A new Scotland As a politically active individual and an elections geek you’d think I would be excited beyond reason about the independence referendum. In actual fact, I have found the debate to be depressingly repetitive, providing few... Posted 05 Sep 2014
How to get excited about local government reform Recent weeks have continued to see all sorts of handwringing and dark soothsaying about the state of representative democracy. Untrusted politicians, growing inequality and low election turnouts are just part of this sorry state. ... Posted 18 Aug 2014
The government is still dominated by men As the dust settles on the Government reshuffle, you would be forgiven for thinking that the genders are now fairly represented on the front benches. Nothing could be further from the truth. Despite this week’s high-profile... Posted 17 Jul 2014
Not good enough As the dust settles on the Government reshuffle, you would be forgiven for thinking that the genders are now fairly represented on the front benches. Nothing could be further from the truth. Despite this week’s high-profile... Posted 17 Jul 2014
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
Women and Scottish independence This blog was first posted on Engender As the date of the referendum draws ever nearer, and the gender gap in the polls shows no sign of closing, there seem to be more events targeting women... Posted 03 Jul 2014
Women and indyref As the date of the referendum draws ever nearer, and the gender gap in the polls shows no sign of closing, there seem to be more events targeting women and their opinions. Which is great: women’s... Posted 03 Jul 2014
A true democrat Today marks the 50th anniversary of the end of the Rivonia trial, and the sentencing of Nelson Mandela to life imprisonment on charges of sabotage, and acting to ‘further the aims of communism’. It goes without... Posted 12 Jun 2014
Bun-fight in Brussels This was supposed to be the year it all changed. Since the European Commission’s creation, the beginning of each term has been dominated by diplomatic tussling over who would hold its presidency. This process has... Posted 04 Jun 2014
The Margo way Today, 30th May 2014, marks the start of the official campaign period for the Scottish referendum. “But they’ve been campaigning for ages,” I hear you cry. Well yes, but from here on in all the registered... Posted 30 May 2014