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10 years since the Equality Act was introduced, parties need to come clean on diversity

It has been 10 years since the Equality Act (2010) received Royal Assent, providing Britain with a legal framework to protect the rights of individuals and advance equality of opportunity for all. Sadly, not all of...

Posted 08 Apr 2020

Isle of Man: World’s oldest parliament goes online

Parliaments around the world are looking at new ways to conduct business during the Coronavirus crisis. We’d like to thank the Hon. Juan Watterson, Speaker of the Isle of Man’s House of Keys for taking...

Posted 06 Apr 2020

ERS in the Press – March 2020

These are difficult and uncertain times, with the coronavirus pandemic shutting down most normal activity in politics and across the country this month. Despite the disruption, we’ve been campaigning the most democratic and safe Parliamentary...

Posted 06 Apr 2020

Pressure is growing for a ‘virtual Parliament’ to hold politicians to account

With Parliament now on a pause for four weeks, serious questions are being asked about how life-changing decisions will be scrutinised at this time of crisis. In March, Parliament voted through a raft of emergency...

Posted 02 Apr 2020

Speakerbacks calls for a virtual Parliament

How other parliaments are handling the coronavirus outbreak

The scale of the coronavirus challenge is almost unprecedented in modern Britain. It also presents enormous new challenges for how democracy operates amid a pandemic. This week, the Cabinet met for the first time without...

Posted 01 Apr 2020

New Zealand has set up a new select committee, chaired by the Leader of the Opposition, to scrutinise government decisions

Let’s postpone bizarre peer by-elections for good

Even in today’s climate, hereditary peer by-elections are among the more absurd aspects of British politics. Following the retirement of the Earl of Selborne from the House of Lords after almost 50 years in office,...

Posted 01 Apr 2020

Deepening democracy with Scotland’s Local Democracy Bill

Democracy isn’t static, it is a process. It isn’t always simple or easy, and today it is being tested under the strain of a crisis of trust, one which affects political institutions, the public square...

Posted 30 Mar 2020

The Local Democracy Bill must stem from more than just traditional consultation

New research: Comparing rates of electoral assent in the recent Irish and UK general elections

Luke Field is an Irish political scientist specialising in campaigns, elections, and democracy. He recently completed a Ph.D. in Political Science at University College Dublin and lectures in Politics at University College Cork. He tweets...

Posted 26 Mar 2020

If UK electors are dissatisfied with their parliamentary representation, they may wish to consider whether their electoral system is a factor

The ERS, democracy and the coronavirus crisis

ERS staff are, as you would imagine, working from home, and our events and meetings have all been postponed. While the office is closed, we’re still keeping up our work remotely (do contact [email protected] if...

Posted 24 Mar 2020

Parliament needs to adapt fast to the coronavirus crisis

There’s a contradiction at times of crisis like this. The need for scrutiny increases, as crucial measures are pushed through that affect all our lives. Yet the time for scrutiny is understandably limited. That means...

Posted 24 Mar 2020