Surprising Conservative leadership vote shows that voting systems matterJames Cleverly must have thought he was in with a chance of winning the leadership of the Conservative Party, in the lead, as he was, on the last vote of Conservative MPs. But, the ballots...Posted 09 Oct 2024
Freebies are just the tip of the Iceberg when it comes to money in politicsThe recent cacophony surrounding ‘freebies’ given by Labour party donors to Labour MPs since 2019 is just the latest in a long stream of financial scandals coming out of Westminster. It’s not just an issue...Posted 09 Oct 2024
Gwynedd consultation backs STV with nearly three quarters in favourThere was some fantastic news out of Gwynedd last week, as Cyngor Gwynedd released the results of its consultation on whether to change the voting system used at local elections. The results weren’t even close,...Posted 08 Oct 2024
General Election result prompts renewed electoral reform debate at Conservative Party conference The Conservative conference this year was dominated by the leadership contest, with the four remaining candidates making their pitches to MPs and members this week in Birmingham. Meanwhile, at the fringe events there was a...Posted 02 Oct 2024
Former New Zealand PM praises ‘very stable’ PR at Labour ConferenceDespite the downcast weather in Liverpool this week there was an upbeat mood at the Labour conference as the party celebrated its second best election result in its history and a return to government. Yet...Posted 26 Sep 2024
Jubilation and strong support for electoral reform at the Liberal Democrat’s 2024 conferenceThere was a jubilant atmosphere at the Liberal Democrat conference this week. The number 72 – the number of MPs the party now has – was everywhere. It appeared in every speech, to raucous applause,...Posted 18 Sep 2024
16,000 people were blocked from voting in the general election, it’s time to scrap voter IDThe scale of the impact that voter ID had on the recent general election has been laid bare today by a report from the Electoral Commission, which makes for concerning reading for those who care...Posted 10 Sep 2024
The plans to remove all the hereditary peers are now in motionToday’s the day we’ve been waiting for, plans have been laid for the final 92 hereditary peers to lose their places in the Lords! For over 700 years the House of Lords has contained Peers...Posted 05 Sep 2024
Does the House of Lords have any power?This July, the King’s Speech outlined the government’s intention to remove hereditary seats from the House of Lords. This is a positive step toward reforming parliament’s second chamber, as it signals the beginning of the...Posted 28 Aug 2024
The real winner from votes at 16 is democracyWith our Labour government’s commitment to extending the franchise to 16- and 17-year-olds in their manifesto, many an argument has been levelled against the plan. Most arguments against measures that would improve our democracy are...Posted 27 Aug 2024