House Of Commons Research Articles

The judicial response to rent controls in Europe: Protecting property rights against state’s intervention?

AbstractThis essay examines, from a legal and economic perspective, the judicial response to rent controls in the EU focusing on three courts that operate at the fundamental rights and constitutional level: the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), the German Federal Constitutional Court (BVerfGE), and the Italian Constitutional Court. Based on an analysis of a sample of judicial decisions rendered over time, a convergent trend emerges: these Courts have recognized and effectively protected the landlord’s property rights against rent controls that were disproportionate and could not ensure a reasonable return on investment. This trend is prominent in the jurisprudence of the ECtHR: the Strasbourg Court has contributed to reshaping the distribution of power between tenants and landlords, encouraging the transition of Eastern and Southern European Countries to the common European housing market. In both upholding and striking down rent control measures, judges generally take market value and the comparative reference price as the preferred benchmarks for fair rent price. A consumption-based and financial characterization of housing, coupled with the fundamental right to derive economic benefits as core elements of the right to property, underpin the legal reasoning of the three Courts.

Correction: Synthesis and efficacy of cinnamon oil formulations and their sustainable release against common house mosquito larvae

Correction: Synthesis and efficacy of cinnamon oil formulations and their sustainable release against common house mosquito larvae

Indigenous Diffuse Support and Descriptive Representation in the Canadian House of Commons

Abstract Do Indigenous peoples in present-day Canada display lower levels of diffuse support than non-Indigenous settlers? Given settler colonial relations (both historic and contemporary) and Indigenous peoples’ own political thought, we can expect that Indigenous peoples would have even lower perceptions of state legitimacy than non-Indigenous peoples. However, there are conflicting expectations regarding whether the descriptive representation of Indigenous peoples in settler institutions is likely to make a difference: on one hand, Indigenous people may see themselves reflected in these institutions and consequently feel better represented; on the other hand, these forms of representation do not challenge the underlying colonial nature of these institutions. Using data from the 2019 and 2021 Canadian Election Studies, our statistical analysis demonstrates that: (1) diffuse support is significantly lower among Indigenous peoples than non-Indigenous peoples, including people of color; (2) Indigenous respondents across multiple peoples have similarly low levels of diffuse support, and (3) being represented by an Indigenous Member of Parliament does not change the levels of diffuse support among Indigenous peoples. Overall, our research highlights the outstanding challenges to achieving reconciliation through the Canadian state and points to ways large-N analyses may be made more robust.

Emotions in the aisles: Unpacking the use of emotive language in the UK House of Commons

Emotions in the aisles: Unpacking the use of emotive language in the UK House of Commons

First record of the Common House Gecko, Hemidactylus frenatus Duméril & Bibron, from Bonaire, Dutch Caribbean

First record of the Common House Gecko, Hemidactylus frenatus Duméril & Bibron, from Bonaire, Dutch Caribbean

Labour Women MPs and Housewifery in the House of Commons, 1945–1951

Abstract This article analyses how Labour women MPs championed the needs of ‘the housewife’ in parliament in order to improve the lives of women, especially working-class women, during the Attlee administration. Relying on personal experience to make their case, these women spoke as housewives, not just for housewives, using gendered experiences for political ends. This article examines how they applied the politics of housewifery to two specific contemporary economic challenges: the cost of living and the impact of taxation. In doing so, and in contrast to the established literature, it shows how far Labour women were prepared to challenge party and government policy on behalf of women. It thus contributes to historiographical debates about the Labour party’s relationship to consumerism and affluence as well as gender and austerity. Building on Brian Harrison’s influential study of interwar women MPs, it also responds to a recent call made by Miles Taylor in this journal for more attention to women as legislators in the post-war period. Methodologically, it emphasizes the benefits of qualitative analysis of ‘big data’ sources.

Behavior of Common Swift Apus apus and House Martin Delichon urbicum towards a flying dummy

We tested for airborne epimeletic (care-giving) behaviour in Common Swift Apus apus towards young swifts during their first flight. Tests were performed where colonies of Common Swift and Western House Martin Delichon urbicum co-occur. Three variants of a flying dummy were used; two with pointed wings of which one entirely black (1) and one with partly white body (2). The third was black with broad wings (3). Reactions were documented on film. Swifts and martins had opposite reactions to dummies 1 and 2. As we anticipated, martins seemed supportive in a test with dummy 2 and seemed to “guide” the dummy epimeletically. However, a swift approached dummy 2 in a support-like attempt, but deviated after a close look. In a test with dummy 3, swifts acted highly hostilely. We discuss reasons for these outcomes and the importance of dummy appearance. We illustrate the flight paths of the dummy, swifts and martins with trajectories, and the behaviour of the Western House Martin is shown in stepwise larger magnification stills of a video.

