50 years since fair votes’ defence in Ireland This week marks the 50th anniversary of a major event in the Society’s history and the history of the campaign for fair votes. On 16 October 1968, Ireland held a referendum that would determine the... Posted 15 Oct 2018
DUP deals and the warped world of First Past the Post coalitions With news that the Democratic Unionist Party’s 10 MPs are considering voting down the budget over Brexit divisions, the usual arguments are being rolled out about the ‘tail wagging the dog’ during coalitions. For two... Posted 12 Oct 2018
Assembly vote to extend the franchise is a major step forward for Wales For those of us who are politically-minded, voting for the first time is a landmark occasion. There is satisfaction in putting a cross next to your preferred candidate and placing the completed ballot paper into... Posted 10 Oct 2018
Wales is leading the way in building a better democracy, Westminster should take note There’s been plenty of talk at Conservative conference of how to win back young voters. But so far there has been little policy detail. What’s happening in Wales might provide some inspiration. This Tuesday, the... Posted 02 Oct 2018
Labour voters know to get an economy for the many, we’ll need a democratic overhaul Since Labour’s Democracy Review was launched last year, the party’s internal structures have been exhaustively debated, picked over, and now amended. The process by which parliamentary candidates are selected in Labour-held constituencies has been a... Posted 26 Sep 2018
Three things we learnt at Lib Dem Conference After spending a long weekend at Liberal Democrat conference, I can confirm that EU berets are firmly in fashion, you should never mention the M (moderate) word in their company and there is nothing they... Posted 20 Sep 2018
TUC: A fair society needs equality in Westminster, not just the workplace The 150th Anniversary Congress of the TUC was both a celebration of the past – and a chance to look to the future of trade unions in Britain. Politics for the Many – the trade... Posted 20 Sep 2018
International Day of Democracy 2018: The changes desperately needed to give a voice to all Millions across the globe are celebrating International Day of Democracy, established in the hope of inspiring people to find ways to “invigorate democracy.” Questions over the state of our democracy are as relevant now as... Posted 15 Sep 2018
It’s not just the boundaries that need reviewing – it’s First Past the Post The four national Boundary Commissions have now announced their results. If parliament accepts them, these will be the constituencies that the next general election in 2022 will be fought on. The election specialists Rallings &... Posted 11 Sep 2018
The government’s voter ID plans are ‘rearranging the deckchairs’ in the face of new threats to our democracy On May 3rd 2018, 350 people were denied a vote in their local council elections. Their crime? Not possessing the right ID. The minister hailed these trials of mandatory voter ID as a ‘success’.... Posted 11 Sep 2018