Lording it over us: Peers’ expenses free-for-all continuesIt’s a story we’ve heard too many times: unelected Lords cashing it in. This weekend, fresh revelations in the Sunday Times found that in the year to March 2019 peers claimed an average of £30,827...Posted 09 Mar 2020
Ignored and unrepresented: Report reveals how Westminster’s electoral system continues to fail votersSomething is deeply wrong when over 70% of votes count for nothing. That’s what Westminster’s voting system did in December’s election, according to a damning new analysis from the ERS. Of 32 million votes cast,...Posted 02 Mar 2020
Voters Left Voiceless – The 2019 General ElectionFor all the talk of December’s poll as a ‘People versus Parliament’ election, it looks like neither won. 22.6 million. That’s the number of votes that didn’t count towards the result in December’s General Election,...Posted 02 Mar 2020
Labour leadership candidates set out their stalls on political reform for the ERSLabour members have received their ballot papers and are voting in the leadership and deputy leadership contests – with polls open until the 2nd April. The Electoral Reform Society aims to ensure that Britain’s ‘democratic...Posted 28 Feb 2020
Oh Lord… Defender of hereditary peers is made minister for political reformLast week’s government reshuffle saw some strange moves. Boris Johnson appointed a former speechwriter to John Major, Lord True, as a minister overseeing constitutional reform. A strange move because Lord True is one of just...Posted 19 Feb 2020
In Ireland, it actually feels like my vote makes a differenceAs part of a series on the experiences of voters in the Irish 2020 election, we wanted to speak with people who have voted with Ireland’s STV system and under Westminster’s First Past the Post...Posted 18 Feb 2020
STV allowed me to consider the candidates in greater detailAs part of a series on the experiences of voters in the Irish 2020 election, we wanted to speak with voters who have voted with Ireland’s STV system and under Westminster’s First Past the Post...Posted 16 Feb 2020
With STV in Ireland, politicians cannot afford to ignore peopleAs part of a series on the experiences of voters in the Irish 2020 election, we wanted to speak with people who have voted with Ireland’s STV system and under Westminster’s First Past the Post...Posted 13 Feb 2020
Spiralling size and cost of the Lords shows it’s time for an overhaulThe House of Lords has again come under scrutiny this week as the Times reports that peers will see their daily pay rise by 3.1% to £323 per day if they attend from April. This development comes...Posted 13 Feb 2020
Voting with proportional representation feels much more meaningful than Westminster’s systemAs part of a series on the experiences of voters in the Irish 2020 election, we wanted to speak with people who have voted with Ireland’s STV system and under Westminster’s First Past the Post...Posted 11 Feb 2020