Thanks to theme designer Ellen at Elmastudio, the Disqus commenting system is up and functional once again. Thank you to everyone for your patience as I continue to fine-tune this new theme.
Posts in Category ‘General’
Apologies for the lack of posting
I recently underwent laser eye surgery and using the computer is still difficult. Things are slowly improving every day, however.
Also, I am looking at a new theme for this blog, one that will work better with mobile devices and tablets, etc., and so expect some experimentation in coming days as I test out new layouts.
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Quote of the Day
“It’s the only top job that requires no previous experience. No training, no qualifications and limited intelligence.” – Sir Humphrey on why anyone would want to be prime minister, in series 6, episode 1 of Yes, Prime Minister.
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On how to engage with Government
One of my goals with this blog is to explain to people some of the more, shall we say, arcane aspects of our system of government. My role is not to go into explicit detail, but to provide an overview which I hope will help people understand some of the important, yet often misunderstood (or unknown!) procedures that make up parliamentary government in countries such as Canada.
I have recently come across a blog which has a similar goal, but rather than explain how our system of government works, or the fine points of parliamentary procedure, this blog looks at how to best engage with government. All of those online petitions you’re asked to sign? Those angry emails you’ve sent off to your local MP or a minister or even the prime minister? Maybe not the best way to get a response.
For an insider’s view on how people communicate with government, and why many approaches really don’t work, The Civic Engager is a blog written by a someone who works for the Canadian Government controlling and coordinating executive correspondence from the public. As explained in the About section, the goal with the blog is “to encourage better input from the public. The misconceptions people have about corresponding with the Government are endless, and the results are discouraging.”
So if you are planning to write to your MP, you might want to have a look at this blog first for some key advice on what to say and how to say it.
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2012 Canadian Weblog Awards
I am truly humbled and honoured to announce that this blog won first prize in the Best Political Blog category in the 2012 Canadian Weblog Awards. It won 3rd place in 2011.
Thank you to the jury and to readers everywhere.
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Apologies for the sporadic posting of late
Just a quick note to those who follow this blog.
I apologize for the rather sporadic blogging of late. This year has been a difficult one. It started with a physical health issue which severely limited my ability to do anything at a computer, and has ended with a unexpected (and unwanted) need to move house, which proved to be quite distressing and time consuming.
Both matters are settled now, more or less, so I hope to return to more active blogging – assuming life doesn’t get in the way again!
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Would you like to help with some research?
I am trying to write a post comparing the websites of various parliaments, namely those of Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand. However, I use these sites regularly as part of my work, and so it is fairly easy for me to find what I need to find on these websites. I am interested in trying to assess how easily other people can find specific information on each of the four websites.
If you are interested in helping out with this, please reply using the Contact Form or by emailing me. I will then email you a list of questions asking you to find specific information on each country’s parliamentary website. The questions are fairly similar for each parliament, e.g. you will be asked to find the contact information of a specific member of parliament, the current status of a certain bill, etc. but there will be one question which will be unique to that specific website. There are eight questions in total for each site, and I would ask that you try to find the answer to each one (for a total of 32 questions). How long this might take you will depend on how easily you can navigate each website to find the information.
Complete instructions will accompany the questionnaire.
Thank you!
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Quote of the day
“Anyone who campaigns for proportional representation but rules out a coalition in any circumstances is suffering from a serious logic deficit.” - Lord Holme, Liberal Democrat campaign manager 1997, as quoted in V. Bogdanor’s The Coalition and the Constitution
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Some notable parliamentary traditions
Parliamentary traditions and procedure in Canada and the United Kingdom are very similar, which is not at all surprising since Canada largely adopted the same form of parliamentary government, with slight modifications to better accommodate the realities of a federation. While some of these conventions and traditions might strike many as quaint and anachronistic, they are still practiced out of homage to the long fight for Parliament’s independence from the Crown.
For example, the tradition that a newly-elected Speaker should “resist” being led up to the Speaker’s Chair is simply an acknowledgement to the past, when the role of Speaker was often a very dangerous one. Indeed, several Speakers were executed by the Monarch for being bearers of news the Monarch didn’t want to hear. Consequently, many were reluctant to take on the role of Speaker, knowing its inherent dangers. Today’s Speakers pay tribute to their courage and, in some cases, sacrifice, by feigning reluctance to take the Chair.
