Political

Want a copy of Parliament’s rules? That’ll be £268.40

Erskine May is the House of Commons rulebook – but if you want to get a copy, it’ll cost you £268.40 from a commercial publisher, and Parliament has said no to a request for a free electronic copy from a member of the public.

The origins are typical of the British constitution. Erskine May started off as an unofficial guide written by an assistant librarian in the House of Commons. Over time it established itself as the reference work and is now treated just like an official rulebook. But unlike Hansard – another Parliamentary publication which originated with an unofficial version that evolved into an official record – the Commons has not looked to make its contents available for free.

Imagine if a new set of Parliamentary rules were written this year (for, perhaps, a reformed and elected Upper House) and Parliament proposed not only that the rules must not be published online, but could only be available in book form for £268.40. There would be outrage. Why shouldn’t people be able to read the rules online? Why should people who want a hard copy be forced to pay out so much money?

Yet that’s the situation with Erskine May.

History explains why we’re in that situation, but it doesn’t excuse it continuing.

So how about cracking this one, Mr Bercow?

2 responses to “Want a copy of Parliament’s rules? That’ll be £268.40”

  1. I noticed this a while ago, because I was wanting to build up a collection of quality material to be used when researching blog posts. When I first heard about this book, I thought I must go and get it – only to be disappointed by the price.

    There’s going to be a few expensive things I have to pay for over the next few years and I’m not sure I can justify that sort of expense for a single book.

    If it was available for free and online, it would be a popular move that increases transparency and accountability.

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