Author: psaparliaments

News

Essay Competition: Judging Panel Announced

Post author By psaparliaments
Post date January 29, 2020

We are very grateful to Professor Robert Hazell for agreeing to chair this year’s essay competition. Alongside him on the panel this year will be Adam Evans (UK Parliament) and Louise Thompson (University of Manchester).

Professor Hazell will kindly lend us his expertise in all things constitutional to bring some important insight to the panel.

If you have been marking parliamentary studies essays over the last few weeks, please consider submitting an entry to our competition. Essays must be no more than 3500 words and can focus on any legislature. More details can be found here.

Blog

Northern Ireland’s government is back up and running – here’s how it happened and why

Post author By psaparliaments
Post date January 15, 2020

In a piece written for The Conversation, Peter John McLoughlin, Queen’s University Belfast, provides a useful consideration of how the deadlock at Stormont has been overcome. The blog also outlines the continuing importance of legislative vetoes held by Sinn Féin and the DUP.

Tags devolution, Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Assembly, parliamentary studies

Blog

Parliament: You in Danger, Girl

Post author By psaparliaments
Post date December 16, 2019

PSA Parliaments Group Convenor Dr Marc Geddes considers the potential impact that the recent Conservative victory may have upon effective parliamentary scrutiny. The blog discusses the current government’s agenda for legislative reform and the changes that may be brought about by a shake-up in the staffing of key parliamentary roles.

Tags Conservative Party, constitutional reform, executive-legislative relations, House of Commons, John Bercow, legislation, legislative studies, parliamentary scrutiny, scrutiny, select committees, UK Parliament, Westminster

Blog

Treaties: Parliament’s Blind Spot?

Post author By psaparliaments
Post date December 11, 2019

In the second blog from our annual conference ‘Parliaments: Coming of Age’, Eleanor Hourigan, Counsel for Human Rights and International Law at the UK Parliament, discusses how to improve parliamentary scrutiny of treaties.

Tags brexit, CRAG, Joint Committee on Human Rights, Parl19, Treaties, UK Parliament, Westminster

Blog

Strengthening interparliamentary relations in the UK: first steps and possible future directions

Post author By psaparliaments
Post date December 5, 2019

Jack Sheldon and Hedydd Phylip discuss potential improvements to interparliamentary relations among the UK’s four legislatures, in the first blog from our Parliaments: Coming of Age? conference.

Tags brexit, Holyrood, Interparliamentary forum on Brexit, Interparliamentary relations, National Assembly for Wales, Northern Ireland Assembly, Scottish Parliament, Stormont, UK politics, Westminster

News

Essay Competition 2020

Post author By psaparliaments
Post date November 19, 2019

Launch of the PSA Parliaments essay competition 2020 for undergraduate students.

Tags essay competition

Blog

The government’s refusal to release the Intelligence and Security Committee’s report into Russian activities against the UK is part of a worrying pattern of obstruction and delay

Post author By psaparliaments
Post date November 13, 2019

Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee has produced a report into Russian interference in UK politics, but it cannot be published without government approval. In a blog originally posted by Democratic Audit Andrew Defty explains that Number 10’s failure to release the report before Parliament was dissolved is the latest in a series of government actions that have hindered effective parliamentary scrutiny of the intelligence and security services. Reform to ensure the committee has greater independence from executive obstruction should be considered in the next Parliament.

Tags General election 2019, House of Commons, Intelligence, Intelligence and Security Committee, UK Parliament, Westminster

Events News

#Parl19 Conference recap – Parliaments: Coming of Age?

Post author By psaparliaments
Post date November 11, 2019

A recap of the PSA Parliaments annual conference Parliaments: Coming of Age, held at the National Assembly for Wales, Cardiff, on 7-8 November 2019.

Tags Annual conference, Making Sense of Legislatures, Recap

Blog

The Parliamentary and Scientific Committee: campaigning for the scrutiny of science at Westminster

Post author By psaparliaments
Post date November 8, 2019

Emmeline Ledgerwood celebrates the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee and its work to strengthen Parliament’s scrutiny of science.

Tags APPGs, Commons Science and Technology Committee, House of Commons, House of Lords, Parliamentary and Scientific Committee, Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, POST, Science, Science in Parliament, scrutiny, UK Parliament, Westminster