An elected House of Lords wouldn’t just be a clone of the House of Commons The Electoral Reform Society has long campaigned for the House of Lords to be abolished and replaced with a new modern, fairly elected democratic second chamber. We also want to see the one ‘democratic’ chamber... Posted 10 Sep 2019
Is there proportional representation in Scotland? For most of the 20th century, every election in Scotland was conducted under the First Past the Post system, from elections of MPs to local councillors. Much like in the rest of the UK, this... Posted 05 Sep 2019
ERS in the Press – August 2019 August saw talk of a constitutional crisis come to the fore – and it was a long time coming. The confusion is what happens when a centralised Westminster system and winner-takes-all mentality clashes with the... Posted 03 Sep 2019
Another election under Westminster’s broken voting system is unlikely to get us out of this crisis Back in May, our Westminster Beyond Brexit report raised a prescient question: “Do we want a democracy that gives the power of an absolute monarch to one party, or a government which is representative and... Posted 03 Sep 2019
‘Democracy denied’ as report reveals how voters are left voiceless across England ERS Research Officer Ian Simpson introduces his new report: Democracy Denied: The 2019 Election Audit If two party politics isn’t dead, it has certainly taken a big hit over the first half of 2019. The... Posted 22 Aug 2019
What is the main purpose of the House of Lords? Even those of you out there who have a passing knowledge of our campaigning work will know we are not the greatest cheerleaders for the House of Lords. Who could blame us? If you asked... Posted 21 Aug 2019
200 years since the Peterloo Massacre, Westminster is still broken The events of 2019 have put the problems of Westminster’s system into sharp focus. From discussions about the Prime Minister proroguing parliament, to MPs leaving main parties to form their own (only to splinter within... Posted 16 Aug 2019
Brexit pacts: The latest desperate attempt to game a broken first-past-the-post system The decision by both Plaid Cymru and the Greens to stand down at last week’s Brecon and Radnorshire by-election has sparked a lot of talk in Westminster about political pacts. Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price... Posted 09 Aug 2019
Thinking about standing for ERS council? Here’s Clare Coatman on why you should Nominations for our ERS Council have just opened, and we’re looking for passionate reformers prepared to share their time, energy and ideas to stand. The ERS Council the driving force behind our Society. It is the... Posted 08 Aug 2019
Asking Theresa May To Show ‘Restraint’ In Her Resignation Honours Misses The Point – The Lords Is Bust When even Peers are calling for an overhaul of the House of Lords, you know the chamber is broken. A few weeks ago, the Lord Speaker’s committee – set up in response to concerns over... Posted 06 Aug 2019