Parliamentary Debates Research Articles

Multi-aspect multilingual and cross-lingual parliamentary speech analysis

Parliamentary and legislative debate transcripts provide an informative insight into elected politicians’ opinions, positions, and policy preferences. They are interesting for political and social sciences as well as linguistics and natural language processing (NLP) research. While exiting research studied individual parliaments, we apply advanced NLP methods to a joint and comparative analysis of six national parliaments (Bulgarian, Czech, French, Slovene, Spanish, and United Kingdom) between 2017 and 2020. We analyze emotions and sentiment in the transcripts from the ParlaMint dataset collection, and assess if the age, gender, and political orientation of speakers can be detected from their speeches. The results show some commonalities and many surprising differences among the analyzed countries.

PELATIHAN ENGLISH DEBATE PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEM BAGI GURU MGMP BAHASA INGGRIS SMK SE-KOTA BATAM

Community service is one of the mandatory duties of lecturers as part of the realization of the Tri Dharma of Higher Education activities. In line with this, Tri Dharma activities are focused on important activities in contributing to improving the quality of life of the community, especially in developing skills that can be used in a wider range of society. One of the activities carried out was English Debate Parliamentary System Training for Vocational High School English MGMP Teachers throughout Batam City at the Batam Tourism Polytechnic. This training aims to provide information to Gugus Cahaya Jingga PAUD teachers regarding the English Debate Parliamentary System. The specific target to be achieved is to make GUGUS CAHAYA JINGGA PAUD teachers skilled in implementing the English Parliamentary Debate System in learning.

In all seriousness: Laughter in the German Reichstag, 1871–1914

ABSTRACT The ideal of parliamentary debate is often construed in terms of a disimpassioned exchange of arguments. Yet in actual practice, emotions play a key role. As recent studies of French, British, and other parliaments have shown, a closer look at the uses of laughter in the plenary debates can provide a useful entry point for a better understanding of the atmospheric dimension of debates. Focusing on the early decades of the German Imperial Reichstag, this article considers the varying modes of parliamentary humour, laughter and ridicule and their significance in the context of rhetorical struggles and processes of political in- and exclusion. In comparative dialogue with research on other parliaments, it contributes to a more precise characterization of the internal dynamics of an institution still very much in flux. While contemporaries made a sharp distinction between exclusionary laughter and inclusionary mirth (Heiterkeit), a closer look at the plenary interactions shows that while parliamentary laughter performed many different functions, on the whole, it primarily constituted a mechanism of de-escalation. As such, parliamentary humour did not stand in opposition to (rational) debate, but played a key role in the management of difference and conflict that the parliament was created to facilitate.

Governing Mobility Through Exemptions: Cross-National Dependencies, Immigration Policy, and Migrant Labour in South African Historical Perspective

Over the last century, the South African state has periodically engaged in the practice of ‘exempting’ various migrants from their otherwise irregular immigration statuses. Always backed by official legislation, exemptions represent one way by which dominant capitalist interests have relied on the legitimacy of the state to meet their labour needs by sometimes employing undocumented migrants from the Southern African region. Through insights from sub-imperialism and bordering, this paper discusses historical case examples from policy articulations, parliamentary debates, secondary literature and archival materials. By exploring cross-national relationships of exploitation and differentiation, the paper argues that exemptions should be understood as attempts by which the contradictions of ubiquitous informal cross-border mobility and employment in a regime of unfree regional movement might be resolved. Exemptions also attest to the challenge of governing human mobility in a region invested with a historically vast infrastructure of producing, attracting as well as exploiting cheap migrant labour.

Mechanisation, wages, and royalties: Unpacking coal lock-in through 120 years of parliamentary debates in the world's largest exporter

Australia is the world's largest exporter of coal by value, and only recently lost out on volume to neighbouring Indonesia. This paper examines 120 years of parliamentary debates to better understand how Australia attained this position and the lessons this has for a carbon constrained future. The paper adopts a socio-technical transitions perspective, drawing on parliamentary records, historical literature and socio-economic statistics. This comprehensive large-scale analysis uses established dynamic topic modelling methods, and contributes novel tools and methods to aid the quality, interpretation and reproduction of the presented results. Results show that after supply and workers' rights problems, a mid-century compromise was reached between the main political parties (and industrial actors). This compromise relied on increasing the efficiency and hence profitability of mines. Profits would be shared with workers to remove industrial disputes. This initiative set off a path-dependent trajectory of growth that forestalled competition from lower-wage producers like Indonesia and hampered reactions as climate change came to the fore. Attention to coal in the Australian federal parliament is now at even higher levels than in the 1950s. However, while a similar compromise appears necessary, it does not seem forthcoming.

