Bernardo del Carpio en el Poema de Fernán González

The focus of the Poema de Fernán González falls squarely on its protagonist, the tenth-century Castilian warrior lord known to us today as Count Fernán González. Nevertheless, a third of the poem is devoted to the narration of events and prominent figures who preceded the Count. Most notable among these is Bernardo del Carpio, a fully fictitious epic hero who prefigures the Count in his willingness to fight for the independence of the Castilian nation. This analysis of the narration of Bernardo's heroic deeds against the invading army of Charlemagne is meant to clarify lingering doubts about the sources of the poem and their mode of transmission.     

The Voting Rights of Incarcerated Australian Citizens

Drawing on and combining political science and legal frameworks, this article explores the validity of disenfranchising Australian prisoners. The authors examine and critically assess the various arguments used in Australia by both legislators and High Court Justices to defend the practice of disenfranchisement. Such arguments are assessed against liberal democratic principles as well as jurisprudence arising from cases in settings that provide protection for electoral rights in formal charters of rights. The authors show that in settings that entrench voting rights in the Constitution, any infringement attracts strict scrutiny from the courts. Courts insist that any abridgement of voting rights should serve a legitimate government purpose and be proportionate to that purpose. The arguments made for prisoner disenfranchisement by legislators in the Australian context invariably fail both parts of this test.