Scots are ready for real, meaningful constitutional debateSince the launch of Yes Scotland and Better Together, the campaigns in support of independence and the Union respectively, the constitutional debate has entered a phase of relative quiet. While partisans and activists continue to fight the campaigns...Posted 17 Jul 2012
Super majority in the Commons on Lords reformThere was progress on the rocky road to reform of the House of Lords this week when the bill to introduce some members to the second chamber received huge support from MPs. But party politics...Posted 12 Jul 2012
February 1974 – The election everything changed for the British party system“Power of the British Voter in Terminal Decline.” So read the headline in Saturday’s Guardian, which gave us an exclusive first glimpse at the latest edition of the Democratic Audit. The picture the report paints...Posted 09 Jul 2012
Where have all the working class MPs gone?The relationship between an individual’s social background and the way they vote has become much weaker in recent times with class no longer acting as a relatively accurate predictor of party preference. Voters are now...Posted 03 Jul 2012
A fair cop for women? Female Police and Crime Commissioner candidates in less winnable seatsYesterday, the Labour Party became the first party to finalise its candidates for the 41 Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to be elected this November. There have been widespread fears that this new role will be heavily...Posted 20 Jun 2012
A People’s Gathering on the Scottish ConstitutionMaybe 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
Voter registration: lessons from the USBy Dr Toby S James, Swansea University In the 1980s American academics Frances Fox Piven and Richard Cloward, alongside the organisation Human SERVE, campaigned to make voting and registering to vote easier for citizens. At...Posted 21 May 2012
An important victory for voters, but no time for complacencyIn 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
England let down by elections as Scotland leads the waySince Thursday’s local elections we’ve been crunching the numbers. Did voters get a fair deal? What has breaking from First Past the Post meant for Scotland? Well what we’re seeing is a widening gulf between local democracy...Posted 09 May 2012