DOCSLIB.ORG

Electoral Law a Joint Consultation Paper

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Electoral Law a Joint Consultation Paper Electoral Law A Joint Consultation Paper Joint Consultation Paper LCCP 218 / SLCDP 158 / NILC 20 (2014) Law Commission Scottish Law Commission Northern Ireland Law Commission Joint Consultation Paper LCCP 218 / SLCDP 158 / NILC 20 (2014) ELECTORAL LAW A Joint Consultation Paper © Crown copyright 2014 This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: [email protected]. Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned. This publication is available at www.gov.uk/government/publications ISBN 9780108560859 ID 204121401 12/14 Printed on paper containing 75% recycled fibre content minimum Printed and published in the UK by the Stationery Office Limited ii THE LAW COMMISSIONS: HOW WE CONSULT About the Commissions: The Law Commission and the Scottish Law Commission were set up by section 1 of the Law Commissions Act 1965. The Northern Ireland Law Commission was set up by section 50 of the Justice (Northern Ireland) Act 2002. Each Commission has the purpose of promoting reform of the law. The Law Commissioners are: The Rt Hon Lord Justice Lloyd Jones (Chairman), Professor Elizabeth Cooke, David Hertzell, Professor David Ormerod QC and Nicholas Paines QC. The Chief Executive is Elaine Lorimer. The Scottish Law Commissioners are: The Honourable Lord Pentland (Chairman), Laura J Dunlop QC, Patrick Layden QC, TD, Professor Hector L MacQueen and Dr Andrew J M Steven. The Chief Executive is Malcolm McMillan. The Northern Ireland Law Commissioner is: Dr Venkat Iyer. The Interim Chief Executive is Ken Millar. Topic of this consultation: The law governing the conduct of elections and referendums in the United Kingdom, including the legislative framework, rules governing electoral registration, polling, the count, campaign regulation, electoral offences and legal challenge. Geographical scope: England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Availability of materials: The joint consultation paper is available at http://lawcommission.justice.gov.uk/consultations/electoral-law.htm; http://www.scotlawcom.gov.uk; and http://www.nilawcommission.gov.uk. Duration of the consultation: We invite responses from 9 December 2014 to 31 March 2015. How to respond Please send your responses either – By email to: [email protected] or By post to: Mr Henni Ouahes, Law Commission, 1st Floor, Tower, 52 Queen Anne’s Gate, London SW1H 9AG Tel: 020 3334 3599 / Fax: 020 3334 0201 If you send your comments by post, it would be helpful if, where possible, you also sent them to us electronically (in any commonly used format). After the consultation: In the light of the responses we receive, we will decide on our recommendations for reform in this area and present them to Government in the form of a report. iii Consultation Principles: The Law Commission follows the Consult ation Principles set out by the Cabinet Of fice, which provide guidance on type and scale of consult ation, duration, timing, accessibility and transparency. The Principles are available on the Cabinet Office website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/consultation-principles-guidance. Information provided to the Law Commissions We may publish or disclose information you provide us in response to this consultation, including personal information. For example, we may publis h an extract of your response in Law Commission publications, or publish the response in its entir ety. We may also be required to disclose the information, such as in accordance with t he Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. If you want information that you provide to be treated as confidential please contact us first, but we cannot give an assurance that confidentiality can be maintained in all circumstances. An automatic disclaimer generated by your IT system will not be regarded as binding on the Law Commissions. The Law Commissions will process your personal data in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998. iv LAW COMMISSION SCOTTISH LAW COMMISSION NORTHERN IRELAND LAW COMMISSION ELECTORAL LAW CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1 Stages of this project 1 Terms of reference 1 Elections and referendums within scope 2 Outline of the consultation paper 4 Devolution and a tripartite reform project 5 Impact assessment 6 Engagement with electoral stakeholders 7 Glossary 8 CHAPTER 2: THE LEGISLATIVE STRUCTURE 11 Introduction 11 The Representation of the People Act 1983 11 Developing electoral policy in this legislative framework 15 Electoral law to be set out centrally for all elections 17 CHAPTER 3: MANAGEMENT