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The Hansard Society's Audit of Political Engagement is the only annual health check on our democratic system. Now in its ninth year, each Audit measures the ‘political pulse’ of the nation, providing a unique benchmark to gauge public opinion across Great Britain with regard to the political system. This year, it finds that coalition politics does not appear to have been good for public engagement. It shows that the public's growing sense of indifference to politics, as highlighted in last year's Audit, has hardened into something more serious as public attitudes become more negative. A number of the trends have declined, dramatically so in some instances, suggesting a public that is turning away from national politics. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In the aftermath of the parliamentary expenses scandal, 232 new MPs were elected to the Westminster Parliament in May 2010: the largest turnover of Members since the Second World War.1 The unique nature of the election and its aftermath presented both great opportunities and real challenges for the orientation, induction and continuous professional development of new Members.2 This paper explores how the House of Commons sought to respond to those challenges and opportunities. It examines what support was made available to new Members by House of Commons officials, the new Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, as well as outside bodies, including the Hansard Society, in the months immediately after the election. It assesses the success of this provision and what lessons can be learnt from Westminster's experience for the future. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The proposals for future economic governance of the European Union in response to the current economic crisis raise, once again, important questions about a ‘democratic deficit’ at the heart of the EU. This article explores how this affects national parliaments and suggests that perhaps the time is ripe for them to proactively assert their collective influence by reconstituting the ‘assises’ (or Conference of the Parliaments) to debate the future direction of democratic accountability in the EU. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Departmental select committees are now the principal mechanism through which the House of Commons holds the executive to account. Ten years ago the Hansard Society's Commission on Parliamentary Scrutiny (the Newton Commission) recommended a series of reforms to select committees including the introduction of core tasks. A decade on, however, many new demands have since been placed on committees, public expectation of them has been heightened, and yet resources are finite and will come under increasing pressure in the future as a result of budget cuts. As recommended at the end of the last Parliament by the Commons Liaison Committee, the time has therefore come to review the core tasks and the role and operation of select committees. This article outlines issues that such a review should explore in order to ensure further development of systematic departmental scrutiny and to make the most effective use of committee time and resources. It argues that select committees themselves need to be more accountable to MPs and the public and to be more self-critical about what they do and how they do it. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A commitment to equality was firmly established as a key principle when the Scottish Parliament and the National Assembly for Wales were founded a decade ago. In the intervening years both have become international beacons of progress in establishing higher levels of representation for women in politics. But at the 2007 elections there was a decline in the number of women elected to both legislatures and there are fears that the situation will worsen at the 2011 elections. This article examines whether new measures may be needed to recommit to gender equality and asks challenging questions about how this might be done. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In the few days between the calling of a general election and the dissolution of the Westminster Parliament, outstanding legislation is expedited through the Commons and Lords on the basis of deals made privately between the government and main opposition party. This process, known as the wash-up, has been criticised for restricting parliamentary scrutiny and marginalising backbenchers, crossbenchers and the other parties. While not a new phenomenon, it has received greater attention this year, with the passage of the wide-ranging Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill and the controversial Digital Economy Bill both attracting considerable concern and criticism. This article examines the political, legislative and constitutional questions raised by the wash-up process, assesses the adequacy of the measures utilised to offset them, and explores what reforms might be considered in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: To evaluate the effectiveness of the trauma care system in the Hudson Valley Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Region, (with no designated regional trauma care center) 421 consecutive trauma autopsy reports for 1979-80 were analyzed. Of the 421 trauma patients, 194 died at the scene (DAS), most from vehicular accidents. The remaining 227 patients were traiged into the EMS system. Ninety-five were dead on arrival (DOA) at medical facilities: of 132 (31 per ¢) who arrived alive at hospitals, 35 died in emergency rooms and 97 died later as inpatients. Nearly 60 per ¢ of the deaths involved brain injuries. A panel of five physician-evaluators examined the pathologist's analysis of those deaths considered to have been possibly preventable and concluded that 10 deaths (7.6 per ¢) of in hospital cases were preventable. The study showed the need for primary prevention of accidents to decrease the number of victims (46 per ¢) who died at the scene and those (23 per ¢) who were dead on arrival at hospitals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]