The Reformer

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We need to shift the balance closer to 50:50, to allow the ‘top-up’ to do its job.
ERS Scotland

Scotland’s Parliament still has too much First Past the Post

When the Scottish Parliament was created, it was built to be different to Westminster. A system designed to reflect how...

Candidates need to be able to communicate with voters
Campaign Regulation

Is it possible to opt out of political leaflets through the letterbox?

Written by Thomas Worth In the months leading up to elections, voters are often inundated with all sorts of literature...

Scotland should look again at how its parliament is elected
Scottish Parliament

Why Holyrood’s voting system still favours larger parties

Everyone knows that First Past the Post favours the largest party. At the last Westminster election, Labour managed to turn...

As the electorate increasingly fragments our system is failing to reflect our preferences
Electoral Reform in Westminster

What can the Effective Number of Parties tell us about First Past the Post?

Written by Thomas Worth The results of the 2024 General Election were the most disproportional in British political history. The...

When we don't want people to pick up an activity, we don't let them start until they are 18
Votes at 16

Why voting isn’t like drinking or smoking

I’m pretty glad that 12-year-olds aren’t allowed to drive buses. We have age restrictions on many things for pretty good...

The majority of people are represented by an MP they didnt want
Electoral Reform in Westminster

Why First Past the Post leaves most of us without voice in parliament

We live in a country where each constituency has a single MP. Yet for most people this means the MP...

Why reach out when you can win a majority on just 30 percent of the vote
Electoral Reform in Westminster

How First Past the Post turns politics into tribal warfare

Poll after poll and headline after headline in the U.K may leave you with the impression of a country more...

Electoral Reform in Westminster

Forced to make a tactical vote? We shouldn’t have to vote for the least bad option

Every election, millions of us head to the polling station in a conflicted state of mind – should I vote...

First Past the Post doesn’t care how narrow or extreme a party’s agendas is
Electoral Reform in Westminster

How First Past the Post lets people with fringe views slip through the net

Britain’s First Past the Post system was designed for a two-party age. One that pretty much everyone agrees we no...

The Commission must be accountable to Parliament as a whole - not the government of _the day
Campaign Regulation

Why Electoral Commission independence matters

This week, a new report from Spotlight on Corruption highlighted the impact of Electoral Commission independence to the UK’s democratic standing....

Labour won a commanding majority, even though two-thirds did not vote for the party
Electoral Reform in Westminster

How many votes did Labour get in 2024?

On election night in 2024, the headlines celebrated a Labour landslide. Crowds cheered, pundits predicted a bold new direction, and...

Reforming the House of Lords isn't just about modernising a relic, it's about making our democracy fit for purpose.
House of Lords

Should the House of Lords be reformed?

The bill to remove all 88 hereditary peers from the House of Lords is making its way through the House...