The Reformer

Pressure is growing for a ‘virtual Parliament’ to hold politicians to account

With Parliament now on a pause for four weeks, serious questions are being asked about how life-changing decisions will be...

How other parliaments are handling the coronavirus outbreak

The scale of the coronavirus challenge is almost unprecedented in modern Britain. It also presents enormous new challenges for how...

House of Lords

Let’s postpone bizarre peer by-elections for good

Even in today’s climate, hereditary peer by-elections are among the more absurd aspects of British politics. Following the retirement of...

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

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...

The Electoral Reform Society Registered Office

The ERS, democracy and the coronavirus crisis

ERS staff are, as you would imagine, working from home, and our events and meetings have all been postponed. While...

Assemblies can help set out a vision for change from the bottom up

Could the Citizens’ Assembly of Scotland change how politics is done for good?

A new way of doing democracy is being trialled in Scotland – and the ERS is at the heart of...

Parliament must ensure proper scrutiny amid coronavirus crisis

Parliament’s response to the coronavirus pandemic has identified the need for sweeping changes in how Westminster operates to protect MPs...

Polling Station

2019 General Election Results

In an election campaign characterised by uncertainty and volatility, it came as a surprise to many that the result would...

Little evidence to suggest that electoral pacts had ‘material impact on the result’

Last week I wrote about tactical voting at the 2019 General Election, after the ERS revealed that almost a third...

Why do they do it Because without the light of democratic scrutiny they can

Lording it over us: Peers’ expenses free-for-all continues

It’s a story we’ve heard too many times: unelected Lords cashing it in. This weekend, fresh revelations in the Sunday...

Voters are systematically ignored

Ignored and unrepresented: Report reveals how Westminster’s electoral system continues to fail voters

Something is deeply wrong when over 70% of votes count for nothing. That’s what Westminster’s voting system did in December’s...

lets build a better democracy, where all our voices are heard

The movement for real democracy is growing – get involved

Sometimes it helps to let the facts speak for themselves. When the ERS tweeted the number of votes it took...