Interesting posting to the Book People Mailing List
I thought it would be a nice change of pace to
emphasize the prevalency of the “great Anglo-Saxon”
parliementary tradition accross the world. (Though
some of these areas would probably have done with out
the historical experience of being in contact with it.
Others take a more positive view of the Imperial
inheritence, but that is neither here nor there)
First up, it may surprise some Civil War enthusiasts
to find that the complete set of the Confederate
Congress papers is online in the LOCs edition of the
US Serial Set. The papers are rarely linked to, and
include authoritative texts of the reasons for session
of each confederate state.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/lwcc.html
A more recent addition, and far less controversial,
are the archives of te recently created National
Assemblies of Scotland and Wales:
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/chamber/journalMinutes/journalContents.htm
Link
Those are barely infants compared to the Tynwald – the
oldest parleiment in existence.
http://www.tynwald.org.im/papers/hansards/1997-1998/main.shtml
(That is an integrated index, containing the hansards
of the House of Keys, the Legislative Council, and
joint seesions)
The troubled area of northern Ireland has admirably
performed, in the last few years, the process of
reconcilliation and rebuilding with the aid an elected
parliement
http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/record/hansard.htm
Then there are the often overlooked States of Jersey
(original recipe) and Guernsey, some of which go back
to the 1980s
http://www.gov.gg/ccm/navigation/government/billets-detat
http://www.statesassembly.gov.je/minutes.asp
Then there is Australia. A large slection of
Parlementary materials from “the federation debate” of
the 1890s – somewhat analogous to our “Founding”
period- can be accessed at SETIS
http://setis.library.usyd.edu.au/oztexts/feddebates.html
Trinadad and Tobago have a very comprehensive record
of their hansard, from 1990 to the present:
http://www.ttparliament.org/hansard/1990.htm
One final entry, though this could be inexhaustive,
I’ll include for its uniqueness – the Constitutional
Convention and Tribal Council of the Cherokee nation:
http://www.cherokee.org/home.aspx?section=council&ID=XTue4pUywPs=
http://www.cherokee.org/home.aspx?section=councilminutes
http://www.cherokee.org/home.aspx?section=commissions&commission=CCC&ID=LhUC0BiJBpk=
Will there you have it, from Scotland to Austalia to
Oklahoma – the Anglo-Saxon parliementary inheritance.
Though the historical reasons for its presence in
certain areas is certainly regretably, Albion has a
right to be proud of that its democratic traditions
have allowed so many to peaceable express and govern
themselves in so many disparate parts of the world.
Jonathan L. Wright