Acoustics, Audibility and Political Culture in the House of Commons, 1800–34

AbstractHow easy was it to hear, and be heard, in the historic house of commons? Located in the former St Stephen's Chapel in the Palace of Westminster, the pre‐1834 Commons had not been designed as a place of debate, though its refurbishment by Christopher Wren may have taken acoustics into account. This article focuses on the chamber as re‐ordered by James Wyatt in 1800–1 to accommodate 100 members from Ireland following the Acts of Union. Employing acoustic simulation software and an interdisciplinary methodology, we explore the soundscape of the Commons as experienced both on the floor of the house and in the ventilator space where women gathered to listen to the debates below. Modelling for different scenarios, including speeches delivered from the front and back benches and the Speaker's chair, we present comparative data for their audibility in a fully‐ or half‐occupied house. Evidence for contemporary understanding of the acoustics of the chamber, for instance around the ‘elasticity of the atmospheric air’, is also reviewed in light of modern science. Results are interpreted for their impact on the political culture of the pre‐1834 house of commons including choice of seating, oratorical strategies, and the experience of reporters in the gallery.

A Gladiatorial Arena: Incivility in the Canadian House of Commons

A Gladiatorial Arena: Incivility in the Canadian House of Commons

The origins of centralized agenda control at Westminster: Consensus or controversy?

AbstractCentralized agenda control is a feature of many parliaments, with important consequences for the conduct and outcomes of legislative politics. Much previous work has thus sought to understand the emergence of centralized agenda‐setting rules. We extend this literature by studying the “Balfour reforms”, which centralized agenda control in the early twentieth century UK House of Commons. Our aim is to probe a conventional claim in the existing literature: that the opposition supported these reforms. This is a counter‐intuitive claim, which rests on relatively little direct evidence. We analyze historical roll‐call data from 1902 to assess how far the opposition supported agenda centralization. We complement this analysis by examining attempted amendments and speech contributions to parliamentary debates. Contrary to the standard view, we find that the primary opposition party consistently resisted these reforms. This evidence of controversy rather than consensus revises our understanding of a key milestone in the development of the Westminster parliament, and contributes to the wider literature on the choice of agenda‐setting procedures.

Holistic regenerative design: the Common House by Common Practice

In the August 2023 issue of The Structural Engineer, Oliver Broadbent and James Norman presented the principles of regenerative design, and Will Arnold and Phil Isaac discussed how structural engineers can achieve this in buildings through designing for place, circularity and reuse, material choices and knowledge transfer. However, while the article gave example projects for each of these aspects of regenerative design, it noted that case studies that can be considered exemplars in all four areas at once were lacking. The Common House is a community gathering space and the heart of the Hazelmead co-housing development in Bridport, Dorset, UK. Featuring a locally sourced timber frame, straw-bale wall panels, and concrete-free foundations, its construction was also a catalyst for long-term social engagement and ecological conservation. The authors believe that the Common House project design process has roots in the four areas outlined above. With a quietly revolutionary vision for its surrounding land and communities, the Common House is a rare case study representing a holistic approach to regenerative design. Through conversation with designers Common Practice, this article examines the transformative potential of developing construction projects as strategies to empower local communities, support continuous-cover forestry, protect endangered crafts, minimise fossil carbon emissions and promote biogenic carbon storage, and make construction sites spaces of care and support.

British Women and their obtainment of Membership in the House of Commons (1918-1927)

The Qualification of Women Act, which granted women the right to membership in the House of Commons and to participate in its debates, is a positive step that complements a law previously approved by the British government in the same year, which is the law granting women the right to vote after years of hard work and tireless efforts, a positive step that has proven Through it, the feminist segment and its presence in a society dominated by male dependence.These laws came as an appreciation for the feminist effort, and in appreciation of the active roles that the country’s women exercised during the years of World War I.The law received positive reactions when it was discussed in Parliament, as it is an inevitable and natural result after granting them the right to vote Since women have always been eligible to vote, it is logical that they are eligible to sit in the House of Commons.

What does 'feeling at home' mean for adults with intellectual disabilities living in group homes in England?

Shared housing for adults with intellectual disabilities with staff support, is a common housing model internationally. We explored an overlooked aspect of group homes, namely the extent to which they enable a sense of 'feeling at home' for residents. A diverse group of 19 housemates participated in a photovoice study. Participants took photos in their homes and discussed them in individual interviews and in groups. Data was analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Residents' experience of home was multi-dimensional. 'Feeling at home' related to home as a site of identity cultivation (personal home); physical comfort or 'misfitting' (physical home) and home as the locus of key relationships (social home). Achieving a sense of 'feeling at home' requires engagement in practices of home-making. Many of our participants required support from staff to engage in these practices. For some housemates their experience of home was conditional and precarious.

