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Parliamentary Constituency Boundary Reviews and Electoral Bias: How Important…
It is frequently canvassed by some politicians and political commentators that the current British electoral system is biased against the Conservative party because of variations in constituency size: seats won by the Conservatives at recent elections have been larger than those won by Labour in terms of their registered electorates, thereby disadvantaging the former. As a consequence, it is ar…
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- Volume 63, Number 1. January 2010 . Pp. 4-21
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- 00312290
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- Parliamentary Affairs
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The Impact of Semi-Presidentialism on Governance in the Palestinian Authority
In 2003, the Basic Law of the Palestinian Authority (PA) was amended and a semi-presidential form of government was established. In January 2006, the legislative election resulted in a period of ‘cohabitation’ between the Hamas government and President Mahmoud Abbas from Fatah. In 2007, following the civil war between the two forces, governance structures in the PA all but collapsed. This artic…
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- Volume 63, Number 1. Mar-April 2010. Pp. 22-40
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- 00312290
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- Parliamentary Affairs
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Why Do Parties Merge? The Case of the Conservative Party of Canada
This article presents a case study of the recent merger between the Progressive-Conservative Party and the Reform/Canadian Alliance parties. The selection of this case serves to illustrate the current limits of existing party organisational change and party coalition theories when it comes to explaining party mergers. We propose an alternative theoretical framework that introduces some minor ad…
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- Volume 63, Number 1. January 2010. Pp. 41-65
- ISBN/ISSN
- 00312290
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- Parliamentary Affairs
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A Question of Expertise: the House of Lords and Welfare Policy
The expertise of its members is often cited as one of the distinctive features of the House of Lords. It is frequently argued that, in particular, because of its composition, and in particular the existence of the Crossbench Peers, debates in the Lords are more informed than in the Commons. Peers, it has been claimed, bring professional experience and expertise to the scrutiny of legislation, a…
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- Volume 63, Number 1, January 2010. Pp. 66-84
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- 00312290
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- Parliamentary Affairs
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Ten Years of Devolution
The Scottish Parliament's operation and work over its first decade has been informed by the principles of openness, inclusivity and participation, cooperation and accountability. These principles stood it in good stead in dealing with public confidence and Parliamentary expenses. They have also informed the process of legislative and policy development as well as the policies pursued. A new sta…
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- Volume 63, Number 1, January 2010. Pp. 89-97
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- 00312290
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- Parliamentary Affairs
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The Narcissism of Small Differences: Scotland and Westminster
Apart from issues of representation, the new Scottish Parliament resembles Westminster more than its founders had hoped. It was influenced by the same reform agenda that has animated debates on reform of the Commons. The most significant changes from the Westminster model are evident in the voting system, though less than anticipated. Westminster continued to reform itself, albeit in limited wa…
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- Volume 63, Number 1, January 2010. Pp. 98-116
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- 00312290
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- Parliamentary Affairs
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Wales and the Westminster Model
This article discusses the significance of the ‘inward’ and ‘outward’ faces of the ‘Westminster model’ for the institutions of devolved government in Wales. In 1997–1998, the objective was to create something that resembled Westminster as little as possible. Subsequently, the ‘inward’ face has seen an increasing assumption of key features of the Westminster model, notably a separation between t…
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- Volume 63, Number 1, January 2010. Pp. 117-133
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- 00312290
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- Parliamentary Affairs
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Northern Ireland: The Politics of Constraint
The article surveys the interrupted experience of devolution in Northern Ireland since 1999 and draws a number of comparisons between the first devolved Assembly and Executive and their successors elected in 2007. It underlines the significance of the changed political, electoral and paramilitary context in the period leading up to the 2007 Assembly election which, together with a number of pro…
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- Volume 63, Number 1, January 2010. Pp. 134-155
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- 00312290
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- Parliamentary Affairs
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The West Lothian Question
Devolution was seen as a solution to the perceived lack of legitimacy of British government in the non-English parts of the UK. It has potentially transferred the legitimacy question to England, particularly when that UK government is dependent upon the votes of Scottish MPs. The various responses—an English Parliament, English Votes for English Laws, and English regional assemblies—will not wo…
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- Volume 63, Number 1, January 2010. Pp. 156-172
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- 00312290
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- Parliamentary Affairs
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Party Rules, OK: Voting in the House of Commons on the Human Fertilisation an…
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, which passed through the Westminster Parliament in 2007–08, demonstrated the dominance of party, even when the whips are removed and MPs are given a free vote. The party composition of the Commons determined the passage of the Bill and there is evidence that on abortion the dominance of party is becoming stronger still. There was also a gendered dime…
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- Volume 63, Number 1, January 2010. Pp. 173-181
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- 00312290
