Tag: Andrew Blick

“A significant loss to UK democracy”: Experts respond to the abolition of the House of Commons Political and Constitutional Reform Committee

“A significant loss to UK democracy”: Experts respond to the abolition of the House of Commons Political and Constitutional Reform Committee

The incoming majority Conservative government has opted to abolish the House of Commons Political and Constitutional Reform Committee, which unlike the other commons committees does not exist on a statutory basis. Democratic Audit UK asked experts and practitioners to respond to the news, who are united in considering it a foolhardy decision which will do little to […]

The abolition of the Political and Constitutional Reform Committee is a loss to Parliament and British democracy

The abolition of the Political and Constitutional Reform Committee is a loss to Parliament and British democracy

The incoming majority Conservative Government have made one of their first decisions the abolition of the Political and Constitutional Reform Committee, currently Chaired by the Labour MP Graham Allen. Andrew Blick, who worked closely with the committee argues that the decision is a poor one, and that its work – both high profile and more […]

Four options for configuring the British constitution

Four options for configuring the British constitution

With the SNP surging in Scotland and the break up of the union as plausible as it has ever been. What are the different options for configuring the UK state? In this article, Andrew Blick writes about what the constitutional future might look like. Similar PostsThe Smith Commission Report is short, but packs a big […]

Magna Carta can still challenge the orthodoxy and help resolve today’s democratic difficulties

Magna Carta can still challenge the orthodoxy and help resolve today’s democratic difficulties

What influence does Magna Carta, signed 800 years ago at Runnymede by King John, continue to have over UK democracy and governance? A lot, according to Andrew Blick, who points out that taken as a whole, it is a surprisingly enduring document which still influences our political and democratic choices to this day.  Similar PostsA new […]

If there is to be a UK constitutional convention, it should look at the future of parliamentary privilege

If there is to be a UK constitutional convention, it should look at the future of parliamentary privilege

Parliamentary privilege is more than just the right of MPs and Lords to say what they like without fear of legal consequence. In a week when this constitutional convention has been in the news due to the Labour MP Jimmy Hood making allegations about a member of the House of Lords, Andrew Blick explains what exactly […]

Book Review: At Power’s Elbow: Aides to the Prime Minister from Robert Walpole to David Cameron

Book Review: At Power’s Elbow: Aides to the Prime Minister from Robert Walpole to David Cameron

Special Advisers and prime-ministerial aides have come to prominence increasingly over the last decade, with operatives like Alastair Campbell and Andy Coulson frequently making front-page news. But little is generally known about the role itself, what it entails, and how it has developed down the years. Catherine Haddon, in reviewing this new offering from Andrew Blick and George Jones, finds […]

The Cabinet Manual is constitutionally problematic because it expresses only the Executive’s views

The Cabinet Manual is constitutionally problematic because it expresses only the Executive’s views

In 2010, the then-Government published the Cabinet Manual, which was at the time seen as a first step towards the formal codification of the British constitution. While its introduction is likely to have a significant impact on the influence of convention in Government, the domination of the production of the manual and a number of […]

Legal aid cuts may mean excluded members of society are denied access to a vital part of our democratic system

Legal aid cuts may mean excluded members of society are denied access to a vital part of our democratic system

Thousands of lawyers are today protesting outside courts at planned cuts to legal aid. Stuart Wilks-Heeg, Stephen Crone, and Andrew Blick considered this topic in the 2012 audit of UK democracy, identifying concerns about the difficulty citizens face in accessing legal aid, which have intensified since the coalition government was elected. It is clearly necessary, if the rule of […]

Protections for the freedom of religion have improved over the last decade

Protections for the freedom of religion have improved over the last decade

In the 2012 Audit of Democracy, Stuart Wilks-Heeg, Stephen Crone, and Andrew Blick looked at the key issue of religious freedom in Britain. While the country remains relatively secular in practice, the British state is tied up by anachronistic historical relics such as an established church and the continued presence of Bishops in the House of Lords. Despite […]

The political affiliations of the UK’s national newspapers have shifted, but there is again a heavy Tory predominance

The political affiliations of the UK’s national newspapers have shifted, but there is again a heavy Tory predominance

The 2010 General Election saw the Conservatives gain a number of newspaper endorsements, and failed to win outright. But while there is a consensus that newspaper endorsements matter less today than they once did, they remain a significant force in shaping the political outlooks of their readers. In the 2012 Audit of Democracy, Stuart Wilks-Heeg, Andrew […]