News and Comment

The latest news and commentary from the Electoral Reform Society.

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Taking your time forming a government

Some things can be done in a hurry, but forming a Government certainly shouldn’t be one of them. In our recent report, Working Together, we set out the guidelines for forming power-sharing arrangements based on...

Posted 20 Apr 2015

How popular is power-sharing?

Yesterday the views of Brits were unveiled to the world. And in some ways, they make for some startling reading. The British Social Attitudes Survey – a renowned national study of voters’ opinions – was...

Posted 30 Mar 2015

End the patronage

Earlier this week the UCL’s Constitution Unit released a new report titled Enough is Enough, outlining the ludicrous situation of Lords appointments. The House of Lords is now the second largest chamber on the planet, only...

Posted 12 Feb 2015

House of Lords

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