Paul Seaward
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pseaward.bsky.social
Paul Seaward
@pseaward.bsky.social
1.2K followers 680 following 150 posts
History of Parliament, parliamentarism and politics in Britain and Europe from the middle ages to now; C17th English political thought and political history; Clarendon, Hobbes. A parliamentary miscellany at https://historyofparliamentblog.wordpress.com
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pseaward.bsky.social
Paul Seaward @pseaward.bsky.social · Jan 23
Among all the treasures in Hansard, this one, an account of the disasters endured by members of the House of Lords attending the Naval Review at Spithead in 1858, is priceless:
hansard.parliament.uk/Lords/1856-0...
The Naval Review - Hansard - UK Parliament
Hansard record of the item : 'The Naval Review' on Thursday 24 April 1856.
hansard.parliament.uk
Reposted by Paul Seaward
herakleitosmd.bsky.social
I recently had the opportunity to explore the manuscripts of Goswin Arnould de Wynants, lawyer, judge and member of the High Council for the Netherlands in Vienna under Emperor Charles VI. The contribution below focuses on #jurisdiction and #taxation.

⬇️

dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn...
Jurisdiction and Taxation in the Habsburg Netherlands: The Manuscripts of Goswin Arnould de Wynants, Emperor Charles VI’s Belgian Councillor
<span>Goswin-Arnould de Wynants (1661-1732), councillor (judge) in the Council of Brabant, and member of the High Council for the Netherlands in Vienna appointe
dx.doi.org
January 13, 2026 at 4:57 PM
Reposted by Paul Seaward
jessemlocker.bsky.social
Louise Hollandine, Princess Palatine, Self-portrait holding a paintbrush, c. 1650, oil on panel (formerly Sotheby’s)
“The sitter was the seventh child and second daughter of Frederick Elector Palatine and his wife Elizabeth. She was born in The Hague, shortly after her parents' arrival in the Netherlands following Frederick's defeat in Bohemia in 1620. She was christened Louise after her paternal grandfather and Hollandine as a tribute to the States of Holland, her godfathers, and the country of her birth. She was a talented artist who studied with Honthorst and painted a number of members of her family. In December 1657 she left her home in disguise and became a Catholic nun. In 1664 she became Abbess of the convent of Maubuisson, and continued to live there until her death at the age of eighty-eight. This elegant self-portrait dates from c. 1650.”
January 10, 2026 at 4:25 PM
Reposted by Paul Seaward
petergeoghegan.bsky.social
🚨 Exclusive: Tony Blair isn’t just a big fan of AI — he's now trying to build and sell AI tools to governments

Tony Blair Institute staff have described the plan as 'insane' and compared it to Palantir

New by D4S and @lighthousereports.com 🧵

democracyforsale.substack.com/p/blair-bids...
Blair bids to build own AI tools to rival Palantir
TBI insiders warn of “'insane” plan to transform think tank into a tech company
democracyforsale.substack.com
January 9, 2026 at 5:22 PM
Reposted by Paul Seaward
paolosandro.bsky.social
What role should parliaments play before, during, and after a crisis or emergency?

With the Institute for Government and the UCL Global Centre for Democratic Constitutionalism, we have put together an amazing lineup. /1

