The Conservative Private Members (1922) Committee is an important but elusive force in British politics. Despite becoming almost a household name during the leadership crises of 2022, it remains little understood beyond the corridors of Westminster. Established in 1923 by a group of Conservative MPs elected the year before, the Committee offers backbenchers an opportunity to discuss their views and coordinate independently of the frontbench. Over time it has become the kingmaker of the Conservative Party, overseeing leadership elections and confidence votes such as that faced by Boris Johnson over ‘partygate’. How did the Committee come together? How is it structured and how much power does it really wield? These are among the questions the book considers. Providing unprecedented insights into this long-standing institution, it is essential reading for anyone who cares about the integrity of our political system. -- .

What role have parliaments played in the dramatic changes occurring in Eastern and Central Europe? Adopting a common research framework, the contributors analyze in detail the role and operations of parliaments in ten of the new democracies. They focus on what determines their capacity to have some impact on public policy. They identify the significance of parliaments operating in often hybrid systems of government, with the relationship between the executive and legislature not well defined, and with an absence of constraining influence that typify western political systems.

This fully revised new edition includes expanded coverage of Parliament's relationship with the courts, devolved assemblies and the European Union. Distinctively, the book goes beyond the usual focus of Parliament-Government relations to encompass policy-makers beyond Whitehall and Parliament's broader relationship with citizens.

This book is the only one of its kind, providing a clear and exhaustive analysis of the different approaches to the future of Britain's second chamber. The House of Lords has long been the subject of proposals for reform - some successful, others not - and calls for the existing membership to be replaced by elected members have been a staple of political debate. The debate has been characterised by heat rather than light, proponents and opponents of change often talking past one another. This work gives shape to the debate, drawing out the role of the House of Lords, previous attempts at reform, and the different approaches to the future of the House. It develops the argument for each and analyses the current state of the debate about the future of the upper house in Britain's political system. -- .

This book investigates the ethical challenges the internet presents to contemporary parliamentary democracy in Europe and how these challenges are being addressed. It fills an important gap: current literature until now has largely focused on the study of internet usage by politicians and institutions.

With the ever widening scope of participation in internet-based communication, there are widely differing views on its potential social, economic and political impact, and whether parliamentary democracy will be strengthened or weakened in the information age. Key questions include:

• To what extent is the internet being used in parliamentary political communication (the ethics of behaviour)?
• Should there be any institutional control and monitoring of parliamentarians' use of the internet (the ethics of code of conduct)?
• What impact does the internet have upon the principle of trust and transparency in the context of parliamentary democracy (the ethics of accountability)?

The book compares four European parliaments in Europe: the British, European, Portuguese and Swedish Parliaments, using both quantitative methods (questionnaires and survey of websites) and qualitative methods (workshops and face-to-face interviews with parliamentarians and parliamentary staff).

This book was previously published as a special issue of the Journal of Legislative Studies.

The sudden collapse of communism stimulated both the rapid emergence of fledgling democracies and scholarly attention to the post-communist transition. These newly democratized parliaments have been described as parliaments in adolescence.

This book identifies six parliaments which exemplify the wide range of developments in the new post-communist political systems, from the stable consolidated democracies to the less stable and more authoritarian states, within which their respective parliaments function.

Finally the post-communist parliaments are compared with the presumptively more established west European parliaments. This book bridges the usual gap in research between the post-communist parliaments and more normal democratic parliaments to develop a common legislative research perspective on both new and established parliaments.

This book was previously published as a special issue of the Journal of Legislative Studies.

This book investigates the ethical challenges the internet presents to contemporary parliamentary democracy in Europe and how these challenges are being addressed. It fills an important gap: current literature until now has largely focused on the study of internet usage by politicians and institutions. With the ever widening scope of participation in internet-based communication, there are widely differing views on its potential social, economic and political impact, and whether parliamentary democracy will be strengthened or weakened in the information age. Key questions include: To what extent is the internet being used in parliamentary political communication (the ethics of behaviour)? Should there be any institutional control and monitoring of parliamentarians' use of the internet (the ethics of code of conduct)? What impact does the internet have upon the principle of trust and transparency in the context of parliamentary democracy (the ethics of accountability)? The book compares four European parliaments: the British, European, Portuguese and Swedish Parliaments, using both quantitative methods (questionnaires and survey of websites) and qualitative methods (workshops and face-to-face interviews with parliamentarians and parliamentary staff). This book was previously published as a special issue of the Journal of Legislative Studies.

