What Cambridge Analytica tells us about our out-dated campaign laws Online campaigning is the 21st century’s wild west – and the Cambridge Analytica saga is a very stark reminder that we have to conquer the new terrain. The main legislation regulating political parties’ campaigning... Posted 22 Mar 2018
Why the government’s mandatory voter ID plans are a terrible idea The Electoral Commission has launched a new campaign against electoral fraud – a laudable effort to limit this type of crime. But it also brings under the spotlight the upcoming trials of mandatory voter ID... Posted 06 Mar 2018
More votes but fewer seats? Surely you’re joking? Imagine if at the next General Election one party received the most votes, but another – with fewer votes – returned more MPs. It sounds wholly unfair, undemocratic and absurd. But that is exactly what... Posted 05 Mar 2018
The plan to cut MPs looks suspiciously like a power grab Are we witnessing a power grab? Six months ago, reports suggested that the Prime Minister had dropped plans to force through a cut in MPs, a cut linked with the ongoing review of constituency boundaries.... Posted 20 Feb 2018
Seven reasons to cancel the cut in the number of MPs Six months ago it appeared that controversial changes to electoral boundaries were to be dropped by the government. There has never been a great appetite for the number of MPs to be cut from 650... Posted 19 Feb 2018
George Osborne is far from the only Tory backing Votes at 16 Votes at 16 not a Tory policy? Think again. George Osborne has become the latest in a succession of Conservatives to throw his weight behind extending the franchise. He tweeted this week: More Tory MPs... Posted 16 Feb 2018
May has dropped the new Lords appointments for now. Here’s what must happen next For months now, there has been widespread speculation that new appointments to the House of Lords were imminent. The second chamber – already overflowing with nearly 800 peers – was to welcome yet more former... Posted 16 Feb 2018
Local newspapers play a key role in our democracy and their decline is concerning “When trusted and credible news sources decline, we can become vulnerable to news which is untrustworthy.” So said the Prime Minister last week – representing fears even at the very top over the decline of... Posted 14 Feb 2018
There is no room left in the House of Lords and no appetite for yet more peers Whether it’s a restaurant, a stadium, or your belly – when something is full, logic determines you stop adding to it. This basic principle should be applied to the House of Lords, but it isn’t.... Posted 14 Feb 2018
How Westminster’s voting system is holding back gender equality In the centenary month of women securing the franchise, looking back on the politics of previous decades throws up some grim reminders of discrimination. Take just one: when Janet Fookes was first elected to represent... Posted 13 Feb 2018