Chris Monaghan

Universal Suffrage? The problem of low and unequal turnout and the case for compulsory voting  - The Constitution Society An authoritative new report from Dr David Klemperer advocates for the introduction of compulsory voting at UK general elections.

My new Constitution Society report on compulsory voting has now been published.

I argue that low turnout has left the UK with an unrepresentative electorate. This is creating warped incentives for politicians, and contributing to low growth, high inequality, and rising democratic discontent.

Thanks to Professor @jonyorke.bsky.social’s for a brilliant keynote on International Law and Alabama’s Executions by Nitrogeon Gas Asphyxiation.

A great way to end the Rights & Justice Festival at the University of Worcester

Sounds really interesting Rhys. Would be great to hear more.

Thank you very much Elaine! It was great to meet you and thanks for contributing to the roundtable discussion.

Back at base after two stimulating days at the University of Worcester discussing the 1788-1795 impeachment of former governor of Bengal, Warren Hastings.
Jane Austen, Burke, Fox, Sheridan, and Hastings' own writings in Persian all featured...
@chrisjmonaghan.bsky.social
#HistParl

King John’s tomb in Worcester Cathedral

Spent the day at a very interesting conference organised by @chrisjmonaghan.bsky.social in Worcester on the Impeachment of Warren Hastings, and got a chance to visit my namesake King, he of Magna Carta and bad guy in Robin Hood fame.

Lorna Clark’s discussion of the novelist Fanny Burney.

And Callum Smith’s paper on caricatures and the depiction of Foxite Whigs (some of his examples below 👇)

Another fantastic round of papers at this morning’s #WarrenHastings conference.

Jocelyn Harris’ discussion of the link between Jane Austen and Warren Hastings - and whether he was the inspiration for Col Brandon.

Martyn Powell’s paper on the career and political writings of Richard Sheridan.

Thank you very much David. I really enjoyed listening to your paper on Robert Clive.

Next week is the Warren Hastings conference.

Q. What links Jane Austen, Fanny Burney, William Pitt, John Wilkes, Richard Sheridan, Edmund Burke, Edward Gibbons, and George III?

A. The impeachment of Warren Hastings

www.worcester.ac.uk/about/academ...

The Economic Impact of Brexit, Nine Years On: Was the Consensus Right? - The Constitution Society John Springford analyses the economic consequences of Brexit and compares this predictions made at the time of the Leave vote.

The Constitution Society and Federal Trust asked me to do a survey of the evidence on the economics of Brexit, nine years on from the vote.
Hopefully it's a helpful reference. Short answer: the consensus was right - a large hit to GDP, trade and investment.
consoc.org.uk/publications...

There is still time to sign up for the Impeachment of Warren Hastings conference.

3-4 July - Worcester, UK

Organised by @histparl.bsky.social @georgianlords.bsky.social & Uni of Worcester.

Sponsored by @pastandpresent.bsky.social & @parlhistjournal.bsky.social

Keynote: Dame Linda Colley

Thank you very much Ben!

Leading Works in the History of the Constitution This collection brings together academic analysis of leading contemporary accounts of the British Constitution with key constitutional documents and sources, while also offering analysis of the leadin...

Very excited to have edited this volume in @sandbergrlaw.bsky.social’s Leading Works series.

Leading Works in the History of the Constitution will be published in August.

The book launch is on 26 September, with Lady Hale delivering the keynote.

www.routledge.com/Leading-Work...

Really excited to be launching our first Rights and Justice Festival on 8 July in collaboration with the Hive in Worcester. All events are free and are open to everyone!

Some great speakers on topics ranging from the death penalty to last summer’s riots.

thehiveworcester.org/F71D9808849F...

Sign up is free, via: www.worcester.ac.uk/about/academ...

This might be of interest to:

@studyofparl.bsky.social @psa-parliaments.bsky.social @hansardsociety.bsky.social @legalhistoryblog.bsky.social @legalhistoryed.bsky.social @legalhumanities.bsky.social

This might be of interest to:
@ecfjournal.bsky.social @cecs-york.bsky.social @18thcenturycam.bsky.social @empirepoduk.bsky.social @sathnam.bsky.social @ukcla.bsky.social

There is still time to sign up for the Impeachment of Warren Hastings conference.

3-4 July - Worcester, UK

Organised by @histparl.bsky.social @georgianlords.bsky.social & Uni of Worcester.

Sponsored by @pastandpresent.bsky.social & @parlhistjournal.bsky.social

Keynote: Dame Linda Colley

This summer, @histparl.bsky.social will be joining forces with the University of Worcester hosting a conference to reassess Hastings 230 years on.
@royalhistsoc.org @bsecs.bsky.social #skystorians
royalhistsoc.org/calendar/the...

Portrait of a middle-aged man with receding hair in 18th-century dress.

#OnThisDay 1795 (230 years ago precisely) Warren Hastings, former governor-general of Bengal was finally acquitted following a marathon impeachment trial that had run for over 7 years.
Starting out as a cause célèbre, by the end many people were fed up with the case.
@chrisjmonaghan.bsky.social

Another plug for the Routledge Frontiers in Accountability Studies book series. 👇

Modern Slavery Survivor Pathways: Policy, Legislation and Practice in the UK This book presents a critical chronology of the modern slavery survivor journey in the UK, from intervention by the authorities to long-term recovery. The work examines the modern slavery survivor pat...

Modern Slavery Survivor Pathways: Policy, Legislation and Practice in the UK
By Anne-Marie Greenslade

www.routledge.com/Modern-Slave...

The Evolution of International Criminal Procedure: From Nuremberg and Tokyo to the International Criminal Court This book examines the evolution of international criminal procedure from the 1945–1946 Nuremberg and Tokyo trials to the present period.  It is largely based on a normative-jurisprudential approach t...

Spotlight 🔦🔦 on the first two books to be published in the Routledge Studies in Law, Rights and Justice book series.

The Evolution of International Criminal Procedure: From Nuremberg and Tokyo to the International Criminal Court
By Giovanni Chiarini

www.routledge.com/The-Evolutio...

A lot of them are dated, but the best standalone book on his trial is PJ Marshall’s Impeachment of Warren Hastings. There are lots of good articles available too, especially www.jstor.org/stable/30042...

Want to learn more about a crucial impeachment case, heard in England but widely reported in American newspapers in 1787, even as the members of the Constitutional convention were meeting?
This conference looks amazing.

Another plug for our Warren Hastings conference.

3-4 July, University of Worcester and @histparl.bsky.social

Fill | The Impeachment of Warren Hastings Conference 3-4 July 2025 Registration Form

On 3 and 4 July, the History of Parliament alongside The CRJ Research Group, University of Worcester are hosting a conference on the impeachment of Warren Hastings.

It is free to attend and you can register your place below:

David Sugarman: The Politics of Judicial Decision-Making in the UK’s Top Court: Lessons from the Pinochet Case Does the judge who hears a case affect the outcome and, particularly, in the U.K.’s top court? This is a question that has received increasing attention of late. In this blog post, I utilise my res…

David Sugarman: The Politics of Judicial Decision-Making in the UK’s Top Court: Lessons from the Pinochet Case ukconstitutionallaw.org/2025/03/31/d...

Quill Project The Quill Project models the negotiation of constitutions, treaties and laws.

I'm hiring a part-time research assistant to help organise a workshop in Oxford (May-June). I think the role would be ideal for a student (including post-grads) who is looking for some paid experience in academia. My DMs are open. Please share!

www.quillproject.net/resource_col...