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Finally, some action to reign in the ‘online wild west’ – but there’s much more to be done

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has announced a crackdown on the online political advertising industry following the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Speaking at a hearing of the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home...

Posted 06 Jun 2018

Voters want to tackle Britain’s real democratic problems – not impose voter ID

Despite the fact that last month’s Voter ID trials disenfranchised (at least) hundreds of people, the government seems to be set on making it national policy. Why? Ostensibly, the government says it is about tackling...

Posted 06 Jun 2018

There’s a sham election happening in Parliament. Here’s what you need to know

The idea that people can become lawmakers for life – simply because they were born into the ‘right’ family – is, to most of us, absurd. Yet in the UK, in 2018, this is the...

Posted 04 Jun 2018

The government are using dirty tricks to cut our elected MPs

In the committee room corridors at the Palace of Westminster, the government’s conduct around the ongoing review of constituency boundaries is drawing cross-party criticism. The government’s official response to Parliament’s concerns fails to address any...

Posted 01 Jun 2018

The Irish abortion referendum: How a Citizens’ Assembly helped to break years of political deadlock

In a historic referendum on Friday, the Irish electorate voted with a resounding Yes in favour of removing the Eighth Amendment (article 40.3.3) from the Constitution. Citizens were asked whether or not to replace the...

Posted 29 May 2018

Britain’s democratic farce: This is how the upcoming ‘hereditary by-election’ will work

Last week, there was a rather hushed announcement in parliament: a resignation among the Lords. A peer has decided to retire. No big news usually, but this is no ordinary peerage. Nor will it be an ordinary...

Posted 16 May 2018

When getting the most votes isn’t enough – England’s 2018 local elections

Last week’s local elections were a textbook lesson in why we need to change the way we elect our local councils. From the wrong party winning, to councils with zero scrutiny, using Westminster’s voting system...

Posted 09 May 2018

If you didn’t already think the voter ID trial was a mess, you will after reading this

The government’s rationale for its ill-considered Voter ID pilots was to tackle “electoral fraud” – a criminal offence of which allegations are rightly investigated by the police. So it doesn’t look good for the government...

Posted 08 May 2018

A new report shows we need urgent action to revive our democracy

For the past fifteen years, the Hansard Society – a thinktank which promotes parliamentary democracy – has published its Audit of Political Engagement. The Audit is an attempt to measure the level of engagement of...

Posted 01 May 2018

Revealed: How mandatory voter ID risks locking out legitimate voters

Representative democracies rely on people being able to participate in free and fair elections. That is why each time an election comes around the Electoral Reform Society and likeminded campaigners encourage as many people as...

Posted 30 Apr 2018