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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

200 years since one of the first battles for the vote, our political structures still need to change

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

Westminster's voting system is an anti-choice stitch up

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

Five things we have learnt about England’s voter ID trials in May’s local elections

The ID trials, which followed an initial set of pilots last year, required voters in ten English local authorities (Braintree, Broxtowe, Craven, Derby, Mid-Sussex, North Kesteven, North West Leicestershire, Pendle, Watford and Woking) to present personal...

Posted 06 Aug 2019

ERS in the Press: July 2019

July was a busy month in Westminster before MPs headed off for the summer recess. Brexit and the Conservative leadership election dominated the headlines – and we found plenty of opportunities to keep reform of...

Posted 01 Aug 2019

Local elections: How voters in England were cheated by a broken voting system

Local democracy in England and Wales has long been under strain – with contests often seeing dismally low turnout, or indeed no contest taking place at all. But new research from the ERS adds fresh...

Posted 30 Jul 2019

In 17 councils, the party with the largest number of votes did not secure the most seats

Building a stronger Senedd: Why size (still) matters

Almost since its inception, there has been discussion and debate about a larger National Assembly here in Wales. Most recently, an expert panel on Assembly reform led by Professor Laura McAllister stated simply that the...

Posted 19 Jul 2019

The Citizens’ Assembly of Scotland: What can be learnt from elsewhere?

How do you ensure the recently-announced Citizens’ Assembly of Scotland is open and transparent while protecting the participants from hostility and excess lobbying? How do you ensure it is independent of government – but also that it...

Posted 17 Jul 2019

There’s plenty of good practice which the Citizens’ Assembly of Scotland can draw on

Voters are going beyond left-right divides – and the system can’t handle it

During the first half of 2019, party affiliation among the British electorate became more fragmented and volatile than ever before. In the English local elections on 2 May the Liberal Democrats and Greens – as...

Posted 17 Jul 2019