Permission to share power? When it comes to forming a coalition, is it better to get your party on side before committing, or to take the plunge without consultation? The Conservative party chairman Grant Shapps has recently said that... Posted 19 Jan 2015
Reckless choices? After Clacton, comes Rochester and Strood. At the start of the campaign, the Conservatives felt they stood a good chance of winning this second by-election caused by a Conservative MP defecting to UKIP. In comparison... Posted 21 Nov 2014
Cheryl Gillan on women in politics This is a guest post by Cheryl Gillan, Conservative MP for Chesham and Amersham and former Secretary of State for Wales. The views, opinions and positions expressed within are those of the author alone and... Posted 29 Sep 2014
Something in the air Scotland is shrouded in a muggy haar today, and it feels as if we’ve been cut off from the rest of the world in order to concentrate and exercise our democratic right to vote: for... Posted 18 Sep 2014
The government is still dominated by men As the dust settles on the Government reshuffle, you would be forgiven for thinking that the genders are now fairly represented on the front benches. Nothing could be further from the truth. Despite this week’s high-profile... Posted 17 Jul 2014
The ailing dragon – healing Welsh democracy There’s a crisis of confidence in politics, which cannot be allowed to continue. After countless scandals and inquiries, people are left thinking that politics isn’t working for them. The Hansard Society’s audit of political engagement found that... Posted 09 Jul 2014
Women and Scottish independence This blog was first posted on Engender As the date of the referendum draws ever nearer, and the gender gap in the polls shows no sign of closing, there seem to be more events targeting women... Posted 03 Jul 2014
The new rotten boroughs? How would you like to live in a one party state? You may wonder why anyone would ask given that this is the UK, not North Korea. After all, we can all vote tomorrow if... Posted 21 May 2014
38,000 denied a vote Tens of thousands of people across England are being denied a vote in next week’s local elections, owing to the undemocratic phenomenon of uncontested seats. In this year’s elections there are seven wards which are... Posted 16 May 2014
Just three out of 22 Cabinet ministers are females What a dispiriting week for women. Following Maria Miller’s resignation, just three out of 22 Cabinet ministers are females – putting the UK government at a 15-year low and near rock bottom in comparison with... Posted 11 Apr 2014