Cutting numbers can’t be the end of the road for Lords reformIt’s a sad but true fact that, in general, it’s not good news that brings the need for Lords reform to the fore in British politics. But on Monday, a packed chamber of Peers gathered...Posted 07 Dec 2016
Missing in Richmond: voter choiceWell, the results are in. Campaigners campaigned, and voters voted. But not all was well. Because the elephant in the room in this by-election was the absence of something that should be a given in...Posted 02 Dec 2016
Adeiladu Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cryfach ("Ni mynd i fod angen cwch mwy…")Adeiladu Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cryfach ( “Ni mynd i fod angen cwch mwy…”) O ystyried y swnami sydd wedi siglo ein gwleidyddiaeth y flwyddyn hon, gall ymddangos yn amser anffodus i drafod yr angen am fwy...Posted 01 Dec 2016
Building a stronger National Assembly, or why ‘We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Boat…’Given the tidal waves that have rocked our politics this year, it may seem an unusual time to be discussing the need for more Assembly Members. In a year of populist shocks and rhetoric, the...Posted 01 Dec 2016
Wedi Brexit, mae’n hen bryd cael Senedd mwy a chryfach‘Boed i chi fyw mewn cyfnod difyr’ medd yr hen dywediad Tseiniaidd. A ni all neb gwadu ein bod yn gwneud hynny ar hyn o bryd: mae Brexit, systemau pleidiol mewn fflwcs, a chyfansoddiad mewn...Posted 30 Nov 2016
After Brexit, it’s time for a bigger, stronger Senedd‘May you live in interesting times’ goes the old Chinese curse. And few could deny that we do: Brexit, a party system in flux, and a constitution in tumult all mark new times for the...Posted 29 Nov 2016
Amid a shrinking Commons, let’s stand up for the backbencherThis article was first published on Politics.co.uk A steady rise in independent-minded MPs has been a positive feature of Westminster life in recent years. Parliament has always had its share of mavericks and their ranks...Posted 18 Nov 2016
Cutting the number of MPs will have consequences. Let’s get this rightThis article was first published in the Times You might have forgotten about it, but the government’s boundary review – the redrawing of the area that your MP represents – is still going ahead, and it’s happening alongside a...Posted 17 Nov 2016
1,000 new Peers? No thanks“If the Lords was obstructive we would just have to create 1,000 peers.” So said Jacob Rees-Mogg MP on Thursday, following the High Court’s ruling that MPs will have a vote on the triggering of Article...Posted 07 Nov 2016
Calling for ‘progressive alliances’ is brave. But it should never be necessaryThis article was first published at LabourList Last week, three Labour MPs did something that takes courage. In calling for Labour to stand aside in Richmond Park, they were pushing for a more collaborative form...Posted 31 Oct 2016