Why the Brexit TV debate debacle shows party leaders must be compelled to take partThere was a story noticeably absent on the front pages on Monday: Sunday night’s Brexit TV leaders debate. That’s because – for all the valiant efforts of broadcasters, there wasn’t one. The past month has...Posted 12 Dec 2018
The TV Brexit debate tantrums show why party leaders shouldn’t be able to dictate the formatIn an age where much of what we see and read about politics is micro-targeted and atomised, TV leaders’ debates offer a rare shared event for supporters of all parties – one reason why the...Posted 03 Dec 2018
TUC: A fair society needs equality in Westminster, not just the workplaceThe 150th Anniversary Congress of the TUC was both a celebration of the past – and a chance to look to the future of trade unions in Britain. Politics for the Many – the trade...Posted 20 Sep 2018
Are we about to witness an ‘arms race’ in Brexit spending?Over the weekend, the co-founder of the Superdry fashion label donated £1m to the People’s vote campaign, with the funds set to be used to conduct “one of the most detailed polling exercises ever undertaken...Posted 21 Aug 2018
Government figures have revealed the potential cost of voter ID – and it is enormousFrom the get go, the government’s plans to force voters to show ID when voting was a solution looking for a problem, and risked shutting out tens of thousands of voters. Now we have learnt...Posted 16 Aug 2018
Long Read: What’s gone wrong with our democracy – and how do we fix it?This is a time of high political anxiety. No one seems to be very sure of much anymore. Not that long ago it all seemed so different. The twentieth century was a time of tremendous...Posted 14 Aug 2018
The campaign for truly local democracy in Scotland is growingLast weekend – a rare sunny Saturday in Glasgow – around 500 people gathered not to drink cocktails in the shade – but to discuss the future of Scottish democracy: a new vision for ‘taking...Posted 26 Jun 2018
Trade unionists say it’s time to fix Westminster – and build a ‘politics for the many’Politics for the Many is an alliance of trade unionists who champion political reform – and last week they set out the findings of their debut report at this year’s Scottish Trade Union Congress in...Posted 24 Apr 2018
Three reasons there needs to be a crackdown on the ‘online wild west’The Cambridge Analytica scandal has rightly shocked people all over the world. The possibility that our personal information may have been ‘harvested’ for political gain, entirely without our knowledge, has made us fearful. As is...Posted 23 Mar 2018
Five ways we can revive our elections in ScotlandThere is much to admire about the way elections are held in Scotland. Generally speaking, they are transparent, accessible, and ensure seats match how people actually vote at the ballot box. But that isn’t to...Posted 22 Mar 2018