Monthly Archives: March 2015

An Unfortunate Choice of Words

Posted on March 31, 2015 by jasonloch

Yesterday, the Queen issued a royal proclamation summoning a new Parliament. The wording of the document has been substantially revised in light of the changes brought about by the Fixed-term Parliaments Act. Obviously, it no longer references dissolution, but there has … Continue reading →

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Supreme Court Rules Against Government In Prince Charles Letters Case

Posted on March 26, 2015 by jasonloch

Today, the Supreme Court handed down its judgment in the case of R (Evans) v. Attorney-General. The justices dismissed the Attorney General’s appeal, and allowed the Court of Appeal’s decision to stand. Back in 2012, the Attorney General issued a certificate under section … Continue reading →

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Government’s Anti-Bercow Plot Fails

Posted on March 26, 2015 by jasonloch

The Government’s eleventh-hour attempt to change the rules governing the re-election of the Speaker of the House of Commons has failed. They wanted to allow a secret ballot if a returning Speaker’s candidacy is challenged, and this was widely seen as an attempt to … Continue reading →

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A Few Words on Minority Governments

Posted on March 25, 2015 by jasonloch

Alex Salmond made headlines yesterday when he said that the SNP could torpedo a Conservative minority government by helping Labour vote down the Queen’s Speech in May. Naturally, this hasn’t gone over well with the Tories. A party spokesman accused Salmond of trying to “sabotage the democratic will … Continue reading →

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Is There Too Much Secrecy Surrounding the Monarchy?

Posted on March 22, 2015 by jasonloch

This week, the Supreme Court will decide whether or not certain letters between the Prince of Wales and the Government should be released under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Rob Evans, a journalist with the Guardian, has fought a … Continue reading →

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Should Debates Between Party Leaders Be Mandatory?

Posted on March 15, 2015 by jasonloch

There’s been a lot of Sturm und Drang recently over the proposed debates between the party leaders in the run-up to next May’s General Election. The question of who should take part is proving to be quite divisive: David Cameron wants to … Continue reading →

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