@efieldingd.bsky.social @timdurrant.bsky.social @drhannahwhite.bsky.social
The Role of Parliaments in Crises and Emergencies: Before, During, and After Programme Date: 22 January 2026 Venue: Attlee Suite, Portcullis House, 1 Victoria Embankment, London, SW1A 2JR Time: 14:00 – 18:00 (Registration from 13:15) 14:00-14:05 Introduction Dr Paolo Sandro (House of Commons/University of Leeds) 14:05-14:20 Opening Remarks Prof Ilan Kelman (UCL) 14:20- 15:05 Preparing and Legislating Dr Thomas Muinzer (University of Aberdeen) Suzanne Raine (University of Cambridge) Eve Samson (House of Commons) Chair: Dr Hannah White OBE (Institute for Government) 15:10- 15:55 Responsive Management and Scrutiny Sarah Davies (House of Commons) Prof Jeff King (UCL) Dr Jonathan Murphy (IDEA) Chair: Prof Erin Delaney (UCL) 16:00- 16:45 Accountability and Lesson-learning Sir Jack Beatson (24 Lincoln's Inn Fields) Kate Dewsnip (University of Liverpool) Dr Cath Haddon (Institute for Government) Chair: Dr Rupavardhini Balakrishnan Raju (UCL) 16:45-17:15 Audience Q&A and Conclusion Led by Dr Paolo Sandro and Dr Hannah White OBE The Role of Parliaments in Crises and Emergencies: Before, During, and After In the theory and practice of emergency powers since the time of the ancient Roman republic, legislatures have played a muted or entirely absent role during the exercise of potent executive powers to manage the crisis. The twentieth century has seen a profound change in this regard. There has been a steady proliferation of various statutory models for addressing emergencies and crises, and, in some jurisdictions, the rise of a more prominent supervisory role for national parliaments. On any approach, the management of emergencies and crises often entails constitutional disruption to the parliamentary processes of making or approving laws and scrutiny of Government. Such was quite apparent in the very rapid passage of the Coronavirus Bill through the UK Parliament in 2020, and in the hundreds of public health emergency regulations made by the UK and devolved governments to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Notwithstanding some disruption, however, the UK legislatures remained open and this was consistent with international practice too. Even in this context where the Government had to act with extreme urgency, parliaments have continued to enjoy a supervisory and legislative role in mitigating the risks to the established principles of constitutional democracy. Such a role is all the more possible and evident in crises of slow onset, such as climate change and financial crises, in some cases leading to complex governance frameworks such as the Climate Change Act 2008. The aim of this event is to explore and discuss the various roles/functions that parliaments, and in particular the UK Parliament, may play before, during, and after an emergency or crisis. How should the foundations of constitutional democracy be protected in the context of emergencies and crises? What type of framework legislation allows for optimal response once one of these events occurs? How should the legislative scrutiny fu…
January 8, 2026 at 3:50 PM
Reposted by Paul Seaward
nevillemorley.bsky.social
Once upon a time I started writing A User’s Guide to Thucydides, which may be helpful, but again it’s out of date and I never got round to finishing it…

thesphinxblog.com/2015/01/31/u...
User’s Guide to Thucydides Part 1
Welcome to the world of Thucydides! It’s a world that is broad, deep, rich and complex, bringing together the ancient Greek past and the global present with the claim that understanding the f…
thesphinxblog.com
January 4, 2026 at 10:36 AM
Reposted by Paul Seaward
nevillemorley.bsky.social
Had expected to find some useful links in this online reading list I put together, but (1) it’s now quite out of date and (2) back in 2017 the focus was on the so-called Thucydides Trap much more than the Melian Dialogue:

eidolon.pub/thucydides-a...
Thucydides and Contemporary Politics: A Syllabus
Thucydides continues to be the ancient author for the early twenty-first century, widely cited as an authority on US-China relations…
eidolon.pub
January 4, 2026 at 10:34 AM
Reposted by Paul Seaward
adamchapman.bsky.social
Since he isn’t, now’s as good a time as any:
Tom Lehrer - Send the Marines
YouTube video by The Tom Lehrer Wisdom Channel
m.youtube.com
January 3, 2026 at 5:37 PM
pseaward.bsky.social
Provision against fake news, Statute of Westminster I, 1275 (3 Edw. I, c. 34)
January 3, 2026 at 4:40 PM
Reposted by Paul Seaward
stephenkb.bsky.social
Ditto, the pre and post recording conversations with my predecessors as New Statesman political editor, we all had different politics, different owners, but essentially our complaints and experiences...the same institutional 'soul' as it were.
“It was an absolute riot”: nine New Statesman political editors reunite
As the magazine turns 110, its lobby team reflect on four tumultuous decades of the Westminster beat.
www.newstatesman.com
January 2, 2026 at 2:54 PM
Reposted by Paul Seaward
paulnightingale.bsky.social
This is very good
January 2, 2026 at 1:53 PM
Reposted by Paul Seaward
publicsectorlawyer.bsky.social
Looks to be plenty of sense in here, albeit some points I'm a bit sceptical on.

