political organizations in countries the world over, particularly in America and Britain.

For a small country on the outskirts of Europe, Ireland hasn't done too badly.

Irish Central, July 2020

1 Irish dancing show

2 famous Irish rock band

3 made it dear

Document C

[Irish] Central Statistics Office, August 31st, 2021

Traduisez en français le passage suivant du document A (l. 18-23):

So what does the diaspora mean to modern Ireland today? Personal contact between emigrants and family and friends in Ireland is of course the most tangible connection between Ireland and its emigrants. In one respect, the consciousness of a diaspora is found in the many relationships that now cross oceans and national borders. For the "lost generation" who have left since 2008, keeping in touch with home is a vital activity while living abroad.

Document A

National Geographic, August 2019

1 sprawl: the spread of a city into the area surrounding it, often without planning

Document B

Developers could be forced to provide all future homes with green space under plan being considered by London mayor

A radical overhaul 1 of planning rules that would make green space as vital as access to water or energy is being considered by London's mayor.

Sadiq Khan 2 has signalled he will support the scheme to make it easier for all residents of the capital to enjoy areas away from buildings and traffic if he secures a second term in City Hall.

A fifth of London is more than a kilometre from areas of nature, despite the fact that green space accounts for nearly half of the city (47 per cent), according to a report by the Fabian Society 3, which will be published on Friday.

It says that future developments should guarantee that every resident is no more than 1,000m away from a patch of land that is not covered in concrete or tarmac.

The mayor of London has thrown his weight behind the initiative, which calls for housing estates with poor access to nature to be flagged for future enhancements in recommendations outlined by wildlife activist David Lindo.

Mr Lindo, an urban ornithologist, wrote of how he felt shut out of nature as a young black man growing up in inner-city London in the 1970s.

He said: “It was often about saving spaces in leafier areas, rather than improving the run-down spaces of inner urban neighbourhoods.”

“Camley Street Natural Park in run-down King's Cross, saved in 1982 and then re-imagined as a wildlife oasis, was one of the exceptions, but I never felt that addressing the environmental injustices of communities living in poorer, rougher, more polluted neighbourhoods were fully embedded in much of this work.” […]

Mr Lindo added: “We need to be less protective, bolder and braver to reimagine how London should look and sound. We must be ‘greener’ rather than ‘greyer’.”

Speaking ahead of publication, Mr Khan said: “Access to nature should be available to all Londoners regardless of wealth or background.”

www.independent.co.uk, 6 August 2019

1 overhaul: re-examination

2 Sadiq Khan: mayor of London

3 Fabian Society: British left-leaning think-tank and pressure group which focuses on public policy

Document C

‘Dramatic’ increase in threat to London's green belt, report warns

There has been a “dramatic” increase in threats to London's green belt land from developers who only plan to use a fraction of the land for affordable housing, according to a new report.

Research by the London Green Belt Council (LGBC), an alliance of 100 organisations, shows five out of every six local authorities are planning to build on the supposedly protected land.

In all, 202,700 new dwellings 1 have been proposed for the land, a 64 per cent increase on two years ago, which researchers said posed the “greatest ever threat” to the green girdle 2 around the capital.

The report also claims that local planning authorities are being given no option but to release green belt land for development due to pressure from central government – despite it only being likely to provide less than 10 per cent of the affordable housing needed.

Researchers said that, contrary to claims by developers, building in the green belt did “virtually nothing” to address the crisis of affordability of housing, especially for young people in the South East.

Last year the government issued an updated national planning policy framework, rejecting calls for a complete ban on building in the 14 green belt areas across England – originally designed to protect the countryside from urban sprawl.

Richard Knox-Johnston, chair of the London Green Belt Council (LGBC), said the government must take action “more urgently than ever” to avoid “irreparable damage” to the integrity of London's protected land. […]

It comes after an analysis by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) last year indicated that plans to free up green belt land for housing development would do little to ease the affordability crisis.

The findings revealed that only 22 per cent of the 460,000 homes planned on land released from the green belt would meet the government's definition of affordable, prompting concerns that people were being “sold a lie” by developers.

www.independent.co.uk, 28 January 2019

1 dwellings: places of residence

2 girdle: (here) belt

Document D

Planning a Greener Future: How WATG’s ‘Green Block’ can help make London the world’s first National Park City

Wimberly, Allison, Tong & Go, www.watg.com (architectural firm), 10 October 2017

Partie 1 [16 pts]

Prenez connaissance du dossier proposé, composé des documents A, B, C et D non hiérarchisés, et traitez en anglais le sujet suivant (500 mots environ):

Taking into account their specificities and viewpoints, say what the documents show about green space management in and around London. You will pay particular attention to:

inequalities of access to green space,

the function of the Green Belt and green space,

the challenges that London faces.

