News

News

Fantasy Football League: Lords, MPs and Staff

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Anyone wishing to join this season’s Official Fantasy Premier League must pick their team and join before the start of the first game of the season by 11.45am on 8th August 2015.

Joining the league couldn’t be easier. Simply use this link and you’ll be added automatically after you’ve entered the game:

http://fantasy.premierleague.com/my-leagues/269029/join/?autojoin-code=1042189-269029.

You shouldn’t need the league code, but just in case here it is: 1042189-269029.

Enjoy the game and good luck!

 

Shueb Salar

Committee Chairs in Conversation

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From our friends at the Hansard Society:

Committee Chairs in Conversation

6:45 – 8:00pm, Monday 20 July
Committee Rm 12, House of Commons
REGISTER HERE
Join newly elected select committee chairs to discuss how committees organise their work, their role in the scrutiny process, the challenges the newly constituted committees will face over the coming year, as well as their aims for this Parliament and what they would consider a successful outcome.

Speakers
  • Dr Sarah Wollaston MP – Health Committee
  • Rt Hon Keith Vaz MP – Home Affairs Committee
  • More speakers TBA

Chair: Mark D’Arcy – BBC Parliamentary Correspondent and Member of the Hansard Society Advisory Council.

Towards 2020 and Beyond – a new POSTnote

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Read Towards 2020 and Beyond

This note focuses on policy drivers leading towards 2020 and beyond. It looks at the relationship between UK policy and the following drivers: people (demographics), technological change, climate change, resource security and sustainability, inequality, and governance issues.

If you wish to leave feedback on any POSTnotes, please complete this short survey, which will provide them with valuable feedback for future publications.

POST also runs fellowships for PhD researchers and events.

Regional Open Days for Staff

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The House of Commons Service regularly holds regional open days for constituency staff throughout the United Kingdom.

About the events

The days include:

  • an overview of the services that the House provides
  • a focus on the services that constituency staff have said matter most to them – access to digital services, learning & development, and the Library
  • an opportunity to meet some House staff and ask questions, and to meet other neighbouring constituency staff
  • information on office security and contact information
  • information from IPSA and contact information
  • breakout sessions for you to tell us what you need from the House Service
  • access to clerks for procedural advice.

Lunch will also be provided and this, along with the registration period, is intended as a chance to network with the House Service, other constituency office staff in your region and visit ‘stalls’ of  services.

IPSA have recognised the day as a training event and as such the costs of travel are eligible to be reclaimed through allowances in the normal way.

 

Would you like to be a Case Study?

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Would you like to share your experience of what it’s like to work for an MP?

Graduate Prospects is looking for case studies to accompany the Politician’s assistant job profile on the Prospects website (www.prospects.ac.uk). Ideally you will be a graduate who qualified within the last five years, but non-graduates will also be considered.

The process of providing a case study is straightforward, you will answer a set of questions via email and they will be put into the case study format. You will be able to approve the final version before it’s published and can either have your name published or remain anonymous.

This content for the Prospects site is handled by AGCAS and if you are interested in this opportunity please contact editors@agcas.org.uk for more information.

Rewriting, reworking and updating w4mp guides

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Over the last fifteen years (!) w4mp has built up an extensive library of guides for staff,  and keeping them up to date is a major undertaking. We are looking for help to review existing guides and write new ones – ideally written by those who are involved in casework, research etc.

If you’d like to help, email editor@w4mp.org – we pay for editorial work.

Here are the current guides

 

Image: Stosy kawałków kartonu w fabryce papieru w Chojnowie (Polska). Piles of cardboard scraps at paper factory in Chojnów (Poland). {{GFDL}} Autorem zdjęcia jest <tt>taw</tt>. The photo was shot by <tt>taw</tt>.

Looking for Great Tom

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According to an article in today’s Observer a planed excavation of Westminster might uncover Great Tom, Big Ben’s renowned medieval predecessor.

The article notes that ‘the original tower was built around 1288 during the reign of Edward I, a little further from the river than the current tower, which was built in 1859 and is officially called the Elizabeth Tower – though in the public imagination it is firmly identified with its 16-tonne bell. Parliament officials have granted permission for the small-scale dig on the old site in a bid to “determine features and locations of the old palace” and, in particular, that of the first tower or its immediate successor, built in 1367. The bell in the first tower was named Great Edward after the king – although some say it was named after Edward the Confessor – but was known colloquially as Great Tom.’

Read the full piece here.

 

House of Lords sits on Monday 18 May

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After the 2015 General Election, the House of Lords will meet on Monday 18 May and Tuesday 19 May 2015.

The House of Lords meets ahead of the State Opening of Parliament for members of the Lords to take the oath or affirmation. Members are also required to sign an undertaking to abide by the House of Lords Code of Conduct as part of the swearing-in procedure.

The State Opening of Parliament will take place on Wednesday 27 May 2015. State Opening marks the formal start of the parliamentary year and the Queen’s Speech sets out the government’s agenda for the coming session, outlining proposed policies and legislation.