Building a better democracy – 2020 and the Electoral Reform SocietyIt’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
ERS in the Press – October 2020This month has seen a renewed interest in proportional representation internationally. Willie Sullivan backed up the case for a fairer voting system in Canada, drawing on his experience in Scotland. “If you want a system...Posted 29 Oct 2020
Hereditary peer by-elections have been paused. They should be scrapped entirelyThe House of Lords just keeps getting bigger. Following the PM’s appointment of 36 new unelected peers, each week sees more introduced to a chamber that is bursting at the seams. The Lords themselves have...Posted 18 Sep 2020
Voters have had enough of the unelected Lords. The PM and peers need to listen upThe first of the Prime Minister’s 36 new appointments to the unelected House of Lords have started to take their seats. They do so at a time of growing public outrage at the state of...Posted 07 Sep 2020
ERS in the Press – August 2020As governments respond to the global pandemic, the issue of how voters are represented has not gone away. In fact, in many ways, it has become more salient. PR in the public eye In August,...Posted 04 Sep 2020
Revealed: The true cost of Britain’s silent peersThere are many perks to being a member of the House of Lords. While many peers do work hard, it seems one of the perks is being able to claim expenses for doing very little....Posted 17 Aug 2020
ERS in the Press – July 2020Another Lords scandal, fighting for fair votes, and a spotlight on foreign interference: highlights from the ERS' campaigning in July.Posted 10 Aug 2020
The unelected House of Lords is undermining Britain’s reputationBritain's ability to speak up for democracy abroad has just taken a major self-inflicted hit.Posted 06 Aug 2020
New figures reveal dire levels of regional representation the unelected House of LordsThe warped nature of the House of Lords has once again been revealed, after the ERS found that nearly a quarter of peers are based in London…compared to just 13% of the UK public. Posted 03 Aug 2020
36 new unelected legislators: PM’s Lords appointments shatter myth of an ‘independent’ House of LordsPressure is mounting for an overhaul of the House of Lords after the PM announced a wave of new ex-MPs, party loyalists and donors to the second chamber.Posted 03 Aug 2020