‘Respect for Law and Sausages’: How Parliament Made Section 31 of the Growth and Infrastructure Act 2013 on the Sale of Employment Rights

The Parliamentary debates on the clause which became section 31 of the Growth and Enterprise Act 2013 (allowing employees to agree to sign away employment rights for shares in the employing company) show that scrutiny by the House of Commons is very poor, and that scrutiny by the House of Lords is intense and very well‐informed. If the Government loses the argument on a Bill in the House of Lords, it will lose the vote. However, during Parliamentary ping‐pong (the back‐and‐forth process of amendment of a Bill between the two Houses) the Commons, and the Government, will normally get their way, however weak the policy proposal, provided that concessions on detail are made, unless the issue is regarded by the Lords as one of fundamental principle.     

社会转型期犯罪的特点、趋势和预防对策

在中国社会转型不断深化的进程中,未成年人犯罪、老年人犯罪、单位犯罪的问题日益复杂,流动性、跨地域性犯罪和有组织团伙犯罪增多,犯罪手段更加高科技化、网络化;暴力犯罪、经济犯罪、毒品犯罪、网络犯罪、职务犯罪等又呈现出各自的发展趋势。惩治和预防犯罪应当从防范和化解社会矛盾入手,同时必须标本兼治、综合治理、惩防并举、注重预防。     

关于生育权和人权的思考

《关于生育权和人权的思考》是一个全社会都很关注的热点。生育权涉及到每个民族、每户家庭、每个公民的切身利益。众所周知,上世纪五十年代,当时的全国人大代表、原北京大学校长、人口经济学家马寅初先生曾提出限制人口数量,提高人口质量的意见,遭到诸多非议。几十年过去了,历史和实践已经证明了他《新人口论》思想的科学性和真理性。上世纪七十年代末,我们将计划生育政策作为国策写进宪法,提倡只生一个好,取得了举世瞩目的成就,少生了4亿人,促进了经济发展、社会进步、综合国力提高和人民生活的改善;同时也带来了诸如人口老龄化迅速成为世界之首、计划生育家庭面临较大风险、维护国家安全、国防安全难度增大等诸多问题。