Democracy cancelled: How parties have captured hundreds of seats before local election dayLarge parts of England are effectively democracy deserts, with hundreds of thousands of potential voters denied real choice in this May’s elections. New research by the Electoral Reform Society ahead of next month’s vote shows...Posted 19 Apr 2019
Why A General Election Won’t Solve The Brexit DeadlockOne piece of news got buried last week. While Labour held on to Newport West in Thursday’s by-election, the full figures reveal an interesting picture. Back in 2017 Labour and the Conservatives took nearly 92%...Posted 11 Apr 2019
In a Snap Brexit Election, 16 and 17 Year-Olds Must Have the VoteYoung people are refusing to be ignored – the recent school climate strikes and campaigning on Brexit have shown that. But while they can protest outside Parliament all they want, there’s a brutal fact: they...Posted 05 Apr 2019
While MPs debate our democratic future, another aristocrat takes a seat in Parliament for lifeOn Wednesday – while elected MPs debated Britain’s future – the results came out for the latest in a series of bizarre House of Lords ‘by-elections’. The vote – to fill the vacant seat following...Posted 28 Mar 2019
Money could flood into British politics under planned lawThe Overseas Electors Bill, which returned to the Commons last week, has a sound purpose – to end the current limit on how long Britons can live abroad and still be able to vote. But,...Posted 25 Mar 2019
Why replacing the unelected House of Lords is key to the movement for fair votesFor far too many of its members, the second chamber of our Parliament is a private members’ club. The House of Lords – the UK’s revising chamber – is packed to the brim with appointees...Posted 22 Mar 2019
Local citizens’ assemblies could break our political deadlock – but the government have vetoed themLast summer, ministers announced genuinely exciting plans for piloting ‘deliberative democracy’ across the UK. The plan was to use a series of citizens’ assemblies to engage people with politics, to tackle complex and contested topics,...Posted 22 Mar 2019
These three peers should not be allowed to stand in the way of democracyIn a week dominated by Brexit, it’s easy to forget that there are other topics still on the political agenda. While our MPs once again grapple over just what kind of Brexit would ‘take back...Posted 15 Mar 2019
Tax ‘exiles’ are funnelling money into our political parties. It’s time to close the loopholeHere’s a fairly basic democratic principle: those who pour money into our political parties in exchange for influence should – at the very least –be based here at home. Sadly, even that low bar is...Posted 07 Mar 2019
Brexit has drawn back the curtain on Britain’s unwieldy coalitionsIn one sense, the formation of The Independent Group on Monday came to many as a shock to the system. But in another sense, it simply reflected a long-term reality. Britain’s parties are unwieldy coalitions,...Posted 19 Feb 2019