Evaluating larvicidal, ovicidal and growth inhibiting activity of five medicinal plant extracts on Culex pipiens (Diptera: Culicidae), the West Nile virus vector

Mosquitoes, one of the deadliest animals on the planet, cause millions of fatalities each year by transmitting several human illnesses. Synthetic pesticides were previously used to prevent the spread of diseases by mosquitoes, which was effective in protecting humans but caused serious human health problems, environmental damage, and developed mosquito pesticide resistance. This research focuses on exploring new, more effective, safer, and environmentally friendly compounds to improve mosquito vector management. Phytochemicals are possible biological agents for controlling pests and many are target-specific, rapidly biodegradable, and eco-friendly. The potential of extracts of Lantana camara, Melia azedarach, Nerium oleander, Ricinus communis, and Withania somnifera against 3rd instar Culex pipiens (Common house mosquito) larvae was evaluated. Methanol extracts had more toxic effects against Cx. pipiens larvae (95–100%, 24 h post-treatment) than aqueous extracts (63–91%, 24 h post-treatment). The methanol extracts of Nerium oleander (LC50 = 158.92 ppm) and Ricinus communis (LC50 = 175.04 ppm) were very effective at killing mosquito larvae, 24 h after treatment. N. oleander (LC50 = 373.29 ppm) showed high efficacy in aqueous plant extracts. Among the different extracts of the five plants screened, the methanol extract of R. communis recorded the highest ovicidal activity of 5% at 800 ppm concentration. Total developmental duration and growth index were highly affected by R. communis and M. azedarach methanol extracts. In field tests it was clear that plant extracts decreased mosquito larval density, especially when mixed with mosquito Bti briquette, with stability up to seven days for N. oleander. GC–MS results showed that the methanol extract had a higher number of chemical compounds, particularly with more terpene compounds. A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) technique was used to detect the existence of non-volatile polyphenols and flavonoids. All five methanol extracts showed high concentrations of active ingredients such as gallic acid, chlorogenic acid (more than 100 μg/ml) and the rosmarinic acid was also found in all the five extracts in addition to 17 active polyphenols and flavonoids presented at moderate to low concentrations. Molecular modeling of 18 active ingredients detected by the HPLC were performed to the vicinity of one of the fatty acid binding proteins of lm-FABP (PDB code: 2FLJ). Rutin, Caffeic acid, coumaric acid and rosmarinic acid which presented densely in R. communis and N. oleander showed multiple and stable intermolecular hydrogen bonding and π–π stacking interactions. The inhibition ability of the fatty acid binding protein, FABP4, was evaluated with remarkable receptor inhibition evident, especially with R. communis and N. oleander having inhibitory concentrations of IC50 = 0.425 and 0.599 µg/mL, respectively. The active phytochemical compounds in the plants suggest promising larvicidal and ovicidal activity, and have potential as a safe and effective alternative to synthetic insecticides.

“Please Wait, Your Policy is Important to Us” issue prioritization, the ACF, and Canada’s failed attempts at cannabis decriminalization, 2003–2005

In Canada, in the early 2000s, the decriminalization of cannabis for recreational use seemed imminent. Between 2003 and 2005, three government decriminalization bills were introduced in the Canadian House of Commons, but none were adopted, and decriminalization efforts were abandoned. Subsequently, Canada went beyond decriminalization and legalized recreational cannabis in 2018. This paper examines why the Canadian decriminalization efforts failed, using the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) and ACF policy change theory. Three ACF-based hypotheses to explain the failed reform attempts are developed and investigated, but none are empirically supported. A fourth hypothesis is developed using information processing insights from Punctuated Equilibrium Theory (PET) but adapted to the ACF. This hypothesis is empirically supported showing that Canada’s decriminalization efforts failed, despite a supportive advocacy coalition, favourable conditions in the cannabis policy subsystem and favourable conditions in the Canadian political system, because its systemic advocates did not give it priority relative to other issues from other subsystems. This finding has implications for ACF policy change theory, identifying a necessary condition for major policy change that has been potentially overlooked, and illustrates the potential for cross-fertilization between PET and ACF theories of policy change.

Larval Competition between Aedes and Culex Mosquitoes Carries over to Higher Arboviral Infection during Their Adult Stage.

