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Tag Archives: Executive
The first rule of politics, learn how to count. What is a House of Commons majority?
US President, Lyndon B. Johnson famously said the first rule of politics was to learn how to count. Politics is not all about voting, but in democracies it is the way in which governments attain power, and once they get … Continue reading
The seemingly inexorable rise of the special political adviser
This post first appeared on the Democratic Audit blog in December 2018. Every year since 2010, usually at around this time of year, the Government publishes a list of special advisers and their salaries. The latest data release, which took … Continue reading
Who governs? Knowing your Secretary of State from your Parliamentary Private Secretary
If one were to ask a random selection of the public on any high street in the UK, who they think runs the country, while the answers would be varied and perhaps laced with a healthy dose of scepticism about … Continue reading
Government transparency and the appointment of Parliamentary Private Secretaries
I have written in previous posts about the rise of the so-called payroll vote, those MPs holding government jobs who would need to resign their position if they wish to vote against the government. Although the number of paid Ministerial … Continue reading
What is the Chancellor’s Autumn statement?
This week the Chancellor of the Exchequer will deliver his Autumn Statement. It forms part of three set-piece debates which punctuate the parliamentary year, alongside the debate on the Queen’s Speech and the Budget. It is striking that two of those, the Autumn … Continue reading