David Erdos (Conference Organiser, Centre for Socio-Legal Studies Oxford): 2008 is an important year for anniversaries connected with civil rights and democracy. In particular, alongside the fortieth anniversary of the upheavals of 1968, this year marks the twentieth anniversary of the founding of Charter 88. The Charter marked a new beginning for constitutional reform in the UK. Although originally conceived as a one-off declaration of protest, notably against the domination of Thatcherism, the Charter evolved in a high-profile and energetic pressure group arguing for the wholesale reform and codification of the UK’s creaking constitutional structures. The momentum it created helped pave the way for reforms of New Labour. The Charter’s mark can also be seen in a renewed emphasis on constitutional issues within wider public debate which has continued, and even intensified, into the present.
To coincide with this anniversary, Oxford University’s Centre for Socio-Legal Studies is convening a two-day conference which, through the prism of the Charter, will examine the history, work, impact and legacy of the constitutional reform movement of the last two decades. We have a fantastic and diverse line-up of speakers and panels. The keynote presentation on the lessons of reform will be made by leading civil liberties lawyer and Labour peer, Helena Kennedy QC, who was chair of the Charter’s Council. Will Hutton, Chief Executive of the Work Foundation and author of The State We’re In whose journalism linked economic and institutional reform, and helped the breakout of constitutional argument from the confines of legalism, will debate with Anthony Barnett the relationship between the Charter 88 and globalisation. A set of glittering panels will link academic research with practical politics. Do come along. Please check out the provisional programme HERE.
Today, the Brown Government’s Governance White Paper (2007) and the Conservatives flirtation with a British Bill of Rights indicate that the constitutional reform issues with which the Charter grappled are once more high on the political agenda and open to being influenced by informed criticism and discussion.
Registration for this event is now open. Further information including a booking form can be found on the conference website. Completed forms should be sent (by mail, email or fax) to the conference administrator Paul Honey (paul.honeyATcsls.ox.ac.uk). Also, please also do not hesitate to contact me regarding anything relating to the conference (david.erdosATcsls.ox.ac.uk). Thanks for taking the time to read this post and I hope you will be able to make it.
