Philip Larkin

Meg Russell

R. M. Morris

Bringing Commons Legislation Committees Into Line with Best Practice

Fitting the Bill

'Meg Russell's book is a valuable contribution to the debate on the further stages of House of Lords reform. It is always useful to gain a greater understanding from the experience of other countries.' -Baroness Jay, Leader of the House of Lords'The debate on the future of the House of Lords has so far been insular and backward-looking. Meg Russell provides and overdue and authoritative corrective in showing the lessons to be learnt from second chamber overseas in the balanced, analytical and highly readable manner that the Constitution Unit has made its trademark. She outlines how an independent and distinctive second chamber could form a central part of the developing constitutional settlement, complementing but not threatening the Commons.' -Peter Riddell, The Times'An excellent addition to the comparative literature on bicameralism which will be of great use to those interested in parliaments, parliamentary reform and comparative government generally' -Campbell Sharman, University of Western Australia'excellent new survey' -The Guardian'Ms Russell's thorough book goes straight to the heart of the hardest questions and gives a sober, efficient account of what is to be said on each side... sound, sensible, and well-researched study.' -Michael Fry, Glasgow Herald, 24/2/00'Russell should be thanked for a valuable, laborious and exhaustive study carried out in a fair and honest spirit... provides a thorough professional exercise... shrewd political judgments.' -John Vincent, LRB, 16/3/00The constitution of Britain is changing rapidly, and the House of Lords is next on the agenda for reform. This book provides an international context, using material as yet unpublished in the UK. What can we learn from the appointed Canadian Senate, the elected Australian Senate, the German federal Bundesrat, or our other European neighbours.

Lessons from Overseas

Reforming the House of Lords

Daniel Gover

The Westminster parliament is a highly visible political institution, and one of its core functions is approving new laws. Yet Britain's legislative process is often seen as executive-dominated, and parliament as relatively weak. As this book shows, such impressions can be misleading. Drawing on the largest study of its kind for more than forty years, Meg Russell and Daniel Gover cast new light on the political dynamics that shape the legislative process. They provide a fascinating account of the passage of twelve government bills - collectively attracting more than 4000 proposed amendments - through both the House of Commons and House of Lords. These include highly contested changes such as Labour's identity cards scheme and the coalition's welfare reforms, alongside other relatively uncontroversial measures. As well as studying the parliamentary record and amendments, the study draws from more than 100 interviews with legislative insiders. Following introductory chapters about the Westminster legislative process, the book focuses on the contribution of distinct parliamentary 'actors', including the government, opposition, backbenchers, select committees, and pressure groups. It considers their behaviour in the legislative process, what they seek to achieve, and crucially how they influence policy decisions. The final chapter reflects on Westminster's influence overall, showing this to be far greater than commonly assumed. Parliamentary influence is asserted in various different ways - ranging from visible amendments to more subtle means of changing government's behaviour. The book's findings make an important contribution to understanding both British politics and the dynamics of legislative bodies more broadly. Its readability and relevance will appeal to both specialists and general readers with interests in politics and law, in the UK and beyond.

Parliamentary Actors and Influence in the Making of British Law

Legislation at Westminster

Philip Cowley

Richard Heffernan

Colin Hay

Bringing together an all-new set of chapters by leading authorities, Developments in British Politics 10 provides a systematic, accessible and state of the art account of the legacy of Britain's first coalition government in over thirty years and of politics following the return of the Conservative Party to government in 2015.

Developments in British Politics 10

The Westminster parliament is a highly visible political institution, and one of its core functions is approving new laws. Yet Britain's legislative process is often seen as executive-dominated, and parliament as relatively weak. As this book shows, such impressions can be misleading. Drawing on the largest study of its kind for more than forty years, Meg Russell and Daniel Gover cast new light on the political dynamics that shape the legislative process. They provide a fascinating account of the passage of twelve government bills - collectively attracting more than 4000 proposed amendments - through both the House of Commons and House of Lords. These include highly contested changes such as Labour's identity cards scheme and the coalition's welfare reforms, alongside other relatively uncontroversial measures. As well as studying the parliamentary record and amendments, the authors draw from more than 100 interviews with legislative insiders. Following introductory chapters about the Westminster legislative process, the book focuses on the contribution of distinct parliamentary 'actors', including the government, opposition, backbenchers, select committees, and pressure groups. It considers their behaviour in the legislative process, what they seek to achieve, and crucially how they influence policy decisions. The final chapter reflects on Westminster's influence overall, showing this to be far greater than commonly assumed. Parliamentary influence is asserted in various different ways - ranging from visible amendments to more subtle means of changing government's behaviour. The book's findings make an important contribution to understanding both British politics and the dynamics of legislative bodies more broadly. Its readability and relevance will appeal to both specialists and general readers with interests in politics and law, in the UK and beyond.

The first book to give a detailed portrait of the House of Lords since the landmark reform of 1999 which removed most of its hereditary members, it asks who sits in the chamber, how it operates, and crucially what policy impact the House of Lords has. It shows that the Lords now has a more diverse and modern membership than many would assume. Close study of today's House of Lords demolishes some common myths about both British politics and the way that two chamberparliaments work. This book, as well as focusing on the contemporary Lords, provides a historical and comparative context for British bicameralism, asks whether the Lords can be considered'legitimate', and describes recent reform efforts and possible reforms for the future.

Meg Russell

Books

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