A People’s Gathering on the Scottish Constitution Maybe our democracy never really worked that well. Maybe increased transparency and developments in technology mean that ordinary people are able to appreciate the realities of power and its misuse. Maybe the modern age has... Posted 02 Jun 2012
Electoral Reform for Eurovision? Eurovision is upon us once again with everyone’s favourite celebration of Europe’s questionable musical talent. Certain traditions will no doubt hold: certain acts will be flamboyantly silly, Britain will score badly and after it is... Posted 24 May 2012
An important victory for voters, but no time for complacency In the wake of the pomp and pageantry of the Queen’s speech last week, a victory for the voter emerged from the Cabinet Office in the form of the Electoral Registration and Administration Bill. Last... Posted 16 May 2012
Asking a different question on the anniversary of AV A year ago the Yes campaign was soundly defeated in the AV referendum. Bad timing, an imperfect alternative and an opposition willing to fight dirty all worked in favour of First Past the Post, and... Posted 06 May 2012
140,000 reasons for reform: Next week voters across 21 of Wales’ 22 unitary authorities will head to the polls to decide the political make-up of their local councils. Voters will express a view on where they want to see... Posted 26 Apr 2012
Asking the important questions about a Scottish independence referendum The likelihood of Scotland voting in a referendum on independence was something most Scots had accepted would occur at some stage before the next Scottish Parliament election in 2016. We talked about it in passing,... Posted 07 Feb 2012
Is Scottish Democracy failing to realise dream of devolution? The Electoral Reform Society Scotland recently held an event to launch our report examining the “remarkable” results of the May 2011 Scottish Parliamentary election. Under the heading ‘A health check’, report co-author; Professor Curtice, examined the potential... Posted 18 Nov 2011
Does First Past the Post actually mean voters can ‘Kick the bastards out’? We hear time and again of the way First Past the Post lets voters ‘kick the bastards out’ – a colourful reference to the perceived ease with which voters can turf out one government and neatly replace it... Posted 31 Aug 2010
2010 General Election Results In contrast to 2005, the electoral system did not produce a House of Commons majority for a party whose support lay in the mid-30 per cent range; the Conservatives fell short in 2010 while Labour,... Posted 19 May 2010
The 2010 General Election – An Unusual Election The 2010 election was an unusual election, to say the least. It saw a number of unique and interesting features of the campaign and the result: The 2010 campaign was the first to feature direct,... Posted 07 May 2010