ERS Scotland hosts event to put the public’s ideas to the test On a chilly night in Edinburgh, ERS Scotland and the Public Policy Network at the University of Edinburgh held a participatory discussion on Scotland’s democracy in a lecture theatre. Not the ideal space for a... Posted 15 Jan 2013
Politics: the future is plural The question of whether it is possible to be both a pluralist and a tribalist in politics dominated the debate at last night’s launch of Labour for Democracy, a new network within the Labour... Posted 05 Dec 2012
Does no means ‘No Change’ or ‘More Powers’? So we have a deal. We have a Yes/No question for a vote on Scottish Independence, and we can hardly contain our disappointment. This referendum has become a bit of a game with both sides intent... Posted 15 Oct 2012
50 days and counting to the election no one’s heard of… It’s 50 days and counting to the election no one’s heard of… We have been joined by candidates from across the political divide to call on Theresa May to tackle the rock bottom turnout predicted for... Posted 26 Sep 2012
Avoiding a politicians fix – more powers should be on the ballot Most people think it would be a good idea if the Governments in Westminster and Edinburgh could agree on the form of the Referendum on Scottish Independence. It would probably save all sorts of legal... Posted 21 Sep 2012
Low turnout is a gift to candidates who have cash to spend For some people, low turnout is an opportunity. In the last week we’ve gained enormous traction for our report that Police and Crime Commissioner elections are set for record low turnout – 18.5%, quite possibly the lowest... Posted 26 Aug 2012
Playing pass the parcel on turnout On May 3 2012 Scotland went to the polls. We’d like to tell you precisely how many Scots actually went to vote, but the honest answer is we can’t. And that’s because no one knows... Posted 26 Jul 2012
Between apathy and hope – your chance to give yourself something to vote for! Peter Lesniak, Director of Communications, Bite the Ballot George Jean Nathan said a hundred yeas ago that ‘bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote’. This statement is as true today as... Posted 24 Jul 2012
February 1974 – The election everything changed for the British party system “Power of the British Voter in Terminal Decline.” So read the headline in Saturday’s Guardian, which gave us an exclusive first glimpse at the latest edition of the Democratic Audit. The picture the report paints... Posted 09 Jul 2012
Where have all the working class MPs gone? The relationship between an individual’s social background and the way they vote has become much weaker in recent times with class no longer acting as a relatively accurate predictor of party preference. Voters are now... Posted 03 Jul 2012