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
pseaward.bsky.social
Well, quite.
joxley.jmoxley.co.uk John Oxley @joxley.jmoxley.co.uk · 2d
🚨NEW BLOGPOST🚨

Fast answers, overconfidence and the superficial appearance of rigour. Airport bookstores are the perfect place for those who chase fresh ideas without doing the legwork.
Unfortunately, much of our policy is shaped by the same impulse.
www.joxleywrites.jmoxley.co.uk/p/airport-bo...
Airport Book Brain
How faddish ideas keep seducing.
www.joxleywrites.jmoxley.co.uk
January 23, 2026 at 8:29 AM
Reposted by Paul Seaward
lemonde.fr
Pour chaque dollar dépensé pour protéger la nature, 30 dollars financent sa destruction
Pour chaque dollar dépensé pour protéger la nature, 30 dollars financent sa destruction
Un rapport, publié jeudi par le Programme des Nations unies pour le développement, rappelle l’importance de supprimer et de rediriger les investissements qui nuisent à l’environnement, dont dépendent la majorité des entreprises.
www.lemonde.fr
January 22, 2026 at 6:33 PM
Reposted by Paul Seaward
alexparsons.bsky.social
Given the main parliamentary rule about what you can and can't do is "you have to write it down", just a really low bar not being met here.
jessicaelgot.bsky.social Jessica Elgot @jessicaelgot.bsky.social · 4d
New - Nigel Farage has been found by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards to have made 17 standards breaches, adding up to over £380,000 in late declarations.

He’s apologised, so no further investigation (which seems unusual for a breach this large)
January 21, 2026 at 9:02 AM
Reposted by Paul Seaward
georgeperetzkc.bsky.social
The real issue here - of course ignored by the Policy Exchange paper to which @joshuarozenberg.bsky.social refers -
was brilliantly summarised by @profmarkelliott.bsky.social in his piece here publiclawforeveryone.com/2025/07/09/t....
January 20, 2026 at 5:36 PM
Reposted by Paul Seaward
victoriancommons.bsky.social
The longest-serving MP ever, Villiers featured in our post on MPs and longevity: victoriancommons.wordpress.com/2014/01/16/l...
January 16, 2026 at 9:55 AM
Reposted by Paul Seaward
pollymackenzie.bsky.social
This week's piece includes my quiet fantasy about Robert Jenrick. Can you guess what it is?

howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/what-if-yo...
What if your enemies aren’t evil?
The lazy pattern of political thinking that slows progress
howtorunacountry.substack.com
January 16, 2026 at 8:43 AM
Reposted by Paul Seaward
parlcharlie.bsky.social
If you want more stories about naked people on Parliament Hill (or just fun Speaker stories) - my forthcoming book '"Unparliamentary" is the one for you! Available for pre-order now through @uoftpress.bsky.social (Canada) or other fine booksellers abroad utppublishing.com/doi/book/10....
Unparliamentary - University of Toronto Press
utppublishing.com
January 16, 2026 at 10:06 AM
Reposted by Paul Seaward
histparl.bsky.social
📣 We’re hiring!
The History of Parliament are seeking a Research Fellow for our House of Lords 1660-1832 project. @georgianlords.bsky.social

We’re looking for a historian with a PhD in 18thC British political or cultural history to join our expert team.

🔗 Details below:
#AcademicJobs #HistoryJobs
Job Vacancy: Research Fellow, 1660-1832 House of Lords - The History of Parliament
The History of Parliament are excited to advertise for a research fellow to join our House of Lords 1660-1832 project.
historyofparliament.com
January 14, 2026 at 11:33 AM
Reposted by Paul Seaward
duncanrobertson.bsky.social
That's not good, right.
windjunky.bsky.social Andrew B. Watkins @windjunky.bsky.social · 11d
Globally, no single day in 2025 was cooler than its 1991-2020 average.
climate.copernicus.eu/global-clima...
January 14, 2026 at 9:31 PM
Reposted by Paul Seaward
jdmccafferty.bsky.social
14 Jan 1610: Sidney Godolphin, #poet, courtier & politician MP 1628, 1640-41 - one of the last royalist members to leave the house, warning as he went 'When the cards are shuffled, no man knows what the game will be'.
Shot on 8 Feb 1643, buried in Okehampton 10 Feb 1643 (NPG)
January 14, 2026 at 9:48 PM
Reposted by Paul Seaward
hausfath.bsky.social
2025 was an exceptional year for the Earth's climate
⬆️ Warmest ocean heat content
⬆️ Tied as second warmest surface temps
⬆️ Second warmest troposphere
⬆️ Record high sea level and GHGs
⬇️ Record low winter Arctic ice

New State of the Climate over at Carbon Brief: www.carbonbrief.org/...
January 14, 2026 at 2:53 PM
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