Hansard Society News

"Welcome to the first update of Hansard Society activities, which we hope you find useful. To attend any of the events listed below or to obtain more information of any other upcoming activities, send an email to hansard@hansard.lse.ac.uk, or visit the website at www.hansardsociety.org.uk .

Events

We have two upcoming launch events for new Hansard Society publications:

• Spinning the Web: Online Campaigning during the 2005 General Election on 5 July 2005, 6.45pm, Attlee Suite with Stephen Coleman, Lynne Featherstone MP and Steve Ward. This collection of essays examines innovations and strategies the internet has brought into campaigns and assesses whether new technologies have had an impact on voters. For more information click here.

• Weblogs: A powerful voice for campaigns? which takes place on 13 July 2005, 6pm, Thatcher Room with Clare Ettinghausen chairing a panel which includes: Mark Flannagan (Crisis), Jamie McCoy and Barry Griffiths. This pamphlet takes ‘Jamie’s Big Voice’ blog as the case study, to highlight how charities and other organisations can empower individuals to unlock debates on issues, through the use of Weblogs. For more information click here.

The next set of events will be our fringe events at the three Annual Party Conferences. The question being posed is: ‘Does Democracy need a make-over?’.

• On Monday 19 September, our fringe event at the Liberal Democrats conference in Blackpool will be held in the Imperial Room 3, at the Imperial Hotel from 18:15 till 19:30.

• On Tuesday 27 September, our fringe event at the Labour Party conference in Brighton will be held in the Albert Room at the Grand Hotel from 18:00 till 19:30.

• On Monday 3 October, our fringe event at the Conservative Party conference, in Blackpool will be held in the Opera House Foyer Bar, at the Winter Gardens, from 12:30 till 14:00.

Rt Hon Robin Cook MP, Tony Benn, Ann Widdecombe MP, and Ann Treneman, are just some of the speakers who have already confirmed, but for the latest news click here.

Publications

New Politics, New Parliament?, by Alex Brazier, Matthew Flinders and Declan McHugh, analyses the modernisation programme of the last eight years, and makes a number of recommendations for reforms that would enhance Parliament’s role. This important book, supported by the Nuffield Foundation, analyses the modernisation of parliamentary procedures and practices that have occurred since 1997, exploring whether they have been successful in strengthening the role of Parliament, and considers what future steps should be taken. For more information click here.

The latest paper in the issues in Law Making Series has also just been published in association with DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary. Post-Legislative Scrutiny, paper 6 in the series, considers ways in which Parliament could review the laws that it passes to ensure that they have met their purpose, have not had unintended consequences and are clear and unambiguous in practice. The paper calls for a more systematic programme of post-legislative scrutiny to be introduced. For further information click here.

For more information on our recent publications visit www.hansardsociety.org.uk/publications/recent"