The Constitution Society: Working to promote informed debate about constitutional reform

Magna Carta

26/02/13 at 18:00: Committee Room 1, House of Lords

Speakers:

• Professor Nigel Saul, Royal Holloway, will talk on: ‘The History and Contemporary Relevance of Magna Carta’

Police Commissioners

12/02/13 at 19:00: COMMITTEE ROOM 3, HOUSE OF LORDS

Speakers:

• Dr Colin Provost, Senior Lecturer in Public Policy, UCL.
• Tim Passmore, Police Commissioner for Suffolk.

The constitutional developments under the Coalition

06/12/12 at 18:00: Committee Room 3, House of Lords

Speakers:

• Professor Robert Hazell, Director, The Constitution Unit
• Dr Michael Pinto-Duschinsky, Senior Consultant on Constitutional Affairs, Policy Exchange

This meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group will serve as the Annual General Meeting.

Please note that this meeting is not open to members of the public

For further information please contact James Hallwood at info@consoc.org.uk

Party funding - what's fair?

26/06/12 at 19:00: Committee Room 3, House of Lords

Speakers:

• Sir Christopher Kelly, Chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life
• Matthew Elliott, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance and Campaign Director of NOtoAV
• Professor Keith Ewing, King’s College London and Unions Together

Please note that this meeting is not open to members of the public

For further information please find the agenda for this event here or contact James Hallwood at info@consoc.org.uk

Listen to or download  the podcast of this meeting here.

Joint Committee on House of Lords Reform Report

16/05/12 at 19:00: COMMITTEE ROOM 4, HOUSE OF LORDS

Speakers:

• Dr Meg Russell (Deputy Director, Constitution Unit, UCL)
• Professor John Curtice (Research Consultant to NatCen Social Research)

Please note that this meeting is not open to members of the public

For further information please contact Alexandra Fitzpatrick at info@consoc.org.uk

Britain in the EU

20/03/12 at 19:00: Committee Room 3, House of Lords

Speakers:

• David Rennie (Political Editor, The Economist)
• Mats Persson (Director, Open Europe)
• Dr. Ioannis Lianos (Co-Director, Centre for Law and Governance in Europe, UC)

Reference Materials

1. Agenda

Please note that this meeting is not open to members of the public

For further information please contact Alexandra Fitzpatrick at info@consoc.org.uk

A referendum on Scottish independence

28/02/12 at 19:00: Committee Room 3, House of Lords

Speakers:

• Aidan O’Neill (QC)
• Guy Lodge (Associate Director for Politics and Power, Institute for Public Policy Research)
• Rt Hon Henry McLeish (formerly MP for Central Fife and First Minister of Scotland)

Reference Materials

1. Agenda

Please note that this meeting is not open to members of the public

For further information please contact Alexandra Fitzpatrick at info@consoc.org.uk

Corporate Power and Political Lobbying

17/01/12 at 19:00: Committee Room 3, House of Lords

Speakers:

• Professor David Beetham (Associate Director, Democratic Audit)
• Helen Johnson (Chair, Association of Professional Political Consultants (APPC)
• Sir Richard Mottram GCB (Former Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence and Department for
  Transport. Chairman, Amey plc and Defence, Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL)

Reference Materials

1. Agenda

Please note that this meeting is not open to members of the public

For further information please contact Alexandra Fitzpatrick at info@consoc.org.uk

The West Lothian Question

13/12/11 at 19:00: Committee Room 3, House of Lords

Speakers:

• Professor Jim Gallagher  (Former Director-General for Devolution, Ministry of Justice)
• Professor James Mitchell  (Head of School of Government and Public Policy, University of Strathclyde)

Reference Materials

1. Agenda
2. The West Lothian Question (House of Commons Standard Note SN/PC/02586 – March 2011)

Please note that this meeting is not open to members of the public

For further information please contact Alexandra Fitzpatrick at info@consoc.org.uk

Aspects of Localism: Elected Mayors, Local Referendums and Planning reform

22/11/11 at 19:00: Committee Room 3, The House of Lords

Speakers:

• Professor Patrick Dunleavy  (Professor of Political Science and Public Policy Chair, London School of Economics)
• Dr Matt Qvortrup  (Senior Lecturer of International Relations, Cranfield University)
• Katrine Sporle  (Former Chief Executive, The Planning Inspectorate)

Reference Materials

1. Agenda
2. Briefing paper on Aspects of Localism (The Constitution Society – November 2011)
3. Speaker’s presentation – Localism and Direct Democracy (Dr Matt Qvortrup – November 2011)
4. Summary of oral evidence to the Commons Communities and Local Government Select Committee – Abolition of Regional Spatial Strategies (Katrine Sporle – March 2011).

