Articles by Josiah Mortimer

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Josiah Mortimer, former Head of Communications

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‘This is What Democracy Looks Like’: Why campaigners are gathering in Manchester 200 years on from the Peterloo Massacre

Nearly 200 years ago, thousands of working people gathered on St Peter’s Field in Manchester with a simple demand: political representation. Local magistrates tried to shut down the meeting – the cavalry charged on the...

Posted 15 May 2019

200 years on from the Peterloo Massacre, it’s time to revive the campaign for a real democracy.

A new all-party group has been launched to update Britain’s ‘wild west’ election campaign rules

As we get closer to the European elections, here’s a worrying fact: our elections are currently wide open to foreign interference and dodgy campaigning. Election rules in the UK haven’t been updated since the year...

Posted 15 May 2019

ERS in the Press – April 2019

As we geared up for a big round of local elections in England and Northern Ireland, we’ve been putting reform of Britain’s out-dated politics firmly on the agenda. Fair votes now As the Brexit process...

Posted 01 May 2019

Conservative MPs back proportional representation, arguing First Past the Post “encourages conflict and aggression”

MPs from across the spectrum made the case for reforming the Commons’ ‘divisive, broken electoral system’ on Tuesday, in a Westminster Hall debate on proportional representation. The Lib Dems, Green Party, SNP, Plaid Cymru, members...

Posted 26 Apr 2019

Ministers can’t let themselves of the hook when it comes to tackling the social media ‘Wild West’

Last week the government launched a consultation into tackling ‘online harm’. It’s the first step towards dealing with the tech barons of the new ‘wild west’. But ministers can’t let themselves off the hook just...

Posted 15 Apr 2019

There are huge threats to our democracy which mustn’t be ignored

How hereditary aristocrats are still trying to call the shots in Parliament

On Friday, a handful of hereditary aristocrats managed to club together to stop even the most modest of attempts to modernise the House of Lords. Lord Grocott’s bill would have ended the absurd practice of...

Posted 19 Mar 2019

Once again, the government have ignored the consensus for Lords reform. Enough is enough

The facts surrounding the dire state of the House of Lords are clear. It is grossly oversized – the largest legislative chamber in the world outside of China. It is wasteful: in the 2010-2015 parliament,...

Posted 08 Mar 2019

ERS in the Press – February 2019

Another wild month in politics – from crucial Brexit votes to the apparent disintegration of Britain’s party structures. Throughout, we’ve been pointing at the elephant in the room: the crumbling state of Britain’s democracy and...

Posted 28 Feb 2019

As Westminster struggles with party splits, electoral reform is back in the debate

You don’t have to listen hard to hear Westminster’s party system creaking and crumbling. This past two weeks has drawn back the curtain on an undeniable reality: the structures underpinning Parliament’s politics are falling apart....

Posted 26 Feb 2019

Reining in the tech giants – ICO’s Steve Wood in conversation with the ERS

Steve Wood, ICO Deputy Commissioner (Policy) – In conversation with the ERS Head of Communications, Josiah Mortimer for our report Reining in the Political ‘Wild West’: Campaign Rules for the 21st Century. Josiah (ERS): Do you feel...

Posted 18 Feb 2019