
UK Parliament


Editorial: May has lost her mandate to govern - It's a democratic scandal if she doesn't step down
CommonSpace editor Ben Wray gives his verdict following May’s defeat in the House of Commons
THE Prime Minister has lost on her most important legislation, the primary reason for her government’s existence and the issue she campaigned almost solely on in the 2017 General Election, which she called for this express purpose.
She hasn’t just lost – she has lost overwhelmingly; the biggest loss of a government in the history of the UK Parliament.

Analysis: Humiliated May is now playing for time – will opponents give her it?
CommonSpace examines the state of Brexit play after Theresa May pulled Tuesday’s [11 December] meaningful vote.
THERESA MAY came to the House of Commons today to call off the meaningful vote – because she didn’t have the votes.
The pound fell to its lowest level in 18 months as the prime minister spoke, saying she accepted her proposal “would not pass the House”, and that she would therefore go back to EU leaders in search of “further reassurances”.

Lynn Henderson: Why Westminster can learn from Scotland in creating a more democratic, consensual politics
Ahead of TUC congress next week in Manchester, STUC President Lynn Henderson makes the workers´case for democratic reform at Westminster, arguing that ending first-past-the-post will lead to more progressive policy
THERE´S no denying that devolution has granted the people of Scotland greater autonomy over our own affairs.
But devolution has also shown that there are other ways of doing politics than the stale model used at Westminster.
It has given us a focal point, and the Scottish Parliament has developed its own voice and confidence.

UK Parliament say addition of St George's Cross to Big Ben not a snub to other UK nations
Changes were revealed hours before England’s semi-final World Cup match, though a spokesperson said this was coincidental
A UK PARLIAMENT spokesperson has denied that the addition of the St George's Cross in a repainting of Big Ben is a snub to the other nations of the UK.

Nuclear disarmament protesters from Scotland chain themselves to Westminster
The UK has refused to sign the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which if ratified by 50 countries will make the possession of nuclear weapons illegal
ANTI-TRIDENT protestors from Scotland have chained themselves to the UK Parliament, demanding the government signs the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and disarms its Trident nuclear missiles.

Call for Scottish MPs to resist attempt 'to make Britain militarily great again', as committee proposes £20bn extra for Defence
Three per cent of GDP on Defence would make the UK the biggest Defence spender in Europe by far, with Greece in second at 2.4 per cent of GDP
A NEW parliamentary report published today by the House of Commons Defence Select Committee has called for a significant hike in funding at a cost of £20 billion per year, a figure described as “staggering” by the SNP’s CND convenor, Bill Ramsay.

Aberdeen Independence Movement: The chaos in the Commons shows Scotland will never be equal in the UK
The Aberdeen Independence Movement (visit their facebook page here) write a collective piece on the past few days of chaos in the House of Commons, explaining what happened and why it proves there is no future for Scotland as an equal nation within the UK
IT HAS been a chaotic few days in Westminster, and it might be hard to follow what's happened. We're going to try to explain how we got to the point where the SNP MPs have walked out of the House of Commons.

Ronnie Cowan MP: The Govt licenses the largest medical cannabis industry in the world - so why do they still deny its therapeutic value?
SNP MP Ronnie Cowan, vice-chair of APPG on drug policy reform, argues that the UK’s denial of the therapeutic value of medical cannabis is no longer tenable, given the government’s approval of cannabis production by British Sugar and links to the top of the industry
OVER 30 US states now have access to some form of cannabis derived medicines. A rapidly growing number of European countries - around a dozen to date, allow various forms of medical cannabis, as does Australia, New Zealand, Israel, Uruguay, Chile, Colombia and Jamaica.

‘Democratic outrage’: SNP MPs walk out of the House of Commons at #PMQs
Speaker of the House John Bercow appeared confused about how to respond to SNP request for a vote
THE SNP’s MPs have walked out on mass at Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons, after the Speaker of the House refused a call by Ian Blackford to have an emergency vote and demanded he leave the chamber.