Monthly Archives: July 2015
Scholars and parliamentarians
As regular readers will know, I organise the biennial Workshop of Parliamentary Scholars and Parliamentarians, which provides an opportunity for academics to present findings likely to be of practical interest to parliamentarians. It also facilitates extensive dialogue between the two. The Workshop is … Continue reading
Public office, private conduct
The allegations against Lord Sewel have generated significant media interest in the House of Lords. This has encompassed exploring the role and functions of the House. Much of the coverage reveals notable ignorance about the House and, in the case of … Continue reading
Busy in the Lords…
The House rose today for the summer recess. (The Commons rose yesterday.) It has been a busy period since the new Parliament began. The Government has lost a number of votes. Yesterday, the House overwhelmingly backed a motion, moved by … Continue reading
Guess the town
I thought I would introduce a quick quiz. There isn’t a formal prize, other than the kudos of being the first to provide the correct answer. I recently met up with a friend to visit a town with which I … Continue reading
The future of the constitution?
On Friday, I spoke on the Second Reading of the Constitutional Convention Bill, a Private Member’s Bill introduced by Lord Purvis of Tweed. Even as a measure to establish a convention, it was flawed. However, before addressing the particular flaws, … Continue reading
Winner of the Bagehot competition
I can now reveal the winner of the Bagehot caption competition. It was a difficult one to judge. There was a splendid array of entries, but deciding which one had the edge over others was far from easy. Should I … Continue reading
No clear intellectual case….
I recently took part in discussion on amendments to the Psychoactive Substances Bill, a measure introduced by Government to ban so-called ‘legal highs’. To achieve this, the Bill bans the production and supply of all psychoactive substances, but then proceeds to exempt … Continue reading
The Norton View 