Top 10 must-read stories from the Electoral Reform Society in 2020 The pandemic has cast its shadow over everything this year – and issues of democracy are no exception. We’ve seen the effects of a super-centralised political system, leading to clashes between the nations and regions... Posted 18 Dec 2020
What we’ve learnt about the government’s ‘Democracy Commission’ By Akash Thiara, a Placement Student with the Electoral Reform Society from the University of Nottingham. It has been a year since the last general election and, the Conservative party pledged it would set up... Posted 18 Dec 2020
Shock Parliamentary survey results highlights calls for electoral reform By Akash Thiara, a Placement Student with the Electoral Reform Society from the University of Nottingham. A survey conducted by the House of Commons’ Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Select Committee (PACAC) asked people what... Posted 15 Dec 2020
It’s time to put deliberation at the heart of Scottish politics Last Saturday the final session of the Citizen’s Assembly of Scotland concluded. The assembly, the largest deliberative event in Scotland’s history brought together ordinary people to deliberate over the issues that will shape Scotland. As... Posted 12 Dec 2020
YouGov study reveals the stark levels of discontent with Westminster By Akash Thiara, a Placement Student with the Electoral Reform Society from the University of Nottingham. Last week, polling firm YouGov released a wide-ranging study on democracy and its perception amongst Britons – and it... Posted 11 Dec 2020
One year on from the General Election: What we’ve learnt about Westminster’s warped voting system A year ago this Saturday, the polls opened on the first December election for over ninety years. At the time this felt like an unusual bookend to an unusual parliamentary term, which had culminated in... Posted 11 Dec 2020
What is the government’s proposed Democracy Commission? By Akash Thiara, a Placement Student with the Electoral Reform Society from the University of Nottingham. During last year’s general election, the government pledged that, in its first year, it would set up a ‘Constitution,... Posted 07 Dec 2020
Building a better democracy – 2020 and the Electoral Reform Society It’s hard to think of a more troubling year in living memory. But the public health crisis has, perhaps counter-intuitively, put issues of democracy at the forefront. The election may feel like a distant memory,... Posted 07 Dec 2020
MPs in joint call to ‘protect and strengthen’ the Electoral Commission, 20 years after its foundation This week marks 20 years since the Electoral Commission was founded. It’s a time for celebration of its successes but also a time to look to its future. That’s why former Digital, Culture, Media and... Posted 04 Dec 2020
ERS in the Press – November 2020 In a month dominated by coronavirus and a second national lockdown in England as well as Brexit negotiations, democratic issues have still been in the news and we’ve continued to be at the forefront of... Posted 02 Dec 2020