Please note that this meeting is not open to members of the public

For further information please contact Alexandra Fitzpatrick at info@consoc.org.uk

Would an elected Lords usurp the power of the Commons?

29/03/11 at 19:00: Committee Room 3, House of Lords

Speakers:

• Iain McLean FBA  (Professor of Politics, Nuffield College, University of Oxford)
• James Newell  (Professor of Politics, University of Salford; Editor for the Bulletin of Italian Politics)
• Professor Carl Bridge  (Head of Menzies Centre for Australian Studies, King’s College London)

Reference Materials

1. Agenda
2. Iain McLean’s Presentation
3. James Newell’s Presentation
4. Carl Bridge’s Presentation
5. House of Commons Publications:
   House of Lords Reform: the 2008 White Paper and developments to April 2010 (11th May 2010)
   Reform of the House of Lords: the Coalition Agreement and further developments (14th February 2011)

Please note that this meeting is not open to members of the public

For further information please contact Alexandra Fitzpatrick at info@consoc.org.uk

The European Union Bill

03/01/11 at 19:00: Committee Room 3, House of Lords

Speakers:

• Martin Howe QC
• Philip Allott (Professor Emeritus of International Public Law, University of Cambridge)
• Michael Dougan (Professor of European Law, University of Liverpool)

Reference Materials: 

1. Agenda
2. ConSoc Briefing Paper – The EU Bill
3. Philip Allott’s Presentation
4. Michael Dougan’s Presentation
5. European Scrutiny Select Committee Reports:
   The EU Bill and Parliamentary Sovereignty
   The EU Bill: Restrictions on Treaties and Decisions relating to the EU

The Cabinet Manual

17/01/11 at 19:00: Committee Room 3, House of Lords

Speakers:

• Professor Robert Hazell, Director of the Constitution unit, UCL
• Margaret Wilson, Professor of Law, Waikato University, Former Speaker of the New Zeaand Parliament
• Professor Richard Gordon QC

Reference Materials:

1. Agenda
2. ConSoc Briefing Paper
3. UK Cabinet Manual
4. Speaker Presentation – Richard Gordon
5. Speaker Presentation – Margaret Wilson

Fixed-Term Parliaments

07/12/10 at 19:00: Committee Room 3, House of Lords

Speakers:

• Professor Robert Blackburn, Professor of Constitutional Law, King’s College London
• Professor Vernon Bogdanor, Research Professor, King’s College London

Reference materials:

1. Agenda
2. ConSoc Briefing paper – Fixed-term Parliaments (The Constitution Society – November 2010)
3. Short summary of written evidence (Professor Robert Blackburn – September 2010)
4. Short summary of written evidence (Professor Vernon Bogdanor- October 2010)

Further references and links:

• Fixed-term Parliaments Bill (House of Commons Briefing Paper, August 2010)
• Fixed-term Parliaments (The Constitution Unit, UCL, August 2010)

Please note that this meeting is not open to members of the public

For further information please contact Alexandra Fitzpatrick at info@consoc.org.uk

Alternative Voting and the Referendum

19/10/10 at 19:00: Committee Room 3, House of Lords

Speakers:

• Simon Hix, Professor of European and Comparative Politics, LSE
• Anthony Wells,  Associate Director, YouGov

Reference materials:

1. Agenda
2. ConSoc Briefing paper on Alternative Voting  (The Constitution Society – August 2010)
3. ConSoc Briefing paper on ConSoc/YouGov poll  (The Constitution Society – September 2010)
4. Short summary of written evidence to the Select Committee on Political and Constitutional Reform (The Constitution Society – September 2010)

Further references and links:

• Briefing Paper on AV and electoral reform (House of Commons -September 2010)
• Political and Constitutional Reform Committee website - Select Committee evidence and reports
• “The politics of electoral reform” (The Constitution Society - August 2010)
• “Nick Clegg under scrutiny” – Summary of the DPM’s Select Committee evidence (The Constitution Society - July 2010)

Please note that this meeting is not open to members of the public

For further information please contact Alexandra Fitzpatrick at info@consoc.org.uk