AND OVERSIGHT 20 Introduction 20 Local electoral administration 20 Electoral registration officer 20 Returning officer 22 v Co-operation between returning officers 24 The centralised administration of elections in Northern Ireland 27 The Electoral Commission 27 Promoting consistency 28 Reform of the management structure for UK elections 30 The duty to designate and review polling districts 31 Reforming the law on administrative areas 33 CHAPTER 4: REGISTRATION OF ELECTORS 35 The electoral franchises 35 Restating the franchise centrally for all UK elections 37 Residence and special category electors 37 The concept of residence in the electoral context 38 Notional residence and special category electors 46 Reforming the law on residence 50 Electoral registration generally 58 The modern electoral objective of registration 58 Five electoral registers in legislation 58 The organisation of electoral registration 60 Pending elections and the deadline for registration 70 Resident EU citizens and EU Parliamentary elections 73 Registration in Northern Ireland 75 Access to the register 78 Reforming electoral registration 80 The legislative framework for registration 80 Administering resident EU Citizens’ declaration of intent to vote in the UK 84 CHAPTER 5: MANNER OF VOTING 86 Introduction 86 vi Voting is by secret ballot 86 Rights-based analysis of qualified secrecy 91 Qualified secrecy and the alternative of voter identification at the poll 93 The reform aims in the context of the ballot system and qualified secrecy 95 Reforming the provisions on secrecy and vote tracing 95 Ballot paper design and content 97 Detailed prescription in election rules 98 The alternative approaches to prescribing ballot paper form and content 99 Ballot papers to be prescribed in secondary legislation 100 Form of ballot paper 102 CHAPTER 6: ABSENT VOTING 103 Introduction 103 The scope of reform of absent voting in the UK 103 Absent voting entitlements and records 104 Absent voting in Great Britain 104 Absent voting in Northern Ireland 109 Reforming the legal framework for absent voting 109 The administration of absent voter status 111 Postal voter status in Great Britain 111 Proxy voter status in Great Britain 115 Absent voter status in Northern Ireland 117 Reforming the administration of absent voter status 119 Postal voting process 120 Outline of the rules governing the postal voting process 122 Differences in the postal voting process in Northern Ireland 126 Postal voting fraud 128 Campaign handling of absent voting applications and postal votes 131 Reform of the law on the postal voting process generally 134 vii CHAPTER 7: NOTICE OF ELECTION AND NOMINATIONS 136 Introduction 136 Notice of election 136 The nomination process 137 The nomination paper 137 Time, place and attendance at nominations 141 Powers of the returning officer in relation to nomination papers 142 Is abuse of the right to nomination a ground for invalidating papers? 144 Election-specific features of nomination rules 146 Provisional reform proposals 148 A single nomination form emanating from the candidate 148 The role of the returning officer 151 CHAPTER 8: THE POLLING PROCESS 154 Introduction 154 Voter information and other public notices 154 Reform of the duties relating to voter information and other public notices 156 The logistics of polling 157 Provisional reform proposals for logistics of the poll 160 Regulating polling day 162 Controlling access and maintaining order 162 Prescribing the voting procedure 163 Queues at the close of polls 167 Reforming the law governing polling 171 Equal access for disabled voters 173 Supervening events frustrating the poll 177 Suspending the poll for “riot or open violence” 177 Death of a candidate 177 viii Reforming the law on death of candidates 180 Rioting and other supervening events 181 CHAPTER 9: THE COUNT AND DETERMINATION OF THE RESULT 185 The classical rules: first past the post contests 185 Transposing the classical rules to other elections 193 Reforming the law on conducting counts 195 Elections using the single transferable vote 199 Provisional reform proposals regarding STV counts 202 Electronic counting 202 Provisional proposal on reform of electronic counts 205 Transparency of the electronic counting system 205 CHAPTER 10: TIMETABLES AND COMBINATION OF POLLS 207 Introduction 207 Electoral timetables 207 The orientation of timetables 208 The unique orientation of the UK Parliamentary timetable 209 Aligning the UK Parliamentary election timetable with others 212 Legislative timetables generally 214 A standard timetable for UK elections 216 The combination of polls 219 Combinability of coinciding polls 220
