An article examined recent trends in the number of minority-ethnic Members of Parliament, including the end of the Labour Party's 'virtual monopoly' on minority parliamentary representation. There was a new commitment to increased minority representation, with both Labour and Conservatives employing a variety of strategies for increasing it. The strategy to select more minority candidates in 'white' seats was key to increasing the numbers of minority parliamentarians, and signalled a departure from the traditional pattern of minority-ethnic politicians being elected by ethnic minorities.
Source: Maria Sobolewska, 'Party strategies and the descriptive representation of ethnic minorities: the 2010 British General Election', West European Politics, Volume 36 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Apr
An official report said that parliamentary legislation was excessively complex, and called for regulations to be made easier to understand by non-specialists.
Source: When Laws Become Too Complex, Office of the Parliamentary Counsel (Cabinet Office)
Links: Report | Guardian report
Date: 2013-Apr
An article examined variations in the extent to which black and minority-ethnic (BAME) Members of Parliament used the House of Commons to articulate issues relevant to minority constituents. BAME MPs asked more questions relating to the problems and rights of ethnic minorities in, and immigration to, the United Kingdom. But all British MPs were responsive to the interests of minority constituents where these were geographically concentrated. MPs responded systematically to electoral incentives, especially in the politically salient area of immigration policy.
Source: Thomas Saalfeld and Daniel Bischof, 'Minority-ethnic MPs and the substantive representation of minority interests in the House of Commons, 2005–2011', Parliamentary Affairs, Volume 66 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Mar