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How do Parliaments cope in a ‘lock down’?
In a public health crisis such as coronavirus, buildings have had to be closed and gatherings banned. That has included political institutions such as the House of Commons, which went into recess early. Yet if Parliament cannot meet, not only can there be no legislative progress, there also can’t be proper scrutiny of the Government. …
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Theresa May’s failing hostile environment: immigration checks by landlords breach human rights
Tom Simcock, Edge Hill University The “right-to-rent” scheme was a cornerstone of Theresa May’s hostile environment, which she put in place during her time as home secretary to curb illegal migration to the UK. Since 2016, the scheme has required landlords to check the status of their tenants by reviewing identification documents – a passport,…
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Ambitious leader speech sees Vince Cable aiming for the top job
Paula Keaveney, Edge Hill University As the Liberal Democrats met for their first conference since the 2017 general election, many were feeling disappointed at the state of things. The party came away with a mere 12 election victories after mistakenly believing the Brexit referendum had given it a branding which would help it capture more…
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A council has been intercepting emails to elected officials – here’s why that matters
Paula Keaveney, Edge Hill University Emails from local people to elected councillors have been intercepted by officials at Liverpool City Council. It’s not clear whether this involves a large or small group of people, but a recent example, and the council’s response to it, has shown that this is a practice that has been going…
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Voters with learning disabilities are being excluded from this election
Michael Richards, Edge Hill University There are more than 1m people with learning disabilities in the UK and the number is expected to increase. These are people who face exclusion from society more than ever – particularly when it comes to voting. Not enough is done to enable their participation in the most basic democratic…
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Britain’s first post-Brexit by-election a triumph for Liberal Democrats
For those who like to read the runes of politics, parliamentary by-elections are a gift. Each local area of course has its own characteristics but these contests offer a snapshot verdict on the government and major parties between general elections. It’s also a chance for those parties to try out and refine campaigning techniques. The…
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What my students saw when I took them to the Labour party conference
As a political activist, I am used to conferences. But if the past year has taught us anything, it’s that fresh eyes are changing British politics. I took a group of second and third year students to the Labour conference in Liverpool this year and asked them afterwards what stood out to them. We went…
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Liberal Democrats in Brighton – why their party conference still matter
Party conferences are strange beasts. They can be a mix of sales conference, rally, social event, training course, decision-making forum, networking opportunity and job interview. And there will always be several “conferences” going on at once. For a charity campaigner or trade union lobbyist, the conference will be very different to that experienced by an…
