The Will of the People? The History of Petitioning in Britain and Its Implications for Today
Is there, as Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice Liz Truss has suggested, a ‘settled will of the people’? If so, how is this best expressed: through a referendum, through Parliament, or through petitions?
We have recently seen enormous e-petitions about Brexit and Donald Trump’s visit to the UK; but what is the history of petitioning in British political culture and how does the voice of the petitioner square with other forms of representation? What indeed, was the legal status of a petition, and how was this disputed?
Date: 7 March 2017, 17:30 (Tuesday, 8th week, Hilary 2017)
Venue: Wolfson College, Linton Road OX2 6UD
Venue Details: Auditorium
Speaker: Professor Mark Knights (University of Warwick)
Booking required?: Required
Booking url: http://www.fljs.org/will-of-the-people
Audience: Members of the University only
Editor: Laura Spence