Document A

National Geographic, August 2019

1 sprawl: the spread of a city into the area surrounding it, often without planning

Document B

Developers could be forced to provide all future homes with green space under plan being considered by London mayor

A radical overhaul 1 of planning rules that would make green space as vital as access to water or energy is being considered by London's mayor.

Sadiq Khan 2 has signalled he will support the scheme to make it easier for all residents of the capital to enjoy areas away from buildings and traffic if he secures a second term in City Hall.

A fifth of London is more than a kilometre from areas of nature, despite the fact that green space accounts for nearly half of the city (47 per cent), according to a report by the Fabian Society 3, which will be published on Friday.

It says that future developments should guarantee that every resident is no more than 1,000m away from a patch of land that is not covered in concrete or tarmac.

The mayor of London has thrown his weight behind the initiative, which calls for housing estates with poor access to nature to be flagged for future enhancements in recommendations outlined by wildlife activist David Lindo.

Mr Lindo, an urban ornithologist, wrote of how he felt shut out of nature as a young black man growing up in inner-city London in the 1970s.

He said: “It was often about saving spaces in leafier areas, rather than improving the run-down spaces of inner urban neighbourhoods.”

“Camley Street Natural Park in run-down King's Cross, saved in 1982 and then re-imagined as a wildlife oasis, was one of the exceptions, but I never felt that addressing the environmental injustices of communities living in poorer, rougher, more polluted neighbourhoods were fully embedded in much of this work.” […]

Mr Lindo added: “We need to be less protective, bolder and braver to reimagine how London should look and sound. We must be ‘greener’ rather than ‘greyer’.”

Speaking ahead of publication, Mr Khan said: “Access to nature should be available to all Londoners regardless of wealth or background.”

www.independent.co.uk, 6 August 2019

1 overhaul: re-examination

2 Sadiq Khan: mayor of London

3 Fabian Society: British left-leaning think-tank and pressure group which focuses on public policy

Document C

‘Dramatic’ increase in threat to London's green belt, report warns

There has been a “dramatic” increase in threats to London's green belt land from developers who only plan to use a fraction of the land for affordable housing, according to a new report.

Research by the London Green Belt Council (LGBC), an alliance of 100 organisations, shows five out of every six local authorities are planning to build on the supposedly protected land.

In all, 202,700 new dwellings 1 have been proposed for the land, a 64 per cent increase on two years ago, which researchers said posed the “greatest ever threat” to the green girdle 2 around the capital.

The report also claims that local planning authorities are being given no option but to release green belt land for development due to pressure from central government – despite it only being likely to provide less than 10 per cent of the affordable housing needed.

Researchers said that, contrary to claims by developers, building in the green belt did “virtually nothing” to address the crisis of affordability of housing, especially for young people in the South East.

Last year the government issued an updated national planning policy framework, rejecting calls for a complete ban on building in the 14 green belt areas across England – originally designed to protect the countryside from urban sprawl.

Richard Knox-Johnston, chair of the London Green Belt Council (LGBC), said the government must take action “more urgently than ever” to avoid “irreparable damage” to the integrity of London's protected land. […]

It comes after an analysis by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) last year indicated that plans to free up green belt land for housing development would do little to ease the affordability crisis.

The findings revealed that only 22 per cent of the 460,000 homes planned on land released from the green belt would meet the government's definition of affordable, prompting concerns that people were being “sold a lie” by developers.

www.independent.co.uk, 28 January 2019

1 dwellings: places of residence

2 girdle: (here) belt

Document D

Planning a Greener Future: How WATG’s ‘Green Block’ can help make London the world’s first National Park City

Wimberly, Allison, Tong & Go, www.watg.com (architectural firm), 10 October 2017

Partie 2 (4 pts)

Traduisez en français le passage ci-dessous du document B (l. 1-7):

A radical overhaul of planning rules that would make green space as vital as access to water or energy is being considered by London's mayor.

Sadiq Khan has signalled he will support the scheme to make it easier for all residents of the capital to enjoy areas away from buildings and traffic if he secures a second term in City Hall.

A fifth of London is more than a kilometre from areas of nature, despite the fact that green space accounts for nearly half of the city (47 per cent).