Citizens elect the parliament, but what contract takes place between citizen and parliament in between elections? The authors assess the extent and nature of that contact. To what extent are members of parliament accessible to the ordinary citizen? And what are the implications for the legislature? Can there be too much, or too little, contact?

Legislatures have one core defining function: that of giving assent to measures that, by virtue of that assent, are to be binding on society. In practice, they have usually performed other roles as well, such as debating measures or the conduct of public affairs. They have existed for centuries. They span the globe. Most countries have one: federal states have several. Commentators throughout the 20th century bemoaned the "decline" of legislatures, yet the number shows no sign of declining: if anything, the reverse is true. Their prominence increased in the 1990s because of developments in central and eastern Europe. The increased prominence of legislatures has prompted a greater scholarly interest in their existence and what they do. The literature that helps advance our understanding of legislatures as a particular species of institution is sometimes excellect but it is notable for its scarcity. There is little literature that provides a straightforward description and analysis of the role of parliaments in western Europe. The volumes in this series seek to advance our understanding of those parliaments.; They do so by examining the relationship between parliaments and the three p

Legislatures have one core defining function: that of giving assent to measures that, by virtue of that assent, are to be binding on society. In practice, they have usually performed other roles as well, such as debating measures or the conduct of public affairs. They have existed for centuries. They span the globe. Most countries have one; federal states have several. Commentators throughout the 20th century have bemoaned the decline of legislatures, yet the number shows no sign of declining; if anything, the reverse and their prominence has increased in the 1990s because of developments in central and eastern Europe.

The relationship between parliament and government is fundamental to a political system. In this volume, a distinguished team of specialists explore that relationship and consider to what extent parliaments have the capacity to constrain governments. Are there particular institutional features, such as specialisation through committees, that enhance their capacity to influence public policy?

The relationship between parliament and government is fundamental to a political system. In this volume, a distinguished team of specialists explore that relationship and consider to what extent parliaments have the capacity to constrain governments. Are there particular institutional features, such as specialisation through committees, that enhance their capacity to influence public policy?

This guide is intended for busy legal practitioners and all other professionals who are involved in the criminal justice system and who require quick reference to the provisions of the 1994 Act.

This guide is intended for busy legal practitioners and all other professionals who are involved in the criminal justice system and who require quick reference to the provisions of the 1994 Act.

The British Polity is an engaging and comprehensive survey of the structure and process of British government. Offering an insider's analysis, Philip Norton examines the debates surrounding Britain's political history and culture, constitution, parties and elections, branches of government, media, and relations with the European Union. Throughout, The British Polity follows a theme of continuity and change that draws on historical and institutional knowledge and that helps to explain contemporary British politics.

Foreword by John Bercow In 2011 John Bercow, Speaker of the House of Commons, instigated a series of public lectures in which current parliamentarians reassessed the careers and characters of earlier parliamentary giants and the result was a sequence of fascinating reappraisals of some of the great political lives. Many of the pieces were informed by the lecturer having worked closely with the subject, while others such as Nicholas Soames on his grandfather Winston Churchill draw on even closer personal experience. But every contribution offers fresh insights, anecdotes and a new angle. The roll-call, both of lecturers and subjects, is outstanding: Kenneth Morgan on DAVID LLOYD GEORGE, Sir Peter Tapsell on F. E. SMITH, Shirley Williams on NANCY ASTOR, Nicholas Soames on SIR WINSTON CHURCHILL, Gordon Marsden on ANEURIN BEVAN, Neil Kinnock on MICHAEL FOOT, Philip Norton on ENOCH POWELL, Douglas Hurd on IAIN MACLEOD, Andrew Adonis on ROY JENKINS, John Whittingdale on MARGARET THATCHER, Tristram Hunt on TONY BENN. A fascinating insight into the character of the great politicians.

To what extent have parliaments a responsibility to monitor how laws are implemented as intended and have the expected impact? Is the practice of Post-Legislative Scrutiny emerging as a new dimension within the oversight role of parliament? What approach do parliaments apply in assessing the implementation and impact of legislation? These are the fascinating questions guiding this book. Case studies offer an in-depth look at how particular countries and the European Union conduct Post-Legislative Scrutiny. The analysis puts Post-Legislative Scrutiny in the context of parliamentary oversight and parliaments’ engagement in the legislative cycle. The purpose of this book is to demonstrate the value of Post-Legislative Scrutiny as a public good, benefiting the executive, legislature and the people in ensuring that law delivers what is expected of it, as well as to respond to the need for greater clarity as to what is meant by the term. In this way, the publication can assist legislatures to think more clearly as to what precisely they understand, and seek to achieve, by Post-Legislative Scrutiny. This book is the result of the co-operation between the Centre for Legislative Studies at the University of Hull and the Westminster Foundation for Democracy. The chapters were originally published as a special issue of The Journal of Legislative Studies.

