Vernon Bernard Bogdanor (; born 16 July 1943) is a British political scientist and historian, research professor at the Institute for Contemporary British History at
King's College London and professor of politics at the
New College of the Humanities
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
. He is also emeritus professor of politics and government at the
University of Oxford
, mottoeng = The Lord is my light
, established =
, endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019)
, budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20)
, chancellor ...
and an emeritus fellow of
Brasenose College, Oxford.
He is one of Britain's foremost constitutional experts and has written extensively on political and
constitutional
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
When these prin ...
issues. He supports the
British monarchy
The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional form of government by which a hereditary sovereign reigns as the head of state of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies (the Bailiwi ...
and the adoption of
proportional representation
Proportional representation (PR) refers to a type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to geographical (e.g. states, regions) and political divis ...
.
Early life and education
Bogdanor was born in
Staines to Harry and Rosa Bogdanor (''née'' Weinger), and grew up in
Uxbridge
Uxbridge () is a suburban town in west London and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon. Situated west-northwest of Charing Cross, it is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. Uxb ...
.
["Federalism and the future of Europe" Conference Report](_blank)
(Basel, 2001), p.48 His father was a pharmacist whose parents came to the UK from Ukraine, while his mother was born in Poland and came to the UK in the 1930s. Both parents were observant Jews
[ Educated at ]Bishopshalt School
Bishopshalt School is a secondary school and sixth form with academy status based in the London Borough of Hillingdon. It has specialisations in music and the performing arts. Between 2013 and 2014, the school was used for scenes in the BBC s ...
, Vernon Bogdanor gained a first-class honours Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) from The Queen's College, Oxford
The Queen's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, England. The college was founded in 1341 by Robert de Eglesfield in honour of Philippa of Hainault. It is distinguished by its predominantly neoclassical architecture, ...
, in 1964.
Career
From 1966, Bogdanor was Fellow in Politics, Senior Tutor (1979–85 and 1996–97), Vice-Principal, and (in 2002–03) Acting Principal of Brasenose College, Oxford. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a Fellow of the British Academy
The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences.
It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the same year. It is now a fellowship of more than 1,000 leading scholars spa ...
and an Honorary Fellow of the Society for Advanced Legal Studies.
He has been a member of Council of the Hansard Society
The Hansard Society was formed in the United Kingdom in 1944 to promote parliamentary democracy. Founded and chaired by Commander Stephen King-Hall, the first subscribers were Winston Churchill and Clement Attlee. The society's co-presidents ar ...
for Parliamentary Government, Specialist Adviser to the House of Lords
The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...
Select Committee on the European Communities, Member of the Court of Essex University
The University of Essex is a public research university in Essex, England. Established by royal charter in 1965, Essex is one of the original plate glass universities. Essex's shield consists of the ancient arms attributed to the Kingdom of Ess ...
, adviser (as a member of the Council of Europe and American Bar Association
The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of aca ...
delegations) to the governments of the Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
, Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...
, Israel and Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
on constitutional and electoral reform, member of the Academic Panel of Local Authority Associations, member of the Hansard Society Commission on the Legislative Process, member of the UK Government delegation on Democratic Institutions in Central and Eastern Europe and Conference on the Protection of Minorities, Consultant to Independent Television News
Independent Television News (ITN) is a UK-based television production company. It is made up of two divisions: Broadcast News and ITN Productions. ITN is based in London, with bureaux and offices in Beijing, Brussels, Jerusalem, Johannesburg, N ...
(ITN) on the General Election, member of the Economic and Social Research Council's committee administering the 'Whitehall' programme, special adviser to the House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...
Select Committee on the Public Services, member of the Swedish Constitutional Reform Project, member of the Advisory Group to the High Commissioner on National Minorities, adviser to the President of Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...
on the Constitution of Trinidad, and member of the Economic and Social Research Council's committee administering the devolution programme.
Bogdanor is a frequent contributor to television, radio and newspapers. Between 2004 and 2008 he gave public lectures as Professor of Law at Gresham College, London. He continues to give public lectures at the College, now as Visiting Professor of Political History. He has published numerous books and articles. In 2003, he edited ''The British Constitution in the 20th Century'' (published by Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
to mark the centenary of the British Academy
The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences.
It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the same year. It is now a fellowship of more than 1,000 leading scholars spa ...
) and authored ''The New British Constitution'' (2009), which analyses constitutional changes under the Labour government since 1997.
Bogdanor is a signatory of the statement of principles of the Henry Jackson Society
The Henry Jackson Society (HJS) is a trans-Atlantic foreign policy and national security think tank, based in the United Kingdom. While describing itself as non-partisan, its outlook has been described variously as neoliberal and as neoconser ...
.
Comments
Bogdanor's most famous former student is David Cameron, who became Conservative Party
The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right.
Political parties called The Conservative P ...
leader and served as prime minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
from 2010 to 2016. Bogdanor described Cameron as "one of the ablest" students he has taught, whose political views were "moderate and sensible Conservative". He has, however, expressed reservations about some of Cameron's policies, including his proposal for a British "Bill of Rights", about which Bogdanor said, "I believe it's ill thought-out and confused.... He ameronmay have forgotten some of the things I've taught him. I'd be happy to give him a few more tutorials on civil liberties."
Bogdanor referred to the arrest, search and questioning of the Conservative MP Damian Green
Damian Howard Green (born 17 January 1956) is a British politician who served as First Secretary of State and Minister for the Cabinet Office from June to December 2017 in the Second May government. A member of the Conservative Party, he has b ...
