Richard Ekins: Representative Politics and the Limits of Law
This is the first of a series of posts in which Richard Ekins reflects upon Lord Sumption’s Reith Lectures. In his second Reith lecture, “In Praise of Politics”, broadcast on … Continue reading
Philip Allott: The Problem of Direct Democracy: Brexit and the Tyranny of the Majority
The Brexit process has been a major event in British constitutional history, and in the history of constitutionalism in general. It originated in the positions taken by two Prime Ministers. … Continue reading
Gavin Phillipson and Alison L. Young: Wightman: What Would Be the UK’s Constitutional Requirements to Revoke Article 50?
Today the Court of Justice of the European Union delivered its judgment in Wightman. This followed the opinion of Advocate General Campos Sánchez-Bordona, concluding that the UK may unilaterally revoke … Continue reading
Bethany Shiner: How Does the Data Protection Act 2018 Empower the Information Commissioner to Tackle the Misuse of Personal Data in Political Campaigns?
Introduction Following on from an earlier piece on this blog which highlighted some of the gaps in the legal framework relating to the use of personal data for political purposes … Continue reading
Leah Trueblood: More Good Days for Democracy: The Report of the Independent Commission on Referendums
At the beginning of Democracy in America, de Tocqueville writes that in studying democracy its “…Faults strike one at first approach, but its qualities are only discovered at length.” The … Continue reading
Bethany Shiner: Just the Politics of Persuasion: Are Gaps in Regulation Affecting Political Campaigning Methods?
Introduction The chair of the Electoral Commission recently warned that British elections face a ‘perfect storm’ of threats to their integrity from developments in social media and political advertising, and … Continue reading
Leah Trueblood: The Merits and Meaning of a ‘Second’ Referendum
Introduction: Multiple votes, one referendum Even before the vote on 23 June 2016, questions were raised about the possibility of a ‘second’ referendum. I place the term ‘second’ in inverted … Continue reading
Javier Garcia Oliva: The Referendum on Catalonian Independence: The Position of the Spanish Authorities
Editors’ note: Today we publish two posts on the Catalan referendum held on 1 October. Elisenda Casanas Adam and Javier Garcia Oliva each offer differing perspectives on the process while … Continue reading
Elisenda Casanas Adam: The Referendum on Catalonian Independence: The Position of the Catalan Authorities
Editors’ note: Today we publish two posts on the Catalan referendum held on 1 October. Elisenda Casanas Adam and Javier Garcia Oliva each offer differing perspectives on the process while … Continue reading
Lea Raible and Leah Trueblood: The Swiss System of Referendums and the Impossibility of Direct Democracy
The referendums in the United Kingdom of 2011, 2014, and 2016 have sparked a debate about the merits of direct democracy. In this debate references to the system of referendums … Continue reading
