New and Notable Titles
A selection of recent publications relating to parliamentary studies prepared with the assistance of the Library of Parliament (September 2023 – November 2023).
“Guide to digital transformation in parliaments.” Inter-Parliamentary Union, 48p., 2023.
- This guide is designed to inform and educate parliaments about the challenges and opportunities of using digital tools and provides them with practical examples and support.
“Reforming the British State – Lawmaking – Bad laws.” Economist 449 (9371): 23-5, November 11, 2023.
- The quality of legislative scrutiny is in decline.
Bromo, Francesco. “Something old, something new? Votes of confidence, parliamentary dissolution, election timing, and judicial review under the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022.” Parliaments, Estates and Representation 43 (2): 194-211, 2023.
- Westminster ratified the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act in 2022. It provides that: (a) PMs’ ability to dissolve parliament through the monarch is restored. (b) Writs for general elections are bestowed upon the executive. (c) Some applications of the royal prerogative are non-justiciable. This article presents a critical summary of the history and content of the act, and it discusses its implications.
Dorey, Peter. “Elected or selected? The continuing constitutional conundrum of House of Lords reform.” The Political Quarterly 94 (3): 402-11, July/September
2023.
- The 1911 Parliament Act decreed that Lords reform was ‘an urgent question which brooks no delay,’ yet the subsequent 112 years have witnessed only sporadic and inchoate reforms.
Lord McFall of Alcluith. “By Invitation – British constitutional arrangements – Think twice before shaking up the House of Lords, says it.” Economist, November 7, 2023.
- Lord McFall of Alcluith makes the case for incremental change.
Germaine, Rod. “Proposal for the patriation of head of state.” The Advocate 81 (4): 501-8: July 2023.
- There are two common responses to the suggestion that Canada should reconsider its relationship with the monarchy. First, it is not a priority… Second, the required constitutional amendment process is a can of worms that is best left sealed…
McKinnell, Ryan Alexander. “The parliamentary regime: the political philosophy of confederation.” Canadian Journal of Political Science/Revue canadienne de science politique 56 (3): 550-70, September/septembre 2023.
- This article clarifies the intellectual origins of Canadian parliamentary government by situating Confederation within a specific strand of liberal political thought. The author’s argument is that the Fathers of Confederation adhered to the political theory of parliamentarianism. Though liberal constitutionalists, the Fathers of Confederation expressly defended a parliamentary political framework that they considered superior to the American system of checks and balances—one characterized by a powerful elected assembly restrained by an unelected upper house, responsible ministers serving in Parliament, and a constitutional monarch. In elucidating the theory of parliamentarianism that underlies the political project of Confederation, the author’s goal is not only to examine a problem in nineteenth-century Canadian political thought but to ground our current political situation within a larger historical perspective.
Russell, Meg, and Lisa James. “Parliamentary scrutiny: what is it, and why does it matter?” Constitution Unit, 6p., September 12, 2023.
- Parliamentary scrutiny is at the heart of UK politics. In this post, the authors examine the four key methods of parliamentary scrutiny, and offer proposals on how to strengthen it, calling for better behaviour by government and strong engagement from backbenchers.