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Good news for Welsh elections

The UK Government today released their draft Wales Bill, continuing the process of the Silk Commission through to the St David’s Day declaration. It is clear that these proposals – in particular how powers are...

Posted 20 Oct 2015

Young people in Wales back votes at 16 – and political education

As the Welsh Assembly publish their major report on votes at 16 today, the young people of Wales have spoken. And it is a clear message – young people want a vote. With 10,375 young people...

Posted 15 Jul 2015

Don’t let fewer Welsh County Councils mean less democracy for Wales

Today, Public Services Minister Leighton Andrews announces the new proposed map for Local Authorities in Wales, with plans to reduce the number of County Councils from 22 to 8 or 9. This follows the recent...

Posted 17 Jun 2015

Implementing the Donaldson Review in Wales

Following the announcement by Education minister Huw Lewis that the Donaldson Review would be implemented in full, our education adviser Rhodri Griffiths examines the Donaldson Review on Education in Wales and asks: ‘how can young people become informed...

Posted 16 Jun 2015

The ailing dragon – healing Welsh democracy

There’s a crisis of confidence in politics, which cannot be allowed to continue. After countless scandals and inquiries, people are left thinking that politics isn’t working for them. The Hansard Society’s audit of political engagement found that...

Posted 09 Jul 2014

On dual candidacy, let’s play nice

The UK Government has confirmed its intention to lift the ban on dual candidacy in its Draft Wales Bill. In a nutshell, dual candidacy is when an individual contests both a constituency seat and a party...

Posted 18 Dec 2013

Wales and the Lobbying Bill

The potential effects of the Lobbying Bill on democracy at the UK level have been widely discussed, and it is difficult to cover the myriad problems the Bill poses in a single blog. This is...

Posted 24 Oct 2013

Size Matters when it comes to the National Assembly for Wales

How many politicians does it take to scrutinise a government? As it turns out, you need more than there are currently representing Welsh voters in Cardiff Bay. That’s why we are calling for an increase...

Posted 16 Oct 2013

The ban on dual candidacy damages scrutiny in the Welsh Assembly

Some more good news from today’s Queen’s Speech. And this time it’s for something that’s actually in it. The Coalition Government is now pledged to bring forward draft legislation to reform elections in Wales. The current...

Posted 08 May 2013

The 300 women ‘missing’ from Welsh public life

It’s International Women’s Day. And it seemed the right time to show just how badly women are faring in Welsh public life. Our Welsh Power Report assesses the levels of women across politics and public life,...

Posted 07 Mar 2013