PSA ParliamentsPlease note that this piece was originally published on the Constitution Unit blog, and is available here.
The 2015 parliament has seen the establishment of a new Petitions Committee and e-petitions system. Cristina Leston-Bandeira discusses the committee’s initial activity, arguing that it has achieved much in the space of six months and has the potential to pave the way towards a new kind of public engagement with parliament.
By Andrew Crines
The House of Commons represents one of the main arenas where our politicians seek to make a name for themselves. Be that in the feisty engagements at PMQs, or more generally through the normal deliberative debates, noteworthy MPs have used the Chamber to orate effectively when pursuing a particular line.
Over the course of Parliament Week, members of our specialist group organised workshops around the country from the University of Surrey to the University of Strathclyde to spread knowledge about the role of Parliament, and to seek ideas for the improvement of the way our parliamentary democracy works.
For Parliament Week, the University of Strathclyde held a workshop as part of Parliament Week. One student offers his reflections here.
Please note that this piece was originally published on the PSA Insights Blog, available here.
By Leanne-Marie McCarthy-Cotter
Following from yesterday’s launch of the report ‘Building Public Engagement: Options for Developing Select Committee Outreach’, Dr Leanne-Marie McCarthy-Cotter (The Crick Centre, University of Sheffield), discusses the findings from her, Prof. Matthew Flinders and Prof. Ian Marsh’s research. The research was commissioned, and published, by the Liaison Committee. You can access the report in full here.
Please note that this post was originally published on the UCL Constitution Unit‘s blog, and is available here.
By Roberta Damiani
The UK is far from the only country with a long-standing controversy over the composition and powers of its second chamber. In this post Roberta Damiani provides an update on the latest attempt to reform the Italian Senate. Prime Minister Matteo Renzi is proposing to significantly reduce the Senate’s powers, and to move from direct to indirect elections, but it is far from certain that he will be successful.
By Robert Dale
‘Much is written about the work of MPs, but comparatively less is written about their staff’ says John Bercow MP, Speaker of the House of Commons, in the forward to my book How to be a Parliamentary Researcher.
Following the success of our Essay Competition 2015, we are pleased to announce the launch of our Essay Competition 2016! The winner will be presented with a prize of £150. Last year’s winner was presented the award in the House of Commons by the Clerk of the House.
On Monday, 02 November, the Research Impact and Parliament event was held. This was a great success, with great positive feedback. The event was about how academia’s research can have an impact on Parliament, which included some of our Specialist Group members who were there to showcase their research.
Event hosted by Parliamentary Outreach and Politics and History at the University of Huddersfield
In May 2015 millions of people around the country voted in a General Election. This autumn millions of votes will be cast from computers and phones around the UK for reality TV shows. Cinema goers will also see Suffragette, which tells a story of the women who demanded the right to vote.