Do we want a democracy or a pantomime?

Published: Monday, August 18th 2008

Johann Hari, The Independent
Elections do not have to consist of the airless circulation of soundbites, bike-riding photo-ops and ignorance. We can do better than this. While we still have time, the three main parties can together table a Democracy Bill before parliament – to make sure we can make an informed choice between them. I would put at the very top of this bill public funding of political parties, and proportional representation
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Politics for all? Why women are still struggling to make inroads into Westminster

Published: Monday, August 18th 2008

Beatrice Barleon, Progress
When in 1997 the number of women MPs sitting in the House of Commons doubled over night, it was widely assumed that British politics had finally arrived at that destination reached long ago by our Scandinavian neighbours. Many assumed that the electoral success of female candidates would be just the start of a process that would inevitably lead to full equality in representation. Ten years later, we know that this was probably more wishful thinking than objective analysis.
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Labour forum backs voting age of 16

Published: Monday, July 28th 2008

Patrick Wintour, The Guardian
Labour's next election manifesto will back extending the franchise to 16- and 17-year-olds, and support a wholly elected second chamber as a result of decisions taken yesterday at the party's critical three-day national policy forum in Warwick.
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Second chamber reform: total recall?

Published: Wednesday, July 16th 2008

Wholly or mainly elected House of Lords will be Labour manifesto commitment

Published: Monday, July 14th 2008

The Guardian
Plans for a wholly or mainly elected House of Lords have been shelved until after the next general election, Jack Straw announced today.
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Where are the women in British politics?

Published: Monday, July 7th 2008

Lesley Abdela, The Guardian
Despite the promise of the 1997 general election, the UK still has fewer female MPs than Cambodia. There is only one way most of us will live to see gender equality in the British parliament: speedy reform of the electoral system to PR, combined with a gender balance quota.

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