Addressing efforts to reach a democratic consensus on the future direction of the UK

Oxford institute revisits landmark Putney Debates to propose electoral reform and a federal answer to the pressures on the Union

The Oxford Foundation for Law, Justice and Society, in association with Oxford University Law Faculty, will revisit the historic Putney Debates for the Brexit age, with a follow-up to last year’s landmark constitutional convention, to be held at St Mary’s Church on 2 February 2018.


Baroness Onora ONeill chairs final session of Putney Debates 2017

Over 500 people took part in the Putney Debates 2017, and the resulting book, Constitution in Crisis: The New Putney Debates, has been seen by every MP and High Court judge in the land.

Since that debate at the start of last year, much has changed. Recent developments – including government efforts to invoke prerogative powers, Anglo-Irish relations and the border question, and the impact of external interference and ‘fake news’ on democratically held elections and referendums – have raised fundamental questions about the spirit and structure of our democratic settlement.

In a bid to arrive at answers to these latest constitutional challenges, the 2018 Debates will consider:

(1) the case for a Federal United Kingdom, through which we might reach a new agreement of the peoples of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales; and

(2) reform of the electoral system, in response to increasing threats to democracies posed by ‘fake news’, foreign interference, and efforts to disrupt the fairness of elections around the world.

The Debates will be chaired by Denis Galligan, Emeritus Professor of Socio-Legal Studies and the convenor of last year’s Debates. He will preside over two panels of respected figures from the law, philosophy, and civil society.

• Robert Hazell CBE, founder of the Constitution Unit and the Independent Commission on Proportional Representation, will set out the case for and against electoral reform;
• Prominent Brexit critic and Professor of European Law Michael Dougan will discuss the UK internal market and its far-reaching implications for constitutional relations across the constituent nations of the UK;
• Eminent philosopher Professor Sir Richard Sorabji will comment on the country's needs and national morale in relation to legislative change;
• Anna Coote, social policy analyst and writer, will address how the electoral system reflects wider social phenomena concerning power, inequality, and control;
• Richard Clary, Partner at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, will offer insights into the legal and political implications of a federalist model from across the pond;
• Constitutional and human rights lawyer Sionaidh Douglas-Scott will discuss the rights of Scottish citizens with respect to Brexit and the case for greater devolved powers.
• Alexandra Runswick, Director of Unlock Democracy, will outline her proposals for electoral reform.

Participants will set out their vision for future directions, before the debate is opened up to questions from the audience.

Join this landmark event on the foundations of our representative democracy.

To see the full panel of participants, find out more, and book tickets, visit:
www.putneydebates2018.co.uk or email info@fljs.org.

January 19, 2018