This is a description and assessment of Asian parliaments. It looks at the parliaments of India, Bangladesh, Korea, Japan, China, Mongolia and Nepal and assesses key variables that determine the impact of parliaments.

The Impact of Legislatures brings together key articles and path-breaking scholarship published in The Journal of Legislative Studies during its first 25 years of publication, enabling the reader to make sense of the impact of legislatures in the modern world. Encompassing theory, comparative analysis, and county-based empirical studies, the volume examines the impact of legislatures as the key representative institutions of nations, addressing their relationships both to government and to the people. Legislatures are ubiquitous. They provide legitimacy to measures of public policy and to government. As such, they are key to how a nation is governed. But they do much more than confer legitimacy. They are generally multi-functional and functionally adaptable bodies, and are an essential link between citizen and government. However, scholarship on them has not been extensive and has often been descriptive and country- specific, limiting the capacity to make sense of them as a particular species of institution. The chapters in this volume reflect scholarship that helps the reader appreciate the significance of the place and consequences of legislatures, examining not only the relationship between the legislature and the executive, but also the oft-neglected relationship between legislatures and the people. Reflecting the growing body of research in the field of legislative studies, carried by The Journal of Legislative Studies since its inception in 1995, The Impact of Legislatures is essential reading for anyone wishing to understand the impact of legislatures in the world today.

"The British Polity" is an engaging and comprehensive survey of the structure and process of British government. Offering an insider's analysis, Philip Norton examines the debates surrounding Britain's political history and culture, constitution, parties and elections, branches of government, media, and relations with the European Union. Throughout, "The British Polity" follows a theme of continuity and change that draws on historical and institutional knowledge and that helps to explain contemporary British politics.

To what extent have parliaments a responsibility to monitor how laws are implemented as intended and have the expected impact? Is the practice of Post-Legislative Scrutiny emerging as a new dimension within the oversight role of parliament? What approach do parliaments apply in assessing the implementation and impact of legislation? These are the fascinating questions guiding this book. Case studies offer an in-depth look at how particular countries and the European Union conduct Post-Legislative Scrutiny. The analysis puts Post-Legislative Scrutiny in the context of parliamentary oversight and parliaments' engagement in the legislative cycle. The purpose of this book is to demonstrate the value of Post-Legislative Scrutiny as a public good, benefiting the executive, legislature and the people in ensuring that law delivers what is expected of it, as well as to respond to the need for greater clarity as to what is meant by the term. In this way, the publication can assist legislatures to think more clearly as to what precisely they understand, and seek to achieve, by Post-Legislative Scrutiny. This book is the result of the co-operation between the Centre for Legislative Studies at the University of Hull and the Westminster Foundation for Democracy. The chapters were originally published as a special issue of The Journal of Legislative Studies.

Who governs Britain? Is Parliament sovereign? Who chooses the Prime Minister? And who enforces the rules? The United Kingdom is in the throes of political and constitutional conflict. Tensions between different Westminster and Holyrood, and between the UK and the European Union, are part of a wider picture of constitutional flux. The United Kingdom is one of only three nations that does not have the principal provisions of the organs of state, nor is how they relate to one another and to the citizen embodied in a single document. Devolution and Brexit have given rise to calls for a codified constitution, but the debate has taken place against a background of confusion and uncertainty as to existing constitutional arrangements. We must first understand what already exists and how our constitution works today. This deeply informed and elegantly written book addresses the problems that have arisen in the context of the greatest political crisis our country has faced in decades. -- .

This valauble book presents fresh perspectives on constitutional change in modern Britain. Each contributor - a leading authority in his particular field - focuses on an institution or aspect of the constitution and asks what has changed, why has it changed and what is likely to happen in the future. In conclusion, Philip Norton challenges the growing pressure for a new constitutional settlement. The British system of government, he argues, is under threat from a fragmentation of power: it needs to be protected not weakened. A new constitution offers the prospect of political inertia and failed expectations.The book will be essential and stimulating reading for both students and practitioners of British politics.