This is your chance to steer the movement for fair votesDo you have the skills the Electoral Reform Society needs for the future? This year our members are electing the ERS’ Council – it’s the governing body of the Society, with ultimate responsibility for its...Posted 29 Sep 2017
It’s time for Westminster to join Scotland in shunning First Past the PostFirst Past the Post elections are like trying to peel potatoes with a chainsaw. For much of the UK, people have come to think this clunking old method of giving people a say is the same as...Posted 24 Aug 2017
Scotland’s multi-party system can never be represented by First Past the PostAt the close of the polls on Thursday, people in Scotland will have faced 10 opportunities to vote in the last eight years. Of these elections and referendums, the general election is the only completely...Posted 08 Jun 2017
Local democracy in Scotland needs all of usHere’s a fact for you: a quarter of Scots in a recent BMG poll for the ERS said they would rather finish the ironing than go and vote in a council election. While our commitment to neat...Posted 12 Dec 2016
Why the SNP are Scotland’s new predominant partyOn Wednesday, ERS Scotland launched a major new report, One Party To Rule Them All: Does Scotland Have A Predominant-Party Problem?. That concept of a “predominant-party system” – popularised by the political scientist Giovanni Sartori –...Posted 20 Apr 2016
Call me maybe – why the Scottish Lobbying Bill gets it wrong on digital commsThis is a guest blog, originally published by the Scottish Alliance for Lobbying Transparency. The opinions expressed here are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Electoral Reform Society. By Pete Mills, Unlock Democracy...Posted 15 Feb 2016
Charities have nothing to fear from the Scottish Lobbying BillThis is a guest blog – the opinions expressed here are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Electoral Reform Society. MSc student Megan Elliot, who is conducting research on lobbying...Posted 12 Feb 2016
5 Myths About the Scottish Lobbying BillThis is a guest post by Pete Mills from Unlock Democracy In the first week back after Christmas, MSPs debated a Bill to introduce a lobbying register designed to let ordinary people know who is...Posted 25 Jan 2016
Scotland needs a stronger Lobbying BillRemember the phone-hacking scandal? It seems long ago, but we shouldn’t forget how much we learned about the ways big private interests try to influence policy. The Leveson Inquiry dug up all sorts of stories...Posted 07 Jan 2016
The Scottish people should be involved in the devolution debateYesterday (Wednesday 16th September) the Scottish Parliament debated ‘Scotland’s Future: Democracy and Devolution’. One year on from the independence referendum, and with the Scotland Bill due to go to report stage in the next few...Posted 17 Sep 2015