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Will we be seeing political adverts on our streaming services?

ITV recently confirmed to the Guardian that it is considering allowing political ads on its ITVX streaming service. At first glance, this may not seem like a huge development. Social media is already awash with...

Posted 18 Apr 2024

Electoral Commission Chair shares perspective with MPs and Peers at ERS backed event

Last month we hosted an APPG for Electoral Reform event at Portcullis House, The future of the electoral system – in conversation with John Pullinger CB, Chair of the Electoral Commission. We were delighted to...

Posted 11 Apr 2024

5 ways politicians and civil society can bolster the strength of our democratic system

Where is Single Transferable Vote used in the UK?

Whilst First Past the Post is used for Westminster elections in the UK, it’s not the only way we elect people to office in the UK. Other voting systems have a long history and are...

Posted 29 Mar 2024

MPs and Peers recognise the benefits of STV when they are the voters

Changes to First Past the Post style Electoral College increase chances of Trump victory

Barring an act of God, 5 November 2024 will see a rematch of the 2020 US Presidential election between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Looking back at the nationwide result in 2020, you would be...

Posted 26 Mar 2024

Biden won by 7000000 but Trump just needs to gain 44000 in the right places

Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee publish welcome electoral registration report

Last week, the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee published a new report on Electoral Registration. Even though electoral registration is mandatory, millions of people are missing from the electoral register, and the ERS has...

Posted 26 Mar 2024

Victory as Ceredigion joins Powys and Gwynedd with STV consultation

There was fantastic news for voters coming out of Ceredigion last week, as their County Council voted YES to a public consultation on scrapping First Past the Post for their elections and bringing in the...

Posted 25 Mar 2024

The Single Transferable Vote is a tried and tested system

European local government: New ideas of decentralisation in a changing world

I was delighted to be asked to moderate the main Plenary Session of the 9th Annual Congress on European Local Government in Poland last week to discuss ‘New Ideas of Decentralisation in a Changing World’....

Posted 12 Mar 2024

At 35% we still have a long way to go on women’s representation

It’s been over a hundred years since some women won the right to stand as MPs and vote in 1918. But women only won the vote on the same terms as men in 1928, and...

Posted 08 Mar 2024

In the whole history of our democracy, we haven’t elected enough women as MPs to even fill the House of Commons

Pursuing parity: New report examines gender quotas across different electoral systems

Throughout history, the political landscape of the United Kingdom has been predominantly shaped and governed by men. The struggle towards gender parity across the United Kingdom has been fought tirelessly throughout the 20th century. Women...

Posted 08 Mar 2024

Peter Mandelson should save his slimming tips for the House of Lords

Lord Peter Mandelson found himself in the headlines a couple of times this week. Firstly, when he criticised Labour’s plans to scrap the unelected Lords and replace it with an elected chamber that better represents...

Posted 07 Mar 2024