Monthly Archives: October 2019
Notes on the general election
A few notes on the election due now on 12 December… Under section 1(2) of the Early Parliamentary General Election Bill (due to receive Royal Assent today), the poll ‘is to be treated as a polling day appointed under section … Continue reading
Writings on Parliament….
This has been a good year for me in terms of articles published in Parliamentary Affairs. I see my 2016 article, ‘The Fixed-term Parliaments Act and Votes of Confidence’, perhaps not surprisingly in view of current events, is again listed … Continue reading
The role of the Speaker
On Tuesday, I was one of several witnesses to give evidence to the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee in the House of Commons in its inquiry into the role of the Speaker. You can watch the session here; my … Continue reading
The Queen’s Speech: debating the constitution
After each Queen’s Speech, there is usually five days of debate. Even with five days, each day has to cover a range of subjects. In today’s debate, they were home affairs, justice, local government, devolved affairs and constitutional affairs. I … Continue reading
Slip of the tongue…
On occasion, speakers experience a slip of the tongue. In yesterday’s debate on the Queen’s Speech in the Lords, it happened twice. The minister, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, in opening the debate made what is now the classic slip in … Continue reading
The Norton View 