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Greta Gerwig's Barbie explores the influence of childhood dream worlds and toys over adult life, and the singular importance of a toy which represents an empowered woman. But this story plays out against the backdrop of deep societal challenges. That the subject matter of the film is light does not detract from its cultural significance; it enhances its reach and thereby its influence. Constitutional change, property, dissent, inequality and revolution are not the B-plot of the film, they suffuse every scene and motivate its major characters. In this article we explore the significance of Barbie Land as a supposed embodiment of a feminist utopia and the extent to which Gerwig is confronting viewers with difficult questions about authority and just governance in the Real World. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article "Questions of Accountability: Prerogatives, Power and Politics" published in the Modern Law Review explores the concept of accountability in the UK's constitutional discourse. The editors and contributors delve into the relationship between accountability and other constitutional principles, presenting a diverse range of perspectives on the topic. The anthology is structured into three parts, focusing on the significance of accountability as a concept, different modes of accountability, and the future development of accountability mechanisms. The collection covers various governance orders, including UK-centric perspectives, Australian viewpoints, and discussions on domestic, regional, and global governance orders, highlighting the complexity and challenges of understanding and achieving accountability in different contexts. [Extracted from the article]

It has become axiomatic that backbench Members of Parliament (MPs) at Westminster have limited the capacity for independent action under the burdens of constituency business and whipped votes. Even the limited avenues available for such MPs to shine, such as select committees, are often illusory because parliamentarians have little time to prepare the materials or brief themselves on any but the highest profile witnesses. The political parties have benefitted from this state of affairs; docile MPs make for reliable votes. The rise of the European Research Group (ERG) as a parliamentary force disrupts this narrative. Galvanised by single-issue opposition to the UK's involvement in 'Europe', encompassing both the European Union (EU) and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), the Group successfully exploited the balance of power in the Commons during the 2017–2019 Parliamentary Session. This article analyses the methods by which the Group's members magnified their influence over Brexit debates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Debates over bifurcation in substantive reviewpersist: shouldWednesbury review subsist alongside a proportionality-based model, or should substantive review depend solely upon proportionality? Drawing on an analysis of UK Supreme Court decisions between 2014 and 2018, we argue that the academic debate and much recent jurisprudence misconstrue substantive review. Both proportionality and Wednesbury display their own internal ("intra-doctrinal") bifurcation between judge-centric and deferential approaches. Although proportionality's application under the Human Rights Act 1998 has generated culture ofjustification in rights cases, fixation on the test's rights/aims balancing aspects has embroiledjudges in value adjudication. Faced with preferring either legal or policy aims, the Court has at times fluctuated between strong andweak oversight. Traditional Wednesbury review, while methodologically distinct, can also swing between highly deferential reasonableness review and more robust review drawing, for example, on statutory purpose. Substantive review thus currently risks contradictory pathologies; deploying legal trumps to preclude political decision making and permitting clear policy failures. These pathologies stem from UK public law's inadequate engagement with substantive decision making. We therefore re-evaluate functionalist constitutionalism, advancing an active functionalist model which urges public lawyers, outwith instances of illegality, to maximise institutional efectiveness. By prioritising legitimacy as an organising principle for judicial review, this approach sustains political decision making within the bounds of a liberal democratic order. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]