UCL Constitution Unit

As part of the Constitution Unit’s 25th anniversary celebrations, this online seminar looks back at the constitutional reform agenda of the 1997 Labour government, and forward at the constitutional reforms proposed in the 2019 Conservative manifesto. What were the key questions, and motivating factors, then and now?  

Jack Straw, who held senior positions in the Brown and Blair cabinets, and Professor Francesca Klug OBE, discuss the origins of New Labour’s constitutional reform programme, its implementation and its legacy. David Gauke, Lord Chancellor under Theresa May, discusses the current government’s constitutional reform proposals.

Speakers:

• Jack Straw
• Professor Francesca Klug OBE,
• David Gauke

Chair:

Professor Meg Russell

Links:

Website: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/social-historical-sciences/constitution-unit

Mailing list: https://mailchi.mp/ucl/constitution-unit

Blog: https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit

Serious books on monarchy are rare, but a new volume on Europe’s eight contemporary democracies helps to fill the gap. Does monarchy still deserve the attention of students of politics? And is the fact that most of the world’s healthiest democracies are monarchies anything more than a coincidence? In this episode of 'UCL Uncovering Politics', book co-author, Professor Robert Hazell, explores some of these questions. 

Host:

Dr Alan Renwick

Guest: 

Professor Robert Hazell

Find out more about the project: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/research/monarchy-church-and-state/monarchy-europe

Links:

Website: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/social-historical-sciences/constitution-unit

Mailing list: https://mailchi.mp/ucl/constitution-unit

Blog: https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit

The long-standing idea that democracy needs checks and balances is questioned in some quarters. So what is the case for checks and balances, and what are the arguments against? Should we look upon different kinds of checks and balances in different ways? And what are the contemporary tensions bringing these debates to the fore? This UCL Uncovering Politics podcast episode explores these questions with three leading thinkers on constitutional politics.

Host:

Dr Alan Renwick

Guests:

• Professor Meg Russell
• Professor Richard Bellamy
• Professor Jeff King

Links:

Website: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/social-historical-sciences/constitution-unit

Mailing list: https://mailchi.mp/ucl/constitution-unit

Blog: https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit

Conservative experts Lord Dunlop and Chris White speak at The Constitution Unit's first seminar of 2020.

The Conservatives’ 2019 manifesto commits the new government ‘to look at the broader aspects of our constitution: the relationship between the government, parliament and the courts; the functioning of the Royal Prerogative; the role of the House of Lords; and access to justice for ordinary people’. There were also specific commitments: to update the Human Rights Act; to ensure that judicial review is not abused; and to set up a Constitution, Democracy and Rights Commission.

In this seminar two Conservative experts will discuss how the new government might implement this agenda, the obstacles it might face, and how they could be overcome.

Speakers:

• Lord Dunlop, Member of the House of Lords Constitution Committee
• Chris White, former Special Adviser to Conservative Cabinet Ministers

Chair:

Prof Meg Russell, Director of the Constitution Unit

Links:

Website: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/social-historical-sciences/constitution-unit

Mailing list: https://mailchi.mp/ucl/constitution-unit

Blog: https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit