Andy Burnham’s identified the right problem – but his solution falls shortTry as the political class might, calls to reform the House of Lords always come to the fore. So it’s no surprise that the issue has been on the agenda again for the past week....Posted 10 Aug 2015
The House of Lords Needs a Major Overhaul, Not Tinkering Around the EdgesCalls for reform of the House of Lords have been heard even more loudly that normal in the last ten days and the reason is fairly obvious. The current set-up comes nowhere close to being...Posted 04 Aug 2015
The Canadian Senate – A second-rate second chamberIn the current debate about Lords reform it can often be tempting to look for easy solutions which broadly keep the structure of the Lords as it is, but deal with some of its defects....Posted 03 Aug 2015
Our unelected House of Lords is in dire need of a clear-outAnother month, another political controversy. In the Lords however – unlike our elected Commons – there’s no way for the public to hold Peers to account at the ballot box. Instead, you have to hope that...Posted 30 Jul 2015
Proportional Representation can build a stronger constituency linkIt is often said that the constituency link is a vital part of British political life; MPs represent local areas and are directly accountable to those areas for their continued careers. If MPs misbehave their...Posted 27 Jul 2015
Why calls for Liz Kendall to drop out are nonsenseThe rise of Jeremy Corbyn has, it goes without saying, completely shifted the terms and nature of the Labour leadership debate. The panic in much of the Labour Party elite is palpable – whether it...Posted 24 Jul 2015
Devolution needs democracy – politicians should back fair votes for local governmentTomorrow the Cities and Local Government Devolution Bill has its Third Reading in the House of Lords – the final stage before it goes back to the Commons. It’s a Bill that will have a...Posted 20 Jul 2015
2015 General Election ResultsVotes for the two largest parties came to just 67.3% combined, with 36.9% of the electorate voting Conservative and 30.4% voting Labour. The number of votes cast for parties other than the Conservatives, Labour or...Posted 19 Jul 2015
Young people in Wales back votes at 16 – and political educationAs 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
Time for a constitutional convention for the EUThe standoff between the European Union, the European Central Bank (ECB), and Greece is a crisis born at least partly from a problem with democracy. In the EU as at any other level we hope...Posted 10 Jul 2015