News and Comment

The latest news and commentary from the Electoral Reform Society.

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A diverse democracy: Building a Wales for all

At its heart, democracy is a celebration of variety. Democracy requires that arguments are tested, scrutinised and checked, from inception to delivery. That’s why it’s important that the backgrounds of those doing that are as...

Posted 15 Apr 2016

The Irish election: How PR can keep the local link

The General Election in Ireland last month was an earthquake in Irish politics. Ireland now has a vastly more diverse political landscape, with the results a reflection of a major decline in party loyalties –...

Posted 29 Mar 2016

The government should let union members choose how they vote

Tomorrow, the Chancellor will present his budget for the year ahead. But it’s not the only important thing happening: though it won’t be dominating the headlines, the government’s controversial Trade Union Bill will reach one...

Posted 15 Mar 2016

We closed a lobbying loophole

We’re welcoming a victory today in our campaign to make lobbying in Scotland more transparent. Yesterday we received a letter from the Scottish Minister for Parliamentary Business, Joe Fitzpatrick, stating that the Scottish Government will...

Posted 11 Mar 2016

Four Reasons Conservatives Should Support Electoral Reform

The Scottish Conservative Party conference kicks off today, and one of the highlights will be the launch of a new pamphlet, “Light Blue Ideas”, edited by Professor Alan Convery. Alan is a lecturer in politics...

Posted 04 Mar 2016

Obvious Route for Australian Senate Reform Ignored

Interest in the Australian political system has been building over the last couple of weeks over a proposal to make some notable reforms to the electoral system for the Senate. Each of Australia’s six States...

Posted 23 Feb 2016

Australian Senate reform

In memory of Lord Avebury

On 14th February 2016 Lord Avebury, or Eric Lubbock, sadly passed away. Lord Avebury, a Liberal Democrat Peer, was a proud democratic reformer throughout his life, campaigning for proportional representation and a range of democratic causes. He...

Posted 15 Feb 2016

Time for a Registration Revolution

Today is National Voter Registration day, launched by our friends at Bite the Ballot. Voter registration is an integral part of our democracy. If you’re not registered you can’t vote. Electoral boundaries are now also drawn based...

Posted 05 Feb 2016