We could rename it the 'Department for Science, Innovation and the Arts', like they do in some German states. Perhaps this would help remind politicians, civil servants and the media that research and education matter beyond the impact on GDP figures...

Father-son pairings were once relatively common in the hereditary chamber through the use of writs of acceleration (by which heirs to peerages could enter the House under another of their father's titles) but I can't find another case with a daughter.

Huge thanks to Amanda Behm, David Thackeray, and @richardtoye.bsky.social for comments as well as to everyone who has given feedback including at @uoearchhist.bsky.social seminars and @associationpolhist.bsky.social conference in 2023.

Also, of course, @leverhulme.bsky.social for funding my PhD.

I situate the Australian debate about PR in the transnational conversation about electoral reform at the turn of the 20th century. Australia was an innovative space in these discussion and it was here that the single transferable vote (STV) was first articulated as a 'democratic' system.

Then, in December, I wrote about the Labour Party and how its path to power has been defined by how well it has been able to turn its famously broad church into an asset rather than a fatal weakness.

This is something that the Prime Minister might wish to consider today...

In my first blog, published at the time of the Tory leadership contest, I wrote about the history of the Conservative Party, and its ruthless effectiveness in orienting itself towards towards the obtaining of power (though if the last few years are anything to go by, this may no longer be true).

This is the final instalment in a series where I explained the development of Britain’s three historic parties. I wrote about how their attempts to manage their internal coalitions and balance the demands of their activists with power, have been crucial to the story of the British constitution.