Why the Brexit TV debate debacle shows party leaders must be compelled to take partThere was a story noticeably absent on the front pages on Monday: Sunday night’s Brexit TV leaders debate. That’s because – for all the valiant efforts of broadcasters, there wasn’t one. The past month has...Posted 12 Dec 2018
The Burns Report – Where Are We One Year On?Mariya Green reflects on some of the research undertaken during her placement at the ERS The report of the Lord Speaker’s Committee on the Size of the House of Lords – more commonly known as...Posted 11 Dec 2018
Does Ireland use proportional representation?Ireland has a long history of using proportional representation and, specifically, the Single Transferable Vote (STV). STV is the Electoral Reform Society’s preferred electoral system. Rather than one person representing everyone in a small area,...Posted 11 Dec 2018
Building a better democracy – 2018 and the Electoral Reform SocietyAs a sense of crisis dominates national life, electoral reformers offer an alternative to the way we do politics in the UK. The shadow of the last three general elections is cast wide over Westminster,...Posted 10 Dec 2018
How does mandatory voter ID disenfranchise the public?The government is set to face a legal challenge to its plans to ban people without ID from voting across the UK – starting with the trials it intends to run at the 2019 local...Posted 04 Dec 2018
The TV Brexit debate tantrums show why party leaders shouldn’t be able to dictate the formatIn an age where much of what we see and read about politics is micro-targeted and atomised, TV leaders’ debates offer a rare shared event for supporters of all parties – one reason why the...Posted 03 Dec 2018
ERS in the Press – November 2018Here is just a highlight of the coverage our campaigns have received in the press this month. MPs call for end to ‘political gender gap’ at Westminster We coordinated the media for the Centenary Action Group’s campaign...Posted 30 Nov 2018
Why are there Bishops in the House of Lords?When most people think of Bishops they imagine a man or woman saying prayers in a cathedral, not making the laws that govern all of us. But there are Bishops today who sit in the...Posted 29 Nov 2018
The future of Welsh democracy? Interviews with Welsh leadership candidatesIn just a few week’s time Wales will have its next First Minister in place, with a three way race currently being fought by Mark Drakeford, Vaughan Gething and Eluned Morgan. In all the coverage...Posted 20 Nov 2018
A so-called by-election is showing the Lords up as a disaster for democracyHere’s a strange fact, a week ahead of the centenary of women’s right to stand for Parliament: 90 seats in the Palace of Westminster are effectively reserved for men. Voting has just begun for the...Posted 15 Nov 2018