First Past the Post locks many talented people out of politicsThis week, Politics Home reported that Regional Tories Are Snubbing Parachuted MP Candidates In Favour Of “Local Champions”. It seems that number of Conservative candidates with a background in local government is increasing at each...Posted 11 Aug 2023
Where are the policies for renters? First Past the Post keeps the focus on homeownersWith the current cost-of-living crisis and soaring interest rates, mortgages and mortgage holders are all anybody can talk about, including our political parties.Posted 28 Jul 2023
Proportional representation helped women get elected in 2022In January 2023, the global proportion of women parliamentarians just was 26.5%, indicating that there’s a way to go before we have equal numbers of men and women in parliament around the world. While quotas...Posted 27 Jul 2023
Should the ERS look at the rules for… Tennis?As tennis players line up for the Wimbledon semi-finals, and candidates hit the doorstep for multiple by-elections, we’ve been thinking about how useful sporting analogies are when it comes to politics. As, when you think...Posted 14 Jul 2023
How honourable are honours lists?Boris Johnson’s resignation honours list caused quite a kerfuffle between the House of Lords Appointments Commission (HOLAC) and the current and former PM. This all led to a rather slimmed-down list from the much speculated...Posted 11 Jul 2023
Now we know at least 14,000 were blocked from voting, voter ID should be scrappedOn the 23rd June, the Electoral Commission published their provisional report on the rollout of voter ID. One figure stands out from their research: 14,000 eligible voters were denied their democratic right to cast their...Posted 11 Jul 2023
Welsh Government to introduce progressive electoral reformsLast week in the Senedd, First Minister Mark Drakeford announced the Welsh Government’s plans for legislation for the next year. This covered eight new bills which the government hopes will become law. There was a...Posted 06 Jul 2023
The row over Boris Johnson’s resignation honours list highlights why it should be the lastThe recent days have seen the national focus pulled onto the House of Lords through the public row between Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson over the latter’s resignation honours list. While the spat has provided...Posted 13 Jun 2023
There is a dangerous loophole in our political financing rulesShadowy dining clubs and millions of pounds in donations. This is the realm of ‘unincorporated associations’ one of the least-regulated areas of political finance in the UK. Last week, Politico reported that these little-known entities...Posted 12 Jun 2023
Northern Ireland’s local elections show the benefit of the Single Transferable VoteOn the 18th of May, Northern Ireland’s local elections showcased the continued successful use of the Single Transferable Vote (STV). This inclusive and proportional method stands in stark contrast to the disproportionate results witnessed in...Posted 26 May 2023