Tag: Parliament
Select committees in the 2015 parliament: some change, some continuity
In the aftermath of the election the shape of the select committee system in the new parliament is now beginning to emerge, with the party label of the chairs of the various House of Commons committees being allocated. Hannah White offers some thoughts about what has changed and where we might see more continuity. Limited structural […]
“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 […]
Allowing MPs to job share would bring benefit constituents, democracy, and the MPs themselves
Job-sharing has been a reality for some years now, with it being seen as a useful method to allow flexibility – particularly for disabled people, women, and other under-represented groups. However the prospect of it being introduced for Westminster elections seems remote. Emma Rome argues that the powers that be should reconsider, and that there […]
We shouldn’t focus solely on the Syria vote when assessing Parliament’s power over military deployments
In August 2013, the House of Commons rejected a Government proposal to intervene in Syria following that country’s regime’s use of chemical weapons. The vote proved to be most consequential, with some arguing that it led to the United States ultimately withdrawing its proposals to lead the campaign against the Syrian tyrant Bashar Al-Assad. Louise […]
If Parliament is to be truly effective, committees must become more powerful and independent
The House of Commons has long come under criticism for its fiery, partisan nature, but not many people realise that this point-scoring approach is not limited to the House of Commons chamber, and actually characterises much of its committee work, even when legislative scrutiny is involved. Camilla Hagelund and Jonathan Goddard present research from a new […]
Enough is enough: Time to regulate prime ministerial appointments to the Lords
This week the Constitution Unit publishes a new report arguing that the time has come to regulate prime ministerial appointments to the House of Lords – to prevent the chamber’s size escalating further, and prevent government manipulating its membership. The report argues that, despite large-scale Lords reform being awaited, this step is urgent ahead of […]
The cohesion of committees is key in determining their legislative effectiveness
The role played by legislative committees in parliamentary democracies is a rather underestimated topic. After all, legislative standing committees exist in almost all parliamentary democracies. Still, they can have an impact on our understanding of how a democracy works. Luigi Curini explains what exactly it encompasses, and argues that the similarity of committee members’ preferences represents […]
The best of Democratic Audit’s 2014 coverage of Parliamentary reform
The UK’s archaic Parliamentary system remains in dire need of reform and renewal. Recent events resulting from the Scottish independence referendum – particularly the Prime Minister’s plans to exclude Scottish MPs from voting in English domestic legislation – threaten to elevate our constitutional incoherence to hitherto unprecedented levels. The Democratic Audit blog has kept a close eye […]
Parliamentary language should be updated, but the modernisation of our political institutions mustn’t stop there
John Bercow, the Speaker of the House of Commons, recently suggested that the old-fashioned language in use in Parliament may further reinforce the public’s sense of distance with democracy. Assessing his claims, Andrew Scott Crines argues that language is a problem, but that it would be a mistake to stop there, with the physical shape […]
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 […]
Democratic Audit's core funding is provided by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust. Additional funding is provided by the London School of Economics.