Seven things you need to know about the local elections Blink and you’ll miss the coverage, but local elections are happening on Thursday 3 May in England. A lot has changed since these seats were last contested, in 2014. We had the Conservative/Lib Dem coalition government,... Posted 16 Apr 2018
Four reasons why trade unionists are backing a shake-up of Westminster’s political system Today is an important milestone in the broad campaign for political reform: the movement has won fresh civil society support. A new report from campaigners ‘Politics For The Many’ is calling for a shift in the... Posted 16 Apr 2018
The birth of Hungary’s Franken-voting system The three-time two-thirds majority winning political party Fidesz has been able to reshape Hungary’s political institutions because of the 2010 election, in which it won 53% of the vote, and won its first two-thirds majority.... Posted 13 Apr 2018
Just how popular is Hungary’s Fidesz? Viktor Orban’s Fidesz party has dominated Hungarian politics since 2010. On Sunday, its dominance was confirmed, as it won its third two-thirds majority in a row, winning 134 of 199 seats. In most European countries,... Posted 12 Apr 2018
More votes but fewer seats? Surely you’re joking? Imagine if at the next General Election one party received the most votes, but another – with fewer votes – returned more MPs. It sounds wholly unfair, undemocratic and absurd. But that is exactly what... Posted 05 Mar 2018
Social media can be an effective tool for MPs when done the right way Political nuts were sent into a frenzy last week by the launch of a new social media platform – Matt Hancock. To briefly explain – the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport,... Posted 05 Feb 2018
How we vote has to change if our voices are to be heard It came as no surprise this week that the 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer revealed nearly three in five people (57%) in the UK feel their views are not being represented in British politics. It is the inevitable consequence... Posted 24 Jan 2018
Full recall would be a free-for-all of unintended consequences A spate of recent controversies has renewed demands for ‘full recall’ – where ten percent of voters can sign a petition, triggering a local referendum on whether an MP should lose their seat and a... Posted 19 Jan 2018
Ministers are ignoring the elephant in the room when it comes to boundaries The government’s Minister for the Constitution has claimed that millions of voters living in oversized constituencies are being under-represented. Speaking about the current boundaries, Chris Skidmore MP said: “It is an affront to democracy that 27 million people are under-represented.” ... Posted 03 Jan 2018
Our top 5 most read blogs of 2017 This time of year, we take a look back on our most popular articles of the year. A lot has happened: snap elections, threats to impose first-past-the-post and the ever-reliable annual House of Lords scandal.... Posted 20 Dec 2017