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Talking Heads
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- What Is The British Constitution?
- A possible new voting system in parliament to tackle the West Lothian question?
- A written constitution would not make us more democratic
- Harriett Baldwin describes her private members' Bill on the West Lothian question
- Harriett Baldwin's private members' Bill is not about localism
- Harriett's Baldwin's definition of the West Lothian Question
- Proposals to change constituency boundaries will not present any problems to the public
- Separation of Powers
- Sloppy drafting of legislation
- The Cabinet Manual and the role of a monarch in a 'hung' parliament
- The components of the British Constitution
- The faceless state
- The new supreme court
- The point of a written constitution
- The size of constituencies and proposals for change
- The strengths and weaknesses of an unwritten constitution
- The Wright Report and e-petitions
- What is the role of an MP?
- House of Commons
- A crisis of representation
- A possible new voting system in parliament to tackle the West Lothian question?
- An elected Lords would challenge the Commons
- An English parliament is unnecessary
- Appointing ministers from the lords is making them unaccountable
- Are MPs expected to do too much?
- Changing the electoral system
- Does a government have a mandate to enforce its manifesto?
- Harriett Baldwin describes her private members' Bill on the West Lothian question
- Harriett Baldwin's private members' Bill is not about localism
- Harriett's Baldwin's definition of the West Lothian Question
- Holding the government to account
- Is the House of Commons effective?
- Is there sufficient debate in the House of Commons?
- Proposals to change constituency boundaries will not present any problems to the public
- Scrutiny and the volume of legislation
- Separation of Powers
- The government acts too speedily to satisfy the media
- The size of constituencies and proposals for change
- The Wright Report
- What is parliamentary sovereignty?
- What is the role of an MP?
- House Of Lords
- An elected Lords wold be party-oriented
- An elected Lords would challenge the Commons
- Appointing ministers from the lords is making them unaccountable
- Are Australian Senators well known?
- Bishops as Lords
- Changing the electoral system
- Is there sufficient debate in the House of Commons?
- Proportional Representation in the upper house can lead to incompatible majorities
- Robin Archer on the impact of elections on the Australian upper house.
- Scrutiny and the volume of legislation
- Should the House of Lords be elected or appointed?
- Should the House of Lords be elected or appointed? 1
- The election process for the Australian Senate
- The example of the Australian Senate
- The relationship between the upper and lower houses of the Australian legislature
- The structure of the Australian Senate
- The threat of an uncodified constitution alongside Lords reform
- What are the powers of an Australian Senator
- What is parliamentary sovereignty?
- Would an elected House of Lords prompt a change in behaviour of peers?
- Monarchy
- The Government
- 5 years is a long time in terms of constitutional change.
- Appointing ministers from the lords is making them unaccountable
- Changes to the Cabinet Manual are made on the basis of consensus.
- Changing the electoral system
- Does a government have a mandate to enforce its manifesto?
- Experts must not be drowned out by the public
- Fears about UK Cabinet Manual are unfounded.
- Holding the government to account
- How the Draft Cabinet Manual was developed in the UK.
- How the Draft will progress to become the definitive Cabinet Manual.
- Indirect evolution was the only means by which the Cabinet Manual could have developed.
- Is the House of Commons effective?
- Margaret Wilson describes the analogy between the Cabinet Manual and a dictionary.
- Margaret Wilson explains why independent officials are best placed to draft a Cabinet Manual.
- Professor Margaret Wilson describes the development of the New Zealand Cabinet Manual.
- Scrutiny and the volume of legislation
- Separation of Powers
- Sloppy drafting of legislation
- The Cabinet Manual and the role of a monarch in a 'hung' parliament
- The Cabinet Manual in times of coalition.
- The Cabinet Manual: a step towards a written Constitution?
- The Cabinet Manual: legally enforceable?
- The components of the British Constitution
- The Constitutional Reform Act and special advisors
- The faceless state
- The government acts too speedily to satisfy the media
- The point of a written constitution
- The role and function of the UK Cabinet Manual.
- The role of a Cabinet Manual.
- The role of the media
- The Wright Report
- The Wright Report and e-petitions
- There is a limited role for parliamentary comment on the Draft Cabinet Manual.
- What is parliamentary sovereignty?
- Why we have a Cabinet Manual in the UK.
- Civil Service
- Judiciary
- A written constitution would mean more judicial review
- Are judges becoming more political?
- Entrenchment of a written constitution
- Separation of Powers
- The differences between the new Supreme Court and the House of Lords
- The Judicial Appointments Commission
- The Judicial Appointments Commission and the Lord Chancellor
- The Judicial Appointments committee and the Lord Chancellor
- The Judiciary are the guardians of the Rule of Law
- The Lord Chancellor and conflicts of interest
- The new supreme court
- The new Supreme Court unlikely to strike down legislation
- The point of a written constitution
- The role of judges in public enquiries
- The way the new supreme court was created
- Who should be supreme court judges?
- Electoral Process
- A possible new voting system in parliament to tackle the West Lothian question?
- A vote against AV will make electoral reform less likely
- A way to restore participation
- Alan Renwick on the consequence of a no vote on AV
- An elected Lords would challenge the Commons
- An English parliament is unnecessary
- Australia's experience of AV provides useful evidence
- AV can exagerrate landslide majorities
- AV does not always produce coalitions
- AV increases voter choice
- AV is a bigger change from FPTP than people might expect.
- AV reduces tactical voting
- AV will not solve political disilusionment
- AV will select the most popular candidate
- AV won't break up the big political parties
- AV would not be expensive to implement
- AV would not end safe seats
- AV would not increase voter turnout
- Changing the electoral system
- Does a government have a mandate to enforce its manifesto?
