Category Archives: Comparative

Consensus Government & Dissolving the Legislature in Northwest Territories

Posted on 2023/08/26 by J.W.J. Bowden

Wildfires Prompt a Special Sitting of the Legislative Assembly In August 2023, the skies turned an ominous orange over large swathes of the Northwest Territories as gargantuan wildfires gobbled up forests and inched ever closer toward the edge of Yellowknife, … Continue reading →

Posted in By Efflux of Time, Comparative, Confirmation Voting, Consensus Government, Constructive Non-Confidence, Dissolution, Individual vs Collective Ministerial Responsibility, Responsible Government | Leave a comment

With Andor, Star Wars Finally Gets Politics Right

Posted on 2022/12/05 by J.W.J. Bowden

The prequel trilogy contained the kernels of several interesting ideas but suffered under George Lucas’s rudimentary understanding of politics. The system of government of the Old Republic infamously makes no sense and combines a random hodgepodge of elements of presidentialism … Continue reading →

Posted in Comparative, Film & Television, Parliamentarism v Presidentialism, Reviews | Leave a comment

Bizarre and Uninformed American Views on Monarchy

Posted on 2022/09/19 by J.W.J. Bowden

In general, I really wish that Americans would stop commenting altogether on the Royal House of Windsor, especially after the demise of Crown and the death of Her Late Majesty Elizabeth II of happy memory. Americans lost their standing and … Continue reading →

Posted in Comparative, Parliamentarism v Presidentialism | 5 Comments

Consociationalism and Bifurcated Cabinets in Northern Ireland

Posted on 2022/01/26 by J.W.J. Bowden

The dysfunction, conflict, and ideological incoherence at the heart of the Northern Irish Executive offers a modern analogy to what the dual ministries and co-premiership of the Province of Canada might have looked like.

Posted in Comparative, Confirmation Voting | 3 Comments

Review of Gee & Webber’s “What Is a Political Constitution?” and Some More Thoughts on the Nature of Constitutional Conventions

Posted on 2021/11/22 by J.W.J. Bowden

Constitutional Norms in the United States vs Constitutional Conventions in Canada I’ve been mulling overGould’s article “Codifying Constitutional Norms” (in the United States) and about constitutional norms in the American versus Canadian systems of government a bit more over the … Continue reading →

Posted in Articles and Books, Codifying Norms in the US, Comparative, Constitution (Written), Constitutional Conventions, Division of Powers, Parliamentarism v Presidentialism, Reviews | 2 Comments