New and Notable Titles
A selection of recent publications relating to parliamentary studies prepared with the assistance of the Library of Parliament (June 2025 – September 2025).
“Hansard – The nation’s note-takers.” Economist 456 (9463): 18. August 30, 2025.
- Putting democracy on the record.
Clarenne, Julian. “The Democratic Deficit of Executive Federalism: Where Are the Parliaments?” Journal of Parliamentary and Political Law / Revue de droit parlementaire et politique 19 (2): 293- June/juin 2025.
- Intergovernmental relations in federal States are predominantly driven by executives, with negotiations often occurring behind closed doors, thereby sidelining parliaments. This phenomenon, widely known as ‘executive federalism,’ reflects a lack of political accountability as traditional parliamentary oversight organs and mechanisms prove largely ineffective. This article investigates the democratic deficit in intergovernmental relations by addressing the following question: Where are the parliaments?
Davies, Graeme A.M., Sarah Shair-Rosenfield, Reed M. Wood, and Rob Johns. “Responding to Online Threats Against MPs: Freedom of Speech or Regulation?” Political Insight 16 (3): 8-12 September 2025.
- How far should government and social media companies go in tackling online threats against politicians? The authors report on new research that finds strong public support for action.
Feldman, Charlie. “Correcting Bills before the Legislature: A Canadian Perspective.” Journal of Parliamentary and Political Law / Revue de droit parlementaire et politique 19 (2): 401- June/juin 2025.
- While the vast majority of changes to a bill’s text can be attributed to recorded decisions made by legislators, some Canadian legislatures authorize their Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel to make textual modifications through administrative means in specific circumstances…To explore this topic in the Canadian context, this paper will briefly discuss the case for corrective powers before surveying the various powers that find explicit expression in the standing orders (or equivalent) of Canada’s Houses of Parliament and provincial legislatures.
Flemming, Tom. “Reviewing the [UK] Modernisation Committee’s first year.” The Constitution Unit 5p., July 24, 2025.
- This week marks a year since the House of Commons established a new Modernisation Committee. In this post, the author reviews the committee’s first year.
Kelly, Hannah, Lisa James, and Meg Russell. “[UK] House of Commons procedure: why does it matter and how does it change?” The Constitution Unit 7p., July 8, 2025.
- House of Commons procedure combines formal rules with conventions and precedents, providing the framework for conducting business and making decisions. The authors explain why it matters, how it evolves, and what future changes have been proposed.
Renwick, Alan. “[UK] Government plans for electoral reform are a welcome start, but contain one surprising and serious error of judgement.” The Constitution Unit: 6p., September 12, 2025.
- Over the summer, ministers published plans for extensive electoral reforms. The headline proposal is the reduction of the voting age to 16. A raft of other measures will affect voter registration, campaign finance, election administration, and the role of the Electoral Commission. In this post, the author argues that much of what the government proposes is good. But the newly appointed set of ministers responsible for elections policy will need to make further progress on some crucial matters.
Rowe, Malcolm. “The Unwritten Constitution: A Short Description.” Journal of Parliamentary and Political Law / Revue de droit parlementaire et politique 19 (2) : 271-June/juin 2025.
- …what is poorly understood is that the largest part of our constitution is unwritten; it consists of the Westminster model of government that we received from the United Kingdom.