Inaugural Lecture by the former Cabinet Secretary Lord (Gus) O’Donnell

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 16:56:53 +0000

23rd April 2013 Building a Better Government: the Political and Constitutional Reforms necessary to build Better Government After a lifetime in government ending up at its apex as Cabinet Secretary, Gus O’Donnell has come to the sobering conclusion that Britain suffers from deep rooted bad policies and bad ways of governing.  In his inaugural lecture [...]

Mrs Thatcher and State Funerals

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 08:23:43 +0000

12th April 2013 By Professor Robert Hazell So, what is the difference between Mrs Thatcher’s and a state funeral?  Doing media interviews this week, I have confidently stated that a state funeral involves: A vote in Parliament The coffin lying in state in Westminster Hall The gun carriage bearing the coffin being drawn by sailors [...]

TIME TO RECALL A SHELVED PARLIAMENTARY REFORM

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 12:13:20 +0000

The UK Parliament was recalled on 10 April to mark the death of the former Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. This post does not discuss whether recall was an appropriate response – personally, I do think it was – but considers how Parliament, especially the House of Commons, was recalled, as it is a good example [...]