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Elections Bill Explanatory Notes
    ELECTIONS BILL EXPLANATORY NOTES What these notes do These Explanatory Notes relate to the Elections Bill as introduced in the House of Commons on 5 July 2021 (Bill 138). ● These Explanatory Notes have been provided by the Cabinet Office in order to assist the reader of the Bill. They do not form part of the Bill and have not been endorsed by Parliament. ● These Explanatory Notes explain what each part of the Bill will mean in practice; provide background information on the development of policy; and provide additional information on how the Bill will affect existing legislation in this area. ● These Explanatory Notes might best be read alongside the Bill. They are not, and are not intended to be, a comprehensive description of the Bill. Bill 138–EN 58/2 Table of Contents Subject Page of these Notes Overview of the Bill 3 Policy Background 5 Legal background 19 Territorial Extent and Application 22 Commentary on Provisions of Bill 25 Part 1: Administration and Conduct of Elections 25 Voter Identification 25 Postal and Proxy Voting 35 Undue Influence 46 Assistance with voting for persons with disabilities 51 Northern Ireland elections 52 Part 2: Overseas Electors and EU Citizens 62 Overseas Electors 62 Clause 10: Extension of franchise for parliamentary elections: British citizens overseas 62 Voting and Candidacy Rights of EU citizens 69 Clause 11: Voting and Candidacy Rights of EU citizens 69 Part 3: The Electoral Commission 84 The Electoral Commission 84 Criminal Proceedings 87 Part 4: Regulation of Expenditure 88 Notional expenditure
    [Show full text]
  • British Overseas Territories Law
    British Overseas Territories Law Second Edition Ian Hendry and Susan Dickson HART PUBLISHING Bloomsbury Publishing Plc Kemp House , Chawley Park, Cumnor Hill, Oxford , OX2 9PH , UK HART PUBLISHING, the Hart/Stag logo, BLOOMSBURY and the Diana logo are trademarks of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc First published in Great Britain 2018 First edition published in 2011 Copyright © Ian Hendry and Susan Dickson , 2018 Ian Hendry and Susan Dickson have asserted their right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identifi ed as Authors of this work. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publishers. While every care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of this work, no responsibility for loss or damage occasioned to any person acting or refraining from action as a result of any statement in it can be accepted by the authors, editors or publishers. All UK Government legislation and other public sector information used in the work is Crown Copyright © . All House of Lords and House of Commons information used in the work is Parliamentary Copyright © . This information is reused under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 ( http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/ open-government-licence/version/3 ) except where otherwise stated. All Eur-lex material used in the work is © European Union, http://eur-lex.europa.eu/ , 1998–2018. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
    [Show full text]
  • Cv 15 03107DD19 Aug2016.Pdf
    REPUBLIC OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE Claim No. CV 2015- 03107 IN THE MATTER OF THE REPRESENTATION OF THE PEOPLE ACT, CHAP. 2:01 AND IN THE MATTER OF A PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION PETITION FOR THE CONSTITUENCY OF ST. JOSEPH HELD ON THE 7TH DAY OF SEPTEMBER, 2015 AND IN THE MATTER OF THE ELECTION PROCEEDINGS RULES, 2001 BETWEEN VASANT VIVEKANAND BHARATH Petitioner AND TERRENCE DEYALSINGH First Respondent AND THE RETURNING OFFICER FOR THE CONSTITUENCY OF ST. JOSEPH (DEEMED TO BE A RESPONDENT BY VIRTUE OF SEC. 107(2) OF THE REPRESENTATION OF THE PEOPLE ACT) Second Respondent BEFORE THE HONOURABLE MADAME JUSTICE DEAN-ARMORER APPEARANCES Mr. T. Straker Q.C., Mrs. K. Persad-Bissessar S.S., Mr. A. Ramlogan S.C., Mr. K. Samlal, Ms. J. Lutchmedial, Mr. D. Bailey, Mr. G. Ramdeen appeared on behalf of the Petitioners Mr. D. Mendes S.C., Mr. J. Jeremie S.C., Mr. R. Nanga, Mr. K. Garcia, Mr. M. Quamina, Ms. Gopaul, Mr. S. De la Bastide, Ms. C. Jules, instructed by Ms. E. Araujo appeared on behalf of the First Respondents Mr. R. Martineau S.C., Mrs. D. Peake S.C., Mr. R. Heffes-Doon, instructed by Ms. A. Bissessar appeared on behalf of the Second Respondents JUDGMENT TABLE OF CONTENTS Heading Page 1. Introduction 1 of 53 2. Procedural History 3 of 53 3. Facts 6 of 53 4. Submissions 12 of 53 5. Summary of Submissions for the Petitioner 12 of 53 6. Submissions for the First Respondent 15 of 53 7. Submissions for the Second Respondent 17 of 53 8.
