Lex Ferenda

Ofcom (the UK communications regulator) is carrying out a review of public service broadcasting. In connection with the review, they have taken the wrapping off a blog, the Ofcom PSB Review Blog, which is an interesting way to add some spice to the familiar ‘public consultation’ ballet. Just a few posts so far, although they even used SlideShare to embed a presentation, which is a nice touch. I’m involved in a review process at Trinity College (the Statutes Review Working Party), and although the webpages are on the local page (meaning I can’t link to them), we’ve been trying to do something similar with that consultation, putting relatively informal updates on a blog. We haven’t been bombarded with comments, one might say, but it’s a useful way to engage with a different part of the audience. The (still unpublished) Broadcasting Bill in Ireland was the subject of an e-consultation which had similar objectives.

Another particularly helpful element that Ofcom and others are including in their consultations is a feed for the blog, of course (it comes by default in virtually all blogging software). Indeed, if you are a consultation-junkie, you should look at the beta service from TellThemWhatYouThink - they have a feed of all UK government and agency consultations which is pretty cool.

With thanks to slaw.ca for the heads-up, I’m delighted to see that the Osgoode Hall Review of Law and Policy has now appeared (here). It is a “new, online legal journal created and managed by students at Osgoode Hall Law School at York University in Toronto, Canada” (where I spent a happy year far too long ago) and sets itself the target of having a quick turnaround. The journal will include student articles (like this nice administrative law casenote by current Osgoode student Chris Piggott) as well as contributions from more established scholars (for example, a version of Prof. David Vaver’s lecture on IP, delivered at the School last year, is included in the first edition of the journal). While Osgoode of course already publishes the more formal Osgoode Hall Law Journal, the new review joins a growing club of online, flexible publications. Welcome welcome.