Exploring Parliament

by Leston-Bandeira, Cristina; Thompson, Louise

• ISBN13: 9780198788430
• ISBN10: 0198788436
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2018-04-08
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

A fresh perspective on an ancient institution; Exploring Parliament offers an engaging and real-life insight into the inner workings, impact, and relevance of twenty-first century Parliament.

Short academic and practitioner chapters are combined with highly relevant and practical case studies, to provide a new and accessible introduction to Parliament's structures, people, and practices.

As well as covering the broader structure of UK Parliament, this text explains the role of small parties in law making, the design and space of Parliament, and offers illuminating case studies on highly topical areas such as the Backbench Business Committee, the Hillsborough Inquiry and recent pieces of legislation such as the Assisted Dying Bill.

This text is complemented by the following online resources for students and lecturers:

- Video tours of Parliament
- Podcasts to explain and explore the work of Parliament
- Web links to help students to explore Parliament even further

Author Biography

Professor Cristina Leston-Bandeira is a Professor of Politics at the University of Leeds. She has worked on parliaments for over 20 years and was until recently Co-Convenor of the Political Studies Association specialist group on Parliaments and Legislatures. She is co-editor of Parliamentary Affairs and a Constitution Unit Fellow. Professor Leston-Bandeira has led research grants funded by the ESRC, the British Academy and the Leverhulme Trust, which have analysed public engagement with parliament. She is currently developing research on the new UK Parliament's e-Petitions system. She regularly gives evidence to parliaments in the area of public engagement, having been a Commissioner of the Digital Democracy Commission set up by the Speaker of the House of Commons. She is also the recipient of numerous awards recognising the quality and innovation of her teaching.

Dr Louise Thompson is Lecturer in British Politics at the University of Surrey. She is the Co-Convenor of the Political Studies Association specialist group on Parliaments and Legislatures and an Editorial Board member of the Journal of Legislative Studies. Dr Thompson is an expert in legislative scrutiny and the author of Making British Law: Committees in Action (Palgrave Macmillan 2015). She has recently completed a British Academy/Leverhulme funded project on public engagement with legislation. Dr Thompson maintains a strong interest in the teaching of parliamentary studies and British Politics and is the author of several publications (with Cristina Leston-Bandeira) aimed at helping students to understand Parliament. These have been disseminated by the UK Parliament, the Political Studies Association and the Higher Education Academy. She is currently the Managing Editor of the Political Studies Association Blog.

Table of Contents

Introduction. Parliament in the 21st Century, Cristina Leston-Bandeira, Paul Evans, and Louise Thompson
Part I: The Organisation of Parliament
1. The Political Organisation of Parliament, Philip Norton
2. The Administrative Organisation and Governance of Parliament, Sarah Petit and Ben Yong
3. Supporting Members, Marc Geddes and Jessica Mulley
4. The Significance of Rituals in Parliament, Emma Crewe and Paul Evans
5. Design and Space in Parliament, Matthew Flinders, Tom Healey, and Leanne-Marie McCarthy-Cotter
Part II: Law Making
6. The Legislative Cycle, Matt Korris, Glenn McKee, and Liam Laurence Smyth
7. Scrutinising a Government Bill, Daniel Gover and Meg Russell
8. Committee Scrutiny, Tony McNulty and Louise Thompson
9. EU legislation, Ed Beale, Libby Kurien, and Eve Samson
10. Campaigning to Change Law and Policy, Stacey Frier and Paul Thomas
11. Private Members Bills, Robert Hazell and Fergus Reid
12. Small Parties and Law-Making, Margaret Arnott and Richard Kelly
Part III: Scrutiny and Accountability
13. Accountability in Parliament, Mark Bennister and Phil Larkin
14. Evidence from outside, Andrew Defty and Hannah White
15. Select Committees since the Wright Reforms, Alexandra Kelso
16. Questioning the Government, Stephen Bates, Peter Kerr, and Ruxandra Serban
17. The Role of the Backbench MP, Mark Shephard and Jack Simson Caird
18. Scrutiny by the House of Lords, Patrick Milner
19. Media Scrutiny of Parliament, Mark D'Arcy
Part IV: Representation
20. The Rise of the Professional Politician, Peter Allen and Philip Cowley
21. Women in Parliament, Rosie Campbell, Sarah Childs, and Elizabeth Hunt
22. Representation in the Lords, Pete Dorey and Matt Purvis
23. Whips and Rebels, Mark Stuart
24. MPs and their Constituencies, David Judge and Rebecca Partos
25. Campaigning for your constituency, Oonagh Gay
Part V: Challenges and Reform
26. Parliament and Devolution, Cathy Gormley-Heenan and Mark Sandford
27. Modernising Parliament, Martyn Atkins and Mark Goodwin
28. Public Engagement, Cristina Leston-Bandeira and Aileen Walker
29. Petitions, Thomas Caygill and Anne-Marie Griffiths
30. Freedom of Information, Ben Worthy
Conclusion. The Future of Parliamentary Politics, David Judge, Cristina Leston-Bandeira, and Louise Thompson