At our Lib Dem fringe, panelists looked at future proofing our campaigning lawsWith proportional representation a long-term policy of the Liberal Democrats, we took the opportunity to discuss the wider crisis in our democracy at the Liberal Democrat Autumn Conference in Bournemouth this year. As the possibility...Posted 03 Oct 2019
The current crisis has been a long time coming – and Westminster’s system is behind itIt’s easy right now to get caught up in the daily drama of politics – to focus on individuals, and the game playing, and to forget that the current political chaos is all part of...Posted 24 Sep 2019
How do elections work in Japan?For the next six weeks the eyes of the world will be fixed on Japan. Ok, probably not all the eyes just the ones that enjoy watching rugby. This week marks the beginning of the...Posted 19 Sep 2019
Why unions are getting serious about the need for political reformA week before the court case over prorogation reached the Supreme Court, the ERS’ Dr Jess Garland told TUC Congress delegates: “Our constitution is just a set of gentlemen’s agreements, with weak parliamentary checks and...Posted 19 Sep 2019
An elected House of Lords wouldn’t just be a clone of the House of CommonsThe 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 2019August 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 crisisBack 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 EnglandERS 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