The Reformer

All Around the World Basics Case Study Current Affairs Commentary Developments at the ERS ERS Cymru ERS Northern Ireland ERS Report Launch ERS Scotland Featured Polling Your Questions Answered
House of Lords
House of Lords

Lords lost in stasis as fake reforms go nowhere

Politics is often dominated by disagreements, but one thing almost everyone agrees on is this: the House of Lords is...

cemetery of first past the post
Electoral Reform in Westminster

Four countries where First Past the Post is dead and buried

As a Halloween treat, we thought we’d have a spooky stroll around the graveyard of First Past the Post. Around...

House of Lords

Inside the backbench burial ground of Private Members’ Bills

October 31, 2018

Most of the legislation that Parliament passes is introduced and backed by the government. But for thirteen Fridays in each...

House of Lords libary
House of Lords

Lords are lobbying – our second chamber is leaving us open to foreign interference

A story last week showed the House of Lords for what it really is: a lobbyist’s paradise. As revealed by...

Constitutional Convention

Ireland and blasphemy: Another landmark day for deliberative democracy

October 26, 2018

It sometimes seems that Ireland is having referendums every week – and today voters there are once again heading to...

House of Lords
House of Lords

4 things wrong with the latest ‘reform’ claims from the House of Lords…

If a new proclamation is to be believed, the UK’s unelected second chamber is apparently ‘on course’ to reduce in...

Campaign Regulation

Why we can’t leave our democracy at the whim of tech giants like Facebook

October 25, 2018

Another vote is never far away. But even outside of election time, campaigning rumbles on. Each day, a lot of...

Campaign Regulation

We can’t leave political transparency to the whim of big tech firms: it’s time for a campaign overhaul

October 23, 2018

When an election is just around the corner, there are several tell-tale signs: politicians incessantly visiting factories, thousands of signs...

Votes at 16

Votes for 16 and 17 year olds in Scotland, Wales… and overseas?

October 17, 2018

What connects people with Irish, Kiribatian or New Zealand passports? They can all vote in UK general elections if they...

Say no to the straight vote
Electoral Reform in Westminster

50 years since fair votes’ defence in Ireland

This week marks the 50th anniversary of a major event in the Society’s history and the history of the campaign...

Electoral Reform in Westminster

DUP deals and the warped world of First Past the Post coalitions

October 12, 2018

With news that the Democratic Unionist Party’s 10 MPs are considering voting down the budget over Brexit divisions, the usual...

ERS Cymru

Assembly vote to extend the franchise is a major step forward for Wales

October 10, 2018

For those of us who are politically-minded, voting for the first time is a landmark occasion. There is satisfaction in...