Hansard Society fringe meetings at party conferences - 18 July, 2008

The Hansard Society is once again joining forces with Channel 4 to host three fringe meetings at this year's party conferences on the topic People Like Us: Is British Society fairly reflected in Parliament?

PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU DO NOT HAVE TO REGISTER IN ADVANCE FOR THESE MEETINGS

Parliamentary scrutiny does make a difference to legislation - 16 July 2008

A new book from the Hansard Society, Law in the Making: Influence and Change in the Legislative Process, analyses the elements that come together to make an act of Parliament and concludes that the widely-held view of Parliament as a ‘rubber stamp' for government legislation bears little resemblance to reality.

2008: Women and the Vote - 30 June 2008

The coalition celebrates 80 years of universal suffrage

On 2 July 2008,  members of the 2008: Women and the Vote campaign (1) will celebrate the 80^th birthday of women finally winning equal voting rights as men (2).

With universal suffrage now eight decades old, the coalition partners are drawing attention to both the progress and the barriers still faced by women in British politics.

The alliance has now called on the British, Scottish and Welsh Governments, and political parties to put gender inequality back to the top of their agendas.

Fiona Booth, Chief Executive, Hansard Society:
‘This anniversary is a milestone for how far women have come in the last 80 years but also highlights how much further we have to go to achieve equal political representation between the genders. I would like to call on the major political parties and the House of Commons authorities to work together to encourage more women to stand for Parliament and make the House a more female friendly place. We all need to tackle the pervasive culture of acceptance that means currently only one in five of our MPs are female. More needs to be done if we don't want to find ourselves in the same position 80 years from now. A well-established democracy like ours should be leading the international league tables for female representation, not lagging behind.'

Hansard Society to give evidence to Finance Committee's Review of the Budget Process - 13 June 2008

Alex Brazier, joint author of the Hansard Society's 2006 report The Fiscal Maze; Parliament, Government and Public Money will be giving evidence to the Finance Committee's review of the parliamentary budget process on Tuesday June 17.

High Court right to force disclosure of MPs’ expenses - 16 May 2008

Transparency and accountability vital for Parliamentary democracy

The Hansard Society welcomes the High Court ruling that MPs should disclose their expenses to the public.

Alex Boughton, Deputy Chief Executive of the Hansard Society commented:

“At a time when trust in our elected representatives is at a very low ebb it is important that politicians are accountable to the public they serve and are seen to be bound by the same conventions as the electorate. Transparency is key to a well functioning democracy and greater openness can only help restore trust in politics and faith that our representatives are spending public money in the most effective way.

“MPs’ expenses are clearly necessary to allow our representatives to serve the electorate to a high standard but it is also important that any abuses of trust are able to be highlighted and dealt with. This ruling is important to sustain Parliamentary democracy and accountability.”

Parliamentary e-Petitions - Politics lite? - 7 May, 2008

Tuesday 20 May, 6-7.15pm, House of Commons

Speakers:

• Richard Allan, Government Affairs Director, Europe, Cisco Systems
• Bethan Jenkins AM, Member, Petitions Committee
• Rt Hon Greg Knight MP, Chair, Procedure Committee
• Andy Williamson, Director, eDemocracy Programme, Hansard Society

Chair:

•  Pete Picton, Online Editor, The Sun

Parliament must do more to scrutinise government spending, says Hansard Society - 21 April, 2008

Liaison Committee's recommendations on financial scrutiny a real step forward

The Hansard Society welcomes the House of Commons' Liaison Committee Report on financial scrutiny and urges Parliament to do more to scrutinise and seek accountability for government spending.

UK should go to war only as last resort, say under-18s - 8 April, 2008

Effective diplomacy is vital

Under-18s taking part in a Hansard Society online debate at www.headsup.org.uk felt that overseas conflict must be a last resort and that diplomaticnegotiations should be exhausted before embarking upon any conflict decision.

Politics and the Constitution a mystery to half the public - 27 March, 2008

Mixed messages on political and constitutional reform

The Hansard Society's fifth Audit of Political Engagement, published today, reveals a high level of political ignorance about politics and constitutional arrangements in Britain:

Nine Lords a-blogging - 14 March, 2008

Unique collaborative blog launched to engage with public

http://www.lordsoftheblog.net/

Lords of the Blog [http://www.lordsoftheblog.net/] is a new collaborative online blog, launched and written by Members of the House of Lords to increase public engagement with the work of the Upper House and its Members.