Interested to hear views of other who've worked in Government (eg @jembenson.bsky.social , @ukcivilservant.bsky.social , @oldtrotter.bsky.social , @carlgardner.bsky.social).

bsky.app/profile/samf...
December 30, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Reposted by Paul Seaward
herakleitosmd.bsky.social
In June 2025, The Hague celebrated 400 years De Iure Belli ac Pacis. A massive Grotiana issue @degruyterbrill.bsky.social publishes several papers from this gathering, including one by your humble servant on three handwritten essays from the French Foreign Office.

brill.com/view/journal...
December 29, 2025 at 1:32 PM
Reposted by Paul Seaward
ecowarriorss.bsky.social
West Papua Indonesia Earth's oldest living eco system existing for at least 70 million years

Look at the 292 square Kilometers of ancient forest cleared in just 21 months

Now army brought in to fast track 5 million more acres

www.ft.com/content/27a6...
December 28, 2025 at 1:53 AM
Reposted by Paul Seaward
generalising.bsky.social
December 1825: the Liverpool Mercury wants you to know about the exciting new Christmas parlour game
CHRISTMAS AMUtSMENTS. TUE GAME 0F TWENTY'. This game may be familiar to sosiie of our readers, asa it has giveprise to a great variety of recreations fuended on the same principle. ne of these, called II Commrst c Caissez vats" is, we believe, a very great favourite. The q game oftwenty is. however, greatly 'supeHor, from the o so~pe it gives tpr the display of the acquirements of the I sarty engaged in science, natural history, biography, &c. The prmniple of the gamne is, that a person having a thought of something unmer one of the three heads, ani- rnal. vegetable,-or museral is questioned by another with a the view of discovering his thought; but as he is only I allowed t'aenty questions, UpOn pain of forfeit, lie isI eobliged to husband them well, and to take care that no r superfluous or unnetearary ones ace asked: this, with the a acroupanying example, will render the game intelligible. I Q. 1st-To wbich of the tbreeltind'oms of nature does your thought belong-tfhe animal, thevegetable, or the mineral ? _hA-Tbe animal. Q. 2d-The rational or irrational ? A.-The rational.
December 27, 2025 at 3:13 PM
Reposted by Paul Seaward
alexparsons.bsky.social
The argument here needs to move beyond "caps popular" to where replacement funding comes from (public funding) - otherwise we're just not going to see any progress.
politicshome.bsky.social PoliticsHome @politicshome.bsky.social · 22d
A clear majority of people support introducing a cap on donations to political parties, polling shared with PolHome has found

57% of people support a cap on donations by individuals and companies, while just 7% are against it, 38 Degrees / Survation research found

That includes 2024 Reform voters
Strong Support For Bringing In A Cap On Political Donations, New Polling Shows
A clear majority of the public backs a cap on donations to political parties, new polling shared with PoliticsHome has found.
www.politicshome.com
December 23, 2025 at 10:49 AM
Reposted by Paul Seaward
alexparsons.bsky.social
Yeah exactly - I'm interested in reimbursement angles because that appears in similar candidate-based systems like Canada and Australia but hasn't appeared a lot in the UK arguments. I think in practice three or four different mechanisms rather than a European-style "here's money for votes".
Excerpt from: Beyond Transparency
Practical steps to improve data quality and fix the wider environment
research.mysociety.org
December 23, 2025 at 11:34 AM
Reposted by Paul Seaward
justincolson.bsky.social
Did medieval people buy each other Christmas gifts? New Year's Day was the main gifting day, but little is known about everyday people's present giving. Our project on London's customs records has uncovered a wealth of affordable items imported around this time: gloves and hats to toys and rattles🧵
Medieval Londoners’ cheaply imported mass-produced Christmas gifts look surprisingly familiar
We often imagine medieval life as dull, dirty and short, with little in the way of material comfort or decoration. However, medieval Londoners were importing toys, treats and trinkets by the boatload ...
theconversation.com
December 22, 2025 at 3:56 PM
pseaward.bsky.social
"Digital twins represent the early architecture of a potential alternative representational infrastructure."
December 23, 2025 at 10:28 AM
Reposted by Paul Seaward
chanret.bsky.social
Glad this is out -- used it in my final lecture of the year
bjpols.bsky.social British Journal of Political Science @bjpols.bsky.social · 23d
NEW -

