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
It’s time for Westminster to join Scotland in shunning First Past the PostFirst Past the Post elections are like trying to peel potatoes with a chainsaw. For much of the UK, people have come to think this clunking old method of giving people a say is the same as...Posted 24 Aug 2017
Local democracy in Scotland needs all of usHere’s a fact for you: a quarter of Scots in a recent BMG poll for the ERS said they would rather finish the ironing than go and vote in a council election. While our commitment to neat...Posted 12 Dec 2016