PSAnews Vol24 No 4 | 2013 psa.ac.uk PSA Parliament Week event – Britain’s BME Politicians: The Next Generation James Chiriyankandath, Chair, PSA Diversity & Equality Group As part of Parliament Week, the House in Westminster on Tuesday, is from a BME background. involved in local politics and annual UK-wide programme of 19 November. In keeping with Over 130 students from fourteen community activism before being events and activities led by the this year’s focus on “Women in schools and colleges, the majority selected as the Labour candidate House of Commons designed Democracy”, an all women panel BME and female, attended. They in Hackney North and Stoke to engage and connect people discussed the participation of the heard the veteran Labour MP Diane Newington. She was followed by with parliamentary democracy, nearly one in six Britons of black Abbott, who in 1987 became the Christina Dykes, a senior adviser the Association’s Diversity and and minority ethnic heritage in first black woman ever elected to to Dominic Grieve, the Attorney Equality Group organised a democratic institutions – only 1 the Commons, speak passionately General, and former director of the panel discussion for GCE A and in 25 members of the Commons about what inspired her interest Conservative Party’s Development AS level students at Portcullis and 1 in 20 of the House of Lords in politics and how she first got continued on page 3 INSIDE THIS ISSUE Report from Universities Matter: how academic social science contributes to public policy impact PSA Awards Is Britain still a ‘civic culture’? PSA exchangers 2 Contents 3 FEATURED NEWS continued from page 1 and Candidates Department who of Politics and International ESRC funded project PSA Parliament Week event – Glasgow receive major grant emphasised the political value Studies, University of Warwick) Britain’s BME Politicians: The Next Generation 1 to establish a Q-step centre 14 of diversity and gave an insight talked individually to many of on support for Royal Holloway welcomes new staff 14 into the efforts to introduce the enthusiastic students at the New Academicians 3 greater diversity into the party’s event. New arrivals at Glasgow 15 ESRC funded project on support parliamentary candidate list. http://www.psa.ac.uk/psas- democracy in Egypt Baroness Meral Hussein-Ece, a diversity-and-equality-working- for democracy in Egypt 3 New European Research Council Project Stephen Whitefield, Oxford University Liberal Democrat working peer group holds its first international workshop 15 Tahrir Square during Friday of Departure Political Studies’ first editor honoured by Warwick 4 and the first Turkish Cypriot This event was recorded and King’s Centre for Science & Security Studies woman to enter Parliament, then can be watched in full on the ASSOCIATION NEWS has pioneered the development of professional spoke about her experiences as PSA’s YouTube channel: http:// courses in nuclear security education 16 a local councillor and women’s www.youtube.com/user/ activist in Hackney in the 1990s polstudiesassoc1 ■ Congratulations to the PSA’s first House of Commons Throwing the rascals out? 17 as well as a member of the Lords interns 4 Identity, emotions and political mobilization 17 since 2010. The panel was chaired by Shirin Rai, professor of politics Is Britain still a ‘civic culture’? 5 at the University of Warwick. SPECIALIST GROUPS PSA Awards Ceremony 2013 6 After a very lively question and answer session, the PSA School Video Competition panellists, along with James Beyond the Youth Citizenship Commission: 2013 - How much is an MP worth? 8 Chiriyankandath (Institute Young People and Politics 18 of Commonwealth Studies, Report from Universities Matter: how academic Annual Workshop of the GPSG 19 University of London) and Anil social science contributes to public policy impact 9 Awesti (lecturer and Widening Meet the new Post Graduate Northern Ireland 20 years after the ceasefires: Participation Officer, Department Network executive team 9 challenges & opportunities 19 Chicago and all that jazz 10 News from the PSA Conservatives and Conservatism Specialist Group 20 New Academicians Local Democracy Week - The PSA is delighted to Political Thought Specialist Group 20 Why should anyone bother to vote? 11 announce that three of its Professor Stephen Whitefield nature of the country’s current A Festival of Social Science 12 UEA hosts political leadership and members have been awarded (Oxford) and Dr Mazen Hassan democratic cross-roads because statecraft workshop 21 the honour of Academician by (Cairo University) have been overall across all parties, we DEPARTMENT NEWS the Academy of Social Sciences. awarded £120,000 by the ESRC found strong levels of support for Just Property meeting at the University Professor Philip Cowley to study public opinion in Egypt. a ‘guardian army’. of Nottingham 21 (University of Nottingham), The removal of President Clearly – and this is the nub Lecture to mark the 50th anniversary of the Professor John Curtice Morsi by the Egyptian Army of the set of issues we