Votes for prisoners – opening the door? – BBC News
“Polls suggest the public are incredulous at the idea. And, famously, we all know that it makes David Cameron physically sick.”
BBC News, 19th November 2012
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Category: elections
Prisoner vote bill to be outlined – BBC News
“The government’s draft bill on prisoner voting is to be outlined by the justice secretary on Thursday, the BBC understands.”
BBC News, 18th November 2012
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
“No-one should be under any doubt – prisoners are not getting the vote under this government” – UK Human Rights Blog
“It is being reported that Parliament will, after all, get the opportunity to decide whether the blanket ban on convicted prisoners being able to vote will be lifted. MPs could get three options to choose from, including removing the ban for prisoners serving six months or less and those serving four years or less. A third option will be to maintain the status quo, with no convicted prisoners being able to vote.”
UK Human Rights Blog, 18th November 2012
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
Sorting out extradition and prisoner voting – BBC Law in Action
“Joshua Rozenberg considers how the tension between politicians’ wishes and what the law requires is likely to be resolved in two highly controversial areas of government policy: extradition and the right of prisoners to vote.”
BBC Law in Action, 6th November 2012
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Police commissioner elections turnout threshold ruled out – The Guardian
“The home secretary, Theresa May, has refused to set a minimum turnout for next week’s police and crime commissioner elections in the face of claims that it could fall to the lowest in British election history.”
The Guardian, 6th November 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Prisoners’ votes: what’s the government up to? And are they missing a trick? – Head of Legal
“It’s well known that the government faces a problem when it comes to prisoners’ votes.”
Head of Legal, 30th October 2012
Source: www.headoflegal.com
Regina (Preston) v Wandsworth London Borough Council and another – WLR Daily
“A British citizen who had not been resident in the United Kingdom for over 15 years could not vote in the United Kingdom parliamentary election within the meaning of section 1(3) of the Representation of the People Act 1985, as amended. The statutory rule disenfranchising a citizen who had not resided in the UK for 15 years (‘the 15 year rule’) did not infringe the freedom of European Union citizens to move to other member states of the union.”
WLR Daily, 25th October 2012
Source: www.iclr.co.uk
Prisoner votes: Strasbourg should give way to national independence – The Guardian
“The constitutional crisis predicted for years by Professor Vernon Bogdanor is upon us. He warned that the human rights reforms of the 1990s created a potential conflict between the sovereignty of parliament and the rule of law. ‘What happens if there is a clash between the two principles?’ he asked in his Magna Carta lecture of 2006. A very senior judge to whom he had posed the conundrum had replied ‘That is a question that ought not to be asked.'”
The Guardian, 29th October 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Prisoners to launch legal action on voting rights – The Guardian
“Prisoners denied the right to vote are to start legal proceedings for compensation immediately in wake of the declaration by David Cameron that he will not change the law despite a ruling by the European court of human rights and the views of his senior law officer Dominic Grieve.”
The Guardian, 28th October 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
More shenanigans on prisoner votes – UK Human Rights Blog
“The Government has until 22 November to put forth legislative proposals in order to comply with the court’s rulings on prisoner votes.”
UK Human Rights Blog, 25th October 2012
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
Prisoner votes row will lose the government respect – The Guardian
“Cameron’s depressing announcement means the UK’s reputation will suffer – and it was a snub to his attorney general.”
The Guardian, 24th October 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
I won’t give prisoners the vote, says David Cameron – The Guardian
“Prime minister at odds with attorney general as he tells MPs prisoners will never get the vote under his government.”
The Guardian, 24th October 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Prisoners should get vote says human rights chief Baroness O’Neill – Daily Telegraph
“Prisoners should be given the right to vote in an attempt to help them reintegrate into society, the newly appointed chair of the human rights watchdog has said.”
Daily Telegraph, 19th October 2012
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Boundary changes: Revised proposals for English constituencies – BBC News
“Revised proposals have been published for the shape of future parliamentary boundaries in England.”
BBC News, 16th October 2012
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
So you want to be a police and crime commissioner… – BBC News
“In just a few weeks’ time, 41 individuals will become police and crime commissioners after pitching their vision for cleaning up the streets of England and Wales.”
BBC News, 14th September 2012
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Nick Clegg confirms Lords reforms have been officially withdrawn – BBC News
“The government has officially withdrawn proposed legislation for elections to the House of Lords after admitting defeat over the plans last month.”
BBC News, 3rd September 2012
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Magistrates banned from standing in police commissioner elections – The Guardian
“Plans for the first police commissioner elections this autumn have been thrown into fresh disarray with the disclosure that magistrates – who make up a significant number of the candidates – have been banned from standing.”
The Guardian, 9th August 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
UK accused of dithering over prisoners’ voting rights – The Guardian
“The government has ‘painted itself into a corner’ over its refusal to grant prisoners’ voting rights, according to Europe’s most senior human rights official.”
The Guardian, 15th July 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Lawcast 213: Carl Gardner on the appointment of Lord Neuberger as president of the UKSC and House of Lords reform – Charon QC
“Today I am talking to Carl Gardner, ex government lawyer and author of the Head of Legal blog. Downing Street announced the appointment of Lord Neuberger MR as the new President of The United Kingdom Supreme Court – taking over in September when Lord Phillips retires.
We also examine the reform of the House of Lords and the antics of our political masters this week.”
Charon QC, 13th July 2012
Source: www.charonqc.wordpress.com
“Charon QC” is the blogging pseudonym of Mike Semple Piggot, editor of insitelaw newswire.
We must say no to this bad Lords reform – Head of Legal
“Walter Bagehot, in his high Victorian classic The English Constitution, wrote that
the danger of the House of Lords certainly is, that it may never be reformed.
Already the view’s been expressed that if you have a problem with the coalition’s House of Lords Reform Bill then, since the perfect is the enemy of the good, objectively speaking you’re resistant to reform. I don’t hold with that. Further reform is welcome. But those who’d tinker with the constitution need close watching; and bad reform is worse than none.”
Head of Legal, 29th June 2012
Source: www.headoflegal.com