Elections Without Constraints? The Appeal of Electoral Autocracy Across the World - https://cup.org/49auQPf

- @anjaneundorf.bsky.social, @sirianned.bsky.social, Kristian Vrede Skaaning Frederiksen & @aykutozturk.bsky.social

#OpenAccess
BJPolS abstract of an academic article discussing how democratic institutions prioritize citizen preferences regarding economic and physical security, with a focus on varied democratic features across thirty countries.
December 22, 2025 at 11:13 AM
Reposted by Paul Seaward
conunitucl.bsky.social
ON THE BLOG: A ‘shopping list of autocratic actions’: what would-be autocrats do to recede democracy

Joep van Lit and Carolien van Ham explain 7 key modes of ‘autocratisation’ and their ‘shopping list’ of autocratic behaviours, which offers a practical resource to recognise early warning signs.
A ‘shopping list of autocratic actions’: what would-be autocrats do to recede democracy
Joep van Lit and Carolien van Ham explain 7 key modes of ‘autocratisation’ and their ‘shopping list’ of autocratic behaviours, which offers a practical resource to recognise early warning signs
bsky.social
December 21, 2025 at 8:46 AM
Reposted by Paul Seaward
thetimes.com
Ministers have watered down a legal requirement for housebuilders to create more woodlands, wetlands and other habitats than they destroy, drawing criticism from environmentalists and businesses
Labour weakens nature protections in push for building boom
www.thetimes.com
December 16, 2025 at 10:46 PM
Reposted by Paul Seaward
eicathomefinn.bsky.social
'What we have lost, and what we desperately need to reclaim, is a different mode of cognition, a historical sensibility....t is a temperament that is comfortable with uncertainty, sensitive to context and aware of the powerful, often unpredictable rhythms of the past.'
The Lost Art Of Thinking Historically | NOEMA
To understand the world today, we must see it as actors of the past did: through a foggy windshield, not a rearview mirror, facing a future of radical uncertainty.
www.noemamag.com
September 15, 2025 at 8:43 AM
Reposted by Paul Seaward
a-b-evans.bsky.social
For fellow devolution anoraks and legislature lovers, this is an interesting topic but one which arguably applies to legislatures in many jurisdictions (including elsewhere in the UK) rather than being a uniquely Holyrood problem www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Is Holyrood bad at making laws?
Recent emergency measures to fix legislative issues may point to a wider problem in how Holyrood operates.
www.bbc.co.uk
December 12, 2025 at 11:07 AM
Reposted by Paul Seaward
ukcla.bsky.social
Catriona Mullay: A Fresh Start, the Old Tradition: Sovereignty and the Scottish Constitutional Imaginary ukconstitutionallaw.org/2025/12/11/c...
Catriona Mullay: A Fresh Start, the Old Tradition: Sovereignty and the Scottish Constitutional Imaginary
Recently, the Scottish Government published A Fresh Start with Independence, restating the case for autonomy and outlining aspects of the prospective Scottish state. Despite the narrative of renewa…
ukconstitutionallaw.org
December 11, 2025 at 9:00 AM
Reposted by Paul Seaward
victoriancommons.bsky.social
Great to see our colleague @martinspychal.bsky.social's book Mapping the State reviewed by Matthew Roberts as 'a work of impressive scholarship which deserves to be widely read'. Mapping the State is available on Open Access here: uolpress.co.uk/book/mapping...
December 10, 2025 at 4:54 PM