Hansard Society eNewsletter - May 2009

Events
Why Vote? - Hansard Society Scotland Hustings Series
The Hansard Society are delighted to bring you the opportunity of attending the Why Vote? series of hustings in Scotland in the lead up to the European elections in June, in partnership with the European Movement and the CSPP:

Glasgow: 11 May, 18.30 - 20.00, City Centre Venue tbc. Why Vote? pre-hustings meeting to discuss why the European Parliament matters and why it is important that people should vote on 4 June.
Glasgow: 12 May, 18.30 - 20.00, Deeprose Theatre, Govan Mbeki Building, Glasgow Caledonian University. European Election Hustings in association with the Department of Public Policy, Glasgow Caledonian University.
Aberdeen: 14 May, 18.30 - 20.00, Room KCG7, Kings College, University of Aberdeen. European Election Hustings in association with the Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Aberdeen.

For more information, or to register, please contact Emma Megaughin at hansard.scotland@hansard.lse.ac.uk or on 0131 243 2750.

What lessons should Westminster learn from Holyrood?
Tuesday 19 May, 6.30pm, House of Commons, Westminster
A Democracy Forum to mark the launch of the Hansard Society Scotland publication The Scottish Parliament 1999-2009: The First Decade.

Panel: Joyce McMillan (The Scotsman and Chair, Hansard Society Scotland Working Group); Lord Wallace of Tankerness (former Leader, Scottish Liberal Democrats); Peter Riddell (The Times); Peter Wishart (SNP Constitutional Affairs Spokesperson)
Click here to register

Parliamentary Affairs April 2009
Essential reading for anyone interested in contemporary politics
The April 2009 issue of Parliamentary Affairs analyses party activism and asks: Where have all the Members Gone? This special issue looks at political parties and characteristics of party membership to generate dialogue between political scientists, historians and others on the future of party activism.  Parliamentary Affairs is a long-established journal published by Oxford University Press in association with the Hansard Society.

Individual subscriptions cost £57 a year; special reduced subscriptions for Hansard Society subscription members cost £26 a year (UK), €39 (Europe), US$52 (rest of the world). Become a member of the Hansard Society and receive a reduced subscription rate.

European Mock Elections
Over 80 schools registered to hold Y Vote Mock Elections
The Hansard Society's Citizenship Education Programme is facilitating mock elections in schools throughout the UK to coincide with the European elections on 4 June. There are currently over 80 schools registered, with a wide variety of ages, all over the UK.

You can view a map of the locations of the schools.

The election provides a perfect opportunity for schools to explore issues surrounding democracy and justice at a European level. Teachers can get hold of everything they need to run a mock election by visiting the Y Vote website and by registering they receive additional resources and support, all for free. Each school will submit their results and the overall result for each constituency will be announced on 15 June.

The Y Vote mock elections project is supported by the Electoral Commission whose aim is to promote integrity and public confidence in the democratic process.

For more information, contact Adam Wilkinson at a.wilkinson@hansard.lse.ac.uk or on 020 7438 1221.

Women & the Vote
Representation of Women in Politics
Nine decades after winning the vote the political representation of women in the UK remains appallingly low. In the House of Commons only 19% of MPs are women. Local government is doing better but still only 30% of local councillors are female. The Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly are closer to equal representation but there is room for improvement. Overall the UK is 60th in the international league table of women's representation.  

That's why the Hansard Society and five other organisations joined forces last year to establish the Women and the Vote campaign. We want to get the issue of women's continued under-representation on the political agenda and ensure it continues to be a key feature of public debate.

The Women and the Vote campaign aims to create a network of organisations and individuals who share our belief that much more still needs to be done to improve women's access to political power.

To find out more and to register your support for the campaign, sign up on the website at www.womenandthevote.com

Electoral Commission
Register to Vote Week
Register to Vote Week takes place during 4-10 May in the UK. The Electoral Commission is encouraging everyone to take a few minutes to make sure they are registered to vote by the 19 May deadline. 

On 4 June, over 370 million people across Europe are able to vote for their European Parliament representatives, and there are local elections in some parts of England as well. But if you are not registered, you won't be able to have your say.

Registering to vote is simple and takes just a few minutes. You can print off a form from www.aboutmyvote.co.uk and send it to your local authority. The website is packed with information about forthcoming elections in English and a range of other languages. If you want to vote, make sure nothing stops you.