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- Parliamentary Affairs
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Citizenship and Political Engagement Among Young People: The Workings and Fin…
In 2008, the Labour government established the Youth Citizenship Commission (YCC). The (independent) Commission, staffed by individuals of varying backgrounds and serviced by the Ministry of Justice, was asked to examine how young people define citizenship and to explore how that citizenship might better be connected to political activity. Additionally, the YCC was required to lead a consultati…
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- Volume 63, Number 1, January 2010 Pp. 182-200
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- 00312290
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- Parliamentary Affairs
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Enhancing the Backbench MP's Role As a Legislator: The Case for Urgent Reform…
Private Members Bills (PMBs) should provide an important opportunity for backbench MPs to initiate legislative proposals as well as policy debate, to check the executive, and to respond to issues of public interest and concern. In recent decades, however, the number of PMBs receiving Royal Assent has steeply declined. Executive control of the timetable has strangled many, and procedural vulnera…
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- Volume 63, Number 1, January 2010 Pp. 201-211
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- 00312290
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- Parliamentary Affairs
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State Devolution and National Identity: Continuity and Change in the Politics…
Wales is one of the principal cases in Europe where the stateless nation enjoys relatively high levels of identification relative to the state, and is a key focus for addressing identity politics in the UK following devolution in 1997–1999. However, the development and political consequences of Welshness and Britishness are currently relatively neglected in the research literature. This article…
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- Volume 63, Number 2. April 2010. Pp. 229-249
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- 00312290
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- Parliamentary Affairs
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English Identities and Interests and the Governance of Britain
Are the identity and interests of the English nation still sufficiently protected by the British state? (the English question). And can the British state still secure sufficient loyalty from all its citizens? (the Britishness question). The omission of England from the programme of devolution implemented by Labour governments since 1999 has not led to a strong demand in England for its inclusio…
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- Volume 63, Number 2. April 2010. Pp. 250-265
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- 00312290
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Britishness (and Irishness) in Northern Ireland since the Good Friday Agreement
This article examines whether the promotion of British values is desirable, feasible or even permissible within Northern Ireland. Here, the advocacy of Britishness may be seen as threatening or offensive to a minority community whose political representatives desire the diminution of symbols of Britishness in order to encourage Irish nationalists to participate in political institutions. The pr…
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- Volume 63, Number 2. January 2010. Pp. 266-285
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- 00312290
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- Parliamentary Affairs
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Governance and Identity in a Devolved Scotland
This article focuses on the products of governance in Scotland and the UK, considering policy documents, public announcements and press releases and examines these outputs to consider the presence of Britishness within the institutions, agencies and other groups that govern in Scotland. It is our contention that Britishness, and the idea of Britain, is increasingly absent within the discussion,…
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- Volume 63, Number 2. January 2010. Pp. 286-301
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- 00312290
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Who Doesn't Feel British? Divisions over Muslims
Politicians increasingly promote Britishness. We thus ask who do they think has difficulty feeling British and why do they think this? Scholars have not yet tried to address these questions and in this article we attempt to do so. Using interviews with former home secretaries, junior ministers and their shadow cabinet counterparts, we examine whether leading politicians think that Muslims have …
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- Volume 63, Number 2. April 2010. Pp. 302-320
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- 00312290
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- Parliamentary Affairs
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The UK and the European Union: Dimensions of Sovereignty and the Problem of E…
Sovereignty is at the core of the UK's chronically contentious relationship with, and within, the European Union (EU). In order for EU membership to be an expression rather than an erosion of British sovereignty governments must influence the direction of European policy and the level of UK involvement. Labour has, it is argued, established an effective accommodation between continued membershi…
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- Volume 63, Number 2. April 2010. Pp. 321-338
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- 00312290
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British Citizenship and the Legacy of Empires
The Labour government has acknowledged the ‘enormous bonds of commonality’ (T. Blair, speech to Commonwealth Heads of Government, 24 October 1997. http://www.thecommonwealth.org), but the former empire or the modern Commonwealth has remained largely absent in the re-articulation of Britishness. Although there has been little attempt to reform the institutions and symbols of Empire, transnationa…
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- Volume 63, Number 2, April 2010. Pp. 339-355
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- 00312290
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- Parliamentary Affairs
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Public Perceptions of the Media's Reporting of Politics Today
The Hansard Society's annual Audit of Political Engagement measures the pulse of the nation on politics and the political system providing an annual benchmark against which it is possible to chart areas of continuity and change. The 2010 Audit also sheds light on public perceptions of media reporting of politics—how they rate the media in terms of impact, satisfaction with how they report polit…
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- Volume 63, Number 2. April 2010. Pp. 369-376
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- 00312290
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