Kari Palonen Knihy

Currently, parliament as a political institution does not enjoy the best reputation. This book aims to recover less known political resources of the parliamentary mode of proceeding. The parliamentary procedure relies on regulating debates in a fair way and on constructing opposed perspectives on the agenda items. The British House of Commons provides the closest historical approximation for the parliamentary ideal type of politics. This book deals with the formation and conceptual change in the Westminster procedure, based on the way they are interpreted in the tracts on procedure. The tracts illustrate the changing parliamentary self-understanding from the 1570s to the present and the growing political role of procedural disputes. The parliamentary style of politics, as discussed in the tracts, can be divided into two genres: the politics of agenda-setting and the politics of debate. The book analyses their formation and overall conceptual change as well as the procedural responses to the increasingly scarce parliamentary time from the period after the 1832 parliamentary reform. It insists that in spite of claims on urgency and on government’s leadership the procedural resources of the House of Commons contribute to maintaining the debate-centred parliamentary style of politics.

In 1952, politicians from six European nations convened to draft a constitution for a future political community, marking a pivotal moment in the evolution of parliamentary governance within a supranational framework. This book revisits the often-overlooked origins of parliamentary Europe and explores the significance of this ad-hoc assembly in the context of post-World War II European integration. It examines how this gathering functioned as a project for integration and its implications for the political theory and history of parliamentarism, paving the way for future developments in EU parliamentary processes.

Focusing on the intersection of debates and political action, the book provides both theoretical insights and practical methods for analysis. It defines politics and political discourse, elaborates on debates as exchanges of arguments, and offers research practices for examining texts. Through case studies, it illustrates how to analyze parliamentary debates, documents, and media articles, making it a valuable resource for students and scholars interested in political rhetoric and text analysis.

Focusing on Max Weber as a political thinker, this collection explores his concept of Chance, which frames politics as contingent activity. The essays, ranging from 1999 to 2014, delve into Weber's views on the ideal politician and key political concepts like freedom, democracy, and the state. Additionally, the work connects Weber's notion of 'objectivity' to parliamentary politics. It situates Weber's ideas within a broader intellectual context, engaging with both historical and contemporary scholars, enriching the discourse on his political thought.

This book explores the evolution of parliamentary politics through a thought experiment inspired by Max Weber and the Westminster model. It examines key principles such as debate rhetoric, government control, and the role of parliamentarians. The author also discusses the relevance of parliamentary judgment in contemporary politics.

Max Webers Politik aus Beruf ist aktuell als Thematisierung des Politikbegriffs und Verteidigung des Typus Politiker. Die Schrift wird hier historisch und rhetorisch neu gelesen.

Pococks "The Machiavellian Moment" versteht Politik als Kontingenzbehandlung. Das "Webersche Moment" deutet Max Weber ebenfalls in diesem Sinne, interpretiert ihn jedoch als Denker, der die Kontingenz uminterpretiert. Anstatt sie als 'fortuna' im Hintergrund der Politik zu deuten, sieht Weber die Kontingenz der Chancen als Voraussetzung dafür, politisches Handeln zu verstehen. Diese Sicht prägt auch seine Streben, Macht und Kampf ebenso wie Leidenschaft, Verantwortungsgefühl und Augenmaß verweisen auf verschiedene Aspekte der Kontingenz. Der Autor zeigt, daß die "Globalisierung der Kontingenz" (Connolly) in der gegenwärtigen Politik eine Art Rückkehr der 'fortuna' bedeutet. Politik hat nun beide Aspekte der Kontingenz, die Chancen und die 'fortuna' aufeinander zu beziehen.

Max Webers Interpretationen der Grundbegriffe wie Macht, Herrschaft und Staat sind heute akademische Gemeinplätze. Kari Palonen diskutiert, wann, wozu und wie Webers Konzepte entstanden sind und gegen welche Ansichten und Personen er damit polemisierte. Palonen analysiert, wie Weber die Kontingenz der Begriffe der öffentlichen und akademischen Sprache sichtbar machte und wie er mit dem Begriff der Chance ermöglichte, diese neu zu denken. Anschließend zu seinen langjährigen Studien zu Webers politischem Denken und Methodologie benutzt Palonen Idealtypen zur Analyse des Weberschen Werks. Im ersten Teil des Buches diskutiert er Grundsätze, mit denen Max Weber als Politiker der Begriffe operiert. Der zweite Teil enthält Beispiele – Politik, Macht, Herrschaft, Staat, Demokratie, Parlamentarismus – die Webers Praktiken der begrifflichen Revisionen veranschaulichen. Im Schlusskapitel analysiert er, wie Max Weber in Parlamentsdebatten zitiert und ausgenutzt wird.

Recent studies manifest a new interest in the politics of internal parliamentary practices. The book presents a thesis that a shift from oratory to debate characterises the parliamentarisation of deliberative rhetoric. Parliamentary speeches are intelligible only as political interventions pro et contra to debates on motions on the agenda and the agenda-setting itself. Scholars of rhetoric and parliaments have been slow recognising this shift and its political implications. The book analyses the rhetoric of Westminster-related writings from late 18th century to WWII among academic and others outsiders in contrast to parliamentary insiders (officials, journalists, members). Special attention is given to John Stuart Mill and Walter Bagehot as popular British parliamentary theorists and to cases studies on actual parliamentary debates. With its procedures and ways of dealing time the Westminster-style parliament is an exemplary political assembly of debating pro et contra.