Select committee change

New parliamentary reforms brought in at the end of the last parliament have meant that select committee chairmen are to be elected by the House of Commons rather than chosen by the party whips. This could result in more power for the legislature against the executive and is obviously one of many constitutional reforms this blog will be talking about... See Peter Riddell's comment in the Times plus the accompanying article looking at who is in the running for the chairmanship of the Treasury Select Committee.

Queen's Speech

There will obviously be a mass of news about what is in the Queen's Speech, but try and look out for the constitutional changes such as those expected re the Calman Reforms to the Scottish Government and the already hyped 55% rule, the referendum on electoral reform (AV) and the abolition of ID cards. The BBC is probably a good start and commentary from other sources such as Channel 4 and The Times (make the most of it before it charges!) will be useful.

The most ambitious reform since 1832?

What do you think - is this the greatest political reform since 1832? Nick Clegg certainly seems to think so. His suggestions in a speech today are important for the constitutional reform topic for Politics students and obviously ideal for Historians wanting a quick overview of some of the key statistics and reforms involved in 1832. A valid comparison or a huge exaggeration?

The Economist this week

A definite must-read this week as there are a number of excellent articles which will help with the exams. First of all, there is analysis of the new coalition government with comparisons of the new leaders in the British section. Also, there is a good comparison of the parties' promises on political reform as well as thoughts on the Labour Party's leadership contest. On the USA, there are articles on Elena Kagan, the climate-change bill and Utah's primary which has resulted in another moderate Republican being dropped by the party.

Fixed term parliaments and 55% rules

Opposition is growing to the coalition's fixed parliaments proposals. Keep an eye on this developing story.

House of Commons changes

A series of reforms have been voted through the House of Commons that may help to address the problem of an over-mighty executive. These include: the election of the chairs of select committees by secret ballot, the appointment of an opposition party member to the important Public Accounts Committee and a new backbench committee which will set a timetable for Commons business. Here is the BBC report of the changes and here is the Commons Reform Committee's website.

Constitution passion

A passionate argument is put forward in favour of a written constitution for the UK in the Times today by Antonia Senior, see here. She argues that our system is broken and that, particularly on Europe, changes are being made that we do not have a say in. She believes that a written (codified) constitution or at least a debate on one, would change this. What do you think?