    [Show full text]
  • 4.3 Presidential Government
    11 MM VENKATESHWARA COMPARATIVE POLITICAL OPEN UNIVERSITY SYSTEMS www.vou.ac.in COMPARATIVE POLITICAL SYSTEMS POLITICAL COMPARATIVE COMPARATIVE POLITICAL SYSTEMS MA [POLITICAL SCIENCE] [MAPS-105] VENKATESHWARA OPEN UNIVERSITYwww.vou.ac.in COMPARATIVE POLITICAL SYSTEMS MA [Political Science] MAPS 105 BOARD OF STUDIES Prof Lalit Kumar Sagar Vice Chancellor Dr. S. Raman Iyer Director Directorate of Distance Education SUBJECT EXPERT Ms. Puppy Gyadi Assistant Professor CO-ORDINATOR Mr. Tauha Khan Registrar Authors Dr Biswaranjan Mohanty: Units (3.3, 6.2, 7.2-7.3) © Dr Biswaranjan Mohanty, 2019 Vikas Publishing House: Units (1, 2, 3.0-3.2, 3.4-3.10, 4, 5, 6.0-6.1, 6.3-6.9, 7.0-7.1, 7.4-7.9, 8, 9, 10) © Reserved, 2019 All rights reserved. No part of this publication which is material protected by this copyright notice may be reproduced or transmitted or utilized or stored in any form or by any means now known or hereinafter invented, electronic, digital or mechanical, including photocopying, scanning, recording or by any information storage or retrieval system, without prior written permission from the Publisher. Information contained in this book has been published by VIKAS® Publishing House Pvt. Ltd. and has been obtained by its Authors from sources believed to be reliable and are correct to the best of their knowledge. However, the Publisher and its Authors shall in no event be liable for any errors, omissions or damages arising out of use of this information and specifically disclaim any implied warranties or merchantability or fitness for any particular use. Vikas® is the registered trademark of Vikas® Publishing House Pvt.
    [Show full text]
  • Het Koninkrijk Tegen Het Licht
    Het Koninkrijk tegen het licht Rechtsvergelijkend onderzoek in opdracht van de Tweede Kamer der Staten- Generaal naar de staatsrechtelijke overzeese verhoudingen in het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden, de Franse Republiek, het Koninkrijk Denemarken en het Verenigd Koninkrijk van Groot-Brittannië en Noord-Ierland prof. mr. H.G. Hoogers mr. G. Karapetian april 2019 INHOUDSOPGAVE Inleiding en aanleiding tot het onderzoek 3 Hoofdstuk 1 Het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden 7 §1. Inleiding 7 §2. Een smalle rechtsband 8 §3. Democratische vertegenwoordiging 9 §4. Sociaaleconomische verhoudingen 10 §5. Financiën 11 §6. Defensie en openbare orde 11 §7. De beslechting van geschillen 13 Hoofdstuk 2 De Franse Republiek 16 §1. Inleiding 16 §2. Les collectivités territoriales: DrOM, COM en Nieuw-Caledonië 17 §3. Democratische vertegenwoordiging 21 §4. Sociaaleconomische verhouding en financiën 22 §5. Defensie en openbare orde 23 §6. De beslechting van geschillen 23 §7. Conclusie 24 Hoofdstuk 3 Het Koninkrijk Denemarken 25 §1. Inleiding; de structuur van het Deense Rijk 25 §2. De rechtsband tussen Denemarken en de beide andere Rijksdelen 29 §3. Democratische vertegenwoordiging 30 §4. Sociaaleconomische verhoudingen 31 §5. Financiën en openbare orde 31 §6. Defensie 31 §7. De beslechting van geschillen 32 §8. Conclusie 33 Hoofdstuk 4 Het Verenigd Koninkrijk van Groot-Brittannië en Noord-Ierland 35 §1. Inleiding 35 §2. Veertien Constituties voor veertien British Overseas Territories 37 §3. Democratische vertegenwoordiging 39 §4. Sociaaleconomische verhouding en financiën 41 §5. Defensie en openbare orde 42 §6. De beslechting van geschillen 42 §7. Conclusie 43 Hoofdstuk 5. Conclusies 44 §1. De structuur van de staatkundige relaties 44 §2. Democratische vertegenwoordiging 46 §3.
