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How uncertain times affect the language of legislation: A comparative analysis of legal genres used at Westminster, Holyrood, and Stormont

In the latest blog from our Legislatures in Uncertain Times conference, Matt Williams, University of Oxford, discusses differing approaches to legislative language.

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A ‘dual mandate’ English Parliament: some key questions of institutional design

In the latest blog from our Legislatures in Uncertain Times conference, Meg Russell and Jack Sheldon discuss the model for a dual mandate English Parliament and ask whether what it proposes is a parliament at all.

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The Parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee: a committee in decline?

What’s happened to the Intelligence and Security Committee? In a new blog, based on his paper at our Legislatures in Uncertain Times conferenceAndrew Defty, University of Lincoln, discusses delays, a reduced public presence, and decreasing powers, and questions whether the ISC is in decline. 

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Post-Legislative Scrutiny: The Case of the Freedom of Information Act 2000

This week marks thirteen years since the full provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 came into force on 1 January 2005. In a new blog, based on his paper at our Legislatures in Uncertain Times conference, Tom Caygill (Newcastle University) examines the post-legislative scrutiny of the Act, carried out by the House of Commons Justice Select Committee in 2012.

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Questioning Prime Ministers: A survey of procedures in 32 parliamentary democracies

In the second of our blogs from our 2017 conference, Legislatures in Uncertain TimesRuxandra Serban, UCL, discusses different procedures used to hold Prime Ministers to account in 32 parliamentary democracies.

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Post-Legislative Scrutiny: how parliaments review the impact of legislation

Parliament has a responsibility to monitor that legislation is implemented as intended and has the expected impact. ‘Post-Legislative Scrutiny’ can help increase government accountability and fulfill parliament’s oversight role. But how exactly do parliaments review the impact of legislation?  In a blog based on his presentation at our 2017 Legislatures in Uncertain Times conference, Franklin De Vrieze (Westminster Foundation for Democracy) discusses the parliamentary experience across different democracies and identifies shared principles.

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“What do you want from your MLA?” Constituency service in Northern Ireland

With no functioning Assembly at Stormont, there have been calls for a reduction or complete cut of salaries for Members of the Legislative Assembly. However, constituency work is continuing in Northern Ireland: Sean Haughey has examined how much constituency service MLAs actually provide, and what it entails.

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How effective is online communication between the elected and their electors?

In its early days, some considered the internet to be the silver bullet that could deal with the deficits of representative democracy. Others had been less optimistic vis-à-vis its potential to foster democracy. In a blog originally posted on LSE British Politics and PolicyHartwig Pautz looks at whether the e-democracy tool WriteToThem allows for meaningful communication between citizens and their elected representatives.

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News

December 2017 newsletter

Welcome to the December edition of our newsletter, which includes:

  1. Annual Conference, 17 Nov – huge success!
  2. Feedback and Ideas Wanted
  3. PSA Annual Conference 2018
  4. Second Edition of Parliament and the Law
  5. Recently on the blog

If you have any notices / messages you would like us to circulate to the group, please let us know (including events, new research projects, grants, publications, etc.). Or other ideas for the group and feedback for us, they’re welcome too!

Finally, we also want to wish you all the very best over the festive period – Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We look forward to welcoming you to our events in 2018 and sending you updates about all the exciting parliamentary stuff that’s inevitably going to happen in the coming 12 months!

Best wishes,
Marc (@marcgeddes), Louise (@LouiseVThompson), Alex (@A_Meakin) and Leanne (@LeanneMarieC)

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Blog

Important but underrated: Parliamentary Questions in the Northern Ireland Assembly

In the first of our blog series from our Annual Conference, Legislatures in Uncertain TimesSean Haughey discusses his research into parliamentary questions in the Northern Ireland Assembly.