Why single-party governments under First Past the Post fail to get things doneFor all the talk of “strong government,” the reality of single-party rule under First Past the Post (FPTP) often looks anything but. Behind the scenes, these governments can be paralysed by internal battles, faction against...Posted 29 Oct 2025
Latest YouGov poll shows multi-party Britain breaking the voting systemIf there were a general election tomorrow, who would form the next government? It sounds like a simple question if you have access to the latest polls. But when the latest YouGov poll, released on...Posted 28 Oct 2025
Closed Lists were a misstep, cross-party STV bill would put the Senedd back on trackWales stands at an important crossroads in its democratic journey. ERS Cymru has developed a proposal to change the way we elect members of the Senedd, replacing the planned closed-list system with the Single Transferable...Posted 22 Oct 2025
Conservatives mull path back to power at Manchester conference – and the electoral systemThere was a notable shift in mood at the Conservative conference this year compared to recent ones. Until last year, the party had been in government and its conferences focused on the leaders’ speeches, while...Posted 20 Oct 2025
Electoral reform takes centre stage at Labour Party conferenceElectoral reform took centre stage, literally, at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool this year. Andy Burnham was the lead speaker at the rally calling for reform of Westminster’s voting system, hosted by colleagues in...Posted 15 Oct 2025
Is the Scottish Parliament designed to stop a majority?As we approach the next Scottish parliamentary election, there’s a familiar narrative creeping into the conversation: that the system of proportional representation used in Holyrood is somehow ‘designed to stop a majority.’ It’s a catchy...Posted 15 Oct 2025
How First Past the Post helped apartheid take hold in South AfricaSouth Africa’s history shows how an electoral system can change everything. Sometimes, democracy’s biggest dangers aren’t coups or revolutions, but the quiet impact of the rules that decide who wins power. The First Past the...Posted 14 Oct 2025
The danger of choosing a voting system that works for you todayWe all have a party we lean toward. Maybe we’ve stuck with them for decades, maybe our loyalties shift with the times. But when it comes to how we elect our parliament, our choices shouldn’t...Posted 08 Oct 2025
First Past the Post could catapult Reform UK into governmentA new YouGov MRP poll, published on 26 September 2025, provides another snapshot of the chaotic democratic outcomes being caused by First Past The Post (FPTP) in our era of multi-party politics. Although only a...Posted 02 Oct 2025
Strong support for fair votes and jubilant mood at Lib Dem ConferenceI have just returned from a very sunny weekend in Bournemouth at the annual Liberal Democrat conference. As is usually the case at the Liberal Democrats annual meeting, the mood was jubilant. With 72 MPs,...Posted 30 Sep 2025