Archived Press Releases
For media enquiries, please contact:
Virginia Gibbons, Communications Manager
T: 020 7438 1225
M: 07812 765552
mediaprog@hansard.lse.ac.uk
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Essential reading for anyone interested in contemporary politics
Discounted rate for Hansard Society members
The October 2009 issue of Parliamentary Affairs looks at Charter 88 and the constitutional reform movement 20 years on.
As well as abstracts from the articles (see Editor's Notes), Parliamentary Affairs podcasts are also available. These are interviews with the authors designed to explore themes from their work. The podcasts are between 10 and 15 minutes long, and designed to inform researchers and to serve as teaching tools to stimulate discussion amongst students.
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Demonstrable link between knowledge, interest and
engagement in politics
October issue of Parliamentary Affairs
Discounted rate for Hansard Society members
In the October 2009 issue of Parliamentary Affairs, Dr Ruth Fox, Director of the Hansard Society Parliament and Government programme, demonstrates that, in the wake of the MPs' expenses scandal, proposals for more direct and participatory decision-making mechanisms fail to take account of the demonstrable link between political engagement and levels of knowledge and interest. Dr Fox identifies this lack of knowledge and interest as one of the key barriers to participation in the political process and makes the case for enhanced political literacy education and well-resourced, high-quality citizenship education.
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HeadsUp is the Hansard Society's innovative web forum, where under-18s debate political issues with legislators and policy-makers. The first forum for the 2009/10 series is Climate Change - how should the world summit tackle the problem? ahead of the UN summit in Copenhagen. The views of young people debating on HeadsUp will feed into the government's strategy at the summit. The three week debate is happening online from Monday September 28 until Friday October 16 and all of the comments by the legislators and young people on the forum can be viewed throughout the forum without registration.
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In the forthcoming October 2009 issue of Parliamentary Affairs, Dr Ruth Fox, Director of the Hansard Society Parliament and Government programme, demonstrates that, in the wake of the MPs’ expenses scandal, proposals for more direct and participatory decision-making mechanisms fail to take account of what the public really wants in terms of engagement and participation.
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The Hansard Society, the UK's leading non-partisan political research and education charity, has long supported the principle of televised Leaders' Debates as an important contribution to the public's engagement with, and participation in, the democratic process.
The Hansard Society, which organised the first ever televised Speaker Hustings earlier this year, is happy to collaborate with broadcasters in the organisation of televised Leaders' Debates on the following principles:
* The three main national party leaders must be present
* The format must be demonstrably fair and agreed by all political parties
* The televised debates must be conducted with strict impartiality
* The televised debates must provide an opportunity for members of the public to question and challenge the candidates
* Any debate musty be made available to all the main broadcasting channels and on the internet
* The televised debates must make every effort to stimulate genuine communication between party leaders and voters, improved political education and information about the main issues facing the UK and wider participation in the political process.
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The Hansard Society, the UK's leading non-partisan political research and education charity, has long supported the principle of televised Leaders' Debates as an important contribution to the public's engagement with, and participation in, the democratic process.
The Hansard Society, which organised the first ever televised Speaker Hustings earlier this year, is happy to collaborate with broadcasters in the organisation of televised Leaders' Debates on the following principles:
Fiona Booth, Chief Executive of the Hansard Society, commented:
‘Televised debates between leaders of the major parties are now customary in most democracies and the Hansard Society has long supported such an event in the UK. We believe that civic society is most effective when its citizens are connected with the institutions and individuals who represent them in the democratic process. Televised Leaders' Debates would offer the opportunity to bring the election debate directly into people's living rooms where they can assess the parties' attitudes to the main policy issues at stake in the next general election.'
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Hansard Society/British Council debate at Festival of Politics
Thursday August 20, 2.30pm - 4pm
Committee Room 1, Scottish Parliament
Journalists are invited to attend a unique event at the Festival of Politics next week - Has Devolution Delivered for Women? Participation, Representation & Power looks at women's representation in the Scottish Parliament and the National Assembly for Wales.
