Category Archives: Reform

What The Conservative-DUP Agreement Says about Votes of Confidence Under the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act

Posted on 2017/06/26 by

The Conservative and Unionist Party and the Democratic Unionist Party have finally hammered out a supply agreement that would give May’s minority government a parliamentary majority. You can read it here: Confidence and Supply Agreement between the Conservative Party and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Confidence Convention, Fixed-Date Elections, Formation of Governments | 2 Comments

The Cabinet Manual and Votes of Confidence under the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act

Posted on 2017/06/12 by

The Cabinet Manual As Explanatory Guide The Cabinet Manual: A Guide to Laws, Conventions, and Rules on the Operation of Government has proven its worth, both within Whitehall and amongst the wider British public. On 9 June, once the results … Continue reading →

Posted in Confidence Convention, Constructive Non-Confidence, Fixed-Date Elections | 5 Comments

Prime Minister May’s Bane: The Fixed-Term Parliaments Act and the Perils of Early Dissolution

Posted on 2017/06/09 by

British Prime Minister Theresa May has learned a hard lesson: early dissolution is like a corrosive, volatile substance whose bearer must handle it carefully or risk being burned. She also learned its corollary: election campaigns matter. A poorly run campaign … Continue reading →

Posted in Fixed-Date Elections | 3 Comments

The Provinces Show How Fixed-Date Election Laws Affect Dissolution by Efflux of Time

Posted on 2017/05/26 by

You can read my article on dissolution by effluxion here: Bowden, James W.J. “When the Bell Tolls for Parliament: Dissolution by Efflux of Time.” Journal of Parliamentary and Political Law 11, no. 1 (2017): 129-144. As sometimes happens with writers, I only noticed … Continue reading →

Posted in Dissolution, Fixed-Date Elections | Leave a comment

My Piece on “Dissolution by Efflux of Time” Is Published in the Journal of Parliamentary and Political Law

Posted on 2017/05/11 by

I’m very pleased to announce that my article “When the Bell Tolls for Parliament: Dissolution by Efflux of Time” has come out in the latest issue of the Journal of Parliamentary and Political Law. Incidentally, the germ of this manuscript started out … Continue reading →

Posted in Crown (Powers and Office), Dissolution, Fixed-Date Elections | Leave a comment