National planning policy and building regulations have undergone considerable reform in recent years. The latest incarnation is embodied in the Housing Standards Review, (HSR) published in 2014. The HSR sought to consolidate the plethora of standards into national building regulations whilst making it harder to local authorities (LAs) to introduce standards that supplement these national … Continue reading “Do Local Authorities Really Want Sustainable Construction Powers?”
Depoliticisation and the Father’s Clause in Parliamentary debates
Dr Stephen Bates, Dr Laura Jenkins and Fran Amery, use work on in vitro fertilisation to think through depoliticisation. Originally posted on May 19th at Policy and Politics Journal Blog Depoliticisation, in simple terms, involves disavowing political responsibility, or persuading the public that one is no longer responsible for particular decisions, with the result that … Continue reading “Depoliticisation and the Father’s Clause in Parliamentary debates”
Should I stay or should I go? Why the UK should stay out of the Crimea issue
Iván Farías, Doctoral Researcher in the Department of Political Science and International Studies argues why the UK should stay out of the Crimea issue. The Republic of Crimea is said to be at the centre of a dispute between the Russian Federation and the international community. Such dispute arose when about two weeks ago, 96.7% of … Continue reading “Should I stay or should I go? Why the UK should stay out of the Crimea issue”
Special CREES/POLSIS Seminar – The production of Migrants in Contemporary Capitalism
The special CREES/POLSIS Seminar on The Production of Migrants in Contemporary Capitalism presented the work of two young scholars: Dr Nikolaos Xypolytas (University of Cyprus) and Dr Bahar Baser (University of Warwick) This Special CREES/POLSIS Seminar focused on the migration process in the contemporary capitalist European societies. Dr Nikolaos Xypolytas‘ paper presented the findings of his … Continue reading “Special CREES/POLSIS Seminar – The production of Migrants in Contemporary Capitalism”
Essential scrutiny or national embarrassment? Dr Stephen Bates, Lecturer in Political Science, responds to the Hansard Society’s report on Prime Minister’s Questions
There are a number of institutional reforms that could be introduced to bring about the kind of PMQs that Speaker Bercow has called for. These reforms, some of which have been stated and occasionally restated in various Procedure Committee Reports over the years, include: extending PMQs by quarter or half an hour each week; reducing the number … Continue reading “Essential scrutiny or national embarrassment? Dr Stephen Bates, Lecturer in Political Science, responds to the Hansard Society’s report on Prime Minister’s Questions”
Body/ State in An Age of Austerity- Saturday 22nd February 2014
On Saturday 22nd February, the University of Birmingham’s Gender and Feminist Theory Research Group were delighted to co-sponsor and host the PSA Women in Politics Specialist Group ‘s bi-annual conference. The conference was oriented around feminist scholarship that has sought to illuminate the ways in which states and bodies are intertwined both in general and in … Continue reading “Body/ State in An Age of Austerity- Saturday 22nd February 2014”
Between discipline and dissent: revoking citizenship is dangerous whatever the crime
Attempts to render terror suspects stateless, represent a dangerous step towards revoking the citizenship of anyone who dissents, and highlight a shift in the meaning of citizenship from emancipation to conformity. Stories emerged earlier this week about Home Secretary Theresa May’s plans to make terror suspects stateless by revoking their UK citizenship. The Government is already … Continue reading “Between discipline and dissent: revoking citizenship is dangerous whatever the crime”
Obama’s Soft Power A Hard Sell After NSA Revelations
POLSIS Senior Lecturer Dr Adam Quinn examines U.S. soft power in light of the recent revelations regarding the National Security Agency’s controversial surveillance activities. For presidents, like sports team managers, the tough weeks tend to outnumber the jubilant. But even by the standards of an unforgiving job, Barack Obama could be forgiven for feeling unusually … Continue reading “Obama’s Soft Power A Hard Sell After NSA Revelations”
Electoral deadlock means no end to Republican extremism
After 16 days of anxiety, grandstanding and acrimonious finger-pointing, Dr Adam Quinn, Senior Lecturer in International Relations discusses the legacy of the government lockdown for the Republican Party Tough crowd. Gonna get tougher. White House After 16 days of anxiety, grandstanding and acrimonious finger-pointing, the experiment in American democracy that was the government shutdown has … Continue reading “Electoral deadlock means no end to Republican extremism”
Tommy Robinson Quits the English Defence League: Damascene Conversion or a Cynical Tactic?
This week EDL leader Tommy Robinson quit from the English Defence League and began collaborating with the counter extremist Quilliam Foundation, however, POLSIS researcher Alex Oaten argues that there is little for us to be positive about. Yesterday’s breaking news that the well known and controversial EDL leader Tommy Robinson and his cousin and co-leader … Continue reading “Tommy Robinson Quits the English Defence League: Damascene Conversion or a Cynical Tactic?”