On procedure and politics

Beginning to think is beginning to be undermined

A video is worth a thousand words

I have written many posts about various procedural measures used in the British House of Commons that I think would be welcomed additions to the Canadian House of Commons. While I have attempted to describe these measures in detail, viewing them in action would probably be far more enlightening. The BBC’s Democracy Live website makes [...]

Comparing UK and Canadian House of Commons procedure

Going by the keyword search activity on this blog, there seems to be much interest in comparisons of parliamentary procedure in Canada and the United Kingdom. I have written many posts about various parliamentary proceedings which differ notably in both countries, and so I thought I would regroup that information into one post, with links [...]

PMQs – The Game

For political geeks, summer is tedious. The Canadian House of Commons adjourned for the summer recess back in June, and they won’t be back until 19 September. Luckily, we still had the UK House of Commons sitting into July, but alas, they too adjourned on 20 July. UK MPs will be taking a shorter break [...]

Perceptions of parliamentary procedure: is the grass really greener?

Last week’s appearance by Rupert and James Murdoch before the UK House of Commons Select Committee on Culture Media and Sport (which you can view here if you missed it) as well as Prime Minister David Cameron’s ministerial statement in the House of Commons the following day (viewable here) received global media attention. Many Canadian [...]

The media and oral questions

Contemporary mediated democracies may have enlightenment trappings, but in the Twenty-first century Question Time is essentially a media event. Especially if you’re, say, helping to turn it into a collective viewing experience on the #qt stream, there’s not much point complaining about that. (source) It was a shocking experience – the first nice prime minister’s [...]

Fixing Ottawa: Question Period

(This is the second in a series of posts on Fixing Ottawa. Other installments are: Fixing Ottawa: Committees, Fixing Ottawa: Draft Legislation and Fixing Ottawa: Empowering Backbenchers.) Canada’s Liberal Party released its election platform (manifesto) this weekend, and it included this pledge (p. 72): Liberals believe that all parties must act to increase the civility [...]

Another oral questions comparison

I am still somewhat fixated on comparing the quality of exchanges during Oral Questions as they occur in both the Canadian and UK House of Commons. I was finally able to find a comparable exchange between both countries’ Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition on a similar topic: the nature of each country’s mission [...]

It ain’t showbiz

For everyone who regularly bemoans the raucous showdown that is Prime Minister’s Questions, this week’s mostly respectful and thoughtful exchange between David Cameron and Ed Miliband was a welcomed surprise. In the even that you didn’t see this week’s PMQs, it was described variously as “eerily quiet and unusually civilised PMQs. Politics the way it [...]

It’s important to have a cheer line

I certainly don’t plan on writing an analysis of PMQs every week, but when there is something noteworthy, I will make a point of, well, noting it. This week’s PMQs were noteworthy primarily for something that happened outside of PMQs. It seems Labour has sprung a leak. The Times got hold of an internal party [...]

PMQs Impressions: Cameron v. Miliband

In a previous post on Ed Miliband’s election as leader of the Labour Party, I noted that I couldn’t help but feel that David Cameron would wipe the floor with him during Prime Minister’s Questions. This impression was based primarily on my reaction to Miliband’s speech after the results were announced. I’d never heard him [...]

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