The government tried to bury news on the bloated House of Lords. Here’s the facts…“Theresa May backs bid to cut the size of House of Lords” began a headline in February. It seems that three months is a lifetime in politics… Over the weekend, the PM attempted to bury...Posted 22 May 2018
Britain’s democratic farce: This is how the upcoming ‘hereditary by-election’ will workLast week, there was a rather hushed announcement in parliament: a resignation among the Lords. A peer has decided to retire. No big news usually, but this is no ordinary peerage. Nor will it be an ordinary...Posted 16 May 2018
No more filibustering – why the government should get behind a fairer franchiseScotland has it, Wales is getting it, and more and more politicians are calling for it in England. Yet on Friday, a handful of MPs prevented legislation on votes at 16 going to the next...Posted 15 May 2018
If you didn’t already think the voter ID trial was a mess, you will after reading thisThe government’s rationale for its ill-considered Voter ID pilots was to tackle “electoral fraud” – a criminal offence of which allegations are rightly investigated by the police. So it doesn’t look good for the government...Posted 08 May 2018
Revealed: How mandatory voter ID risks locking out legitimate votersRepresentative democracies rely on people being able to participate in free and fair elections. That is why each time an election comes around the Electoral Reform Society and likeminded campaigners encourage as many people as...Posted 30 Apr 2018
What can be drawn from the House of Lords ‘abolition’ petition and other options for reformThe House of Lords is a centuries-old institution of British politics which has outlived many others and which, to this day, plays an active role in crafting the laws of the land. But in its...Posted 27 Apr 2018
Four reasons why trade unionists are backing a shake-up of Westminster’s political systemToday is an important milestone in the broad campaign for political reform: the movement has won fresh civil society support. A new report from campaigners ‘Politics For The Many’ is calling for a shift in the...Posted 16 Apr 2018
More votes but fewer seats? Surely you’re joking?Imagine if at the next General Election one party received the most votes, but another – with fewer votes – returned more MPs. It sounds wholly unfair, undemocratic and absurd. But that is exactly what...Posted 05 Mar 2018
The plan to cut MPs looks suspiciously like a power grabAre we witnessing a power grab? Six months ago, reports suggested that the Prime Minister had dropped plans to force through a cut in MPs, a cut linked with the ongoing review of constituency boundaries....Posted 20 Feb 2018
May has dropped the new Lords appointments for now. Here’s what must happen nextFor months now, there has been widespread speculation that new appointments to the House of Lords were imminent. The second chamber – already overflowing with nearly 800 peers – was to welcome yet more former...Posted 16 Feb 2018