“The Same Causes Occasioning the Same Effects”: The “Jewish Question”, the “Chinese Question” and the Global Precedents of Exclusion in Late Nineteenth Century Central Europe

AbstractWhy was the “Chinese Question” of immigration control and exclusion in the United States imagined as an appealing precedent for dealing with the “Jewish Question” of emancipation and citizenship in fin-de-siècle Romania, Hungary, and Austria? The present article examines a vast corpus of parliamentary debates, press, and pamphlets, in order to demonstrate how thinking in terms of “questions” enabled historical actors to place themselves within a “global moment” by highlighting structural similarities that would justify the analogy. By rhetorically turning to an America that was placed at the forefront of “liberal” progress, yet now began to explicitly place limits to its inclusiveness, politicians in Central and Eastern Europe sought to present their own exclusionary policies as timely and acceptable, rather than anachronistic affronts to the spirit of the age. Drawing upon this global precedent was therefore hoped to ward off criticism: if “civilized” America could draw the line, be it as a matter of principle or pragmatism, then antisemitism could be justified with reference to Sinophobia.

Anayasa Yapım Sürecinde Muhalefet Olgusunun Meclis Tutanakları Üzerinden Değerlendirilmesi: 1921, 1924 ve 1961 Anayasaları Örneği

Constitutions are texts that regulate the organs of the state, their functioning and the fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals vis-à-vis the state. Both these texts themselves and their drafting processes are of particular importance. Especially in constitution-making processes where citizens are indirectly involved in the process through their representatives, the existence and impact of the opposition phenomenon shows the democratic quality of the constitution. In this context, this study aims to examine the phenomenon of opposition in the Turkish constitution-making processes in the 1921 and later periods through parliamentary minutes. According to the results of the analysis conducted from a qualitative perspective with an interpretivist approach, it is determined that there was a functioning and qualified opposition phenomenon in the 1921 and 1924 constitution-making processes, while this determination is controversial in the 1961 constitution-making process. Key Words: Constitution making, political opposition, parliamentary debates.

The whiteness of ‘sex discrimination’: theorising white feminist ideology in politics

The year 2025 will mark 50 years since the prohibition of gender discrimination in employment in Europe. Feminist narratives of this time have often been ones of progress, despite Black feminist critique of how such legislation effaced racially minoritised women’s experiences. Why was gender equality legislation designed to mainly benefit white privileged women? What discourses were involved? Meanwhile, while the term ‘white feminism’ has recently been popularised, there has been relatively little investigation of what it comprises in politics in Europe. Drawing on cross-disciplinary empirical research on UK gender equality legislation involving analysis of parliamentary debate, archival research and oral history, this article contributes to theorisation of the tenets of white feminism, namely, as a political ideology wherein gender is constructed as the most important marker of social inequality and, specifically, as being more important than racial inequality. Ultimately, such specification aims to make white feminism in politics impossible to render neutral.

Role-theoretic discourse analysis of German security policy: a case of German parliamentary debate on the mission in Afghanistan.

This article combines linguistic discourse analysis with role theory to create a role-theoretic discourse analysis framework for German security policy. To illustrate this, we employ topos analysis on 30 plenary minutes of parliamentary debates regarding the International Security Assistance Force mission in Afghanistan, conducted by German Members of Parliament between 2001 and 2014. We interpret their perception of Germany's roles in light of key behavioral norms related to German security policy. The parliamentary discourse, shaped by topoi, sets the stage for decisions on German military operations abroad. The use of topoi is influenced by dominant thought patterns, particularly the perspective on Germany's role in security policy held by the political elite. Political decisions, in turn, reflect behavioral preferences guided by these viewpoints. Our research reveals how changes in German security policy are mirrored in the discourse. This discourse is structured around five categories of topoi for legitimizing or delegitimizing military operations abroad: necessity, obligation, self-interest, capability and preparedness, and solution. An evaluation of the use of topoi through the lens of role theory indicates that perceptions of Germany's role have evolved over time, encompassing roles such as a "civilian power," a "normal state," and an "agenda-setting role" in sync with its foreign military engagements.

Analyzing arguments on tobacco tax increases. Focus on French parliamentary questions and responses, 2000-2020.

