Parliamentary Affairs: special issue on 'Twenty years after the Good Friday / Belfast Agreement' (vol 71, issue 2, 2018)

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Parliamentary Affairs: special issue on 'Twenty years after the Good Friday / Belfast Agreement' (vol 71, issue 2, 2018)

1 May 2018

To mark 20 years since the signing of the Belfast Agreement, this special issue of Parliamentary Affairs explores a range of critical topics surrounding the event, including the sustainability of peace, why politicians should question the utility of one-sided assetions of the past, and the impact of the Agreement on women's rights.

Articles

Are Discretionary Referendums on EU Integration Becoming ‘Politically Obligatory’? The Cases of France and the UKAude Bicquelet, Helen Addison
Participation in Local Elections: ‘Why Don’t Immigrants Vote More?’Didier Ruedin
The Conservative Party Leadership Election of 2016: An Analysis of the Voting Motivations of Conservative Parliamentarians (editors' choice)David Jeffery, Tim Heppell, Richard Hayton, Andrew Crines
Committee Hearings of the UK Parliament: Who gives Evidence and does this Matter?Marc Geddes
The Politics of Welshness: A Response to Bradbury and AndrewsSophie Williams
The Development of the Treasury Select Committee 1995–2015Saskia Maureen Rombach
Advice Giving and Party Loyalty: an Informational Model for the Socialisation Process of New British MPsNicholas Dickinson
Votes At 16: New Insights from Scotland on EnfranchisementJan Eichhorn

Special collection: Twenty years after the Good Friday / Belfast Agreement

Guest editor: Peter Shirlow

Twenty Years after the Belfast AgreementPeter Shirlow
Between Conflict and Peace: An Analysis of the Complex Consequences of the Good Friday AgreementJohn Nagle
Truth Friction in Northern Ireland: Caught between Apologia and HumiliationPeter Shirlow
Contested Space, Peacebuilding and the Post-conflict CityBrendan Murtagh
One Step Forwards, Two Steps Back: Women’s Rights 20 Years after the Good Friday AgreementClaire Pierson

Latest / Highlights

News / Parliament Matters Bulletin: What’s coming up in Parliament this week? 14-18 July 2025

MPs will consider a rare privilege motion relating to a request from the Omagh Bombing inquiry, while the Conservatives will choose the topic for Tuesday’s Opposition Day debate. Select Committees will question Cabinet Ministers on welfare reform, the NHS Plan, foreign policy, national security, and policy announcements made first to the media rather than Parliament. The Deprivation of Citizenship Orders Bill will complete its Commons stages. Peers will scrutinise bills on renters’ rights, employment, and planning. MPs will debate Statutory Instruments on media mergers, murder sentencing, and energy costs, and will vote on extending interest registration rules for MPs’ staff. Backbench MPs will lead debates on giving every child the best start in life, the Global Plastics Treaty and end of life care. The House of Lords will debate the Strategic Defence Review. → We value your thoughts. Please click here to let us know what you think of the Parliament Matters Bulletin in our reader survey.

News / One year on: How is Parliament performing? - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 100

In our 100th episode, we take stock of Parliament one year after the 2024 general election. With a fractured opposition, a dominant Labour government, and a House of Commons still governed by rules designed for a two-party system, how well is this new Parliament really functioning? Please help us by completing our Listener Survey. It will only take a few minutes.

News / Labour's welfare meltdown - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 99

It’s been a bruising week for the Government, as a Labour backbench revolt forced ministers to gut their own welfare reforms live in the House of Commons. We explore why Sir Keir Starmer appears to have such a poor grip on parliamentary management. Plus, House of Lords reform expert Professor Meg Russell explains why the hereditary peers bill may be a once-in-a-generation chance to tackle deeper issues — like curbing prime ministerial patronage and reducing the bloated size of the upper chamber. And in Dorking, faith and politics collide over assisted dying. Please help us by completing our Listener Survey. It will only take a few minutes.

News / What Westminster gets wrong about the NHS - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 98

We are joined this week by two guests who bring invaluable insight into the intersection of health policy and parliamentary life. Dr. Sarah Wollaston and Steve Brine – both former MPs, health policy experts, and co-hosts of the podcast Prevention is the New Cure – share their experiences of how the House of Commons handles health and social care. Please help us by completing our Listener Survey. It will only take a few minutes.

Submissions / Parliamentary scrutiny of treaties - Our evidence to the House of Lords International Agreements Committee

Our evidence on treaty scrutiny has been published by the House of Lords International Agreements Committee. Our submission outlines the problems with the existing framework for treaty scrutiny and why legislative and cultural change are needed to improve Parliament's scrutiny role. Our evidence joins calls for a parliamentary consent vote for the most significant agreements, a stronger role for Parliament in shaping negotiating mandates and monitoring progress, and a sifting committee tasked with determining which agreements warrant the greatest scrutiny.