Tag: Brexit

Stuart, 16th Century history, 17th Century history, Charles I, Economic history, Elizabeth I, James I, Social history, The First Elizabethan Age, Tudor

Anglo-Dutch Fishing Disputes and the Sovereignty of the Seas, 1558-1640

Recent trade negotiations between the UK and the EU have shone a spotlight on European fishing rights in British territorial waters. While Britain sought to control access to her waters, arguing that her sovereignty was at stake, the EU expected to continue large-scale fishing in these same seas. Historians of early modern England might be forgiven for thinking that we have been here before, as … Continue reading Anglo-Dutch Fishing Disputes and the Sovereignty of the Seas, 1558-1640

Andrew Thrush1 Comment
Modern, 20th century history, Conferences, Seminars and Events, David Lloyd George, Elections, Herbert Asquith, Parties

Parliaments, Politics, and People: The Referendum issue & the constitutional crisis before the First World War

Ahead of this evening’s IHR Parliaments, Politics, and People seminar, we hear from Dr. Roland Quinault, a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Historical Research, about his paper from our previous session. Britain was slow to adopt the constitutional device of a referendum – the practice of referring political issues directly to the judgment of the people without recourse to Parliament. It was only … Continue reading Parliaments, Politics, and People: The Referendum issue & the constitutional crisis before the First World War

History of ParliamentLeave a comment
Contemporary History, 20th century history, Modern, Oral history

Voices from our oral history project: Sir Teddy Taylor

Last month we were sad to hear the news of campaigning backbencher Sir Teddy Taylor’s death. In this blog we look back on his life with extracts from our oral history project  interview with him in January 2012… Sir Teddy Taylor was one of the first former MPs to be interviewed for our oral history project. Following his death last month, obituaries remembered him as … Continue reading Voices from our oral history project: Sir Teddy Taylor

Emma PeplowLeave a comment
Victorian, 19th Century history, Irish History, Religious history, William Ewart Gladstone

The Prime Minister in the House of Lords: Gladstone and the Irish Church bill, 1869

For the past month the government’s Brexit bill has been back and forth both Houses of Parliament, re-awakening old debates on the roles of the Commons and Lords. Here our Director, Dr Paul Seaward, discusses a similar controversial bill 150 years ago… Theresa May’s remarkable appearance in the House of Lords on 20 February, at the beginning of the debate on the bill triggering the … Continue reading The Prime Minister in the House of Lords: Gladstone and the Irish Church bill, 1869

Paul Seaward1 Comment
Georgian, 18th Century history, Elections, Parliamentary Life

Edmund Burke and the Brexit debates

For the second week in a row, parliamentary business is dominated by the government’s ‘Brexit bill’. For many, this bill rekindles the dilemma – put so famously by Edmund Burke – of what an MP should do when their opinion differs from that of their constituents; an issue discussed here by our Director, Dr Paul Seaward… It didn’t take long for Edmund Burke to be … Continue reading Edmund Burke and the Brexit debates

Paul Seaward2 Comments
Stuart, 17th Century history, Legal history, Parliamentary Life, Social history

Sir Edward Coke and the Bill of Rights: the royal prerogative and parliament in the seventeenth century

Last week the high court ruled on the process the government needs to follow in order to trigger article 50 and initiate Britain’s exit from the European Union. In today’s blog, Dr Robin Eagles discusses the background to the 17th century precedents the judges cited in their ruling… Last week’s judgment by the high court that Theresa May’s government was not able to use its … Continue reading Sir Edward Coke and the Bill of Rights: the royal prerogative and parliament in the seventeenth century

Robin EaglesLeave a comment