Author: psaparliaments

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Could the SNP block a Labour Budget? No.

Please note that this blog piece was originally published on Colin Talbot’s personal blog on 20 April 2015, and is available here.

By Colin Talbot

The SNP are claiming they can ‘block Labour budgets’, ‘end austerity’ and ‘stop Trident’. Their problem however is simple – most of what they say is based on assuming that Westminster works the same way as Holyrood does for budgeting – and it doesn’t.

There are huge ‘constitutional’ and practical obstacles to implementing the sort of radical challenges to Government tax and spend decisions that the SNP and others seem to be mooting.

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Newspapers care more about who our MEPs are than about what they do in the European Parliament

Please note that this blog piece was originally published on the PSA Blog on 03 March, and is available here.

By Katjana Gattermann and Sofia Vasilopoulou

We find out a lot of information about our Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) through the media. A quick google of ‘MEP’ this week will highlight UKIP MEP Diane James’ decision to stand down at the election, her colleague David Coburn’s disastrous appearance on BBC Radio 4’s Any Questions and Labour MEP Paul Brannen’s work as part of the European Parliament’s Agriculture and Development Committee. News media therefore play a central role in informing the general public about what happens in the European Parliament (EP), which is ultimately key to the representation, legitimacy and accountability of the EU. But to what extent do the media actually report about MEPs? And why do some MEPs receive more media attention than others?

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Ten papers, three panels and two cakes: Our specialist group events at the PSA Conference

2015-03-31 2We had a fantastic few days in Sheffield last week for the annual PSA Conference. Our three panels were the perfect antidote to the horrible wet weather, with ten excellent papers followed by some very good comments and discussion.

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The Speaker election row tells us two important things about parliament

On 26 March, its final sitting day, the House of Commons rejected government proposals to reform how the Speaker is elected at the start of the new parliament. Here Meg Russell reflects on what this teaches us about parliament, suggesting it holds two lessons. First, that the 2010 House of Commons was more resistant than its predecessors to government dominance; but second, that further reform is still needed to reduce that dominance.

Please note this blog piece was originally published on the Constitution Unit blog.

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PSA Conference 2015: Specialist Group Events

Over PSA Conference 2015, we have a number of events schedules, including three panels, our specialist group meeting, and a reception.

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Petitions Committee, the most significant reform since 1979 – did you notice it?

By Cristina Leston-Bandeira

Remember the week of the cash-for-access scandal? It was the same week as the infamous interview with Green Party leader Natalie Bennett and the Labour party’s announcement of its policy on university fees. No doubt you remember these. This was also the week when the House of Commons passed a motion to set up a Petitions Committee. Remember that? No, didn’t think so. It is no surprise that in the midst of it all, little notice was given to a motion creating a new Committee. This may seem a small decision of little consequence for wider party politics, however it does signal an important moment in the UK parliament. As was said in the debate: “if we, as Parliament, got this right, it would be the most significant reform since the setting up of Select Committees in 1979”.

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Simpler language in Parliament must go hand in hand with simpler processes

By Louise Thompson

One of the key targets outlined in last month’s Digital Democracy Commission report was that the House of Commons should make sure that everyone can understand what it does. One of the examples it gave to demonstrate this was the rather arcane language still used during Parliament’s scrutiny of legislation. As someone who spends most of their time reading bill committee transcripts, I completely understand where they are coming from. How can we expect members of the public to know what MPs mean when they ask to ‘move’ or ‘speak to’ an amendment? Or what it actually means if a clause ‘stands part of a bill’ or an MP asks to ‘beg leave to withdraw the amendment’? And this is all before we get to starred amendments, manuscript amendments and clause stand part debates. Such language, the report says, is a ‘barrier to understanding’.

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Rip It Up and Start Again: Parliamentary Politics, Destruction and Renewal

This blog was originally posted on the Oxford University Press website.

By Matthew Flinders

‘London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down; London Bridge is falling down, my fair lady’. ‘Oh no it’s not!’ I hear you all scream with oodles of post-Christmas pantomime cheer but Parliament is apparently falling down. A number of restoration and renewal studies of the Palace of Westminster have provided the evidence with increasingly urgency. The cost of rebuilding the House? A mere two billion pounds! If it was any other building in the world its owners would be advised to demolish and rebuild. Let’s design for democracy – Let’s do it! Let’s rip it up and start again!

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What can Open Data do for Parliament?

By Ben Worthy

Last week the Speaker’s Commission on Digital Democracy reported. Among its recommendations were that Hansard, the Register of Members’ interests and all bills should be released as Open Data by the end of 2015 (see Recommendation 31 here). But what is open data and, more importantly, what does it mean for Parliament?

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Reflections on the Speaker’s Digital Democracy Commission Report

By Cristina Leston-Bandeira

Today’s launch of the report of the Speaker’s Digital Democracy Commission (DDC) marks the end of an extraordinarily interesting year for us Commissioners. The DDC was established by the Speaker of the House of Commons to explore the potential of digital technology to support a modern and inclusive parliamentary democracy. Throughout the year we have collated evidence, listened to people and organised workshops across the whole of the country from all walks of life, as well as internationally. The Report reflects this. It shows the diversity of views we have received on many issues from the making of legislation to the language of parliament.

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