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Citizens' Assemblies

It’s time to put deliberation at the heart of Scottish politics

December 12, 2020

Last Saturday the final session of the Citizen’s Assembly of Scotland concluded. The assembly, the largest deliberative event in Scotland’s...

Campaign Regulation

Building a better democracy – 2020 and the Electoral Reform Society

It’s hard to think of a more troubling year in living memory. But the public health crisis has, perhaps counter-intuitively,...

the Prime Minister should be exploring new ways to give power to local communities

Local democracy

Boris Johnson might not like devolution but it’s vital for his levelling up plan

This article was originally published on inews.co.uk. You could dismiss the comments as classic Boris Johnson bluster. But they vocalise...

Electoral Reform in Westminster

How Holyrood can close the lobbying loopholes – and stand up for transparency

November 9, 2020

Scotland’s lax transparency rules are leaving voters in the dark about the scale and nature of political lobbying, a coalition...

2019 must be the last election with voters left in the dark

Campaign Regulation

As the Scottish Government closes the ‘dark ads’ loophole, Westminster must follow suit

For too long now, online political campaigning in Britain has gone effectively unregulated – to the benefit of well-funded, secretive groups, and...

Local leaders need a strong challenge, regardless of which party they come from

ERS Scotland

Looking back at a decade of proportional representation for local elections in Scotland

"When we now come to use Westminster’s one-person-takes-all system in Scotland, it seems perverse and unwieldly."

The Local Democracy Bill must stem from more than just traditional consultation

ERS Scotland

Deepening democracy with Scotland’s Local Democracy Bill

Democracy isn’t static, it is a process. It isn’t always simple or easy, and today it is being tested under...

A generation in England and Northern Ireland are being left behind

Votes at 16

England, give young people the vote like your neighbours

If you were a 16 or 17-year-old is Scotland, you probably felt quite annoyed at being left out of December’s...

Aberdeen: What is Scotland’s Citizens’ Assembly?

On the 26th and 27th October 100 of Scotland’s citizens met to begin the six-month process of deliberating on the...

How To Upgrade our Democracy – Why Citizens’ Assemblies and Local Government Reform are part of the same future (SNP fringe)

The Scottish Government says it is committed to deepening democracy in Scotland. This is vital and timely, as trust in...

There’s plenty of good practice which the Citizens’ Assembly of Scotland can draw on

Democracy Max

The Citizens’ Assembly of Scotland: What can be learnt from elsewhere?

How do you ensure the recently-announced Citizens’ Assembly of Scotland is open and transparent while protecting the participants from hostility and excess...

The assembly will be completely independent of government and parties

Citizens' Assembly on Brexit

Support grows for new way of doing democracy, as hundreds discuss Citizens’ Assembly of Scotland plans

It’s clear that there is a growing appetite for a new kind of democracy, after hundreds gathered on Monday evening...