, for aiding and abetting misconduct in public office by police from Special Branch, as "a storm in a teacup". "The important principle is that MPs - apart from when they're speaking in the chamber and dealing with constituents' correspondence - are subject to the same laws as the rest of us."
In a June 2021 piece for the Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally.
It was f ...
, Bogdanor noted that the statement by Maroš Šefčovič
Maroš Šefčovič (; born 24 July 1966) is a Slovak diplomat and politician serving as Vice-President of the European Commission for Interinstitutional Relations since 2019, previously holding the office from 2010 to 2014. He has been member o ...
, a member of the European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body ...
, that the EU's patience with the UK on the UK's implementation of the Northern Irish Protocol of the Withdrawal Agreement "is wearing very, very thin", was "reminiscent of that of the dictators of the 1930s."
Awards and honours
Bogdanor was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...
(CBE) in the 1998 Birthday Honours
Queen's Birthday Honours are announced on or around the date of the Queen's Official Birthday in the United Kingdom and some Commonwealth countries. The dates vary, both from year to year and from country to country. All are published in supplem ...
for services to constitutional history Constitutional history is the area of historical study covering both written constitutions and uncodified constitutions, and became an academic discipline during the 19th century. ''The Oxford Companion to Law'' (1980) defined it as the study of the ...
. In 2009, he was appointed a Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon B ...
by the president of France
The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (french: Président de la République française), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency i ...
, Nicolas Sarkozy, for his work on the law and history of Britain and France; the honour was presented to Bogdanor by the French ambassador to the United Kingdom, Maurice Gourdault-Montagne.
Personal life
Bogdanor married Judith Evelyn Beckett in 1972; the marriage was dissolved in 2000. In August 2009 he married Sonia Margaret Robertson.
Publications
Books
Written
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Edited
*
*
*
*
Articles
* "Power and participation." ''Oxford Review of Education'' 5, No. 2 (1979): 157–168.
* "Direct elections, representative democracy and European integration." ''Electoral Studies'' 8, No. 3 (1989): 205–216.
* "Founding elections and regime change." ''Electoral Studies'' 9, No. 4 (1990): 288–294.
* "The European Community and Sovereignty." ''Parliamentary Affairs'' 44, No. 4 (1991): 481–492. (with Geoffrey Woodcock)
* "Overcoming the twentieth century: Democracy and nationalism in Central and Eastern Europe." ''The Political Quarterly'' 66, No. 1 (1995): 84–97.
* "Ministerial accountability." ''Parliamentary Affairs'' 50, No. 1 (1997): 71–83.
* "Devolution: Decentralisation or disintegration?." ''The Political Quarterly'' 70, No. 2 (1999): 185–194.
* "Reform of the House of Lords: A sceptical view." ''The Political Quarterly'' 70, No. 4 (1999): 375–381.
* "Civil service reform: a critique." ''The Political Quarterly'' 72, No. 3 (2001): 291–299.
* "The Tories need a genuine liberal". ''The Spectator''. 15 October 2005.
* "The West Lothian Question." ''Parliamentary Affairs'' (2009)
*
Mayors: Good for Britain - in the end.
''Prospect''. 19 March 2012.
*
Why English votes for English laws is a kneejerk absurdity
. ''The Guardian''. 24 September 2014.
*
Time to ditch 'first-past-the-post
". ''Prospect''. 22 January 2015.
*
Who pays for our politics?
. ''Prospect''. 26 March 2015.
*
Britain needs a new constitution
. ''Prospect''. 21 May 2015.
*
A second Brexit referendum? It's looking more likely by the day
. ''The Guardian''. London. 3 August 2017.
*
Parliament had failed on Brexit long before this prorogation
. ''The Guardian''. 29 August 2019.
Notable former students
In addition to David Cameron, Bogdanor's former students include Kate Allen, Camilla Cavendish
Hilary Camilla Cavendish, Baroness Cavendish of Little Venice (born 20 August 1968) is a British journalist, Senior Fellow at Harvard University and former Director of Policy for Prime Minister David Cameron. Cavendish became a Conservative Me ...
, Diane Coyle
Diane Coyle (born February 1961) is an economist and a former advisor to the UK Treasury. She was vice-chairman of the BBC Trust, the governing body of the British Broadcasting Corporation, and was a member of the UK Competition Commission fr ...
, Guy Spier
Guy Spier (born February 4, 1966) is a Zurich-based investor. He is the author of ''The Education of a Value Investor''. Spier is the manager of the Aquamarine Fund with $350 million in assets. He is well known for bidding US$650,100 with Mohni ...
as well as Toby Young
Toby Daniel Moorsom Young (born 17 October 1963) is a British social commentator. He is the founder and director of the Free Speech Union, an associate editor of ''The Spectator'', and a former associate editor at ''Quillette.''
A graduate of ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bogdanor, Vernon
1943 births
20th-century English male writers
20th-century English non-fiction writers
21st-century British non-fiction writers
21st-century English male writers
Academics of King's College London
Alumni of Nuffield College, Oxford
Alumni of The Queen's College, Oxford
British political scientists
British political writers
Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur
Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
English Jews
English constitutionalists
English male non-fiction writers
English people of Polish-Jewish descent
English people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent
Fellows of Brasenose College, Oxford
Fellows of the British Academy
Living people
People from Uxbridge
Professors of Gresham College