How close was Trump to winning the election? Just before the 2020 US Presidential election, we asked the question ‘could Trump win the Presidency and lose the popular vote again’? Now that results from every state have been certified and the Electoral College... Posted 05 Jan 2021
Citizens’ assemblies can help us move beyond a broken Westminster model of politics This piece was originally published by The Scotsman. Talk of citizens’ assemblies is in the air. Former Conservative leadership contender, Rory Stewart has suggested holding one to break through the Brexit impasse. And on Monday,... Posted 20 Jun 2019
Euro elections show how Westminster’s first past the post holds back women Elections to the European Parliament take place today across the UK. As we’ve talked about in a previous blog post, the UK’s 73 MEPs will be elected using proportional representation (PR). In Great Britain, the... Posted 23 May 2019
Even council leaders are uncomfortable with the ‘one party states’ of First Past the Post May’s local elections in England showed just how unfit-for-purpose the voting system is, as voters were left with random results and warped council chambers. The elections saw big swings against the two main parties, as... Posted 16 May 2019
England’s 2019 local elections – The places where around half of voters go unrepresented On 2 May, thousands of people were elected to serve as councillors in local authorities across England. While a lot of attention has been given to the overall performances of political parties and independent candidates, little scrutiny... Posted 13 May 2019
Local citizens’ assemblies could break our political deadlock – but the government have vetoed them Last summer, ministers announced genuinely exciting plans for piloting ‘deliberative democracy’ across the UK. The plan was to use a series of citizens’ assemblies to engage people with politics, to tackle complex and contested topics,... Posted 22 Mar 2019
What is a Citizens’ Assembly? Citizens’ Assemblies are often in the news, from the assemblies that led to the referendums on equal marriage and abortion in Ireland, to the Citizens’ Assembly of Scotland and local council climate assemblies. While the... Posted 24 Jan 2019
There is no room left in the House of Lords and no appetite for yet more peers Whether it’s a restaurant, a stadium, or your belly – when something is full, logic determines you stop adding to it. This basic principle should be applied to the House of Lords, but it isn’t.... Posted 14 Feb 2018
How Westminster’s voting system is holding back gender equality In the centenary month of women securing the franchise, looking back on the politics of previous decades throws up some grim reminders of discrimination. Take just one: when Janet Fookes was first elected to represent... Posted 13 Feb 2018