The Reformer

Finally, some action to reign in the ‘online wild west’ – but there’s much more to be done

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has announced a crackdown on the online political advertising industry following the Cambridge Analytica scandal....

No ID No Entry

Voters want to tackle Britain’s real democratic problems – not impose voter ID

Despite the fact that last month’s Voter ID trials disenfranchised (at least) hundreds of people, the government seems to be...

House of Lords benches

There’s a sham election happening in Parliament. Here’s what you need to know

The idea that people can become lawmakers for life – simply because they were born into the ‘right’ family –...

Constituency Boundaries

The government are using dirty tricks to cut our elected MPs

In the committee room corridors at the Palace of Westminster, the government’s conduct around the ongoing review of constituency boundaries...

Citizens' Assembly on Brexit

The Irish abortion referendum: How a Citizens’ Assembly helped to break years of political deadlock

In a historic referendum on Friday, the Irish electorate voted with a resounding Yes in favour of removing the Eighth...

House of Lords

Britain’s democratic farce: This is how the upcoming ‘hereditary by-election’ will work

Last week, there was a rather hushed announcement in parliament: a resignation among the Lords. A peer has decided to retire. No...

Polling Station Sign on the floor

When getting the most votes isn’t enough – England’s 2018 local elections

Last week’s local elections were a textbook lesson in why we need to change the way we elect our local...

Bromley voter ID project

If you didn’t already think the voter ID trial was a mess, you will after reading this

The government’s rationale for its ill-considered Voter ID pilots was to tackle “electoral fraud” – a criminal offence of which...

A new report shows we need urgent action to revive our democracy

For the past fifteen years, the Hansard Society – a thinktank which promotes parliamentary democracy – has published its Audit...

No ID No Entry

Revealed: How mandatory voter ID risks locking out legitimate voters

Representative democracies rely on people being able to participate in free and fair elections. That is why each time an...

What can be drawn from the House of Lords ‘abolition’ petition and other options for reform

The House of Lords is a centuries-old institution of British politics which has outlived many others and which, to this...

Local Elections 2018: Six things your local council decides on

How much do you know about your local council – what it does, how it’s spending the council tax you pay each month, and how you can affect the...