Tax increases are the most effective but still the least-used tobacco control measure. The tobacco industry (TI) employs lobbying strategies to oppose the implementation of tax policies on its products. Over the past two decades, French tobacco tax policies have been characterized by a relative inconsistency. This research aims to understand why, by analyzing the arguments of French policymakers (MPs and government) between 2000 and 2020 in favor or against tax increases. To capture parliamentary debates, we performed an advanced term search on the French National Assembly website, using the keyword 'tobacco'. The search returned 5126 available documents out of which 1106 (12.6%, 645 questions, 461 responses) covered price and taxation and were included. They were analyzed using descriptive statistics and thematic content analysis (NVivo) and were compared, when relevant, to arguments raised in the international literature on TI lobbying against taxation increases. We found 3176 arguments on tobacco taxation: 77.2% were against tobacco tax increases and 22.7% were in favor of tax policies. Arguments varied depending on the source: 92.4% of MPs' arguments were against tax increases, while 52.1% of arguments from government responses were in favor. The anti-tax arguments were similar to those identified in the international literature that singled out negative economic and social consequences (illicit trade, penalizing tobacconists). Other arguments that were more specific to the French context, highlighted the key economic and social role played by tobacconists in France. Pro-tax arguments highlighted the health, economic and social benefits of tax policies. This is the first French tobacco research on parliamentary documents, although Parliament is a place of direct TI lobbying. It will enable public health actors to better understand the arguments used by the TI in order to counter them in front of MPs, and to better monitor debates in Parliament.

Individual Constitutional Complaint and the ‘Romuva’ Case

The article deals with the legal basis for and the procedure of granting the status of State-recognised religious association to religious communities in Lithuania. It is based on the case study of the negative experience of the Ancient Baltic religious association Romuva, which was not granted, by the Parliament, the said status. Subsequently, the association won its case in the European Court of Human Rights (8 June 2021), the Lithuanian Constitutional Court adopted the ruling (7 September 2021), whereby it approved as constitutional the legislation on which the association’s request to be granted this status was based, and the relevant statute was amended to ensure greater transparency of the granting procedure. Despite that, the Parliament repeatedly refused to grant the said status to the association involved. The article explores in great detail the parliamentary debate during the examination of both the first and the second requests. The authors explore the possibilities for the association to pursue further litigation in the Lithuanian courts, including making use of the individual constitutional complaint to the Constitutional Court, the new measure introduced in the Lithuanian legislation only in 2019. It is demonstrated that the case-law of the Constitutional Court itself (of 2010, as well as post-2019) prevents the association from making effective use of that measure, thus leaving it with no other alternative than lodging a new application to the European Court of Human Rights, which then would have to decide on whether, in the cases like this, an individual constitutional complaint is to be considered an effective measure within the meaning of Article 35 of the European Convention on Human Rights which has to be exhausted at the domestic level.

Discursive Formations in a Pragmatic Analysis of Parliamentary Language

Language is generally intended to be communicative, but at times, it does more than that due to manipulations. This paper examined aspects of Concept and Object as discursive elements employed by politicians during debates to create socio-political dominance. Political discourse is a form of human activity that needs to be studied. Speech is manipulated by the speaker to suit his/her interests. When this happens, language becomes something more than just a medium for communicating propositional knowledge. Due to technological advancement, people are now more exposed to verbal messages of many kinds, most of which can be thought of as political in nature. The study analyzed pragmatic strategies: Concept and Object and their impact on the socio-political dominance in Kenyan parliamentary debates. A descriptive research design was employed, and purposively sampled texts from Hansard portrayed aspects of socio-political dominance. Concept and object were identified as discursive formations that parliamentarians used during debates. The paper found out that concepts and objects had an impact on the language that parliamentarians used, and it contributed to the knowledge of linguistics, particularly with regard to Discourse Analysis and Pragmatics.

Honour and reason. Competing ideals of debating in nineteenth-century Europe

ABSTRACT In around 1900 debating rules came under attack. This special issue examines debates in parliaments as well as popular meetings. Changes in parliamentary ideals and the rise of democracy put the rules of parliamentary debate under pressure. This article considers the question whether there existed an alternative ideal to reasonable parliamentary debating. As a competing ideal for political debates, this contribution discusses the agonistic notion of honour. Honour is the claim to be respected by significant others. Honour is competitive, gendered, public and theatrical, and ought to be defended in a fair fight. Honour is local rather than universal, i the exclusive code of a certain community, a relevant ‘honour group’. Using examples from Britain, France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands and from parliaments as well as political popular meetings, this article argues that honour helps us to understand public and parliamentary meetings in around 1900.

Questioning the ‘freedom of contract’: contract disobedience and the tenant struggle in Barcelona

In the past decade, rental housing has emerged as a new field of financialization, highlighting the importance of rent to understanding contemporary urban dynamics. Despite rental markets expressing juridical relations, empirical research on the articulations between law and rent is absent in the existing literature. In light of critical legal approaches, the paper addresses this gap through an ethnographic exploration of conflictual residential rent relations in Barcelona. The paper argues that contracts are not only legal objects crucial for the existence and articulation of rent, but their constant opening and closing, enabled by property law, result in both judicial and invisible evictions, which increase tenant turnover, thus securing incremental rental-based streams. The contract disobedience strategy enacted by the tenant movement in Barcelona has exposed how contracts are tools of domination and poses a critique of the political and legal doctrine of the ‘freedom of contract’. This mobilisation has simultaneously articulated a political demand for implementing rent controls, which are placed in a broader, gradually emerging legal countermovement to protect habitation that finds its epitome in parliamentary debates and legislative processes.