The common house mosquito (Culex pipiens) is a native vector for West Nile virus (WNV). Invasive species like the tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) and Asian bush mosquito (Aedes japonicus) are rapidly spreading through Europe, posing a major threat as vectors for dengue, chikungunya (CHIKV), and Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV). These mosquitoes share a similar ecological niche as larvae, but the carry-over effects of aquatic larval interactions to the terrestrial adult stage remain largely unknown and their medical relevance requires further investigation. This study examines the context dependency of larval interactions among Aedes albopictus, Aedes japonicus, and Culex pipiens. The survival, development time, growth, and energetic storage were measured in different European populations within density-response (intraspecific) experiments and replacement (interspecific) experiments at 20 °C and 26 °C. Overall, Ae. japonicus was the weakest competitor, while competition between Ae. albopictus and Cx. pipiens varied with temperature. Adults emerging from this larval competition were infected as follows: Culex pipiens with WNV, Ae. albopictus with CHIKV, and Ae. japonicus with JEV. While no JEV infection was observed, mosquitoes experiencing interspecific interactions during their larval stages exhibited higher infection rates and viral RNA titers for CHIKV and WNV. This increased susceptibility to viral infection after larval competition suggests a higher risk of arbovirus transmission in co-occurring populations.

Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus Infections in Hungary between 2017-2023-Investigation of the First Congenital Infections.

Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) is a neglected rodent-borne arenavirus, primarily spread by common house mouse species. Acquired human infections range from asymptomatic to mild flu-like symptoms and self-resolving neurological diseases. In contrast, intrauterine LCMV infection is associated with high mortality and morbidity. Infection of the fetus often leads to fetal death, and surviving fetuses may develop vision impairment and central nervous system developmental disorders. LCMV is mainly diagnosed by serological methods using in-house indirect immunofluorescence assays. LCMV nucleic acid is detected by the nested RT-PCR method and confirmed by Sanger sequencing. In Hungary, 23 acquired lymphocytic choriomeningitis cases were diagnosed between 2017 and 2023. Ten out of 23 confirmed patients proved to be positive by the PCR method. Two cases of intrauterine LCMV infections were detected in 2019 and 2021, respectively. The IgG antibody titers measured in the infant's serum samples were much higher than the IgG titers of the maternal serum samples. Both IgM and IgA antibodies were detectable in the infants' sera. As the microbiological diagnosis of LCMV is rather challenging and the symptoms are very similar to the clinical picture of other common teratogenic pathogens such as cytomegalovirus or Toxoplasma gondii, intrauterine LCMV infections might still be underdiagnosed.

Venom gland organogenesis in the common house spider

Venom is a remarkable innovation found across the animal kingdom, yet the evolutionary origins of venom systems in various groups, including spiders, remain enigmatic. Here, we investigated the organogenesis of the venom apparatus in the common house spider, Parasteatoda tepidariorum. The venom apparatus consists of a pair of secretory glands, each connected to an opening at the fang tip by a duct that runs through the chelicerae. We performed bulk RNA-seq to identify venom gland-specific markers and assayed their expression using RNA in situ hybridisation experiments on whole-mount time-series. These revealed that the gland primordium emerges during embryonic stage 13 at the chelicera tip, progresses proximally by the end of embryonic development and extends into the prosoma post-eclosion. The initiation of expression of an important toxin component in late postembryos marks the activation of venom-secreting cells. Our selected markers also exhibited distinct expression patterns in adult venom glands: sage and the toxin marker were expressed in the secretory epithelium, forkhead and sum-1 in the surrounding muscle layer, while Distal-less was predominantly expressed at the gland extremities. Our study provides the first comprehensive analysis of venom gland morphogenesis in spiders, offering key insights into their evolution and development.

Canada: Political Developments and Data in 2023

AbstractThere was no federal election in 2023 but change seemed to be in the air, as the official opposition Conservatives, under their new leader, made major gains in the polls and took a significant lead over the Liberals. Controversy over foreign interference in Canadian politics generated controversy, and foreign policy issues had an uncharacteristic impact on Canadian politics. The Liberal government responded with a major Cabinet shuffle, while by‐elections left the party positions in the House of Commons essentially unchanged.

Herbert Morrison: the making of a politician

The article is devoted to the early stages of the political biography of Herbert Morrison, a British politician and one of the most prominent representatives of the Labour Party in its entire history. The author tells about the origin, family, education and the formation of socio-political views of the future leader of the Labor Party. Further, the development of Morrison’s political career is consistently characterized, including his work in the party and municipal bodies of London, in the House of Commons, in the British government (1929-1931), as well as Leader of the London County Council (1934-1940).