Tag: Meg Russell
The best of Democratic Audit’s 2014 coverage of Parliamentary reform
The UK’s archaic Parliamentary system remains in dire need of reform and renewal. Recent events resulting from the Scottish independence referendum – particularly the Prime Minister’s plans to exclude Scottish MPs from voting in English domestic legislation – threaten to elevate our constitutional incoherence to hitherto unprecedented levels. The Democratic Audit blog has kept a close eye […]
An English Constitutional Convention could benefit both main parties in the face of the UKIP threat
Last week Robert Hazell set out some of the options for a possible UK constitutional convention. Here Meg Russell proposes some more specific answers to the questions that he posed: for example on what a constitutional convention should be tasked to do, timescale, and membership. She suggests that a more limited convention than Labour proposes, to […]
The English Question comprises two broad questions, with half a dozen different answers
The West Lothian Question has been back on the agenda in recent weeks following the Scottish Independence Referendum, and the promises made by the ‘No’ campaign to ensure a greater degree of self-government for Holyrood and the Prime Minister’s resultant pledge to introduce ‘English Voters for English Laws’. UCL’s Constitution Unit conducted a three-year research project […]
The House of Lords leadership row highlights the weaknesses in both Number 10’s decision-making and the current statutory provisions
The Prime Minister has angered peers by appointing Baroness Stowell as Leader of the House of Lords without appointing her to the Cabinet. In a scathing debate last Monday David Cameron was criticised for diminishing the status of the Lords Leader, and thus the chamber itself. Meg Russell and Robert Hazell highlight that the row, and the proposed solutions, […]
The pressure is growing for Commons bill committee reform
In June 2013 the Constitution Unit published Fitting the Bill: Bringing Commons Legislation Committees into Line with Best Practice, proposing a series of changes to Commons bill committees. Last week the issue was brought back into the headlines, as John Bercow emphasised the need for reform, says Meg Russell. Similar PostsThe Speaker election row tells us […]
Essential scrutiny or a national embarrassment? Experts respond to the Hansard Society’s report on Prime Minister’s Questions
The Hansard Society recently published research which showed the public’s disapproval of the shouting and braying that takes place at the weekly Prime Minister’s Question time. But is this merely a sign of a healthy democracy? We asked a number of experts on Parliament and democracy to respond to the research, and give their views […]
The Byles bill on Lords reform is important, but needs amending if it’s not to damage the Lords
Effective reform of the House of Lords has generally been achieved by steady, incremental steps, with attempts at ‘big bang’ changes usually failing. The latest attempt at modest reform, introduced via a Private Members Bill by the Conservative MP Dan Byles has many virtues, argues Meg Russell, but needs to be amended if it is not to […]
Book Review: The Contemporary House of Lords: Westminster Bicameralism Revived
This book provides the first detailed portrait of the post-1999 House of Lords, explaining who sits in the chamber, how it operates, and crucially what policy impact it has. Meg Russell aims to show that its membership is more diverse and modern than many would assume, and its influence on policy to be substantial. Gordon Bannerman concludes that this […]
David Cameron’s Syria defeat was unexpected, but Prime Ministers are regularly forced to bow to Parliament’s will
David Cameron’s defeat last night in the Commons on his motion on military intervention in Syria has been met with shock, and correctly seen as a very visible assertion of parliamentary power. Dr Meg Russell of the Constitution Unit at UCL argues that although such confrontations are unusual, it would be wrong to assume that […]
Take a closer look at the House of Lords: it may not be quite what you think
The 1999 reforms to the House of Lords introduced by Labour in government have given the House of Lords a new-found sense of confidence and legitimacy, with the upper chamber now impossible to ignore for anybody seeking to under British politics. But while these changes mean that the chamber has increased its relevance and importance, […]
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