- Electoral reform is a once in a generation opportunity
- Explains the benefits of First Past The Post
- First Past the Post and the Alternative Vote: How they work.
- First Past the Post is not producing the results it is supposed to
- First Past the Post produces unfair results
- Harriett Baldwin describes her private members' Bill on the West Lothian question
- Harriett Baldwin's private members' Bill is not about localism
- It is unclear whether the UK needs electoral reform
- Nobody has more than one vote under the Alternative Vote system
- Open primaries
- PR does not lead to unstable government.
- Proposals to change constituency boundaries will not present any problems to the public
- The Alternative vote doesn't favour extremist parties
- The Alternative Vote is a fairer system
- The Alternative Vote is a potential step towards Proportional Representation
- The Alternative Vote will empower more of the electorate.
- The Alternative Vote will help address political disillusionment
- The Alternative Vote will not address political disillusionment
- The Alternative Vote won't prevent tactical voting.
- The Alternative Vote would not make Coalition Government inevitable
- The Alternative Vote would reduce the number of safe seats
- The benefit of two-party government
- The ideal electoral system for the UK.
- The people should choose the electoral system.
- The problem of tactical voting under First Past the Post
- The problems with the Alternative Vote
- The referendum offers a meaningless choice.
- The size of constituencies and proposals for change
- Under the Alternative Vote people can express their true preference
- Why First Past the Post might not always suit the UK
- Why the Alternative Vote is preferable to FPTP
- Why the UK needs electoral reform
- Why Vote "Yes" in the AV Referendum?
- Why vote in the May referendum?
- Political Parties
- Devolution
- Local Government
- Britain is underepresented locally.
- Liz Truss discusses the history of localism in the UK
- Local authorities must collect as well as spend.
- The aims of the Localism Bill.
- The history of British localism.
- The localism bill can be a starting point for wider reforms.
- The need for accountability at a local level.
- Westminster legislates too much on local issues.
- Why localism is needed
- Rule of Law
- Europe
- A written constitution is a weapon against European domination
- Discussion of the problems associated with the EU Bill.
- Discussion of what makes a transfer of power 'significant'.
- Explanation of why a referendum on Europe is to be expected.
- Reasons not to have a written constitution
- The European Constitution as part of the British Constitution
- The federalising tendency of the EU
- The provisions of the European Union Bill.
- What is parliamentary sovereignty?
- Do We Need A Written Constitution?
- A written constitution is a weapon against European domination
- A written constitution would mean more judicial review
- A written constitution would not make us more democratic
- Debate on the motion: "this house believes that the UK now needs a written constitution" (Part 1)
- Debate on the motion: "this house believes that the UK now needs a written constitution" (Part 2)
- Debate on the motion: "this house believes that the UK now needs a written constitution" (Part 3)
- Debate on the motion: "this house believes that the UK now needs a written constitution" (Part 4)
- Debate on the motion: "this house believes that the UK now needs a written constitution" (Part 5)
- Entrenchment of a written constitution
- Reasons not to have a written constitution
- The European Constitution as part of the British Constitution
- The point of a written constitution
- The strengths and weaknesses of an unwritten constitution
- We are not a democratic society
- By Speaker
- All
- Aaronovich, David
- Archer, Dr Robin
- Baker, Sir John
- Baldwin, Harriett
- Bingham, Lord
- Bogdanor, Professor Vernon
- Butler, Lord Robin
- Carlile, Lord Alex
- Carswell, Douglas
- Cash, Bill
- Commission, The Electoral
- Debate, SPADA
- Event, Constitution Society
- Foster, Sir Christopher
- Giddy, Pam
- Gittos, Luke
- Gordon, Richard
- Grocott, Lord
- Hain, Peter
- Hayter, Baroness Dianne
- Hazell, Professor Robert
- Hix, Simon
- Hunt, Lord
- Jay, Baroness
- Kramer, Susan
- MP, Eleanor Laing
- MP, Graham Allen
- Maclennan, Lord Robert
- McLean, Iain
- Nicholson, Chris
- Norton, Lord
- Omand, Sir David
- Phillips, Lord
- Raynsford, Nick
- Renwick, Dr Alan
- Roux, Nat le
- Sands, Philippe
- Toynbee, Polly
- Truss, Elizabeth
- Wilson, Ben
- Wilson, Professor Margaret
- Woolf, Lord
- By Date
- Tuesday - 31st January 2012
- Monday - 20th June 2011
- Monday - 6th June 2011
- Friday - 13th May 2011
- Tuesday - 26th April 2011
- Monday - 18th April 2011
- Thursday - 7th April 2011
- Tuesday - 5th April 2011
- Saturday - 29th January 2011
- Tuesday - 25th January 2011
- Monday - 20th December 2010
- Thursday - 18th November 2010
- Monday - 25th October 2010
- Wednesday - 30th June 2010
- Monday - 28th June 2010
- Thursday - 24th June 2010
- Tuesday - 22nd June 2010
- Thursday - 8th April 2010
- Tuesday - 6th April 2010
- Monday - 5th April 2010
- Saturday - 3rd April 2010
- Thursday - 1st April 2010
- Monday - 29th March 2010
- Friday - 26th March 2010
- Thursday - 25th March 2010
- Wednesday - 24th March 2010
- Tuesday - 23rd March 2010
- Sunday - 21st March 2010
- Monday - 15th March 2010
- Sunday - 14th March 2010
- Thursday - 11th March 2010
- Monday - 8th March 2010
- Thursday - 25th February 2010
- Tuesday - 23rd February 2010
- Saturday - 6th February 2010
- Friday - 5th February 2010
- Monday - 1st February 2010
- Thursday - 28th January 2010
- Friday - 22nd January 2010
- Tuesday - 8th December 2009
- Tuesday - 1st December 2009
- Thursday - 26th November 2009
