Ministers and Parliament: Accountability in Theory and Practice

ISBN-13: 9780198278924 / Angielski / Twarda / 1994 / 336 str.

Diana Woodhouse

Opis

In constitutional theory, the convention of individual ministerial responsibility ensures the accountability of ministers to Parliament. In practice it is frequently used by government to limit rather than facilitate accountability. In this book Diana Woodhouse examines the divergence between theory and practice. She analyzes the situations in which ministers resign, the effectiveness of resignation as a means of accountability, and the abdication by ministers of responsibility. She includes detailed case studies of the resignations, actual and threatened, of Lord Carrington, Leon Brittan, Edwina Currie, David Mellor, James Prior, and Kenneth Baker that make this book especially pertinent to our understanding of the current political scene and to recent institutional changes within Parliament and government. By highlighting the present deficiencies and possible future failing in public accountability Woodhouse's study provides an essential complement to recent debates about constitutional reform.

Recenzje

Diana Woodhouse's book is a gem. It is beautifully written, with all the best qualities of scholarly craftsmanship, but it covers a broad field of contemporary British history with many details that will be familiar to most readers. Moreover, it contains valuable judgements and recommendations so that it significantly adds to our knowledge of an important aspect of the British constitution ... This book makes a valuable contribution to the literature on the British constitution by considering one of its essential features through recent practical experience.