“To attack the rights of one man is to attack the rights of everyone”: Conservative Rights Talk and Canada’s First Hate Speech Laws

ABSTRACT In 1970, the Canadian government amended the Criminal Code to include the nation’s first provisions banning hate propaganda. This article examines the parliamentary debates over these provisions, from their introduction to their adoption, to assess how members of the two mainstream political right and right-of-center parties responded to the proposed amendments to the Criminal Code. It considers what this response—and the way in which it was articulated—reveals about how self-identified conservatives understood rights and freedoms, and how they conceived of the role of the state in securing these rights and freedoms in the context of Canada’s expanding legislative human rights framework. I argue that these debates over hate speech are illustrative of a coherent form of conservative rights-talk in 1960s Canada, one that varied from, and in some respects was in opposition to, a more dominant liberal discourse of rights.

Speaking Up and Being Heard: The Changing Metadiscourse about ‘Voice’ in British Parliamentary Debates since 1800

As a metaphor for political power, participation, and legitimacy, the concept of ‘voice’ is central to considerations of representative politics during the modern era. Little is known about how political actors themselves understood and referred to their own voices, those of others, and their respective significance for representative politics. This article focuses on the British Parliament, which was since the eighteenth century regarded as a paradigmatic incarnation of political voice and as the pinnacle of modern representative government. Based on a corpus of Hansard debates from 1800 to 2005, we analyse MPs’ explicit references to ‘voice’ in parliamentary debates. We aim to explore the salience of ‘voice’ for MPs and of different aspects of voice as a vehicle for expressing political will. We also shed light on how metadiscursive references to ‘voice’ change over the course of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Parliamentary reaction to the announcement and implementation of the UK Soft Drinks Industry Levy: applied thematic analysis of 2016-2020 parliamentary debates.

The UK Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL) (announced in March 2016; implemented in April 2018) aims to incentivise reformulation of soft drinks to reduce added sugar levels. The SDIL has been applauded as a policy success, and it has survived calls from parliamentarians for it to be repealed. We aimed to explore parliamentary reaction to the SDIL following its announcement until two years post-implementation in order to understand how health policy can become established and resilient to opposition. Searches of Hansard for parliamentary debate transcripts that discussed the SDIL retrieved 186 transcripts, with 160 included after screening. Five stages of Applied Thematic Analysis were conducted: familiarisation and creation of initial codebooks; independent second coding; codebook finalisation through team consensus; final coding of the dataset to the complete codebook; and theme finalisation through team consensus. The United Kingdom Parliament. N/A. Between the announcement (16/03/2016) - royal assent (26/04/2017), two themes were identified 1: SDIL welcomed cross-party 2: SDIL a good start but not enough. Between royal assent - implementation (5/04/2018), one theme was identified 3: The SDIL worked - what next? The final theme identified from implementation until 16/03/2020 was 4: Moving on from the SDIL. After the announcement, the SDIL had cross-party support and was recognised to have encouraged reformulation prior to implementation. Lessons for governments indicate that the combination of cross-party support and a policy's documented success in achieving its aim can help cement the resilience of it to opposition and threats of repeal.

The Pragmatics of the Dialectical Aspect of British and Iraqi Parliamentary Debates from a critical perspective

The Pragmatics of the Dialectical Aspect of British and Iraqi Parliamentary Debates from a critical perspective

Framing Welfare Expansion: Citizenship, Collective Memory, and Fiscal Dilemmas in Mexico and Peru

One of the most significant innovations in welfare policies in the past three decades has been the adoption of conditional cash transfers in dozens of countries in the Global South. The policies are puzzling, as they deviate from contributory social policy that privileges formal workers and were implemented during democratization and Washington Consensus reforms. How did policy makers justify welfare expansion? The author conducts an analysis of the parliamentary debates that resulted in the implementation of these programs in Mexico (1997) and Peru (2005). By examining the policy makers’ reasoning behind these programs, the author aims to explore the relationship between new forms of social rights and citizenship. The findings show that state actors mobilized narratives of nation-building to justify the historical debt to specific segments of the population, shared an ambivalence regarding the meaning of cash transfers between entitlements or investments, and acknowledged the precarity of the funding scheme.

Shouting and interruptions in parliamentary communication as elements of staged dialogue (the example of parliamentary debates in the German Bundestag)

Shouting and interruptions in parliamentary communication as elements of staged dialogue (the example of parliamentary debates in the German Bundestag)