Crossing the threshold – the Turkish electionThere was a fair deal of shock in Turkey last weekend as the Justice and Development Party (AKP) lost its parliamentary majority, which it has enjoyed since 2002. The AKP’s dominance has been legendary since...Posted 11 Jun 2015
With all due respect, Minister… AV is not PRThis week our colleagues at Unlock Democracy received the official government response to the 500,000-strong petitions for electoral reform, handed in to 10 Downing Street just a week after the General Election. It seems that John Penrose,...Posted 10 Jun 2015
The 2015 general election – A system in crisisIt’s official: this election was the most disproportionate in UK history. We’ve just released our new report on the May 7th General Election, A Voting System in Crisis. And it makes for worrying reading for fans of...Posted 01 Jun 2015
So who gets to be Prime Minister?In 2011 the Fixed Term Parliaments Act was passed. Setting aside its merits or demerits, the politics behind its introduction and the decision to fix the terms at five years, it is a piece of...Posted 06 May 2015
A personal history of First Past the Post 1950 – 2010This blog is a guest piece by one of our members, Alan Errock. I’m now 86 and have voted in election after election, but my vote has seldom counted towards the result. Here is my...Posted 05 May 2015
Election Cancelled – The Curse of Uncontested SeatsThere has been a shocking increase in the number of uncontested seats in some English councils up for election this May. The Eden District Council in Cumbria has already declared 21 of its 38 available...Posted 01 May 2015
What’s happening in Scotland?If the polls are to be believed, next Thursday Scotland will vote to send more SNP MPs to the House of Commons than ever before. Why is what used to be a stable voting pattern...Posted 29 Apr 2015
Who’s afraid of sharing power?If you were to judge British public opinion from newspaper headlines, you would assume we were terrified of the idea of political parties working together. The horror stories of smaller parties ‘holding the country to...Posted 27 Apr 2015
Taking your time forming a governmentSome things can be done in a hurry, but forming a Government certainly shouldn’t be one of them. In our recent report, Working Together, we set out the guidelines for forming power-sharing arrangements based on...Posted 20 Apr 2015
Do you live in a safe seat?The outcome of this election is, on the whole, unpredictable. Who will form the next government is the question on everyone’s lips. But in hundreds of seats across the country, people already know the result....Posted 10 Apr 2015