Articles by Doug Cowan

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Doug Cowan, Head of Digital

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ERS in the Press – November 2018

Here is just a highlight of the coverage our campaigns have received in the press this month. MPs call for end to ‘political gender gap’ at Westminster We coordinated the media for the Centenary Action Group’s campaign...

Posted 30 Nov 2018

How the Democrats could win the popular vote but not control of the House

Brenda from Bristol famously cried “not another one!” at the news that we were to hold an election in 2017, just two years since the last one. Let’s hope she doesn’t plan to move to...

Posted 06 Nov 2018

Four countries where First Past the Post is dead and buried

As a Halloween treat, we thought we’d have a spooky stroll around the graveyard of First Past the Post. Around the world, voters in country after country, tired of it’s tricks, have chosen to bury...

Posted 31 Oct 2018

In 1951 more people voted Labour than Conservative, yet the Conservatives formed the government

The General Election on this day in 1951 couldn’t have been more decisive. Six years since Labour’s victory in 1945, and one year after their victory in 1950, the public was still behind Clement Attlee’s...

Posted 25 Oct 2018

DUP deals and the warped world of First Past the Post coalitions

With news that the Democratic Unionist Party’s 10 MPs are considering voting down the budget over Brexit divisions, the usual arguments are being rolled out about the ‘tail wagging the dog’ during coalitions. For two...

Posted 12 Oct 2018

Three things we learnt at Lib Dem Conference

After spending a long weekend at Liberal Democrat conference, I can confirm that EU berets are firmly in fashion, you should never mention the M (moderate) word in their company and there is nothing they...

Posted 20 Sep 2018

How can a party lose support but gain seats? The upside-down world of Westminster’s voting system

What would you expect to happen if a party gained support in a fresh election? Most people would expect them to gain MPs. It seems obvious that a change in popular support should lead to...

Posted 14 Sep 2018

It’s not just the boundaries that need reviewing – it’s First Past the Post

The four national Boundary Commissions have now announced their results. If parliament accepts them, these will be the constituencies that the next general election in 2022 will be fought on. The election specialists Rallings &...

Posted 11 Sep 2018

Why it’s time to shine a light on ‘dark ads’ online

Following a request by the Culture Media and Sport committee, Facebook has revealed the EU referendum adverts paid for by Vote Leave and created by Aggregate IQ. In the modern world of campaigning, political parties and campaigns can...

Posted 30 Jul 2018

What were these ‘so-called’ trials of voter ID supposed to prove?

One of the great mysteries of the voter ID trials in May’s English local elections was what exactly the trials were meant to be testing. Out of 44.4 million votes cast in 2017, there were...

Posted 19 Jul 2018