Academic

The nanny state is a derogatory term to describe parliament’s attempts to legislate to compel, restrict or financially dissuade individuals in their actions for their own good. Paternalism, as philosophers will call it, is the gender neutral expression used within these academic papers.
My membership, and later committee membership as Parliamentary Officer, with the Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) helped me understand the reasoning behind paternalistic legislation from all angles. My DPhil thesis was a cross-disciplinary study using political theory and political science on the case studies of motorcycle helmet, car seat belt and cycle helmet compulsion.

MINORITY DECISION MAKING

Categories: Academic, Policy

As a member of the Political Studies Association, I presented a paper at this specialist group conference on the difference between the public understanding of the passage of legislation in the House of Commons and the reality. This includes the amount of legislation passed with a tiny proportion of members voting or ‘on the nod’ because a quorum is not present.

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PATERNALISTIC LEGISLATION

Categories: Academic

My DPhil thesis was a cross-disciplinary study including libertarian political theory, political philosophy and issue groups within the British parliamentary processes. The case studies are compulsory motorcycle helmets, car seat belts and cycle helmets.

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YOU’LL THANK ME FOR THIS ONE DAY

Categories: Academic

I presented this paper at Warwick explaining the various exceptions to Mill’s principle against paternalism but concentrating on the philosophical arguments on the protection of one’s future self as another person.

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