    [Show full text]
  • Feasibility Study for the Resettlement of the British Indian Ocean Territory
    Feasibility Study for the Resettlement of the British Indian Ocean Territory Draft Report 13th November 2014 CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND 4 1.1 The British Indian Ocean Territory 4 1.2 Aims and overview of this study 5 1.3 Structure of this draft report 6 2 STUDY APPROACH AND METHODOLOGY 7 2.1 Guiding principles 7 2.2 Analytical framework 8 2.3 Key phases of activity 11 3 KEY ACTIVITIES AND RESETTLEMENT OPTIONS 13 3.1 Field visit to the British Indian Ocean Territory 13 3.2 Consultations and survey results 15 3.3 Overview of resettlement options 18 4 LEGAL AND POLITICAL ANALYSIS 20 4.1 Introduction and overview 20 4.2 Constitutional and governance framework 22 4.3 Treaty arrangements between the US and the UK 31 4.4 Environmental protection laws and conventions 32 4.5 Conclusions and implications for resettlement 35 5 ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS 38 5.1 Introduction and overview 38 5.2 Assessment of key environmental issues 38 5.3 Evaluation of potential resettlement locations 48 5.4 Summary environmental comparison of resettlement options 55 6 INFRASTRUCTURE ANALYSIS 58 6.1 Introduction and overview 58 6.2 Assessment of key infrastructure issues 59 6.3 Summary of implications for resettlement 66 7 ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL ANALYSIS 68 7.1 Introduction and overview 68 7.2 Data sources 68 7.3 Indicative cost estimates 68 8 COMPARISON OF RESETTLEMENT OPTIONS 74 8.1 Choice of resettlement location 74 8.2 Environmental considerations 76 8.3 Comparative costs of resettlement options 79 ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS BIOT British Indian Ocean
    [Show full text]
  • The Local Authorities (Conduct of Referendums) (Wales) Regulations 2008
    EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM TO THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES (CONDUCT OF REFERENDUMS) (WALES) REGULATIONS 2008 This Explanatory Memorandum has been prepared by the Local Government Policy Division and is laid before the National Assembly for Wales. PART 1 1. Description 1.1 This Instrument provides for the organisation of the holding of a referendum in a local authority in Wales to decide whether that authority should adopt a political structure involving (amongst others) a directly elected mayor. The Instrument provides for the questions to be put to the electorate, the publicity for a referendum, limits on expenditure, the conduct of the local authority concerned, plus the manner of voting, counting and matters connected with the register. 2. Matters of special interest to the Subordinate Legislation Committee 2.1 None. 3. Legislative Background 3.1 The powers enabling this Instrument to be made are contained in sections 45, 105 and 106 of the Local Government Act 2000. The functions of the National Assembly for Wales under these provisions have been transferred to the Welsh Ministers by virtue of section 162 of, and paragraph 30 of, Schedule 11 to the Government of Wales Act 2006. The Instrument is being made using the affirmative resolution procedure. 4. Purpose and intended effect of the legislation 4.1 This Instrument will revoke and replace, with appropriate amendments, The Local Authorities (Conduct of Referendums) (Wales) Regulations 2004 (SI No 870 (W.85)) (the 2004 Regulations). The principal changes made in these draft Regulations are to implement the changes made by the Electoral Administration Act 2006, which, inter alia, introduces measures to prevent electoral fraud.
