Lobbying: Recall and Registers are no silver bulletsThe lobbying scandal is yet more evidence of the corrupting power of money in our politics. But as ministers fall over themselves to look decisive, it’s time for a reality check. The Government doesn’t seem...Posted 03 Jun 2013
1.25: A small price to pay for a proper debate.Today we’ve welcomed news that BBC Scotland is to set aside an extra £5 million for dedicated coverage of the 2014 Independence Referendum. We are now looking at a team of 50 tasked with providing coverage and...Posted 22 May 2013
Time to end the deadlock on party fundingToday a new bill lands in parliament, courtesy of Labour’s Alan Whitehead, Lib Dem Lord Tyler and Conserative Andrew Tyrie. It deserves attention – because it offers a sensible, cross party approach to party funding....Posted 16 May 2013
Would you back ‘None of the Above’?Following the county council elections we’ve been hearing a lot about ‘None of the Above’. The IPPR recently flagged None of the Above – or NOTA – as a part of their plan to boost youth...Posted 14 May 2013
Where are my leaflets?“How could I make a decision? I didn’t receive any leaflets” That seemed to be a common complaint from the 2013 County Council Elections. We’ve conducted a string of interviews for local radio where many...Posted 13 May 2013
Four good reasons to oppose recallGovernments rarely receive praise for inaction – but that is precisely the right move on recall. In today’s Queen’s Speech there was no reference to the pledge to legislate for recall. This is a system...Posted 08 May 2013
UKIP rise: Expect the unexpectedAs polls open in County Council Elections all the talk is on UKIP’s prospects. Our elections were never designed for 3 party politics – let alone 4. Our fickle First Past the Post system has...Posted 02 May 2013
Do you live in a Rotten Borough?With this year’s county council elections only a few weeks away, we’ve undertaken new analysis that has revealed the parlous state of local democracy in England and Wales. Evidence shows 21 million people are now...Posted 17 Apr 2013
South Shields: Why bother with a by-election?After David Miliband’s shock resignation we’re looking at a by-election in South Shields. At the Electoral Reform Society we care about elections. But in the case of South Shields we’re wondering what’s the point? The...Posted 27 Mar 2013
What Scots really think about devolution?Scots currently aren’t keen on independence, but most of us would like all major powers – including welfare and tax – exercised in Edinburgh, not Westminster. Today we launch a joint report with Scotcen to show what...Posted 18 Mar 2013