Achieving accountable government
The killing of British citizens without democratic oversight raises questions over the government’s use of drones
In August two British citizens were killed by British drones in Syria. The government has managed to avoid tough questions about the precise level of threat posed by the men to UK by conflating the right of an individual to self-defence with a state’s capacity to pre-emptive action. But Humeira Iqtidar writes that it remains […]
Transparency in the private sector is likely to evolve gradually through law, politics and experiment
Transparency discussions invariably focus on the public sector, leaving a significant gap when it comes to the private contractors and companies. In this article, Ben Worthy explores the laws, regulations and technological innovations which are gradually increasing transparency in the private sector. The focus of transparency is almost always on government and public bodies. However, […]
Andrew Parker’s BBC interview shows continuing weaknesses in how UK security services are scrutinised
Last month, MI5 Director General Andrew Parker appeared on BBC Radio 4 to make the case for intelligence agency powers in advance of the forthcoming Investigatory Powers Bill. Andrew Defty argues that while new surveillance legislation is needed, a robust regulatory framework will also be required to produce effective intelligence and a more secure society. […]
The ‘Joyce Affair’ changed party funding in Britain forever, and possibly also our understanding of how reform occurs
On the evening of February 22nd 2012, there was a fracas in the Strangers’ Bar in the House of Commons involving Falkirk MP Eric Joyce, who was suspended by the Labour party and announced that he would be standing down at the 2015 General Election. The subsequent Labour selection process was dogged with accusations of […]
Gaining access to CCTV images is far more difficult than the legislation suggests it ought to be
Under the 1998 Data Protection Act, citizens have the right to access CCTV images of themselves. One researcher, Keith Spiller, sought to test out how easy it actually is to gain access to the footage, and sought to deliberately stand in site of CCTV cameras for two minutes at a time. He found it far […]
Judges and select committees: a developing accountability culture
The specific scenario in which select committees seek evidence from a judge who has chaired an inquiry generates a lot of heat and light. But Patrick O’Brien indicates that the research he conducted with Robert Hazell shows the practice of judges giving evidence to parliamentary committees has been widely accepted as a positive and productive […]
The blurring of party-political and parliamentary roles can impede the effectiveness of regulatory regimes
The way in which political parties use state resources indirectly (e.g., parliamentary expenses) receives substantial attention in public debate, particularly when surrounded by perceptions of misuse. Nicole Bolleyer looks at the different ways in which parliamentary resources are used in party-political ways, and argues that attempts to bring about reform will be limited by the […]
Parties should choose their leadership team with gender balance in mind
The new Leader of the Labour Party, his Shadow Chancellor, Shadow Home Secretary, and Shadow Foreign Secretary are all men, as is the party’s candidate for Mayor of London. Sarah Childs and Meryl Kenny argue that the mechanisms to ensure greater gender representation are available for any political party which seeks to achieve gender process […]
Democratically elected politicians tend to push the cost of financial crises to the future in order to avert unpopularity
Autocracies have traditionally been thought more spendthrift than democracies which manage money prudently in order to maintain favour with the public to whom they are accountable. But is this true? According to Christopher Gandrud and Mark Hallerberg, not necessarily, as politicians in democratic polities are more likely to push the costs to the future rather […]
The UK should follow the Dutch example, and share European policy across Parliament’s committees
The UK currently has dedicated European affairs committees in both houses of Parliament – despite the EU’s permeation into most areas of Government policy. Dr Julie Smith looks at examples from the Netherlands, from Ireland, and from the House of Lords and argues that the UK should follow the Dutch example, and share the European […]
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