While many such traditions are practiced both at Westminster and on Parliament Hill, there are other traditions which never managed to cross the Atlantic.
One such example involves the Queen’s Speech – what Canadians call the Speech from the Throne or Throne Speech. In the UK, a Government Whip is held “hostage” at Buckingham Palace during the Queen’s Speech in order to guarantee the safe return of the Monarch. This tradition naturally harkens back to times when the relationship between the Monarch and the House of Commons wasn’t on the best of terms. In Canada, this does not occur, although it would be quaint indeed if the Government Whip were to be held at Rideau Hall pending the safe return of the Governor General.
Other historical “precautions” are observed for the Queen’s Speech. The Yeomen of the Guard, the oldest of the royal bodyguards, armed with lanterns, search the cellars of the Palace of Westminster, a practice which dates back to the Gunpowder Plot of November 5, 1605. The Gunpowder Plot is the name given to the conspiracy to blow up the Houses of Parliament on 5 November 1605, which was discovered the night before. You can read more about the Gunpowder Plot here. This is followed by a more scientific police search.
While the basement of the Parliament Building in Ottawa isn’t searched by the Yeomen of the Guard, I am fairly certain that a thorough security sweep is performed by the RCMP prior to the Speech from the Throne in Ottawa, not in memory of the Gunpowder Plot, but simply because such security measures are warranted for such an event.
The Queen’s Speech/Speech from the Throne isn’t the only parliamentary procedure steeped in tradition. In the United Kingdom, when the Chancellor of the Exchequer delivers the Budget statement, the Speaker leaves the chair to be replaced by the Chairman of Ways and Means, the Deputy Speaker. This is a procedure which dates back several hundred years to the days when the Commons did not want its Speaker presiding over debates on money matters because he was seen as a creature of the King. This does not occur in Canada – the Speaker presides over the Budget Speech.
Another Budget-related tradition from the UK which isn’t observed in Canada: the Chancellor is the only MP allowed to drink alcohol in the House of Commons, on Budget day. Previous Chancellors have chosen whisky (Kenneth Clarke), gin and tonic (Geoffrey Howe), brandy and water (Benjamin Disraeli), sherry and beaten egg (Gladstone) and spritzer (Nigel Lawson). Gordon Brown chose to drink mineral water. Alistair Darling and George Osborne also drank water.
Chancellor with Budget Box, HM Treasury
In the UK, the Chancellor has his Budget Box, the red, leather-covered box containing the Budget Speech. Traditionally the Chancellor is photographed on Budget day on the steps of 11 Downing Street holding up the Budget Box. In Canada, the Finance minister traditionally buys a new pair of shoes for the Budget. This practice isn’t as ingrained as the UK tradition of the Chancellor being photographed with his or her Budget Box, however. The observance of this tradition has been inconsistent among federal ministers; indeed, for two or three finance ministers, this tradition only holds if “new shoes” is interpreted to mean “new footwear”.
Another difference regarding the Budget Speech concerns the budget lock-up. In Canada, members of the media as well as Opposition MPs are sequestered hours before the budget speech and briefed on the contents of the budget. This is in part to ensure that the details of the budget do not leak out before the document is tabled in the House, but also to help both the media and opposition familarise themselves with the contents of the budget. This allows the media to be able to report on it as soon as the media ban is lifted, and helps the Opposition prepare a detailed response to the budget.
In the UK, there is no budget lock-up. The Opposition are not privy to the contents of the budget ahead of time. Indeed, they learn of the contents of the budget as the Chancellor delivers his or her statement to the House. It is often said that making the very first response to the Budget statement, which is the task of the Leader of the Opposition, is one of the hardest speaking jobs in the House, because he or she has no idea what will be in what is arguably the most important Government statement made during the Parliamentary Session. Indeed, if one watches the statement being made, one will see the Opposition front bench furiously making notes to help the Leader craft what he is going to say, as soon as the Chancellor finishes. The media are in the same position, although of course in the run up to the Budget, there is very often indication in the press that some form of private briefing may have been given to select journalists on individual measures that might be in the statement.
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Quote of the day
“An unpredictable House is a more effective House. It’s a good thing if perhaps the Government cannot always tell what is going to happen next.” - UK House of Commons Speaker John Bercow, in an interview for The House magazine.