propose foundation of the Council on Christian (University of Strathclyde) following mass public protests to investigate – Egyptian public Approaches to Defence and Disarmament (CCADD) 12 Mexican PSA holds first world congress 22 and Professor Charles Pattie against his rule raises profound opinion cannot now hold on the (University of Sheffield). questions about the democratic lines of 2011. But, we ask, in Southampton round-up 13 Special Issues and Sections in Politics 22 Congratulations to all! commitments of Egyptian what directions is it breaking? The Academy welcomed 51 citizens. The ESRC has agreed on The answers may be crucial Extend the reach of your research 23 Glasgow to host the General Conference social scientists into membership the urgent need to collect data to the democratic future and of the European Consortium for Political Research 13 My exchange experience in Australia 24 as Academicians. Visit www.acss. John Curtice on Egyptian public opinion at governability of the country. org.uk to see the full list. ■ this crucial point in the country’s The project will conduct two University of Westminster welcomes new PSA in Japan 24 political transition. nationally representative samples colleagues to the department 14 PSA exchanger’s experience in Japan 24 Previous research by the of Egyptians: the first to go into applicants in 2011 produced the field as soon as practicable, three results of great relevance the second to coincide with Editorial Information to the present political situation. elections scheduled for 2014. First, Egyptian public opinion Using the data, the project will Rosie Campbell Political Studies Association Chief Executive Officer: To advertise in this Newsletter, appeared overwhelmingly inform beneficiaries about the Editor 30 Tabernacle Street Helena Djurkovic please contact Sandra McDonagh supportive of democracy as the democratic commitments of Email: [email protected] London EC2A 4UE at [email protected] Membership Secretary: best way of running the country. Egyptian citizens and will create Tel: 0191 222 8021 Sandra McDonagh Design Second, differences between a new and unique publicly- Fax: 0191 222 3499 Creative Team, Jack Neenan Registered Charity No. 1071825; Email [email protected] Deeson Member Communications, supporters of different parties accessible survey database that Assistant Editor Registered Company with limited liability Web: www.psa.ac.uk deeson-mc.co.uk were minimal. A third feature can be a basis and anchor for Email: [email protected] in England and Wales, No. 3628986 of public opinion at that time, further academic research on however, illustrated clearly the Egypt. ■ Philip Cowley Charles Pattie psa.ac.uk psa.ac.uk 4 5 Political Studies’ first editor honoured by Warwick On 22 September 2013, Warwick University honoured Professor Wilfrid Harrison, founding Professor of Politics, in a rather unusual way. A bus which is used on the U1 service between the campus and Leamington was named after Professor Harrison with a motif on the exterior and a plaque inside summarising his career. Professor Harrison was the first editor of Political Studies and closely involved in the formation of the PSA. The ceremony was attended by his daughter, Jeannie Harrison, and by Over 70 delegates attended to take part in the event Professor Wyn Grant, representing the Department of Politics and International Studies. ■ Is Britain still a ‘civic culture’? Dr Ben Seyd, University of Kent Congratulations to the PSA’s first Fifty years on from the for policy makers in seeking for policy makers in Britain to research/comparativegroup/ landmark ‘Civic Culture’ study, to address citizen discontent devise effective remedies for conference-2013.html. seventy policy makers and were highlighted by Gerry what is no longer such a ‘civic’ The presentations were all academics gathered in London Stoker who showed just how culture. filmed are can be viewed on House of Commons interns to discuss what citizens make negative British citizens are Details of the conference, the PSA’s YouTube channel: of politics and politicians in about politics. Asked to identify along with papers and http://www.youtube.com/user/ Jack Neenan, Communications Officer Britain today. one word they associate with presentations, can be found at: polstudiesassoc1 ■ The PSA is delighted to Richard Hayton and Brendan will be published on the The conference – funded politics, just seven of Stoker’s http://www.kent.ac.uk/politics/ announce that Libby McEnhill Evans - for supporting me.” Graduate Network section by the PSA and the School focus group participants Paul Whiteley and audience members take a look at some worrying British Election Study (University of Huddersfield) Karolina will begin her of the website: http://www. of Politics at Kent University, selected a positive word data on trends in political trust and Karolina MacLachlan placement in January: psa.ac.uk/psa-communities/ and chaired by Peter Kellner against 132 that selected a (King’s College London) have “I’m really looking forward graduate-network.