Monthly Archives: February 2011
AV – not exactly flavour of the month
If the Alternative Vote (AV) is so good as a means of electing legislators, why is it used in national parliamentary elections in only Australia, Papua New Guinea and Fiji?
A milestone
Today this site passed the milestone of having been viewed 50,000 times since it was created less than a year ago. I started the blog during the period of election purdah and Lords of the Blog was out of action. … Continue reading
Fixed-term Parliaments
I am working on material for Tuesday’s Second Reading debate on the Fixed-term Parliaments Bill. The Bill itself was subject to a critical report by the Constitution Committee. The report identified problems with the speed with which the Bill was … Continue reading
The campaign has begun
The referendum on AV is just over ten weeks away. The campaign has begun, but I doubt if many people have noticed. It will be interesting to see if it does attract attention in the last month, the royal wedding … Continue reading
What if the PM goes under the bus?
On Thursday, there was a parliamentary answer to a question from Conservative MP Peter Bone: Peter Bone: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what responsibilities he has in the event of that the Prime Minister is incapacitated and unable to … Continue reading
Another long day
Yesterday was another long day. Here are a few super-tweets: Breakfast meeting with a graduate student. Constitution Committee: we take evidence from Lord Jay, chair of the House of Lords Appointments Commission. He says they are considering being proactive in … Continue reading
It’s on the record
If you speak in the House, or in a committee, your words are recorded, either in Hansard (for the chamber or Grand Committee) or in the committee proceedings. Your words are then in print permanently, available to be read by … Continue reading
You taught my father….
A few years ago – several in fact – a new student came over to me at a freshers’ reception to announce, with enthusiasm, ‘you taught my father’. There are certain things one doesn’t want to hear. He is now not … Continue reading
National Parliaments and the Lisbon Treaty
My talk at Edge Hill University yesterday focused on national parliaments and the Lisbon Treaty. I put the talk in historical context, explaining how the role of national parliaments had changed since the founding of the European Communities. Initially, the … Continue reading
Another of those weeks
It has been another of those weeks, teaching, marking, being present for the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill, and working on the draft report for the Public Administration Committee in the Commons. Trying to juggle the tasks hasn’t always … Continue reading
The Norton View 