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The Hansard Society, the UK's leading
non-partisan political research and education charity, welcomes further talks
on televised Leaders' Debates and believes such events encourage public
engagement with politics.
Fiona Booth, Chief Executive of the Hansard Society, commented:
‘As a result of Lord Mandelson's comments yesterday
we are encouraged to hear that serious consideration is being given by the Parties,
to participate in a televised Leaders' Debate.
The Hansard Society has long supported such debates and was responsible
for organising the first ever televised Speaker Hustings held in June.'
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More action is needed says Hansard Society...
In a new Briefing Paper, Restoring Trust in
the House of Lords (download
the paper here) published today, the Hansard Society has called
for more action to be taken if trust and faith in the House of Lords is to be
restored in the near future.
The Government's new Constitutional Reform and Governance
Bill will provide new powers to evict peers from the House of Lords for egregious
behaviour. But on its own, this new measure will not be enough to address
concerns about public confidence in the Upper House as it deals with only the
enforcement part of the problem.
Restoring Trust in the House of Lords sets out a range of further measures that are still
needed. Examining the complex issues of ethics, regulation, standards and trust
that specifically affect the House of Lords it makes recommendations for reform
including:
--Empowering the office of the Lord Speaker to be
able to better represent and act on behalf of the House and take forward a
mandate for reform.
- Significant revision
of the Code of Conduct, including setting out a clear ethos and mission for
the House of Lords and extending the Code to cover the use of allowances and
expenses.
- Consideration of the introduction of a hybrid payments system for allowances and expenses
to better reflect the degree of each peer's involvement in the work of the
House.
- Establishing a hierarchy
of possible sanctions that may be applied for breaches of a new Code of Conduct
up to and including permanent expulsion from the House.
- Establishing a system
of external independent regulation for the management of the Lords
allowances and expenses system and enforcement of the Code of Conduct.
Dr Ruth Fox, Director of the
Hansard Society's Parliament and Government Programme, commented: ‘Public trust has to be earned before it is
granted. It is clear that faith and confidence in both Houses of Parliament is
at a nadir - that's why incremental reform of the system will no longer do. A
radical overhaul is necessary to build a new culture of open, transparent,
independently monitored regulation coupled with robust sanctions for those who
transgress. Eviction of peers is important but much more action is required if
the House of Lords is to regain public confidence.'
The Senior Salaries Review Body is
currently reviewing the House of Lords allowances and expenses system and a
Leadership Group in the House of Lords has been established under the
chairmanship of the Rt Rev Lord Eames to revise the House of Lords Code of
Conduct. This Briefing Paper is a contribution to the public debate about these
important issues.
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But says Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill is not enough on its
own to restore trust in the House of Lords.
Responding to the publication
of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill the Hansard Society has
welcomed the news that in future peers who transgress - such as those convicted
of criminal acts - will be evicted from the House of Lords.
However, the Hansard Society
expressed concern that the Government is responding in piecemeal fashion to
problems in the Upper House regarding standards and conduct. Dr Ruth Fox,
Director of the Hansard Society' s Parliament and Government Programme
commented: ‘If public trust in the House of Lords is to be restored then the
right to evict peers from the House must be made possible. But on its own it
will not be enough to restore trust in the Upper House.
‘Sanctions to evict peers are just one half of the
equation. There are two important reviews currently underway regarding the
House of Lords expenses and allowances system and the Peers Code of Conduct.
There must be a commitment on all sides of the House to implement the
recommendations of these reviews as well. The Code of Conduct in particular
will help define what is unacceptable behaviour and therefore where sanctions
will be needed.
In the next week the Hansard
Society will publish a new briefing paper entitled Restoring Trust in the
House of Lords. It will recommend substantial revisions to the Code of
Conduct and a new hierarchy of sanctions which can be applied for breaches of
the Code, putting transgressors beyond the pale with the ultimate sanction
being eviction from the House of Lords.