Talking Constitutions

Cut through the political noise and join our experts in debating how and why constitutions matter in the world today, from the challenges of everyday life to the big questions of global politics. Hosted by the Institute of Legal and Constitutional Research, University of St Andrews.
Episodes
Episodes
Wednesday Sep 30, 2020
Written Constitutions
Wednesday Sep 30, 2020
Wednesday Sep 30, 2020
The subject of this episode is 'Written Constitutions', examining the advantages and disadvantages of written and unwritten constitutions, in theory and in practice.
Discussants are Lorna Drummond QC (Sheriff in Tayside, Central and Fife, sitting at Dundee Sheriff Court, Sheriff of the Sheriff Appeal Court, and Temporary High Court Judge and Justice of the Court of Appeal of St Helena, Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha); Jim Gallagher (former Civil Servant, headed the Scottish justice department and was the UK government’s most senior adviser on devolution and other constitutional issues); Don Herzog (Edson R. Sunderland Professor of Law at the University of Michigan) and John Hudson (Professor of Legal History, University of St Andrews).
Friday Sep 25, 2020
Courts and Constitutions
Friday Sep 25, 2020
Friday Sep 25, 2020
The subject of this episode is ‘Courts and Constitutions’, considering the roles - past, present and potential - of courts and the judiciary within constitutional arrangements in the UK and beyond.
Discussants are Lorna Drummond QC (Sheriff sitting at Dundee Sheriff Court and Justice of the Court of Appeal of St Helena, Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha), John Hudson (Professor of Legal History, University of St Andrews) and Catherine Stihler (former Labour member of the European Parliament and Chief Executive Officer of Creative Commons), chaired by Stephen Gethins (former MP at Westminster and currently Professor of Practice in International Relations at the University of St Andrews).
Monday Sep 14, 2020
Constitutions and the Brexit Trade negotiations
Monday Sep 14, 2020
Monday Sep 14, 2020
The subject of this episode is Trade, in particular the constitutional issues involved in the ongoing trade-negotiations between Britain and the European Union.
Discussants are Jenni Dunmore (political advisor on international trade and ACP-EU relations at the European Parliament), Jim Gallagher (former Civil Servant, who headed the Scottish justice department and was the UK government’s most senior adviser on devolution and other constitutional issues), Stephen Gethins (former MP at Westminster and currently Professor of Practice in International Relations, University of St Andrews) and John Hudson (Professor of Legal History, University of St Andrews).
Monday Aug 17, 2020
Second Chambers and the House of Lords
Monday Aug 17, 2020
Monday Aug 17, 2020
The subject of this episode is ‘Second Chambers and the House of Lords’. It explores the role - ideal and actual - of second chambers, in particular the House of Lords, across different constitutional arrangements.
Discussants are Lord Duncan of Springfield (Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords), Stephen Gethins (former MP at Westminster and currently Professor of Practice in International Relations, University of St Andrews), Colin Kidd (Professor of Modern History) and Catherine Stihler (Chief Executive Officer of Creative Commons).
Monday Aug 17, 2020
Constitutional Thinking
Monday Aug 17, 2020
Monday Aug 17, 2020
The subject of this first episode is constitutional thinking: what we mean by ‘Constitution’ and ‘Constitutional’ and how the nature of the United Kingdom constitution differs from other countries.
Discussants are Stephen Gethins (formerly a Westminster MP, now Professor of Practice in International Relations, University of St Andrews), John Hudson (Professor of Legal History, University of St Andrews), Caroline Humfress (Director, Institute of Legal and Constitutional Research, University of St Andrews) and Colin Kidd (Professor of Modern History, University of St Andrews).
Tuesday Jul 21, 2020
Constitutions and Emergencies
Tuesday Jul 21, 2020
Tuesday Jul 21, 2020
The subject of this topical episode is constitutions and emergencies, exploring how constitutions affect responses to emergencies and how emergencies lead to constitutional change.
Discussants are Jim Gallagher (former Civil Servant, who headed the Scottish justice department and was the UK government’s most senior adviser on devolution and other constitutional issues), John Hudson (Professor of Legal History, University of St Andrews) and Catherine Stihler (Chief Executive Officer of Creative Commons).