    [Show full text]
  • Electoral Law an Interim Report
    Electoral Law An Interim Report 4 February 2016 Law Commission Scottish Law Commission Northern Ireland Law Commission ELECTORAL LAW A Joint Interim Report © Crown copyright 2016 This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence: visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3; or write to Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU; or email [email protected]. Where we have identified any third party copyright information, you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned. This publication is available at www.lawcom.gov.uk/project/electoral-law/ www.scotlawcom.gov.uk ii THE LAW COMMISSIONS The Law Commission and the Scottish Law Commission were set up by section 1 of the Law Commissions Act 1965. The Northern Ireland Law Commission was set up by section 50 of the Justice (Northern Ireland) Act 2002. Each Commission has the purpose of promoting reform of the law. The Law Commissioners for England and Wales are: The Right Honourable Lord Justice Bean, Chairman Professor Nick Hopkins Stephen Lewis Professor David Ormerod QC Nicholas Paines QC The Chief Executive is Elaine Lorimer The Scottish Law Commissioners are: The Honourable Lord Pentland, Chairman Caroline Drummond David Johnston QC Professor Hector L MacQueen Dr Andrew J M Steven The Chief Executive is Malcolm McMillan The Chairman of the Northern Ireland Law Commission is: The Honourable Mr Justice Maguire The terms of
    [Show full text]
  • Extrinsic Materials As an Aid to Statutory Interpretation
    THE LAW REFORM COMMISSION OF HONG KONG REPORT EXTRINSIC MATERIALS AS AN AID TO STATUTORY INTERPRETATION This report can be found on the Internet at: <http://www.hkreform.gov.hk> MARCH 1997 The Law Reform Commission was established by His Excellency the Governor in Council in January 1980. The Commission considers such reforms of the laws of Hong Kong as may be referred to it by the Attorney General or the Chief Justice. The members of the Commission at present are: The Hon Mr J F Mathews, CMG, JP (Attorney General) (Chairman) Mr Tony Yen (Law Draftsman) The Hon Mr Justice J Chan Mr Eric Cheung Professor Yash Ghai, CBE Professor Kuan Hsin-chi Dr Lawrence Lai Mr Andrew Liao, QC Mr Gage McAfee Mr Alasdair G Morrison Mr Robert Ribeiro, QC Professor Derek Roebuck Professor Peter Wesley-Smith Mr Justein Wong Chun, JP The Secretary of the Commission is Mr Stuart M I Stoker and its offices are at: 20/F Harcourt House 39 Gloucester Road Wanchai Hong Kong Telephone: 2528 0472 Fax: 2865 2902 E-mail: [email protected] A summary of this report can be found on the Internet at: http://www.hkreform.gov.hk Miss Paula Scully, Senior Crown Counsel, was principally responsible for the writing of this Commission report. THE LAW REFORM COMMISSION OOF HONG KONG REPORT EXTRINSIC MATERIALS AS AN AID TO STATUTORY INTERPRETATION _____________________________________ CONTENTS Chapter Page Introduction 1 Terms of reference 1 Background Paper 1 Membership and method of work 2 What is the importance of statutory interpretation? 2 What are extrinsic aids to interpretation? 3 Scope of report 3 1.
