Archive: Constitution

Interview: Peter Facey and the long game of Lords reform

Peter Facey is director of Unlock Democracy

A century of failure on Lords reform isn't putting off Peter Facey, the director of campaigning group Unlock Democracy.

Interview: Mark Harper's Lords reform challenge

Wading through the Lords reform quagmire

politics.co.uk podcast: The perils of Lords reform

Why Britain lags behind the world on party-funding

Party funding reform unlikely despite the cash-for-access scandal

Party funding is always going to generate cynicism from politicians and voters alike. Whether we reform or not, there is no easy answer.

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Party funding: Reasons to be miserable

No prospect for real reform - in the short-term, at least

This scandal won't trigger a sudden revolution in the way our political system funds itself. But it would be wrong to say it won't make a difference.

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Should the Queen block NHS reforms?

The Queen receives the loyal addresses from the Lords and Commons

Today parliamentarians rose to applaud their Queen. In this Diamond Jubilee year, were campaigners really serious that she should end six decades of political neutrality to save the NHS?

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Ministers begged not to skimp on police commissioner elections

Pressure on govt to hurry up with police and crime commissioner election plans

Yet again, the Electoral Commission is voicing concern with ministerial plans - this time over November 15th's police and crime commissioner elections.

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A power grab against parliament by the government's 'forces of darkness'

All those who hoped politics might have changed for the better after the expenses scandal had better think again. The independence of backbenchers suffered a massive blow this evening.

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Nationalist 'barriers' delaying referendum

London is triggering another outbreak of hostilities with Holyrood over the terms of the Scottish independence election today.

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Here's a bright idea: an independent Scottish independence referendum

Electoral Commission wants a fair, neutral referendum - but will the governments give it one?

Amid the gargantuan constitutional power struggles of the Scottish and British governments, a small voice is trying to make its voice heard: the independent Electoral Commission proposing that it be handed more powers for the coming referendum, too.

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Are epetitions making disengagement worse?

Epetitions with over 100k signatures could get debated

After the initial excitement comes the bitter reality: the public can't simply put their name to an epetition to change government policy.

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Data-matching: Electoral Commission throws a spanner in the database

Those voter registration details are in there somewhere

Government plans to meddle with who gets to vote in British elections appear to have suffered another setback today.

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Dizzying Lords reform debate won't end prettily

Round and round in circles they went. Eventually the Lords reform debate will get so giddy with dizziness it will fall off the coalition's merry-go-round for good.

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More light than heat in financial privilege row

Financial privilege - when it comes to money, the Commons holds the power

So how are peers taking the constitutional nose-snubbing they've endured by the Commons, which invoked financial privilege as it overrode the Lords' amendments two weeks ago? As we've seen in the upper House this afternoon, not very well.

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Welfare reform: Don't expect much fight from the Lords

Benefit cap resistance likely to be dampened through nine-month grace period

Reading this blogpost is going to be a painful experience for opponents of the government's welfare reforms - especially those that read my observations on the theoretical possibilities about resistance in the Lords last week.

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It's not necessarily game over for welfare reform resistance, after all

Clerks in both Houses operate by the book

We were told the welfare reform fight was over, that the government's cynical use of the rulebook meant further resistance by the Lords was futile. It's now becoming clear that is far from the case.

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Another voter registration retreat in the offing?

Clegg gave evidence to the Lords constitution committee this morning

Clegg gave a clear suggestion that further concessions can be expected from the government.

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Clegg taunts 'cowardly' SNP over independence referendum

Nick Clegg in confrontational mode over Scottish independence

Scottish nationalists should have the "courage of their convictions" and accept an independence referendum sooner rather than later, Nick Clegg has said.

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politics.co.uk podcast: The perils of Lords reform

The coalition's plans for an elected second chamber are well underway - but can they be turned into reality?

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Interview: Mark Harper's Lords reform challenge

Mark Harper, the Conservative minister for political and constitutional reform, is tasked with achieving the hardest reform of them all

It is, perhaps, the hardest reform of them all. Can Mark Harper succeed where so many before him have failed?

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Tory grumblers told to fall in line over Lords reform

Minister ready to use Parliament Act to push through Lords reform

Lords reform was in manifesto, Mark Harper points out

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History repeating: Voters could be turned away in 2015

Unless law is changed, history could repeat itself in 2015

The 2015 general election could see a repeat of "chaotic" scenes in which voters were turned away from polling stations, peers have warned.

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Analysis: Why recall proposals shouldn't trouble MPs

Don't panic! MPs needn't worry about recall proposals, US expert says

A US perspective on recall powers reveals that MPs don't have much to fear from the coalition's plans.

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Giving the unborn their say

Do her views need representing in parliament?

Protecting the interests of the unborn is important, but representing their views now poses a bit of a headache.

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Tory MPs pour scorn on coalition's 'fake' recall proposals

Red mist over Westminster? Tory backbenchers want recall of MPs to go further

The government's proposals to give voters the right to recall their MPs fundamentally miss the point, two Conservative backbenchers have told MPs.

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Coalition won't back down over independence referendum talks

Should Scottish MPs get to vote in England-only matters?

London might have agreed to talks with the Scottish government over the terms of the independence referendum, but a little-noticed clause in their establishment of the West Lothian Question commission suggests they're not planning on budging.

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