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Once again, the government have ignored the consensus for Lords reform. Enough is enough

The facts surrounding the dire state of the House of Lords are clear. It is grossly oversized – the largest legislative chamber in the world outside of China. It is wasteful: in the 2010-2015 parliament,...

Posted 08 Mar 2019

Political parties need to stand more women candidates to close the political gender gap

There can be no doubt that in order to see more women elected to our political institutions, political parties need to stand more women candidates. Yet there is no official information on the diversity of...

Posted 08 Mar 2019

We should know what happens at candidate selections

Tax ‘exiles’ are funnelling money into our political parties. It’s time to close the loophole

Here’s a fairly basic democratic principle: those who pour money into our political parties in exchange for influence should – at the very least –be based here at home. Sadly, even that low bar is...

Posted 07 Mar 2019

Britons living in tax havens and their UK companies have made political donations worth 5 million

ERS in the Press – February 2019

Another wild month in politics – from crucial Brexit votes to the apparent disintegration of Britain’s party structures. Throughout, we’ve been pointing at the elephant in the room: the crumbling state of Britain’s democracy and...

Posted 28 Feb 2019

Scotland needs new institutions to transform our local communities

Can you remember a time you were talking with someone and the response you got back meant that it was blatantly obvious that they hadn’t understood what you were saying? You try again, but again...

Posted 27 Feb 2019

Scotland's councils are too big and too distant

Moving targets: What is the technical future of political campaigning?

Josh Smith, Senior Researcher at the Centre for the Analysis of Social Media, Demos Targeted online advertising has produced a fundamental shift in the ways in which political campaigns are conducted. The ability to divide...

Posted 20 Feb 2019

Brexit has drawn back the curtain on Britain’s unwieldy coalitions

In one sense, the formation of The Independent Group on Monday came to many as a shock to the system. But in another sense, it simply reflected a long-term reality. Britain’s parties are unwieldy coalitions,...

Posted 19 Feb 2019

The big parties are artificially cobbled together by a broken electoral system

A new Office for Responsible Technology

Jacob Ohrvik-Stott, Researcher for Doteveryone, an independent think tank championing responsible technology for a fairer future, contributed this piece for our report Reining in the Political ‘Wild West’: Campaign Rules for the 21st Century. The...

Posted 19 Feb 2019

Remaking the state: Transforming Scotland for Worker and Citizen Power (Labour Fringe)

How can we update the old fashioned institutions and rules of British politics so that people really have power? Pauline Bryan, Labour Peer Jess Garland, Director of Policy and Research Electoral Reform Society Angela Feeney,...

Posted 18 Feb 2019

Local Democracy: How can we get real power to communities? (Labour Fringe)

Following years of community and civic engagement, there are suggestions for a new, radical way to organise Scotland’s Local Government. What does Labour think? Alex Rowley MSP, Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government...

Posted 18 Feb 2019