Residents have the chance to hear from experts in the fields of law, politics and constitutional affairs exploring the systems by which we live our lives at an international conference, hosted online, next week.
Lady Hale
The University of Worcester is hosting a series of talks and discussions around accountability for those in power running from Monday (November 1) to Friday (November 5). The free virtual event has attracted academic experts and leading figures in these arenas from across the globe. High profile speakers including a former Home Secretary, the first woman Justice of the Supreme Court, and a former head of MI5.
The conference, titled ‘Questions of Accountability: Prerogatives, Power and Politics’, is organised by Dr Chris Monaghan, Principal Lecturer in Law at the University of Worcester, and Professor Matthew Flinders, Professor of Politics at the University of Sheffield.
Dr Monaghan said: "We are really excited to host this conference at the University of Worcester and believe that this is a great opportunity for local people to learn more about the systems that are in the background of all our lives. These are issues that have become particularly relevant in recent times with issues of Brexit and the relationship between the courts, Parliament and government.
“The conference offers an opportunity to hear from a range of fascinating experts who are leading academic authorities in their fields or have been responsible for leading some of the key public institutions in this country. It has been fantastic to see the range of people who have signed up to attend, including many of our students, colleagues from local schools and colleges, but also people from across the globe."
Sessions will look at issues like representation, human rights, media and populism, parliamentary committees, judicial reviews, the constitution, rights and justice, and impeachment.
Among those speaking is former Home Secretary, Professor Lord Blunkett, now a Professor of Politics in Practice at the University of Sheffield, and Lady Hale of Richmond DBE, who became the first woman Justice of the Supreme Court and later President of the Supreme Court. Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury, who was appointed President of the Supreme Court in 2012, the second person to hold that office, also features. Baroness Manningham-Buller is a former peer in the House of Lords, who has been a member of the Privileges and Conduct Committee, the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy, and the Science and Technology Committee. Previously, she had a career with MI5 for more than 30 years, serving as Director General from 2002 to 2007.
There are also top experts in law and politics from universities around the world, including Yale, the University of Texas, the University of Missouri, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the University of Chicago, the University of Notre Dame, the University of Sydney and Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin, along with UK institutions, the University of Cambridge, King’s College London and the London School of Economics.
Karen Popp, who has previously served as Associate White House Counsel to the President of the United States, where she advised President Clinton and the White House staff on congressional and grand jury investigations and domestic policy issues, and Dr Hannah White, who has strategic oversight of the Institute for Government’s programme of work on government, parliament and the civil service, will also contribute.
Professor Flinders said: “With public confidence in political institutions, political processes and politicians at an all-time low, can there be a better time to engage with questions of accountability? This is a global conference on one of the most important topics of our age.”
The event is free to attend.
To register visit https://www.worcester.ac.uk/about/academic-schools/school-of-humanities/humanities-research/international-exhibition/. For any questions, contact the organisers at QofA2021@worc.ac.uk.