    [Show full text]
  • The Growth of Democracy 1832 – 1928
    THE GROWTH OF DEMOCRACY 1832 - 1928 Cults Academy History Department Higher History THE GROWTH OF DEMOCRACY 1832 – 1928 Gladstone & Disraeli Page 1 THE GROWTH OF DEMOCRACY 1832 - 1928 Contents: Problems with the Parliamentary System Forces for Change & The 1832 Act Gladstone, Disraeli & The 1867 Act Reducing Corruption and Bribery The Acts of 1884/85 Reforming the House of Lords The Emergence of the Labour Party Female Suffrage & the Acts of 1918/28 Conclusion I.C. 2005 Teacher’s note: This booklet can be used in conjunction with the textbook ‘Changing Britain 1850 – 1979’ (p’s 3 – 16) Introduction Today, we live in a democratic society where most people enjoy fundamental freedoms of speech, press, movement and worship and the right to vote in fair and free elections. In the early 1800’s, such ideas were alien to most people in Britain. Parliament had been established in the 13th Century as a way of helping the King govern more effectively. Gradually, it became an accepted institution of the State. The history of the British Parliament is long and complex. Here are some of the key events: In 1295, the first proper Parliament was established under Edward I. It evolved into two chambers, one for the nobility, the other for knights and burgesses In 1603, the kingdoms of England and Scotland were united under James VI: James believed in the absolute power of the Monarchy James’ son, Charles I attempted to rule without Parliament. This led in 1642 to the start of a long, drawn-out civil war between supporters of the Monarchy and supporters of Parliament, led by Oliver Cromwell In 1699, the Bill of Rights was passed, stating that laws could not be made without the consent of Parliament – the powers of the Monarchy were greatly reduced In 1707, the Act of Union joined the Scottish and English Parliaments together In 1721 Sir Robert Walpole became the first recognised Prime Minister Page 2 THE GROWTH OF DEMOCRACY 1832 - 1928 Problems with the old Parliamentary System The Parliamentary system of the early 1800’s had changed little in over a century.
    [Show full text]
  • Electoral Law an Interim Report
    Electoral Law An Interim Report 4 February 2016 Law Commission Scottish Law Commission Northern Ireland Law Commission ELECTORAL LAW A Joint Interim Report © Crown copyright 2016 This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence: visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3; or write to Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU; or email [email protected]. Where we have identified any third party copyright information, you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned. This publication is available at www.lawcom.gov.uk/project/electoral-law/ www.scotlawcom.gov.uk ii THE LAW COMMISSIONS The Law Commission and the Scottish Law Commission were set up by section 1 of the Law Commissions Act 1965. The Northern Ireland Law Commission was set up by section 50 of the Justice (Northern Ireland) Act 2002. Each Commission has the purpose of promoting reform of the law. The Law Commissioners for England and Wales are: The Right Honourable Lord Justice Bean, Chairman Professor Nick Hopkins Stephen Lewis Professor David Ormerod QC Nicholas Paines QC The Chief Executive is Elaine Lorimer The Scottish Law Commissioners are: The Honourable Lord Pentland, Chairman Caroline Drummond David Johnston QC Professor Hector L MacQueen Dr Andrew J M Steven The Chief Executive is Malcolm McMillan The Chairman of the Northern Ireland Law Commission is: The Honourable Mr Justice Maguire The terms of
    [Show full text]
  • Practice Questions Practise
    Practice Questions Practise Democratic Reform Women’s Suffrage & In what year did the Reform Act take place? € Why were womennotallowed to vote? [1] [1] Whatwasa rotten borough? 6 What law waspassed in 1870? [1] [1] How manypeople were allowedto votein the early 1860s? Whatyear did Marion Wallace Dunlop begin her hungerstrike in prison? [1] [1] WhatAct did the government pass in 1872? 0 Which type of women were given the vote in 1918? [1] [1] In your opinion, whydid the voting system need reforming by 1832? In your opinion, how important wasthe role of the Pankhursts in the suffrage campaign? In your answer youshould: In your answer you should: ° Give at least three examples of unfairness in the voting system. e Describe the actions of the Suffragette Movement. e Use facts to support your answer. e Take into account other factors involved in the suffrage campaign. e Use facts to support your answer. Write your answerona separate sheetof paper. [10] Write your answer on a separate sheet of paper. [10] Explain whether the Chartist movement should be viewed as a failure. 6 Explain why the struggle for equality failed in the 19th century. In your answer you should: ° Explain at least three different negative outcomes for the Chartist movement. In your answer you should: e Use facts to support your answer. e Give your opinion on at least three different reasons. e Use facts to support your answer. Write your answer ona separate sheet of paper. [10] Write your answer on a separate sheet of paper. [10] KS3 History Revision Guide ) Review Questions State Democratic4 Reform Women’sI, Suffrage Ge Which three cities had no MPsin the 1820s? € In what year did the women’s movementsstart to differ over the methods used? [1] [1] : & How many miners and ironworkers took part in the Newport Rising? é How many womenwent to Downing Street to protest in 1906? [1] [1] .
    [Show full text]