Six ways to rein in the campaign ‘Wild West’On Monday, the ERS launched a united call for change – with election regulators, campaigners, academics and MPs alike demanding a review of Britain’s political campaign laws. This week marks 15 years since the...Posted 05 Feb 2019
Reining in the political ‘Wild West’: Why we need campaign rules for the 21st centuryPolitical party campaigning has shifted dramatically online in recent years. To give just one example: political parties spent around £1.3 million on Facebook adverts during the 2015 general election. This more than doubled two years...Posted 04 Feb 2019
What is a Citizens’ Assembly?Citizens’ Assemblies are often in the news, from the assemblies that led to the referendums on equal marriage and abortion in Ireland, to the Citizens’ Assembly of Scotland and local council climate assemblies. While the...Posted 24 Jan 2019
House of Lords – Let’s break open this private members’ club once and for allAs I write, Lords are pouring into The Queen’s Robing Room to select a new member to join them for life. If that sounds like the bizarre initiation ceremony of a private members’ club, you’d...Posted 23 Jan 2019
Local government in Scotland is top-down and distant – but we can change thatIf there was once a connection between elected councillors in Scotland and the communities they supposedly represent, this has long since fallen away. City halls are often worlds apart from the communities within their apparent...Posted 01 Jan 2019
Five New Year’s resolutions ministers should be signing up toIf 2018 has shown us anything, it’s that the debates over the state of our democracy are as crucial as ever. From the Cambridge Analytica scandal to the controversial ID trials at the local elections,...Posted 31 Dec 2018
There’s a way through this Brexit gridlock which can unite the countryThe likelihood of politicians reaching a consensus on Brexit appears to be diminishing by the day – to consternation on all sides. But what if there’s another way? Parliament is split on May’s deal and...Posted 29 Dec 2018
Why the Brexit TV debate debacle shows party leaders must be compelled to take partThere was a story noticeably absent on the front pages on Monday: Sunday night’s Brexit TV leaders debate. That’s because – for all the valiant efforts of broadcasters, there wasn’t one. The past month has...Posted 12 Dec 2018
The Burns Report – Where Are We One Year On?Mariya Green reflects on some of the research undertaken during her placement at the ERS The report of the Lord Speaker’s Committee on the Size of the House of Lords – more commonly known as...Posted 11 Dec 2018
ERS in the Press – November 2018Here is just a highlight of the coverage our campaigns have received in the press this month. MPs call for end to ‘political gender gap’ at Westminster We coordinated the media for the Centenary Action Group’s campaign...Posted 30 Nov 2018