PSA ParliamentsBy Barry Winetrobe
The recent fiasco over the appointment of a House of Commons Clerk/Chief Executive has led to the appointment of a select committee on House governance chaired by Jack Straw. It is tasked with reviewing this complex topic, especially allocation of the most senior responsibilities currently held by the Clerk/Chief Executive, and reporting to the House by 12 January 2015.
The “Hardcopy or #Hashtag?” event takes place during Parliament Week, the theme of which is youth engagement. This event has been organised jointly by the Parliaments and Legislatures Specialist Group and the Political Studies Association. This is the culmination of a series of workshops which have been held around the country in which sixth form students have worked with 11 participating universities and politics undergraduate students to come up with innovative ideas to increase youth engagement with Parliament through digital means.
A version of this piece was published on The Conversation on 11 November 2014.
By Louise Thompson
It’s not often that parliamentary procedure hits the headlines. And it’s even less often that delegated legislation does. So the debate (if you can call it that) in the House of Commons about whether the UK would opt in to various parts of European legislation was a rarity indeed.Those watching the House of Commons on Monday evening were treated to a truly confusing spectacle that may have left many disheartened with Parliament – and with democracy.